What We Want, What We Get (a boy x boy novel)

Chapter Thirty - I Knew You (Epilogue)

Epilogue -  years later we finally made it here lol. If you stuck around this long, I hope you enjoy this finale. Much love <3 

6 years later...

17 April, France

I will never not be in love with the smell of fresh baguettes and black coffee from the deli under my apartment, the semi-busy streets at 7am, and the beautiful architecture of this mid-sized French city. I've been here seven months tomorrow and it still feels like I just got off the plane yesterday with just a checked bag, somewhat passable French, and excitement.

After I finished college, I got a paid internship in New York to build my experience in architecture, and I just so happened to start at the time they were launching their French leg (very Emily in Paris if you ask me, but less fashionable and less cigarettes). I was one of two people in the entire firm that spoke any French, along with the assistant senior architect, so we were flown to Marseille. I was only supposed to be here for six weeks, but then magic happened, and we might be here another year if things go well. Good with me.

The one drawback is that I am so far away from all of my friends, Minus Jayna. She actually is in London for graduate school, and we have seen each other the most in the last year. I haven't seen Caroline in 9 months, Brad in 8 months, and Alice in 10 months. We text and call each other practically every day and week, but our schedules these last couple of months have never aligned correctly, and we're never home at the same time.

Alice, last I saw her, was still in school in Seattle, we've actually lost and regained touch in the last five years just because life has been so...life. I hope she's doing okay. Brad has been between our hometown and LA the last couple of years, trying his chops at acting; he got "discovered" on his old campus, and decided to give it a try. He's only been in very minor parts, and maybe one or two short movies online. Jayna has basically lived in Europe since she was 18 and has only come home four times in the last five years. Funny, enough, she had seen the gang more recently than I have.

And Caroline is still back home; she wants to be a teacher in the town next door. She actually has been in a serious relationship since she was 20 with a man named Roger, who she met at a Lady Gaga Concert with his then girlfriend. We love to see it, honestly. Jayna has been sticking to European flings the last few years, not wanting to settle down with a man just yet. Brad has been experimenting more with his sexuality since high school and fully identifies as bisexual now. He had a boyfriend for two years and everything before they broke up. I recently became single, right before I came to France. Reece and I stayed together all throughout college and had plans to get married. But then our work schedules got too hectic, and we barely saw each other; we just grew apart after that. I still love him so so much, and we're still the best of friends. I think he's seeing someone new now, which both hurts and is exciting. I want him to be happy, just like I know he wants me to be too.

Since then, I've just been enjoying some French hook-ups, which has been fun. The French are very giving people in the bedroom. I was pretty sure the assistant director I came with had a thing for me, but I just can't do black haired men. It creeps me out to this day. But I've also been too busy recently at work to even entertain a new relationship, plus my breakup with Craig is still fresh.

As I'm getting ready for work, I get a text from Bryce, who is in middle school now, telling me that our sister is going to give birth in like three hours. I immediately freak out, because I didn't think her due date was going to be this quick. When she told us she was pregnant her last year of college my parents flipped shit, but they've come around. Her boyfriend is okay too, I guess. Bryce is just happy there will be someone younger than him in the house now.