Epilogue
Three Months Later.
Dylan
The buzzer sounds, and I skate hard toward the goal. My lungs burn, but I push through it. Coach is screaming something from the bench, but all I hear is the scrape of my blades against ice and my own breathing.
Last home game of the season. We're up by one with three minutes left.
I catch the puck off a pass from Westley and dodge left. The defender comes at me, but I'm faster. I've been faster all season. Sharper. More focused.
My stick connects, and the puck sails past the goalie.
The crowd erupts.
Scott slams into me, nearly knocking me over. "Fuck yeah!"
Westley joins, then Rocky. We're a mess of gear and adrenaline on the ice.
I glance up at the stands as we skate back to center ice. It takes me a second, but then I spot her. Cecily's on her feet with Marina, both of them screaming. She's wearing my jersey, and even from here, I can see her smile.
My chest tightens in the best way.
Three months ago, I thought having her in my life would ruin everything. That I'd lose focus, that my grades would tank, that hockey would suffer.
I was wrong about all of it.
My GPA is the highest it's been since freshman year.
Coach said whatever I'm doing, keep doing it.
I didn't tell him it was because Cecily makes me study with her at the library, or that she quizzes me on flashcards while we eat breakfast, or that she genuinely gives a shit about me being more than just a hockey player.
The ref blows the whistle, and we line up again.
I'm not distracted. I'm better.
She makes me better.
The final three minutes feel like thirty, but we hold them off. When the buzzer sounds, we've won. The crowd goes insane. My teammates are piling on top of each other, and I'm laughing, soaking it all in.
This is it. Last home game. And we fucking won.
I look up at the stands again. Cecily's clapping, jumping up and down. Marina's saying something to her, and Ce's nodding, still watching me.
I skate over to the glass where she's standing and tap it. She leans down, pressing her hand against mine through the barrier.
"You were amazing!" she mouths.
I grin. "Party at Rocky's?"
She nods, and Marina gives me a thumbs-up.
By the time I shower and change, the locker room is clearing out. Some of the guys are heading to Rocky's, and the others are going to the frat house.
Scott's already texting the group chat about who's bringing what.
I grab my bag and head out to find Cecily waiting in the hallway. She's leaning against the wall, scrolling through her phone.
"Hey, Moo," I say.
She looks up and smiles. "Hey, smut."
I drop my bag and pull her in, kissing her. She tastes like pink Starburst lip gloss.
"You were incredible out there," she says when I pull back.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She grabs my hand.
I shrug, but I'm smiling. "Had some good motivation."
Cecily
Rocky's house is packed by the time we get there. Music's blasting, and people are everywhere. Marina waves us into the kitchen, where she's pouring drinks.
"There's the star!" she yells, throwing her arms around Dylan.
He laughs and hugs her back. "You're drunk already?"
"Tipsy," she corrects. She hands me a cup. "For you."
I take it and sip. “Is this a green drink?”
She pulls out the package from her pocket and laughs.
I belly laugh, leaning against her. I say in her ear, “I fucking love you, Marina. You’re the best.”
Dylan grabs a beer, and we make our way through the crowd. People keep stopping him to congratulate him on the game. He's polite, smiling, and thanking them, but his hand never leaves mine.
We find Scott and Westley on the back porch playing beer pong.
"There he is!" Scott yells. "MVP of the fucking night!"
Dylan shakes his head, but he's grinning. "It was a team effort."
"Don't be modest. You killed it." Scott misses his shot and curses. "Alright, who's next?"
"We'll play," Marina says, appearing beside me. She's dragging Rose with her.
I watch them set up while Dylan pulls me closer. His arm wraps around my waist, and I lean into him.
"Having fun?" I ask.
"Yeah. You?"
I lean in. “I have some ideas for very fun things we can do later.”
He bites my ear, and I laugh loudly.
An hour later, someone suggests a game of Truth or Dare. We're all sitting in Rocky's bedroom—me, Dylan, Marina, Scott, Westley, Rose, Madeline, and Double D’s.
"I am not playing this," Westley says immediately.
"Come on, it'll be fun," Marina insists.
Scott grins. "I'm in."
Dylan looks at me and raises an eyebrow. "You down, Moo?"
I laugh. "It’s like Deja vu."
"Let's do it."
We sit in a circle, and Marina goes first. She picks truth and admits she's been seeing someone but won't say who. Everyone tries to guess, but she just smirks.
Then it's Scott's turn. He picks dare and has to text the last girl he hooked up with, saying he misses her. He does it, and we all watch him cringe when she responds immediately.
A few more rounds pass. Madeline picks dare and has to do a shot of hot sauce. Rose picks truth and admits she hooked up with someone on the football team.
Then it's Dylan's turn.
"Truth or dare?" Marina asks.
Dylan doesn't hesitate. "Dare."
Marina grins. "I dare you to admit that you never looked at Cecily as a friend.”
Scott starts hooting, and I can’t help but laugh.
Dylan says, “That sounds a lot like a truth.”
Marina shakes her head. “It’s a dare. You had us all going for months, I’d say, that you two were only friends. Now I dare you to tell us the truth. You guys were never friends, were you?”
I squeeze Dylan’s knee that he’s bouncing.
He turns to me and says, “The truth is… we’re still only friends.”
I lean my head against his shoulder and smile at Marina and the rest of the gang. They all shake their heads.
“I’m serious.”
“He has never asked me to be his girlfriend.”
Every single one of them starts to say something.
Scott’s telling us how that’s bullshit. Rocky doesn’t believe it.
Madeline asks how that can be. Marina’s yelling that I literally made her think I had nothing going on with Dylan, so she foolishly asked him out.
Westley’s talking makes me laugh. He’s telling us to stop lying to ourselves and admit it already.
“I choose dare,” I call out, trying to get everyone to calm down.
Scott barks, “I dare you to ask him to be your boyfriend.”
I turn to Dylan and laugh. I kiss him instead, using tongue and all. They start whistling and asking us when we’re going to get married. I only stop because Dylan and I won’t stop laughing at all the accusations. Then Dylan pulls me onto his lap.
I settle in, and his arms wrap around my waist. I feel his breath on my neck.
They’ve moved on to the next truth or dare, so I lean against his shoulder.
"Are you happy?" he whispers.
I smile, witnessing our friend’s faces before us.
The way they’re arguing and carefree, having a good time together.
This is all I could ever dream of. All I wanted was friends like this, people to hang out with and have endless laughter with.
What I didn’t expect was to find a love like Dylan’s. He’s gentle and kind and sweet.
I kiss his lips.
“Very.”
He hugs me tightly as I whisper, “I’ve never been happier.”
Dylan
Having Ce on my lap is driving me insane. Every time she shifts, I feel her ass press against me, and it's taking everything in me not to drag her out of here right now.
It's Cecily's turn again.
"Truth or dare?" I ask.
She looks back at me. "Dare."
Everyone’s waiting to see what I say, but I lean in close so only she can hear. "I dare you to move in with me."
She leans forward, looking at me. “Are you serious?”
Marina says, “What did he say?”
Cecily looks at her in shock, and then she turns to me. "That's not a real dare."
“I already talked to the guys.”
She looks at Scott and Westley. They nod at her.
“So, will you move with me?” I ask.
Marina squeals. “Are you serious!”
Madeline covers her mouth while Rose’s eyes widen.
Cecily nods. “Yes.” She kisses me. “Of course.”
The game continues, but I'm barely paying attention. All I can think about is getting her alone.
Eventually, people start leaving. Marina hugs Cecily goodbye and whispers something in her ear that makes Ce laugh.
"Ready to go?" I ask.
She nods.
We say goodbye to everyone and head out to my truck. The drive back to her place is quiet, but my hand is on her thigh the whole time.
When we get inside, she kicks off her boots and looks at me. "So about that dare..."
“We have a lot to figure out, Moo, but right now, I dare you to put this on.” I toss her my jersey from my bag. “Nothing underneath.”
She catches it, blushing, and heads to the bedroom. I follow a few seconds later and find her standing there in just the jersey. It falls to mid-thigh, and her legs look incredible.
"Fuck," I breathe.
She smiles. "You like it?"
"Get over here."
She walks over, and I pull her to me, kissing her hard. My hands slide under the jersey, and I groan when she’s bare.
"I’ve been looking forward to this all night, Ce.”
“Me too,” she whispers.
I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I carry her to the bed and lay her down, hovering over her.
"I love you.”
"I love you too."
I kiss her again, slower this time. My hands explore her body while she tugs at my shirt. I pull it off and toss it aside.
“When we live together, we can do this whenever we want.”
She nods, humming against me when I feel her wet pussy. I slip my fingers inside of her, and she grips onto my shoulders.
“Remember when you dared me to try this on you?” I ask, curling my fingers.
She scratches me with her long nails, panting. “Dylan.”
“Yes, baby?”
She breathes deeply as I keep the pace of my finger until her back is arching. I pull my fingers out and start eating her pussy. Fuck, she tastes fruity.
I hum against her clit, licking and sucking, keeping my finger deep inside of her.
“I’ll never get enough of this, baby,” I whisper.
She’s panting when she says, “Oh my god. Guess what? I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.”
I lift my head as she runs her fingers through my hair. “What?”
She smiles, trying to catch her breath. “You know that brand deal I was trying to get?”
I nod, letting my tongue fall on her thigh.
“I negotiated a higher price, so over the next month, I’ll make twenty thousand.”
“No fucking way,” I say, crawling up. I kiss her forehead, her neck, her tits. “Wow, Ce. You’re fucking killing it.”
She nods, reaching for my shorts. She tugs them off and starts sucking my cock.
“Shit, baby.” Her head bobs as she sucks me off.
I stop her before I can come. “Turn around. I love your ass.”
She puts her ass in the air, and I enter her pussy, feeling her clench. I pick up my pace, watching her bounce on my dick.
“So fucking good, Moo. I love you so fucking much.”
I rub her clit and fuck her until she’s gripping the sheets and moaning through her teeth. I come alongside her, filling her up with my seed. When I pull out, I kiss her mouth and remind her again how much I love her.
Later, when we're cleaned up and tangled together on her bed, she's tracing patterns on my chest.
"I meant what I said at Rocky’s. I’m really happy," she says quietly.
I kiss the top of her head. "Me too."
"Think we can do this? Live together?"
"I know we can." I tilt her chin up to look at me. "We’ll figure it out together."
She smiles. "Together."
"Together," I repeat.
She kisses me softly, and I pull her closer.
The school year is ending. Summer’s around the corner. A new place. A new chapter. It’s all on the horizon.
And for the first time in my life, I'm not running from what I want.
It turns out that I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
Because I have her.
Thank you so much for reading!