Epilogue
AMBER
“So I figure I’ll do the internship, even if I have to beg my parents to pay my rent in the meantime,” Sandra says to me while I scroll through my phone.
It’s strange how little her chatter is bothering me. A year ago, I would have been hard-pressed not to point out her privilege that she can have her parents pay for anything. Now, even though I’m internally rolling my eyes, I don’t think there’s any point in arguing with her.
Besides, it’s not like I’m not privileged myself these days. Living in a fancy penthouse with one of the richest men in the USA has probably spoiled me.
“The internship will be good experience,” I say, setting my phone aside and looking up. The student lounge is fairly busy right now, since it’s lunch time and a lot of people are taking a break until their next class.
Sandra nods, not at all bothered at my deadpan tone. I guess that’s the other reason I don’t mind hanging out with her—she doesn’t seem bothered by my quirks, not like a lot of my former classmates who remember what I was like before. Thankfully the majority of them have graduated already.
“You should apply too,” Sandra says. “You’d be a shoo-in. And…” Both our phones buzz at the same time. I ign ore it, but Sandra reaches for it to see what the notification is. “Wow. Holy shit.”
“What?” I ask.
Sandra shakes her head. “It’s an announcement from the school. I mean, it probably won’t help me at all, but wow. I didn’t know Drake Brutal was a philanthropist.”
I freeze. “A philanthropist? What?” I tap my phone to check what the school had sent.
New endowment for the New Bristol University School of Psychology .
I stare at it for a few seconds before tapping the mail open.
New Bristol University is excited to announce a new endowment for future students of our School of Psychology in partnership with Drake Brutal, Founder and CEO of Asteroid. The fund will provide full tuition for all students at the School of Psychology, as well as research grants for PhD students.
My mouth goes dry as I read the rest of the press release, skimming the details until I catch the interview portion.
“It’s been a long, lonely journey leading to my own recovery,” Drake Brutal explained, though he declined to specify what treatment he’s received. “I was fortunate enough to have the right resources, but not everyone is. We need more people in this field if we’re going to address the deficit of capable providers. There just aren’t enough people out there to fill that need.”
In addition to the tuition fund, he will also be providing $500 million to fund a local mental health clinic that will provide free services to low-income patients.
I keep rereading the lines. The accompanying photo of Drake is one from his company’s website, where he looks like a generic corporate drone and not at all like what I picture him.
“Uh, Amber? Are you okay?” Sandra asks, startling me out of my reverie.
“I have to go,” I say, getting up. “Let’s meet up for… for coffee. Later.” I don’t wait for her response before I jog toward the exit.
My hands shake as I call Drake. I’m on the steps outside the building when he picks up.
“Mimi?”
“Where a re you?” I ask.
“Uh… Where do you want me to be?” Drake sounds hesitant, and that’s enough of a hint for me.
“You’re waiting on campus, aren’t you?” I say. “You brought your flashy car to pick me up.”
He coughs. “Maybe?” he ventures. “I thought it’d be nice to go for a drive. Maybe go to Mer d’Or and have dinner.”
“Oh, you thought that?” I keep walking toward the university parking lots. “Now why would we be doing that?”
“To celebrate a new business venture,” Drake says. He pauses, then says, “Okay, okay, so I figured you’d hear the news and thought you might want to either kiss me or kill me. Not sure which.”
I spot his flashy car, idling in a no-parking lane. I roll my eyes but walk faster.
“I don’t want to kill you,” I tell him evenly. “Although you need to stop parking in the no-parking zones.”
“It’s only for like five minutes at a time,” he complains. “I’ll move if someone needs me to. Technically, I’m not parked. I’m just… momentarily pausing.”
I reach the car and slide into the passenger seat.
We stare at each other.
“Let’s go to Mer d’Or,” I say. “If you can still afford to, let’s rent a yacht.”
Drake whistles. “Look at you getting all fancy with my money,” he says, grinning at me. He leans over and kisses me. “I admitted to the world that I had to get help for shit,” he mumbles against my mouth. “For you. So I definitely deserve a fancy dinner and a night on a yacht with my girlfriend.”
“You do,” I agree, and I stop trying to suppress my smile. “Who knows. You might even get to hear something you’ve been waiting to hear for a long time.”
He perks up, looking at me with such a hopeful look that it makes my stomach flutter. “Like what?”
I kiss him on the cheek. “You’ll have to wait and see. Tonight. When the mood is all romantic, and you’re in bed with your ass spread wide for me…”
Drake chok es on a laugh. “No, we’re not doing that tonight. It’s my turn to hold the ropes.”
I grin wider and kiss him again. “We’ll see. Now start driving. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can celebrate.”
He grumbles, but he pulls back, pulling out of the spot and getting onto the road. He starts talking about the fund, about how many people the endowment is going to reach, and he actually seems excited about it.
It’s endearing in a way I never thought Drake Brutal could be.
I love you , I think as I watch him.
I’d tell him now, but it’s much more fun to watch him squirm.