than Jamie and watched him sleep.

Call me a creep, I didn't care; I took great delight in being the one he woke up to in the morning. Back when we'd abided by the contract, I hadn't cherished these moments enough. Hadn't noticed how Jamie's eyelids fluttered in his REM cycle and the red tracks on his left cheek, which he'd crushed into my pillow. Hadn't appreciated the utter peace in the room, like a lull in the crashing of life's endless waves.

Then his eyes creaked themselves open, adjusting to the shadowy lightness of the room—the blinds were still down. His confusion melted into a grin when he saw me.

"Morning."

Jamie probably slept so well because last night tuckered him out. After the first round of sex, he'd relayed all my drunken adventures, then we washed up and fell asleep until two a.m. at which point his cock awoke and demanded more action.

Good thing it was a Saturday, and we had no obligations to the world. We could sleep in for as long as we liked.

"Good morning," Jamie replied huskily, inching forward to kiss my forehead.

"Usually, I try to keep my new relationships on the down-low," I began airily, "But I think everyone knows by now."

The pitfalls of having twins living on the same floor? There could be no secrets. If Jake hadn't taken his brother's absence from their room as a telling sign of where Jamie had slept last night, then either Krista or Riley would have figured out why certain noises were emerging from my bedroom—and why I had locked my door, which I never usually did.

Therefore, as soon as we got dressed and visited the common room, I expected a barrage of questions and attention.

Jamie groaned and covered his eyes with his palm. "Jake'll be a good sport about it, though. He's been bragging about being mature and settled in a relationship for too long."

"Mm," I agreed, "Whereas you're immature and in a relationship. I see. You should really stick that to him."

Jamie barked a laugh, flipping the duvet off of his bare torso. He folded one arm under his head, and with the other, pulled me closer against his chest.

"You know what?" he asked cheekily. "I've held back for practically two years because I really wanted you to like me. But now—"

"Now what?"

"Now I can roast you back."

"You haven't been doing that already?" I sniped. I couldn't list the times we'd bickered and fought over the years—about football, about my party habits, about my nerdiness for organic chemistry.

"Oh, baby," he smirked. "That was nothing. I'm the youngest of three brothers who showed affection through light bullying. I've got roasts for days."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the self-importance scrawled across his features. "Do your worst."

Jamie grinned as he swung his legs out of bed, dragging a few more kisses from me. "Noted."

By the time Jamie and I dressed and departed for breakfast, I was half hoping that our friends had all coincidentally made plans for the weekend. Maybe Riley was visiting her family in Carsonville, or Krista was having brunch, or Jake was at the gym. It just seemed awkward after months and months of denying any feelings for Jamie to swerve suddenly; "Oh, yeah. I kind of love him now. Oops."

How flakey.

But as luck would have it, all three were in the common room. And Sophie. And Quentin.

Joy.

Jake and Sophie were playing a game on the PlayStation, while Riley reclined on the second couch with a book in her lap. Quentin and Krista had their study materials spread out on the coffee table—because, of course, they were the type of couple to study together. It warmed my heart seeing my best friend so happy.

They all did a double take when Jamie and I walked in. We weren't doing anything as cheesy as holding hands, but the fact that we had emerged from my side of the floor, and he was wearing last night's presentation clothes, said enough. I avoided eye contact with anyone, heading straight for the sink to fill my bottle of water.

"Whoa," Riley exclaimed, bookmarking her novel and placing it aside. "Plot twist. Did I miss something?"

"I called it," Krista chimed from her seat at the table, removing her headphones. "Are you seeing this, Jake? Pay up."

"What?" Jamie said, swivelling his head between Jake and Krista.

Ah. Yes. The bet. It was honestly rather funny that Jake and Krista had a long-running wager on this, and even funnier that Krista had already paid Jake out. Would he be noble enough to reverse the debt?

"You made a bet about me?" Jamie realised. He seemed less annoyed about the existence of the bet—because it was commonplace in our friend group—and more about how well they had concealed it.

Jake paused the video game and scrutinized us, even as whatever he saw made him scrunch his nose in distaste. Fair. I wouldn't like to think of my little brother fucking someone, either.

"Unconfirmed," Jake concluded, shaking his head at Krista. "We don't know if they're official."

"We're official," Jamie shot back sharply.

"Fuck!" Jake tossed the controller onto the couch.

"Yes!" Krista yelled, to the amused chuckles of Riley, Sophie, and Quentin.

The exchange was entirely comical to me, especially because I sensed the genuinely pleased reactions underneath the frivolity. Had it been a long time coming to them? Probably. But, thankfully, my friends knew I wasn't touchy-feely and would hate the congratulatory slash inquisitive vibe.

"Bro, come on. It's fifty bucks," Jake attempted to reason. "That's an entire bottle of tequila. We could split it.

I leaned against the kitchenette counter and took a sip of water. "Honestly, that's a logical plan."

"Hey!" Krista shouted, "You're supposed to be on my side."

Jamie also gave me a mildly offended look at considering the prospect of holding off on a serious relationship until graduation, when the bet elapsed. "I agree, Kris. Viv's brain heard tequila and automatically associated it with good ideas."

My jaw dropped. Jake laughed.

Darn. He really had been holding back.

Jamie strolled over to me, taking the bottle from my motionless hands and gulping some water. He remained outwardly innocent except for the secretive wink he gave me, turning his back to everyone else.

I fought the physical reaction to seeing his throat flex when he gulped, trying to muster some indignation at the rather public barb. But it was too difficult to stay offended, especially when his humour matched mine, and I loved how he held his own, and all I thought about was when I might get payback.

Preferably in the bedroom.

"Just hold out a couple more months?" Jake pleaded.

Jamie glanced behind his shoulder. "Not a chance."

Jake was ready to protest the prospect of losing a hundred dollars—fifty for what Krista had already paid him, and fifty more for the bet—but suddenly Sophie surreptitiously resumed the game. With three bullets, she quickly murdered Jake's avatar while his controller was out of his hands.

"Hey!" Jake exclaimed, "You better watch your animated back, loser."

"Bring it," Sophie retorted, giving me a smile as if to say I'll get him off your back. That girl was a marvel.

"Well," I sighed loudly, "We're off to breakfast."

Jamie wrapped an arm around me, planting a kiss on my temple as we headed for the elevator.

Before the door to the common room swung shut, I heard Krista gloat, "Pay up, sucker."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Unlike Krista, I could never study with my boyfriend.

Not that I didn't want to. Jamie and I would just end up talking, making jokes or distracting each other. It was different when we were working on Entern, because there appeared to be a burgeoning relationship between Jamie and Farrah, and I wouldn't interfere.

Now that there was literally no incentive for keeping away? Putting us in close quarters, especially with such a new relationship—and following a sexual hiatus—was practically begging for Jamie to bend me over the nearest desk. Just being realistic here.

So, considering a lot depended on these final exams—like my class honours—we agreed to study separately until they concluded.

Plus, spending the days apart made for grand reunions.

After an evening of intense, my-day-was-shit-how-was-yours sex, Jamie and I lounged in my bed. I fluffed my pillows and leaned back on the headboard, while Jamie had shuffled further down the bed so he could use my belly as a headrest while tunneling through the sports-related side of TikTok.

I'd perfectly balanced my iPad on the side of Jamie's head, propping up the screen while I re-watched some of my Disease Pathology lectures. He didn't mind that I was ignoring him for schoolwork, and I didn't mind that he was ignoring me for TikTok. Simply being together was enough.

Then my phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, so I adopted my WISA voice when I answered.

"Hello, Vivian speaking."

"Hi, Vivian," a vaguely familiar voice said. "You might remember me from January."

Jamie perked up from my stomach as I listened to the caller, his green eyes swimming with intrigue. I lightly shoved him off my body so I could get up and pace the floor. My body brimmed with electricity as the speaker continued, providing him an occasional, "Sure thing," and "I understand," every so often.

"Holy shit," I swore when I finally hung up. "Holy mother-fucking shit."

"Whoa," Jamie exclaimed, knowing by my expletives that something big had happened. I didn't swear often. The times I did, it was during sex—like I said, it required something big—or it was like this...

"What's happened?" Jamie pressed, concern diluting his curiosity.

I stared at the phone in my hands. The number in my call log was nondescript, the duration mere minutes... and yet my life had just completely inverted itself. If I were a cell, I would have ruptured and dissolved into a puddle. I could barely think straight.

I glanced up, meeting Jamie's searching eyes.

"I got into Columbia."

Then I jumped onto the mattress and screamed into my duvet. I hadn't been this excited, this distraught, this close to tears, since Season 3 of Haikyuu!! ended and I realised I would have to wait for more episodes. It was just too good.

"Holy shit," Jamie swore, slinging an arm over my back. Then, as the golden reality of the situation sunk in, he rolled entirely over me and planted kisses on my ear. "Viv! Oh my God!"

"I know!" I screamed, raising my head and grinning brightly at my boyfriend.

"Congratulations, baby. You're gonna fuck shit up."

"Thanks, baby," I murmured affectionately. With shaking fingers, I slid my hand around Jamie's neck and pulled him in for a proper kiss. It was hard because neither of us could stop smiling, giggling giddily every time our lips parted before diving in for more.

"I have to call my mom."

Jamie tucked a strand of hair—shaken loose when I crushed my face into the blanket—behind my ear. "Do you want me to step out?"

"No, it's okay. Just stay quiet?"

Jamie wrapped an arm around my waist and put his head on my belly again, settling in like a cat in a pool of sunshine. "Sure thing."

I picked up my phone and rang the number one speed dial. Oh, damn. She had so much to catch up on. The last she knew, Jamie was just another platonic floormate of mine. I'd have to tell her another day, as I would rather not have my relationship overshadow my moment.

"Hi, Mom," I breathed, hardly able to breathe right.

She sounded surprised but happy, probably caught in the middle of preparing dinner or bathing Aaron. "Hi, darling. What's up?"

"I've got glorious news."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

After Mom and I chatted on the phone for twenty minutes, I dashed to Krista and Riley's room to share the good news.

They reacted like I'd won the lottery, crowding me into a group hug which squeezed my internal organs from all sides. I loved it. Krista even offered to get drunk with me tonight—which was a rare thing for her to initiate—and call in her outstanding favours at Topaz to score cheap drinks. While I deeply appreciated the gesture, I declined in favour of what I had originally planned.

"We're celebrating," Jamie stated, when I stepped back into my bedroom.

He sat against my pillows, his phone clutched in his hand. I wondered if he was sharing the good news with his side of the world. If, now, my good news was his good news.

"Did you guys plan a wild night?"

"The wildest," I confirmed, pulling my hair into a tight, ugly bun.

Jamie probably thought I was getting a head start on my makeup. "Of course you did. Are you thinking of starting here or at Topaz?"

"Starting here."

"Do you want me to invite people? Ravi and Sushmita?"

"I'm thinking a small celebration," I answered, slipping off my palazzo pants. "Intimate." Jamie watched with dawning understanding as I clambered on the bed with him and curled up against his side. "Specifically, I envision getting into my pyjamas, putting on a face mask and watching Howl's Moving Castle. Wild enough for you?"

Jamie's eyes glistened with emotion. "You are perfect," he murmured, his hand stroking my hip.

I shook my head softly. I wasn't, really, not by far.

For him, however, I might have been. He was perfect for me.

Jamie leaned closer to kiss me, his palm sliding to my neck and tugging me closer. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, sucking and teasing lightly, until somehow we'd shifted from lying side by side to me lying underneath him, my legs wrapped around his torso.

Jamie pulled away with an apologetic smile, dotting lingering pecks on my cheek. "I have something for you." He reached behind one of my pillows. His hand emerged holding a deep green bottle with a familiar label.

His Napa Valley Merlot from the WISA bar quiz. Saved for something special.

"Baby," I gasped, eyes wide. "No."

"Um, fuck yes. Nothing is going to top this," Jamie said, cleanly breaking the seal with a twist before I could even argue. "And I don't mean Columbia—I mean a movie marathon with my girl. That's special to me."

Then I threw my arms around his shoulders and really kissed him. Jamie grunted in surprise, holding me steady by the waist while he placed the bottle on my bedside table. Once spillage was no longer a risk, he embraced me tightly and kissed me back, with tangling tongues and suction and nibbling teeth, until dizziness commanded us to stop.

By the time Jamie had prepared two reusable coffee cups full of burgundy and a selection from my snacks stash, I had Howl's Moving Castle loaded on my laptop with English subtitles—the only correct way to watch Ghibli.

When I first met Jamie, I would never have opted for this over a girls' night and discounted alcohol. Then again, Jamie was kind of great at making me switch up. Next to me, I watched him do that folding trick with chip bags that formed bowl-like packages, a blissful smile on his face, my heart twinging.

Was this real? Had I done something charitable in a past life to warrant positive karma?

When Jamie handed me a cup, I went for an eager first sip.

"Hold up," Jamie tutted. "We need to toast such a luxurious piece of alcohol." His expectant expression made me chortle.

"Alright."

"Well?" he said, after three seconds of pensive silence. "You're up."

"Excuse me," I protested, lightly smacking his chest. "Why me?"

Jamie arched his eyebrows. "You're better at making speeches. You're also better at drinking. Ergo, you do the toasts."

"Bastard," I scoffed jocularly. Jamie stuck his tongue out at me. "Fine. Let me think."

With lips pursed thoughtfully, it only took a few moments to slap together a sentence. Maybe Jamie was right. If being a doctor didn't work out, I could become a motivational speaker or something.

"Okay," I announced, raising my mug of expensive Napa Valley red. "Here's to the memories, good and bad, which form our stories. And the new memories that wait to be created."

Jamie's smile was so soft that his lips almost didn't curve, but I could tell he'd just forgotten to move his face. All the emotion went to those eyes, leaping out at me like sparks from a combustion reaction. And I knew what I saw there, but I couldn't for the life of me articulate it—so perhaps my apparent way with words wasn't as strong as I claimed.

There Jamie went again, making me change my mind.

With a crisp clink, he tapped his mug to mine.

"To new memories."

I smiled, and drank.

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Nearly there! Can you believe how fast this has gone? Epilogue will be out before this week is over, and then I am excited to focus on my rewriting projects (making TGR and Asher have stronger characterization and plots).

Thank you all so, so much for supporting me through this process. I have loved seeing your hilarious comments and insights.

See you at the end,

Aimee x