I laughed, not even having to force a smile for the photo because I was so goddamn happy as all three of my men posed around me.
Nero’s mom shrieked as she found us like that, whipping out her own phone and taking photos herself.
Once they were satisfied, it was like they were lost in their own world, looking at the photos and zooming in on them to look at the details, and I took the opportunity to hug whichever guy was closest to me.
Dex.
I looked up at him, and he smiled down at me, giving me a kiss on the forehead. “Congratulations,” he whispered, before looking up, his gaze drifting somewhere else. I followed his line of sight, and what I saw was a black car, with the window rolling up, before it drove away.
“Old Sal,” Dex explained to me when I returned my gaze to him, and I exhaled, knowing that he’s probably the closest to a father figure he’s ever gotten.
“I just know he’s proud of you just as he is with Siege,” I whispered. “He’d be heartless not to be.”
Feeling two more sets of arms around me and Dex, Nero started jumping around us, cheering as he and Siege joined in on the embrace, treating us like he would his football team.
A loud, warm laugh bubbled up from me as Dex and Siege started to playfully push him off, telling him that he’s being way too loud and he’s drawing too much attention.
Dad offered the camera out towards me, silently asking if I wanted to take a picture myself.
I declined with a shake of my head, preferring to watch the three of my guys bickering like brothers with my own eyes.
It’s important to preserve the memories into photos, sure.
But if I’m lucky? I won’t need them, because I’d get to see this every day.
This is only the start of our story.
Just like how I worked hard to survive my senior year, I’d work even harder to make sure that I’d never have to preserve memories because I’ll have them with me from here on forward.
Siege, Dex, Nero, and I. Until the end.
EPILOGUE
COSETTE
“Ellio! I have your lunch ready!”
I shouted from the kitchen, but he was nowhere to be found as I went out to the living room where heshouldbe.
“Where’s Ellio?” I asked Siege who was on the couch, controller in his hand while he’s playing the new game he had bought last week to ‘de-stress’ from his classes.
Because of course, he would de-stress with a first-person shooting game.
“Uh, I don’t know, little vixen. That’s what you get for wanting to add another guy to your harem when you already got three.”
I rolled my eyes, my hands coming up to my waist as I popped my hip up at him.
“Are you even finished with the business model you’re supposed to submittomorrow?”
It wasn’t a surprise to me that Siege picked to take up Business Management for uni, even though he’s been groaning about how boring it all was. Though I knew that deep inside, he’s actually enjoying it, and he already has so many startups in mindonce he graduates, keeping his money safe and growing in stocks for the meantime.
I asked him why he didn’t want to start those businesses right away, and he only answered that he wanted to do things the ‘normal way’. AKA, have fun in college with me and the guys before he gets back to work.
Couldn’t blame him. That’s what he’s been trying to get away from when he induced Exodus, isn’t it?
“You mean the business model I’ve submitted three days ago?”
The smug asshole managed to flash me a smirk, making me roll my eyes at him in irritation, feeling like I never win in these petty arguments with him.
