Page 104 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

I threw my arms around his neck before I knew it. I pulled him in, my eyes closing while his face was still in front of them, etched into my memory for all the years to come. His warmth, his strength, and his love wrapped around me, holding me close and keeping me safe.

Our lips met gently at first, savoring the fact that we were kissing each other after I thought I would never get to be this close to him again. But as always with Tyler, this kiss grew hotter and brighter and more endearing with each beat of my heart. It was everything I lived for and more. It was the safety and the well of happiness that never went dry.

Again and again and again, Tyler would look into my eyes and prove he was all I could wish for.

Our blazing kiss lifted us off the ground, carried us so far above everyone and everything else, and let me see glimpses of a long and happy life with the only person I’ve ever truly wanted to be with. Since we were small boys, our futures were intertwined in my mind. And now, we were finally awarded that future. Once and for all, I was his, and he was mine.

When Tyler pulled his head a little back, I discovered that we were still on Earth. “So, you’re running away from home?”

“If you rat me out, you’ll never hear the end of it,” I warned him.

Tyler threw his head back and laughed. “Actually, I was about to steal you away for myself. You beat me to it.”

“Your dad?” I asked.

Tyler nodded. “He knows. Not that it’s you, but he knows.” After a short silence, Tyler’s eyes went so soft that my heart melted. “He told me this morning to fight only for the things that make me happy. ‘Fighting for the sake of fighting never made anyone richer,’ he said.”

I nodded. There was still something good in our lives. Mr. Morgan. Eryn. The two of us. I didn’t know what tomorrow might bring. I didn’t know if I would ever believe Tyler’s opinions of me. Surely, I couldn’t be as special as he believed. But he was to me. Every little bit and more, he was so special to me.

Tyler took my hand as I picked up my duffel. We turned in the direction of his house. Looking into one another’s eyes, shoulder by shoulder, we paused. There were no words I could say to him that could even hint at how much I loved him. But I told him anyway. I told him he was my everything and always had been.

“You know I feel the same, Sebastian,” he said. “Always and forever.”

“Always and forever,” I echoed.

After another heartbeat, we looked ahead, and we took the first step together.

EPILOGUE

Two and a half months later

Sebastian practically jumped off the sofa. “She got in!” he all but shouted. “Eryn got accepted! With a full biology scholarship.”

“At Northwood?” I asked, his excitement wrapping its long fingers around me and lifting me up with him. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. She just texted,” he said. “She’s in.”

“That won’t make your parents happy,” I said, wishing I hadn’t. Sebastian’s facial muscles stiffened for one moment at the mention of his parents.

He shook his head dismissively. “They can accept it or lose another child. Besides, Eryn’s independent. All they can do is emotionally guilt her, but she’s stronger than me. Believe me.” Sebastian would never fully believe how strong he really was, I knew that, but it was true that Eryn was the strong one. All her life, she worked her way up quietly, despite what anyone said or thought.

We faced one another as if panic had driven us to stand up, tense and unsure of what to do. When the surprise wore off, I leaped and hugged him tightly. This was such a relief. For the past two months, Eryn had been on our minds. There was nothing we could do but hold our breaths and wait. But she was brilliant.

“I never doubted her,” I said, my voice muffled as I buried my face in the crook of Sebastian’s neck.

It felt like we could finally take a deep breath of air, both of us. Eryn would make her steady progress and break free of the toxicity of their home, just like Sebastian had. Severing bonds was never easy, but those were not the kind of bonds anyone wanted. They had been tying him down, clutching him, pulling him deep into depression and self-doubt. And he was brilliant, too. He was wonderful and incredible. And at long last, he was beginning to believe it.

After this year’s Frozen Four, helping secure our second victory in a row, both of us earned representation from Emmanuel Torrez, who had been taking hockey players to the heights of the NHL in recent years. If I had to put these weeks into a single word, the word would definitely be hope. We had hope for better days to come.

The sunlight was waning outside our windows. The room had changed since our return from spring break. We’d put our beds together and pushed our desks to one side, creating couples’ sleeping quarters. Tonight, though, would be our last night sleeping here.

A small, intimate party was starting in a few hours in the basement, with all our teammates joining and a few people from the outside. Avery was bringing Gray, who, in turn, was bringing his friend, Cole. Sawyer and Noah moved everywhere as the inseparable couple they were.

In the morning, Sebastian and I would leave our keys on the kitchen island and head out to conquer the world on our own, watching each other’s backs. It was a big, scary leap, but taking the step with Sebastian filled me with confidence.

Which was a good thing because I wanted to make another leap with him tonight before leaving college behind. For so many months, I had been flirting with the idea, watching him melt with joy at it and wanting to try it.

“When do you think we should be downstairs?” Sebastian asked after texting back to Eryn.