a couple of cuddly cats. Over the course of their budding relationship, I’d learned that their favorite thing to do was just be together, so even though I’d put an old-fashioned record player in there for Alistair and a classical piano for Avery, the bulk of the space was dedicated to different ways the two could simply be together.
The room that Nikita and I would share was also very simple, though it had a few high-end swords on the wall that held Nikita’s attention for much longer than I expected them to. We’d sleep most frequently in our house on the back of the property, but I made sure we had a plushy, comfortable bed for when we wanted to drink coffee and spend a few more minutes lounging around, and it also had an attached rolling desk for mornings where I had to work.
Kyle’s room had tons of closet space and a large ceiling to floor mirror. Just as he was about to comment that I’d themed his room around his vanity, I stopped him to tell him that it was so he could help me with my fashion sense since, apparently, it sucked so badly. There were also a few succulent plants scattered around for him to tend to, and I added an aquarium because I knew he really enjoyed fish as a low-maintenance pet.
Brayden’s room had a large entertainment system with all three major gaming appliances affixed to the wall. His television was theater-style and projected across his entire wall. In front of his bed were two haptic gaming chairs for when he and I wanted to get into some gaming sessions. He was responsive and thankful, but he was not as happy as I expected him to be. I’d work on figuring out what was wrong with him later, but I didn’t want to ruin the mood in the group.
After everyone got to their rooms, I let them all spend some time in them and then brought them down to the living room.
“Nathan, those rooms are beautiful,” Avery said. “It makes me sleepy just thinking about falling asleep in Ali’s arms in that window seat.”
“Well, there will be plenty of time for that, but for now…” I plucked the small remote for the stereo system from the mantle in the living room and pressed play, and music started to fill the room. “We’re going to party like our lives aren’t based on one of those teen dramas!”
“Yeah!” Colette yelped.
Everyone helped themselves to the food and the kegs of the personalized drinks Kyle had made for everyone, and then we all walked out back to the pool. Our decorations spilled outside, including beach balls in each color of the scheme that floated on the water, and we situated ourselves around the pool, all kicking our feet in for now so that we could hang out and talk.
“I have a couple of things to admit,” I started again after a while. I wanted to spread out my announcements so that we could have some fun.
“Okay?” Alistair said.
“First of all, you,” I said, pointing right back at him. “You’ve been evading me this whole time. I’ve gotten everyone else something worth-while in some form or fashion, but you’re a slippery one.”
“I told you already—”
“Shh,” I cut him off. “So, here’s what I’ve done. There is a fully furnished, penthouse apartment waiting for you in New Haven if you want it. I know you could have gotten one for yourself, but Avery told me where you’re working, and it’s nearby. It’s got a ton of space, and once Avery is ready to move out of the dorms and in with you, you’ll still be more than comfortable there. The complex has tons of really nice amenities, and I’ve taken care of rent and utilities for four years, so all you have to do with your money is pay for the rest of your costs to live there.”
Alistair’s jaw dropped. “Wow, Nathan, that’s…huge.”
“I know that you guys probably could have afforded something between you just fine, but I wanted to do something for you, especially since you guys have forgiven me for all my shit.” Avery and Alistair both opened up their mouths to protest, but I cut them off. “Ah! Let me finish.” They both closed their mouths. “This brings me to the second announcement.” I took a deep breath. For some reason, my heart was pounding as I thought about it, but I knew it had to be done.