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Chapter thirty-nine

Love Finds a Way

Josh

“We’re calling our channel ‘CosmoNaughties’.” I grin at all of my friends. We’ve taken over the entire back patio of Roscoe’s for our impromptu going-away party. As everyone gathers underneath the bar and grill’s striped umbrellas—passing around icy drinks and cool summer snacks—we share our plans moving forward, as well as a few hopes and dreams. “What do you think? It’s good, right?”

“I love it!” Ruby says from his seat next to Josiah, his pink hair styled into a spiky pompadour. As the twink runs his rhinestone-studded fingernails through the athlete’s unruly hair, he asks him, “What do you think, Josey? Would you like to be cosmo-naughty with me?”

The running back’s gray eyes grow wide. “Um… what’s a CosmoNaughty?”

Karma laughs. “We thought that name would grab people’s attention. Mostly, we’re gonna post about space and the Dark Energy Survey project—but we’re also planning to make it a travel vlog. Shirts may or may not be optional.” He bobs his eyebrows up and down.

Charlotte raises her hand, blushing as she glances around the long, U-shaped table. “I vote for optional, please.”

“Me, too!” Petra giggles, then winks at Gabriel. “We can’t wait to see all of your content and to repost it on our own channels. Isn’t that right, Gabe?”

“We got you, Josh.” Gabriel stretches a fist out to me, and I reach over and give it a bump.

“You can count on all of us, buddy.” JR looks around the patio at his former teammates. “What d’ya say, Golden Gladiators?”

Blake lifts up his bottle of beer with a shout, “All for one and one for all!”

Whoops, hollers, and cheers fill the air as everyone raises their glasses. Fletcher and Simon clink their martinis together while Ruby swallows a tequila shot. The day is hot, and so are the party-goers—especially Evie and Tyrell.

The Latina sits on the linebacker’s lap, her mouth set in a seductive pout as she caresses his broad shoulders. “ ?Ay papi! I’m going to be so lonely while Karma is gone… all by myself in an empty apartment every night. Do you happen to know a one-woman man who could keep me company?”

“One woman?” Tyrell licks his bottom lip as he stares deeply into Evie’s dark eyes. “I think I could be the man for that job.”

What? My jaw drops as I turn toward Karma. He looks back at me with a wide grin. We might not be the only ones having an adventure over the next six months. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. If anyone can tackle ‘Typhoon’ Jones, it’s Evangeline Delarosa.

“J-Bob!” SR’s deep voice booms from one end of the table. “I’m glad we made it back in time to see you before you go.”

“So am I,” I tell them. “How was your trip? I want to hear all about it.”

“Ach, it was grand,” Molly says in her lilting accent as she gazes dreamily at SR. “The Baltic Sea was savage. What was your favorite place, Georgey-boy?”

“It would have to be your home in Ireland.” He runs a hand through her bright red hair. “It’s every bit as beautiful as you are.”

I’m so glad that they’re happy together. No one deserves a second chance at love more than JR’s father. “Ireland would be an amazing place to visit, especially the Kerry International Dark Sky Reserve. It’s supposed to be one of the best places on the planet for stargazing.”

“Aye, ‘tis true,” the Irishwoman says. “My gaff—er, house —isn’t far from Kerry. You and Karma are welcome to stay there anytime.”

“Are you kidding?” Karma sits up straight, his eyes wide as he glances between me and Molly. “What do you think, Josh? Could we fit in a trip to Ireland—y’know, sometime after Diwali and before we head back to the States?”

“We’ll make it work,” I promise him. If I’ve learned nothing else this summer, it’s that—with enough persistence—we can make any of our dreams come true. “SR and Molly, please accept my family’s hospitality if you’re ever in India. We love having visitors.”

Their faces light up as they accept the invitation, earning a few groans of envy around the table.

“Can we go to India, Fletcher?” JR pleads. “I’d love to see the Festival of Lights!”

The hard planes of the professor’s face soften as he gazes at his partner. “Of course we can. I wouldn’t let you miss your best friend’s wedding.” My former nemesis turns to me with an evil half-smile, a teasing glint in his eyes.

Oh, no he didn’t. “How many times have I told everyone? Karma and I are not getting married!”

“Are you sure, darling boy?” Simon arches an eyebrow at me as he runs a finger along the edge of his martini. “We’ve noticed the new tattoos you both got. It seems you’ve already put a ring on it.”

Ruby snorts. “That’s not the only ring Josh has put on Karma,” he calls out in a stage whisper.

Oh my god, those bitches . Excuse my language, but if they weren’t my closest friends, I’d kick all of their asses.

My boyfriend gives a smug smile as he wraps an arm around me. “Marriage wouldn’t be the only way Josh has tied me down.”

Oh, god. If Karma is going to tell everyone our secrets, maybe I should give him a spanking.

JR blushes bright red, his eyes darting to his father and his fellow athletes. “Um… can we talk about something else? What’s going on with everyone?”

Josiah looks around the crowded patio, then timidly raises his hand. “I’m working on a project for my summer internship. We’re marketing those yummy candies from your party, Josh—only in a smaller version. What are we calling them again, Mr. Crenshaw?”

The corners of Simon’s lips curl into a devilish grin. “I’d like to name them BDSM&M’s , but my business partner prefers to simply call them Em & Ems .”

“Your business partner, huh?” Karma quirks an eyebrow at Simon. “Anyone I know?”

His wicked smile widens. “Perhaps, though I have many partners —both in business and otherwise. I believe in diversifying my portfolio, as it were.”

No doubt. The day Sigh-Moan commits to one ‘partner’ is the day that I grow wings and fly.

“Ooh, tell them about our business venture!“ Ruby squeals, clapping his hands as he bounces in his chair. “Never mind, I’ll tell them myself. I’m designing lingerie for men, and Sigh-Moan is going to help market them! Trust me, bitches—my manties are gonna serve the house down boots. ”

“ Men’s lingerie?“ Blake snorts. “Dude, men don’t wear lingerie. Who are ya gonna sell that shit to?”

I hold my hand out to the new underwear entrepreneur. “Do you have any business cards on you?” I don’t care who tries to kink-shame me. If Ruby is going to design sexy undies, then I’ve got to get a pair in every color.

“Yeah, Reidel. Gimme one, too,” Tyrell says, then glances up and down the table. “Y’know—just to show my stylist some support.”

“In that case, I’ll take one.” Gabe reaches out his hand, his cheeks flushed. “I like to support small businesses.”

Looks like I’m not the only one with an underwear kink.

As Ruby passes his cards around the table, he says, “Don’t worry how much junk is in your ‘frunk’, boys—I’ll have a hammock for every banana. Large… extra-large… extra-extra- exxxtra-large …“ He stops in front of JR and holds out a card.

I didn’t know a person’s face could turn that color.

“I’ll take that.” Fletcher plucks the card out of Ruby’s hand, then narrows his eyes as he looks around the table. “Go on about your business, everyone. There’s nothing else to see here.”

Muffled laughter spreads across the patio, along with a few racy jokes and the usual smack talk. Platters of food are passed around as the conversation breaks into smaller groups. As I settle back in my chair, JR bumps his elbow against mine.

“I’ll miss you while you’re gone, buddy.” My best friend gives me a lopsided smile. “But I’m glad that you’re coming back to Spartacus in January.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” I tell him. The time will probably fly, but still… Having a place where I’m accepted and surrounded by true friends makes Spartacus University feel like my home. “Hey, I haven’t had the chance to tell you Karma’s news yet. Karma..?”

My boyfriend swallows a bite of food before leaning forward to say, “I’ve decided to follow Josh’s lead and pursue my dream of being a novelist. I’m dropping out of business school to get a master’s degree in creative writing. My program starts in January.”

“That’s great!” JR gives us both a fist bump. “Do you think you’ll get an apartment together when you get back? Will you stay in Hannah Harbor after you graduate? India’s so far away… even Karma’s home in California is thousands of miles from here…” A line creases his forehead as he frets about the future.

“Don’t worry, Baby Boy. Their story will unfold as it’s meant to—just as ours will.” Fletcher wraps an arm around his partner’s shoulders. “We may not know all the answers beforehand, but love will always find a way.”

“That’s right, Dr. F,” Karma tells the professor, then turns to me with a soft smile. “We’ll figure it out as we go along. Won’t we, Moonbeam?”

I reach for his hand, threading our fingers together as I gaze into his eyes. “We’ll find our destiny step by step, My Prince.”

It shouldn’t be hard. All that we have to do is follow our deepest desires.