“Reenie! You’re going to be late for school!”
Camila’s voice was loud enough to reach every corner of the new, smaller Hoult house.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Irene said, tugging at the starched collar of her uniform. “You know, senior year doesn’t even matter.”
“It absolutely matters, especially with finals coming up,” Zach said, handing her coffee in a to-go mug. “Drive safe,” he said.
After the siblings sold the house and bought this two-bedroom in Green Tree, a more affordable suburb than the one they’d grown up in, their father had bought Irene a used car because her private school was farther from their new home. Zach managed to talk both of them into something more sensible than the sporty models they’d been debating. Irene didn’t need that kind of horsepower.
“I’ll be careful,” she promised. “Camila, are we still going to the gym tonight?”
Camila nodded over her own coffee. “Yup, Sword Choreography 101. I think you’re going to love it. Ivy and Rahul have been working on it for months.”
“Cool, I’ll meet you there.”
“Have a good day!” Camila said, then gave Irene a big smacking kiss on the cheek.
“You’re such a dork,” Irene said, waving goodbye.
Camila looked up to see Zach looking at her adoringly. “I better get going, too,” she said. “I’ve gotta go home to get ready. Should have brought clothes last night.” She didn’t have to go far. The office space she was getting ready to open in a few months with Nat and Addison from her previous practice was pretty close to both her place and Zach’s, but it was definitely closer to Zach’s.
“You could just move in,” Zach said. They played this game every morning, and honestly? He was going to win.
“Eventually,” she said, waving him off.
A lot had changed since Seth and Era’s wedding. Camila had found the office location, and asked Nat and Addison if they were interested in going into private practice in a shared space. She had talked to therapists who had found ways to make their services more accessible, like partnering with foundations to offer therapy “scholarships” and having designated blocks for walk-in sessions. She’d also pitched the idea to Nat and Addison of monthly open houses. They would be available to answer questions from anyone who came for a community event but was interested in therapy services, too.
As for Zach, the plan to sell the shop hadn’t gone as expected. He thought he’d end up selling to a developer or another local company, but a surprise buyer entered the ring. It turned out his employee Jack had been saving up for years, and wanted to go in on the business with a friend on a resale shop for, of all things, bulk LEGO. It was apparently a huge market for enthusiasts. While they waited to finalize the sale, Zach had settled into his events job, and was doing portraits on the side. A lot of it was senior portraits and, yes, babies smashing cakes, but he was learning to enjoy other people’s joy. He was also doing some incredible avant-garde portraiture and shipping prints via an online storefront. Camila even got him to start a TikTok to promote his work.
“I have so much to do today,” Camila said. “I have new client management software to test out, and the furniture place gave me a four-hour delivery window for the new couch, and I have two online sessions,” she said, omitting that one was her still least-favorite but slightly less so client, Viviane. The previous practice didn’t have a non-compete, so the group was able to keep any clients who wanted to continue treatment with them at the new location. Camila took a deep breath and willed her to-do list away. “I can handle it, and if I can’t, we can handle it.”
She never got tired of Zach’s grin at that. Along with the personal affirmations they’d told each other on one of their very first dates, they now had one for them as a couple. It was one that reminded them they were stronger than they thought, and even more so when they relied on each other.
“Before you go,” Zach said, patting her ass as she poured herself another cup of coffee to go, “I have something for you.”
“Zach, we had sex three times last night. You’ve gotta let me stretch first or something.”
“I don’t have that for you, not right now, anyway,” he said, and she sighed at the joy of him nuzzling her neck. “Check your email.”
She regarded him suspiciously but did as instructed. She clicked the top unread email and had to read it a few times. “You got us tickets to Greece?”
“Look at the date,” he said. “It’s not until summer.”
She smiled at her email. “Is this an anniversary trip?” He nodded.
“But what date are you counting from?” she asked. “We weren’t dating yet, were we? I had to seduce you first. And that’s a big deal for an anniversary!” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is this just going to be a vacation, or should I make sure I have a photo-ready manicure before the trip?” She wiggled her left hand at him.
“I have no idea what you’re implying,” he said. “But since I’m always photographing you anyway, a manicure can’t hurt.”
She wrapped herself in his arms and inhaled his scent. She knew exactly what it was now, because of how often she’d use his shower gel.
“I can’t wait,” she said. “So Greece next year. What about the year after that?”
“Wherever you want to go, Camila. Wherever you want.”
The End