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The room explodes with noise as the party downstairs hits itspeak. Fireworks crackle outside the window, casting colorful shadows on the walls.

Elliot lets out a strangled cry and throws his head back as he thrusts deep one last time. I feel his dick pulse inside me as he comes, and I explode, my eyes rolling back so far I think I can see my brain.

My cock shoots out load after load without me even touching it. It ends up everywhere—my chest, my stomach, even my face. The heat of it mixes with the sweat already coating my skin, creating a slick, sticky mess.

Elliot collapses onto my chest, and the sudden impact of his belly on my cock makes it spurt one final time. It’s a weak but satisfying last “hurrah!”

My eyes roll back to their natural state, and I chuckle. Elliot’s glasses are askew and fogged beyond use. We make out slowly. Our tongues dance around each other’s, and it’s the most sensual kiss ever.

Elliot breaks the kiss and pulls out of me. He gingerly helps me unfold my body, and my muscles scream.

“God, Gerard?”

“What?”

“How in the world are you still hard?”

I glance down to see my dick still standing at attention and shrug. “I dunno. Must be you.”

He hums thoughtfully. “Must be.”

“I love you,” I whisper.

“I love you, too.” He reaches for my discarded shirt on the floor and wipes off my chest and face before resting his head on it and falling asleep.

Fireworks continue to explode outside, while downstairs, the DJ blasts “Somebody to You” by The Vamps.

My hand finds its way onto Elliot’s back, and I trace lazy circles between his shoulder blades with my thumb as I reflect on the past few months.

When this semester began, I never imagined it would endwith me in a committed relationship, let alone a same-sex one. And while my future is still as uncertain as it’s always been, I can at least take comfort in the fact that I no longer have to go about it alone.

Because now I have Elliot.

And that’s enough for me.

EPILOGUE

ELLIOT

Ten years later

Ialways said I’d never return to Boston. Besides my mother, there was nothing else there for me. It was a reminder of everything I could never become. A reminder that not everyone in this world has a heart as big as Gerard’s. But it was also the place that would become Gerard’s future and, therefore, ostensibly mine.

Gerard called me immediately after getting the news during our senior year at BSU. “Can you believe it, Elliot? The Bruins! I’ll be playing in Boston. Your hometown!”

“That’s amazing, Gerard. I’m so proud of you.”

“And that’s not even the best part,” he continued excitedly while people in the background clamored for his attention. “Oliver got signed, too! We’ll all be together again. Well, except for Drew and Kyle, but New York isn’t that far. We can still see them plenty.”

I listened as Gerard rambled on about Drew joining the Devils and Kyle getting picked up by the Rangers. As hard as I tried, it was impossible not to get swept up in his excitement. If Gerard was happy, then I was, too.

The posh condoGerard and I live in is a far cry from the cramped, rundown apartment I grew up in. The floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the open-concept living room in natural light, illuminating the plush, cream-colored sectional sofa that Gerard picked out.

A sleek, modern fireplace is set into the exposed brick wall, creating a cozy ambiance. The hardwood floors gleam, leading to a state-of-the-art kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a marble-topped island perfect for casual breakfasts together.

Down the hall, our bedroom is an oasis. The king-sized bed is adorned with luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets and a fluffy duvet that feels like sleeping on a cloud. Built-in bookshelves line one wall, already filled with Gerard’s ever-growing collection of hockey biographies and my eclectic mix of romance novels. The en-suite bathroom boasts a spacious walk-in shower with multiple shower heads and a deep soaking tub, which I spend hours lounging in.

But the real showstopper is the balcony off the living room. It offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Charles River and the Boston skyline.