Haru spots me first and waves, a full-arm wave that draws the attention of several nearby frat brothers.
Tension in my chest loosens.
They came. After weeks of processing, of awkward conversations and reassurances that we'd stay in touch, they came.
"Go," Gavin says, nudging me toward them. "I'll grab us drinks."
I cross the room, and JP looks up from his spreadsheet.
"Sebastian." He nods formally, then his expression cracks into something almost warm. "We've calculated a 94.7% probability that you'll forget to eat real meals once you're in a new country with no one monitoring your nutrition."
"That's... weirdly specific."
"Leo did the math," Max chimes in, vibrating with energy. "I built a prototype meal-reminder bot, but it kept setting off the fire alarm, so we scrapped it."
"The sentiment remains," Luca adds. "We'll be checking in."
Elliot gives me a small nod that somehow conveys an entire paragraph of emotion.
Haru bows slightly. "We have prepared a schedule of video call times that accommodate all time zones. JP has it color-coded."
"Of course he does."
I look at them, my weird, wonderful, socially-challenged found family, and my throat tightens again.
"I'm going to miss you idiots," I manage.
"The feeling is mutual," JP says, and coming from him, it's practically a declaration of love.
Gavin appears at my elbow with two drinks, and the geeks immediately shift to include him. It still amazes me how easily he fits with them now, how he learned their quirks and boundaries, how he never pushes but always shows up.
"So," Gavin says, taking a sip of his beer, "JP was telling me about the new initiative."
"Initiative?" I look at JP.
He straightens, a gleam in his eye. "We've decided to be more... proactive. Socially."
"Proactive," Leo echoes, sounding like he's not entirely sure what he's agreed to.
"We're going to pursue romantic connections," Luca clarifies, cheeks slightly pink. "Systematically."
"We made a plan," Max adds. "With milestones. And backup strategies."
"Oh God," I mutter.
"It's very thorough," Haru assures me.
Gavin is grinning like this is the best thing he's ever heard. "I fully support this. Keep me updated."
"Absolutely not," I say. "You'll encourage them."
"That's the idea, Doc."
Ian wanders over, beer in hand, looking mournfully at the couples scattered around the room. "Y'all are disgusting, you know that? All this happiness. It's unnatural."
"You could try dating," Gavin suggests.
"Who's got the time?" Ian sighs dramatically. "And where am I supposed to meet someone? I'm not doing those apps. It's all—" He makes a vague hand gesture. "—weird."
