Good Guys Don't Date Bad Boys - 47. Epilogue

Epilogue

Jonathan picked up his toiletries one by one and placed them carefully in a small bag, making sure not to knock over any of Ray’s stuff by accident. It felt so strange to do these things in reverse. His mind took him to the first day of junior year, when he had stood there, in the exact same spot, pondering over how, most likely, his roommate would be some spawn of hell, since he had had only bad luck before coming there, to Sunny Hill. At the same time, he remembered that day as if it had just happened the day before, yet he perceived it as a distant memory from a lifetime ago. One thing he was entirely sure of. It was a dear memory.

“JJ!” Ray shouted from behind the door. “Where are you?”

“I’m here,” he shouted back as an irrepressible grin broke from within. “I’m just collecting my last things.”

“Grab mine, too, please! We’re going to be late for the most awesome party of the year!”

The Amazing Four wouldn’t be called that if they didn’t throw a party to celebrate the end of the year, Maddox had informed him. That meant that the deal was to empty their dorm room, drag all their stuff to the house where Maddox had lived over the year with his friends, party until the wee hours of the morning and then saddle up and leave for home directly. Jonathan would have argued that it wasn’t the most convenient plan, but Ray had begged him, with stars in his eyes, that he wanted the experience of getting tired out of his eyeballs, sleep in a room with fifty or so other people, and then embark on his ride home with bloodshot eyes and a hangover.

Yeah, when his bestie put things in perspective like that, it had to be part of college life to get to that state of exhaustion by having fun until they dropped. Jonathan wasn’t sure it would truly count as fun, but who was he to argue, anyway?

He walked out of the bathroom with his arms full of Ray’s toiletries. The famous and infamous backpack leaned against the wall, already full to the brink. Jonathan had yet to decipher the mystery of what Ray had in there. Probably his entire collection of board games that had only gotten bigger with Hanna around.

He handed Ray the remaining items only to be met with a forlorn look. “Where am I going to stuff all that?” he complained.

Jonathan offered him a sympathetic look. “Are you sure there is nothing in there you don’t really need?”

“Definitely,” came the unfazed reply. With a sigh, Ray grabbed the things and somehow found a way to stuff them all into one of the side pockets. “There,” he said with satisfaction. “I’d hate to be a waster.”

Jonathan hiked his own bag on his shoulder. In his case, he was travelling light after sending his books home first. “Ready to go, roomie?” he asked.

Ray let out a sigh that came from somewhere deep in his solar plexus. “Can you believe it, JJ? We survived junior year.”

“With flying colors, I’d like to think.”

“Totally.” Ray nodded eagerly. “I got a girlfriend, you got a boyfriend… Phew, I mean, going through all the finals was nothing compared to achieving that. I mean, we even got in the inner circle of the best group on campus.”

“Aren’t you supposed to say the most popular?”

“I don’t think that’s the most important thing when it comes to them. After getting to know them all, they’re nothing like the other popular kids I’ve ever met.”

“I believe you’re right about that.”

“Maddox really surprised you, didn’t he?” Ray grinned and nudged him in the ribs.

“Yes, without a doubt.” Jonathan smiled fondly.

“So,” Ray said with aplomb, “I heard that Maddox called you a bad boy.”

Jonathan feigned surprise. “You did?”

“Yeah, he was bragging to Dex that he’s the one actually dating a bad boy, and by that, obviously, he meant you.” Ray gave him a knowing look. “So, all this time, it was the other way around. You were afraid of bad boys, when you were one.”

“I will have to invoke the roommate code and ask you to keep it a secret from all the others. My reputation might suffer.”

“With your grades?” Ray snorted. “It would only make people finally believe that you’re not some android sent to make the rest of us look bad. I just don’t get how you manage to juggle both a boyfriend and studying like that!”

“Call it bad boy magic,” Jonathan said with a shrug. “You know how most villains are usually incredibly intelligent?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, JJ. You’re not villain material. Just be satisfied with the bad boy label. It’s all you’re going to get.”

Jonathan had nothing to add to that.

“JJ, do you think we can still be roommates next year?” Ray asked. “I mean, probably Maddox will want to be your roommate, and I have nothing against that--”

“Don’t worry, Ray. I talked to Maddox about it, and he agreed that we should postpone moving in together until we finish college.”

“Really? Was he really okay with that?” Ray didn’t hide his excitement well.

“Our parents told us that we need to prove ourselves, and it looks like Maddox is bent on impressing my folks by showing off how mature he can be about it all. In other words, we should focus on our studies first.”

“I bet it wasn’t that easy a decision to make, right?”

“I won’t risk answering that.” Jonathan grabbed Ray by the shoulders and squeezed hard. “Until the end of college, you’re the best roomie ever. Is that fine with you?”

“Yes. I hope Maddox doesn’t hate me already.”

“He would never,” Jonathan assured him. “I enticed him with the idea of sleepovers and sneaking around, and he got quickly on board.”

“Good. I like those ideas, too. I’m going to tell Hanna about them and see what she thinks.”

“Let’s go, Ray. Weren’t you the one saying that we’re going to be late to the party of the year?”

Ray took him by surprise by hugging him abruptly. “Thank you for this year, JJ. You’re my best friend ever.”

“Same here. You know, some might say you’re pretty emotional for a straight dude.”

Ray gave him a puzzled look and then he laughed. “You said ‘dude’.”

“Ah, well, I’m hanging out with quite the strange crowd if I can call it that.”

“And by that, I suppose you mean Rusty.” Ray gave him a fake sour look. “You know, not only Maddox was jealous over the Rusty incident.”

“I think I might have heard something to that effect,” Jonathan said in an airy tone. “Your worries are completely unfounded, Ray. Rusty is Maddox’s bestie, and I don’t think either of them would ever surrender that title.”

“Besties for life, right?”

“Besties for life,” Jonathan agreed. “Like you and me.”

“I’ll hold you to that fifty years from now. Don’t think I won’t.”

“Same here. It’s a promise.”

Jonathan gestured for Ray to walk out of the room first. He threw one last look over his shoulder. Would the room they would be in next year also seem so small, all of a sudden?

***

We just caught a whiff of something amazingly romantic, guys and gals of Sunny Hill! Maddox Kingsley proposed to his boyfriend Jonathan Hamilton, and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. We promise to keep you posted on the proceedings, and maybe, just maybe, we can get someone to crash the wedding and take some really cool pictures. We wonder what sleeping arrangements will be made next year, if Maddox and Jonathan tie the knot this summer? We’ll wait and see.

Now, that we’ve got the sappy things out of the way, it is high time to get you up to speed with the latest news on the king of Sunny Hill just before you all leave the grounds – some of you for good. On top notch authority, we have it that Rusty Parker is into cat boys!

Yes, you heard that right. Rusty Parker is all willing to part with his cohort of female adorers only for the chance of petting a cat boy. We really have no idea where this is coming from, but that’s Rusty Parker for you, everyone. Always a surprise!

Wait, does that mean that Rusty is willing to ditch his straight ways, if we can use that term to define him, and head over to an alternative lifestyle? Hmm, it makes us wonder.

It was a bit difficult to focus on reading the latest gossip with Jonathan giggling in his ear.

“Are we getting married now?” Maddox asked and rolled his eyes.

Jonathan shrugged. “It’s how this kind of journalism works. All it took was for Hanna to scream happily ‘Maddox and Jonathan are getting engaged’ while in an open space, and Xpress immediately grabbed it and turned it into a planned wedding, of course. But how did they find out about Rusty and cat boys? Wait, is that even true? It doesn’t sound like it’s true.”

“It’s actually true,” Maddox confirmed.

“Oh,” Jonathan said in that restrained way of his that might have come across to anyone else as arrogant and uptight. Not to him. To him, everything Jonathan did was adorable, no questions asked. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“Don’t be. If you ask Rusty, he’s going to give you the complete rundown on how and when his attraction toward a different kind of tail might have emerged.”

The music was thumping downstairs, but they had found a way to ditch the crowd and spend some time alone together on Maddox’s bed, lying on their bellies, swinging their feet in the air, and reading the latest from Xpress. Basically, he was the one reading, since Jonathan was getting busy teasing his ear with one smart and deft tongue.

“Babe,” he drawled. “Come ‘ere.” He hooked one arm over Jonathan’s shoulders and pulled him close. Their lips found each other for a kiss.

“Hmm,” Jonathan purred and licked Maddox’s bottom lip with unhidden enthusiasm, “I thought you were about to tell me how Rusty got into cat boys.”

“Well, that’s a story that you better hear from him.”

“You think?”

“Without a doubt. Rusty might strangle me over missing some detail that should be in the original story.”

“Original story? What other stories are supposed to be out there?”

“I don’t know.” The truth was he didn’t care, not with Jonathan’s lips so close to his.

“Are we truly wise to be starting something like this right now?” Jonathan breathed out against his mouth.

“Wise? When were we ever?” Maddox tasted Jonathan’s lips in full, licking round and round and sucking the juicy bottom one into his mouth.

“Point taken,” Jonathan agreed and shivered. “I have a feeling someone’s going to burst in at any moment now.”

“Forget about that feeling. Let’s think about the summer.”

“I agree. I can barely wait to see you again next week.”

“I should just come with you,” Maddox said. “I hate losing entire days I could be spending with you.”

“I hate it, too,” Jonathan agreed. “But your mom agreed that you’re going to spend two months out of three with us, and I cannot ask for more. I’d look greedy.”

“Feel free to be greedy. Are your folks okay with you spending the rest of summer break with my family? We’re nothing fancy.”

“They are happy they’re going to get to see as much of us as they are. And by the way, I have some really serious plans for this summer. We’re not going to spend those two months at my family’s estate. We’d get bored out of our minds.”

“I kind of doubt that, but heck, if your mom and dad are going to watch our every move, I’m willing to go with whatever plans you have that remove us from under those hawk-like eyes,” Maddox joked.

“They will be plenty busy themselves. It’s summer, after all, my mom’s favorite season. But we might have to accompany them to a couple of places, just so, you know.” Jonathan swept Maddox’s hair out of his eyes. “You know what that means, right? They’re going to introduce you as a soon to be Hamilton.”

“Ugh, no pressure or anything, right?”

“Why would you feel pressure? You’re perfect.”

Maddox felt giddy whenever Jonathan praised him. If he had a tail, he’d wag it happily. Not a cat tail, though. Rusty and his ideas.

Too bad he had the special ability of summoning the cockblock police with just a thought. A loud knock on the door interrupted them, and Rusty barged into the room.

Only this time, he wasn’t alone. Dex, Kane, and even Hanna and Ray, were there.

“Dudes, why the hell are you wasting time when there’s a party?” Rusty bellowed.

“They’re busy smooching the hell out of each other,” Kane pointed out in a very teacher-like manner.

“You’ll have time to do that all summer, you dogs,” Dex chimed in.

“It’s our last night together till fall. Whether you two like it or not, you have to come with us,” Ray said. The most energetic of them all, he grabbed Maddox and began to pull him away from Jonathan. In turn, Jonathan suffered the same treatment from Hanna, who, despite her small frame, seemed to pack quite the strength. No wonder she could keep up with Ray and his board game marathons. She was more than met the eye.

She giggled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I know you two think we’re a bunch of assholes now, and you’d be right. The only smooching allowed tonight must be conducted at the party. So we’re petty assholes and don’t want you and Maddox to have your fun.”

“But it’s the privilege of having a private bedroom,” Maddox complained.

“Nothing’s private enough when you have me under the same roof,” Rusty declared. “Let’s lift them up, boys. I’m leading!”

Despite their protests, they were hiked up, held by legs and shoulders and carried away, down the stairs. It was difficult to imagine a more outstanding exit and a fitting end for their junior year.

Nah, it was all right, Maddox thought. He couldn’t be mad at his friends. After all, he had Jonathan, and if they both suffered at the hands of these awesome guys, that meant they were in it together, all the way.

“Hey, watch it,” he shouted at Rusty who almost ended up slipping down the stairs while dragging him by the legs. “I need to remain in one piece.”

“At least until the wedding, right?” Kane laughed.

Dex was carrying Jonathan by the arms, while Hanna and Ray were splitting his legs between themselves. Maddox really hoped they were doing a better job than these two mofos. He needed Jonathan in one piece, as well.

They were finally placed on their feet at the foot of the stairs, and only then Maddox saw the giant cake. “What is that?” he asked.

Rusty held him by the shoulder. “See that figurine with the black hair? That’s you. And the one with the brown hair--”

“Is it a wedding cake?”

A collective cheer from the entire crowd confirmed his suspicions. He turned toward his bestie.

“A mock wedding cake, and I got those figurines online. They’re from an anime series,” Rusty took care to inform him.

“Well, let’s eat cake, then,” Maddox said, deciding that it was just better to go with the flow. It looked like everyone wanted a piece of that cake, and he hoped he could at least save the figurines from the impending doom that would follow.

Someone, however, seemed to have drunken a bit too much and propelled by unknown forces, stumbled and fell, face first into the giant cake. Under the collective gasp and held breath of the audience, the tower of confectionary trembled and fell on one side.

“Five second rule,” Rusty shouted.

All hell broke loose in an instant, everyone hurrying to get a piece that hadn’t been in contact with the floor for too long.

Maddox turned toward Jonathan, who was shaking with laughter. “You wouldn’t laugh if it was our real wedding cake,” he said with a bit of rancor. He really had wanted to have a bite, preferably in a civilized manner.

“Cake fight!” Rusty announced.

A clump hit Maddox right in the cheek. Jonathan laughed harder and took a piece before the entire clump fell. He held his fingers to Maddox’s lips. “Don’t be mad, sweetheart. And here is your bite. I heard the initial plan involved Rusty coming out of the cake, most probably naked.”

Maddox sighed and nibbled at the cake in Jonathan’s fingers. “I suppose we should count our blessings, then.”

“And they are many,” Jonathan agreed. “Save a little for me?”

The kiss they shared next was the sweetest.

And it wasn’t because of the cake.

THE END