New Romantics

Epilogue

6 Months Later

There were many things a person could do on a Saturday night at Oracle University.

There were the bars in uptown Oracle, famous for their sprawling patios and perfect pool tables. If you weren't interested in being hit on by your TA (or lonely professor) in a bar, there were always the frat houses around the corner, jungle juice, and cheap beer ready by the gallon.

If you craved some action, the championship football team and its fancy, ten-million-dollar stadium were on their annual trajectory toward a perfect-season record.

For the arts, there were fashion shows, slam poetry contests, exhibits, and wine tasting. If you liked history, you could take a tour of every haunted hotspot on campus with the guarantee of one paranormal encounter or another.

Apparently, the aforementioned list of activities wasn't good enough for Leo Aldridge. He decided that hanging out on my balcony was a better idea.

"And Abriella just decided to leave?" Leo asked for the third time, his bottomless blue eyes widened with disbelief, his hair sticking out at comical angles from how many times he raked his fingers through it as he read the cliffhanger ending of Betting the Billionaire Vampire—the newest entry to the New York Times Bestseller List—and refused to accept it. "After everything they've been through?"

Warring covens. Blood-thirsty werewolves. Vampire hunters. A coveted newspaper editor who wouldn't let the inconsistencies of the elusive billionaire-tech CEO go.

Biting my lip, I nodded. "I know. But in her defense, he's asking her to drop everything, leave her family and friends, and start all over without even taking time to consider it."

"How much time does she need? It's easy, really. You become a vampire. You hang around and credit your apparent lack of aging to some super rare, super expensive skin care routine that only tech-billionaires can afford. And then one day, you move across the world and continue to FaceTime people with an Ai filter that makes you look old. I mean, there's witches in this story for crying out loud! They could cast a spell to make them look old until everyone dies!"

Dissolving into laughter, I nearly dropped my paperback of BBV through the slits in the balcony railing overlooking the sprawling new courtyard at Oracle Tower Apartments. Party lights flickered through the complex with celebrations for the end of the spring semester. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You really put some thought into this, didn't you?"

"It wasn't that hard."

Rolling my eyes, I crawled across the small nest of blankets and pillows on the balcony, long strands of lights laced around the window and onto the balcony to create our own slice of heaven, soft music playing against a backdrop of party anthems and laughter, and straddled Leo's lap. He eased back against the cushions and looked at me with a mixture of love and longing I would never get used to.

"You should write a book," I said, dropping a kiss on his lips. "Write your own billionaire vampire romance. I think you'd do great."

"I'll consider it," he said seriously. "I think I'd be a great writer."

"What would your pen name be?"

A smile played on his perfect lips and he contemplated the thought for a long moment before saying, "Something cool. Like... Leo Aldridge." I playfully swatted his shoulder. He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist and squeezing me in a spine-tingling hug I was certain could cure me of all my worries and fears. "What?"

"You can do better than that!"

"If I'm going to get a bunch of glory by writing the next bestseller, I want the world to know it was me."

"Even on med school applications?"

"Especially on med school applications."

I kissed him again. "You're such a dork."

"Don't tell my frat brothers that. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Dork. Dork. Dork." I punctuated each word with a kiss.

"Oh?" His eyebrows lifted with smug intrigue and he sat up straight, tugging me further into his waist, not caring that a simple glance up from a person in the courtyard would give them a full view of what was going on. "You want to recreate Chapter Forty? We technically have another hour until Dani's Going Away party starts."

A sense of pride swirled through me. Dani's internship in Hong Kong. One of my best friends would one day rule the world, and this was proof. Just like Sasha and her Olympic qualifier in November. I couldn't believe that just a few short days ago, my junior year at OU came to an end. It was bittersweet, but exhilarating. I kicked Organic Chemistry II's ass thanks to two kickass tutors and a little dose of believing in myself.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Aldridge."

"I am threatening you, Shah," he purred.

Laughing, I threw my arms around his shoulders and kissed him hard before peering through the window into my bedroom. "We have to be quiet."

"Can you do that?"

"Leo."

"Aria."

Peeling myself out of his hold, I grabbed the nearest blanket and motioned to the bedroom. "After you."

He looked at me with starlight blue eyes and grinned. "Aye-aye, Captain."

There were many things a person could do on a Saturday night at Oracle University.

Standing at my window, halfway on my balcony, with a grin on my face, I was really happy Leo Aldridge decided to hang out on my balcony. 

♡ ♡ ♡

Thank you for reading, New Romantics! I really enjoyed writing about Aria and Leo, and I hoped you enjoyed reading their little love story. :) 

♡ Simran