Page 181 of Lessons in Chemistry

I sigh happily. “Me too. We’ll make our current dreams come true and create new ones.”

And with that, we enter the building to return our gowns and hats. Our last task on campus before we enjoy the rest of our lives.

Together.

* * *

CASEY

We’ve just finished a meal at the restaurant Auggie works at to celebrate our five-year anniversary.

Five years. It’s amazing how fast the time has gone by. We’re at different places in our lives than when we first met. We’re older, more mature, and not quite as carefree as we once were. We’ve grown together, and I fall more in love with Em and Auggie every day.

One big change is that we’ve given up calling each other boyfriends, instead opting for life partners. It feels more permanent. We exchanged rings in a small ceremony. Each gold band has an inscription on the inside. Em’s says ‘nerd’, mine ‘jock’, and Auggie’s ’slacker’. It amuses us and is a reminder of who people thought we were when we first got together. We had our elements inscribed on the outside for everyone to see. It’s a fun conversation starter because an elemental symbol, along with its atomic number, isn’t the usual thing to engrave on a ring, but it’s very us. Even though we can’t get married, the rings are our way of showing each other and everyone else that we’re serious about making our relationship work today, tomorrow, and for many years to come.

We’ve left Leeds behind. We spent the first year after graduation there, working and finding our feet in the adult world. Our biggest obstacle was making time for each other despite conflicting schedules. Em’s job was nine to five, whereas Auggie and I tended to have evening and weekend shifts. Em worked his magic with a shared calendar, and we made sure we carved out time for each other. Sometimes in pairs, but all three of us together as much as possible.

At the end of that first year of adulting, we made the joint decision to move to London so Em could work for Mr Cunningham. Auggie got a job in the Michelin-starred restaurant we’re in right now, and I still teach kids how to swim. I competed for three years after graduating before deciding that my times weren’t competitive enough anymore. Now I help train the local competition squad.

Living in London has brought its own struggles in the form of commuting, longer hours, and even less time together, but we’ve made it work, and I believe we always will, no matter what life throws at us. London has become home. We have an apartment we all adore. When we moved in, the first thing we found a home for was the table of elements we bought Em for his twentieth birthday. It has pride of place over the fireplace. We also have each other, and five years down the road, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been. It’s almost hard to believe we’re this happy because Em and Auggie decided to make me jealous.

“To us,” Em says, raising his wine glass.

“To us,” Auggie and I say, clinking our glasses against his.

“I can’t believe we’ve been together for five years,” Em says.

I put my glass on the table. “I can.”

“You’re going to say something sappy, aren’t you?”

“Or you could pretend I have, and I’ll stay quiet.”

“Sap away.”

Auggie laughs. “I don’t think you can use English like that.”

“Who’s going to stop me? Are you the grammar police?”

Auggie holds his hands up. “Definitely not. Sap away, Casey. You’re so fucking good at it.”

I roll my eyes. Okay, maybe we haven’t grown up that much. “It’s like when you’re in a team relay. You’ve got to swim your lengths by yourself, but you can’t win the race on your own. You’re reliant on everyone else to be as fast and for the handoffs to be smooth. We’re a winning team, and we always will be.”

Auggie takes five pounds out of his wallet and hands it to Em.

I scowl. “What’s that for?”

“He lost our bet,” Em says.

“Bet? What bet?”

“Whether or not you’d mention swimming tonight. I said you would.”

I fold my arms and put on an expression of mock indignation.

“We love you,” Auggie says.

“I should get that fiver.”