Page 89 of Filtration Play
“Fin, we’re opening the doors,” Meg called down. “You prepared?”
Fin shot one last glance to Ollie, holding his hand tight. “Yeah, I am. Ready to face the masses with me?” Fin asked, a little of their nerves bleeding through.
“You know it.” He slipped his hand in theirs again. “I’ll be by your side for as long as you’ll have me.”
Forever.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Fin had been acting dodgy all day over text, and Ollie didn’t like it.
However, he’d finally gotten to their apartment, so they’d be having whatever conversation that needed having. He assumed at least. His veins hummed with a little more nerves than usual. He’d thought things had been better than ever in their relationship. The last few months were filled with nonstop sex and laughter, sprinkled with a few stupid arguments over trivial shit, and the sort of comfort he’d always wanted to find. The urges hit occasionally, the way they always did, but Fin’s presence helped him weather them. Had he been reading their whole situation wrong?
Ollie scrubbed his palms over his face to try to calm himself before he stepped up to the door and tested the knob. He knew where thespare was by heart, but damn, he wanted one of his own something fierce.
“Come on in,” Fin called, and he pushed inside.
They sat on their couch, their knees bouncing.
His brows drew together, and everything went on alert. Something had to be wrong.
“What’s going on?” He closed the door behind him as if he could stave off the inevitable.
Fin wrinkled their nose. Their purple strands were askew as if they’d been running their fingers through it, and they wore a beat-up rainbow muscle tee and yoga pants that showed off their corded muscles. “Shit, I’m no good at this.”
“What?” he asked, his pulse thrumming. Each step closer brought those nerves simmering higher.
They hopped up from the seat and thrust out their arms.
Each hand gripped a shiny object.
“Uh, hope you’re not giving me something to handle the bad news with,” he joked.
Fin cocked their head to the side and blinked. “Bad news? Wait, do you think this is something sharp? You’re one dark motherfucker.”
Ollie shrugged, the taut string of tension driving him mad.
Fin swatted at his nose. “Bad. Bad boy.”
“Jesus, Fin, I’m not a puppy.”
“Sweetness, these are keys,” they responded, then running their fingertips along his cheek. “Did you think I was going to break up with you?”
“I mean, I wasn’t sure,” he said, though his adrenaline twisted directions. “Your texts all day were weirdly cryptic.”
“Look, uh…” They slipped the keys into his hand. “That’s because I’m shit at emotional stuff.”
Relief slammed into him like a two-ton weight. He let out a sharp bark of a laugh. “Oh god.”
“No, that was my way of asking you to move in.” Fin squeezed their nape. “And, uh, the other thing…shit. I’ve never done this before.”
“What’s the other key to?” Curiosity took over now that he knew he wasn’t getting dumped. “Wait, move in?”
“Yes.” Fin gestured around the apartment. “Most of your shit is here anyway, and I had to exercise a lot of patience to wait this long. I was about to rent a U-Haul and show up at your place to load up the day we made this official.”
His heart thumped hard, and tendrils of joy danced through his veins. “Really?”
