Epilogue
Evan
Evan put his butt against the elevator door and waited for Charlie to step out. They each had a box, two of more than a dozen they’d need to bring up from their rented SUV.
“Turn right, last door on the left,” Evan said as he pushed off the wall and followed.
The building still smelled like fresh paint and new carpet. Charlie had never seen their unit; they’d been working on this floor when they signed the lease. Their’s had a much better view than the demo they’d toured. He wanted Charlie to love it as much as he did; if he didn’t, Evan would find a way to make it right. This was going to be their home.
Charlie paused by the door, a smile stretched across his face. Evan leaned in and brushed a soft kiss across his lips.
“My first place,” Charlie said. “I mean, the frat house doesn’t count.”
Evan snorted. “No. Mine, too.”
“Excited?”
“Totally.” Not just for the amazing new home, but for moving into their own place. Their own. “I hope you like the way Mom and I decorated it.”
“Considering where we’ve lived the last three years, that’s not a high bar.”
Setting the box on the floor, Evan pulled out his key. His heart banged around his chest as he slowly swung the door open. A nod sent Charlie in first and Evan slid his box across the floor the behind him.
Charlie took a few steps into the main room, his gaze focused on the view of the city out their almost-floor-to-ceiling windows. Evan had lived in New York most of his life, but the sight of tall buildings against the clear blue sky still caught his breath.
“Pretty cool, huh?” He slipped his hands around Charlie’s waist.
“Oh my God, it’s amazing. It’s so different this high up.” Charlie set his box on top of Evan’s and scanned the apartment. “Whoa. The whole thing is done.”
Evan wasn’t sure how to take that comment. “We can change anything you don’t like.”
“Are you kidding?” He spun round for a kiss. “It’s amazing. I love it.”
Charlie’s smile was worth all that work. “Really? I tried to pick things you’d like, but some of it was just a guess.”
“Really. It’s awesome.” Charlie kissed him again.
“The entertainment center is hooked up, the couch has a pullout bed, and I left room for your books on the shelves.”
He followed Charlie around the room as he took in each detail, pausing at the wooden bookshelves Evan’s mom had found in an antique store. He ran his fingers up and down the carved front. “This is so amazing.”
“They’re yours.”
“What? No. I don’t need all this space. We can share.”
“No, babe. They’re a gift from my mother to you. She said you’d appreciate them.” Charlie looked misty eyed, so Evan pulled him into a hug. “They love you almost as much as I do. Mom wanted to be sure something here belonged to Charlie T.O’L.”
Charlie rested his head on Evan’s shoulder. “I’m . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Just enjoy them and that will be great. C’mon. I want to show you the bedroom. The suite was delivered before I left, and you have to see the shower.” Evan had plenty of lewd ideas how they could put the large, fully tiled space to good use.
“It has two shower heads. One in the usual place, and a second one overhead that feels like it’s raining.” Charlie dutifully checked out the shower and despite his calm observation, Evan knew he was making plans for it too.
Returning to the bedroom, Charlie fell back onto the king-size mattress and flung his arms wide. “This is huge. I might not find you at night in here.”
Evan crawled across and covered Charlie with his body. “Trust me. I’ll find you.”
Moving against Charlie’s tight, wiry frame, Evan’s dick didn’t stand a chance. He pressed his hard-on against Charlie’s and sucked in a breath as they kissed and wiggled, teasing each other because they could, but after a few more seconds Evan sighed and got up. “We need to finish unpacking the car.”
“Not before I see the kitchen you kept telling me about.” Charlie adjusted himself and shrugged unapologetically. “Don’t judge. I felt you.”
“Who’s sorry? My boyfriend is so hot, there’s no way to stop it.”
“Mine is every bit as hot as yours.”
They walked back through the main room to the kitchen. If Evan had worried about the other rooms, the kitchen terrified him. They’d taken Zoom cooking classes together, but Evan was still learning. He’d researched what to buy and hoped he didn’t miss anything too important.
Charlie inspected every drawer and cabinet like a drill sergeant on a surprise inspection. With each new space he examined, the fear drained from Evan. Finally, Charlie spun and faced him.
“This is amazing! You got stuff I have no idea if we’ll ever use.”
“Better safe than sorry. Besides, we can look up things to make with those and test them out.”
“I love that ‘we’ part.”
“Always.”
“I love you,” Charlie said. He moved in with a look that threatened their unpacking schedule.
Their lips had just touched when they heard the click of the front door opening.
“Did you leave the light on, dear?” Evan’s mother asked.
“I was out first, maybe Garrett did.”
Evan and Charlie stepped around the kitchen wall. “We turned them on when we got here.”
“Ahh!” His mother jumped and put a hand on her chest. “On my God, Evan, you scared me.”
“Well, we live here.” Evan smirked. “Maybe if you hadn’t used Charlie’s key to sneak in you wouldn’t have been surprised.”
“Well, there goes that.” Dad got a swat from Mom. “What? You planning to send them out so we can all yell surprise?”
“What are you up to?” Evan asked.
“We were planning a surprise housewarming party.”
A knock rang out from the door. “Coming in,” Garrett called.
His brother and grandparent trailed him. “Evan? Charlie?” Garrett looked at his mother. “Are we late?”
“No,” she said. “They’re early.”
“We got an early start—my brothers showed up to help us pack, and there wasn’t a lot of traffic,” Charlie blushed. “That and I wanted to see the place. Sorry.”
“Well,” Evan’s mother clapped her hands. “It’s still a surprise. Help us set up.”
* * *
The meal was delicious, the wine outstanding, and they were with his family. His mother had ordered enough from the caterer to feed three times the number of people who were there; some of it never even got unwrapped and suspiciously ended up in the freezer. They laughed, and ate, and toasted new beginnings.
Evan brought some plates into the kitchen where Charlie was loading the dishwasher. He didn’t look up from rinsing.
“Thanks.”
That didn’t sound good. “You okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, amazingly okay.” He smiled and Evan relaxed. “I’m living this wonderful dream with you that gets better every day.”
“That’s good, right?”
“The best.” He kissed Evan on the lips. “I was just thinking how weird it is that we’re one of the adult couples now.”
Evan picked up the dish Charlie had rinsed and set it in the rack. “That’s how things work.”
“I know, and it’s really nice, but it’s crazy in a way.”
“Why’s that?”
“I don’t feel like an adult. I mean, I only turned twenty-two three weeks ago.”
“Yeah, I know. I think we celebrated on Fire Island, didn’t we?” He tapped his chin. “It was so long ago.”
Charlie swatted him with the dishtowel. “Doofus. I don’t always feel like a grown-up because I still have five or six years of school left. But when I walked through the door to our apartment . . .”
“You felt more grown up.” He nodded. “The same for me.”
“Right but you’re already working. You’re adulting on a much higher level than me.”
Evan took the dish from Charlie’s hands and set it on the counter. He opened his arms, and Charlie folded into him. “A PhD isn’t just five or six years of school. It’s this incredible thing that I can’t imagine doing.”
“There are hundreds of us at NYU. It’s not that special.”
“I’m willing to bet there are more people in Dad’s company than getting a PhD at NYU.” He tilted Charlie’s head up. “And there are more hedge funds in New York than universities. My point is, being an adult isn’t just working.”
“I know. It’s just . . . am I a baby if I say it scares me a bit, being a grown-up? What if I suck at it?”
Evan smothered a laugh and kissed him. “You won’t. Once you start teaching in the fall, you’ll feel all grown up too.”
“I am excited for that.”
“I know you are.” He locked his gaze on Charlie’s. “I love you, Charlie. Not much else matters.”
“I love you too. That’s why I’m going to marry you one day.”
Evan smiled. If he had his way, he’d do it tomorrow. He had no doubts Charlie was the one. But they needed to wait until Charlie was more established.
“That’s a serious look. Did I ruin something again?”
“You never ruin anything, Charlie. We say ‘I’m going to marry you one day’ as a joke, but I really am going to marry you. I was thinking about how long I need to wait until I ask you.” He kissed Charlie again. “Don’t worry, it won’t be tonight.”
Charlie put his arms around Evan. “We’ll know when it’s the right time. But spoiler alert: I’m totally going to say yes. Unless I ask you first, in which case you better say yes.”
“One hundred percent chance of that.” He kissed Charlie again and reached into his back pocket. “This is for you.”
Charlie looked at the white envelope warily. “Why do I have this sense of déjà vu whenever you pull something from your back pocket?”
“Because you’re quite brilliant.” He handed the letter to Charlie. “Open it.”
He turned it over and back. “What is it?”
“Open it.” Evan’s heart rattled in his chest. He knew it was a risk, but he needed to deal with this before it became something.
Charlie’s fingers trembled as he peeled open the flap. He pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and froze. “What did you do?”
“I can honestly say I didn’t do anything. It was all my parents.”
“Evan, this says our apartment is really a condo, and it’s mine and yours.”
“My parents bought it for us, together.”
“Why?”
“Now that we’re out of school, I’m worried our relationship is out of balance. You never complain, but I have all the financial control. I never want that to be an issue. I talked about it with Mom so I could head it off and before I left to go down to your house, my dad gave me that. It surprised me, but in a good way.”
“But, Evan . . .” Charlie kept staring at the paper.
“Here’s the thing. I know I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. Everything I’m going to own will be ours. And I hope everything you ever own is ours too.”
“Of course. But my contribution is going to be a lot smaller than yours.”
“Nope.” Evan folded the document and slid it back into the envelope. “Our piles will be exactly the same. This is our home, Charlie. Not mine and you live here. You’ve always seen just me. Not my family, not their money. Just me. I never want that to change.”
A wave of panic rushed through Evan as Charlie closed his eyes. Had it been too much too soon?
Charlie drew a deep breath and looked Evan in the eyes. “You are the most amazing man, Evan Wallingford Tergen, and I love you so much. Thank you for putting us first.”
“Always, babe. Always.” Charlie kissed him with a fire Evan felt in his feet.
“Let’s go be with our family.”
Our family. He laced his fingers with Charlie’s. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
* * *
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Want to read more Harrison Campus Romances? Read how Jack and Ed fight for their HEA in
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