Lost in Translation

Epilogue

———Ben———

Friday, August 9th, 2019

I set down the last of the boxes from my truck in the living room of Anthony and James' new apartment. It was fairly small and on the third floor, but it was only a ten-minute drive to campus. Right now, it had the unique liminal space feeling of a living space that looked completely unlived in. There was nothing up yet in terms of decoration, and the apartment was filled with boxes and cheap, unassembled furniture that was hastily bought once Anthony and James realized they didn't have anything down here.

Marcus was balanced on a stepstool as he worked on hanging the last few curtain rods in the living room. "That the last one?" Marcus called over his shoulder. "I'm almost done."

"Yeah, that's it," I answered as I walked toward Anthony's room, where the sound of his and James' bickering carried all the way to the front door. I leaned against the doorframe and smiled.

Pieces of wood and tools surrounded Anthony and James as they assembled what had taken the vague shape of a bed frame. At the beginning of our relationship, I felt a sense of unease and jealousy over Anthony and James' friendship. Now, though, I couldn't help but smile at the look of frustrated bewilderment on my mate's face as he bickered with his best friend.

"I got the last of the boxes," I said, causing Anthony to pause mid-sentence with an accusatory finger pointed at James. "Marcus and I probably have to hit the road soon." Anthony frowned, and James sighed in twin expressions of disappointment.

"We'll walk y'all down," James said as he unceremoniously dumped the tools he was holding and stood up. Marcus was waiting by the door with his duffle bag. James took Marcus' hand and shot Anthony a meaningful look before heading toward the elevator. As the elevator door closed on James and Marcus, Anthony stopped with his hand on the door to the stairwell and turned toward me.

"Um, actually, I have something I wanted to give you before you go," Anthony said hesitantly. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a key on a small rubber keychain shaped like a sunflower.

"This is— well, I mean, I assume you probably don't want to move in while I'm here," Anthony rambled. "But I figured I should— I mean, uh..."

I cut him off with a quick kiss. "Are you asking me to move in with you?" I teased. Anthony gave a tense sigh, although the pink tinge on his ears gave away his true feelings.

"I mean, not exactly, since I'll be down here for the rest of the school year, but... it's— it's your place, too. If you want," Anthony said. I grinned as I clipped the key and keychain onto my other keys.

"Well, I probably won't completely move until you graduate, but I'm definitely going to start revamping the backyard," I said, still smiling. Anthony looked a little relieved. "I'll probably start decorating the master bedroom, too, since it's pretty much empty."

"Yeah. Yeah.... Of course, feel free to do whatever you want," Anthony said. A short honk from outside made Anthony jump and then roll his eyes. We headed down the four flights of stairs to where James and Marcus were waiting by my truck.

Anthony hesitated as we approached the truck. "Text me when you get home, ok?" he said.

"I'll be back to visit on Fall Break," I reassured him. "You'll see me again before you know it." James snorted from where he was leaning against the truck. Anthony made a rude hand gesture in James' direction without looking.

Anthony then surprised me by pulling me in for a tight hug. "Drive safe, ok?" He said softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I replied. Anthony stepped back reluctantly. It took another round of goodbyes in true Southern fashion before we hit the road since none of us were excited about parting. But despite the pang in my gut as Anthony disappeared from my rearview mirror, I couldn't help but smile as the rubber sunflower dangled from the keys. As lost as I had been the last few months, it felt like I was finally home.

——————

A/N: That's it! We're done! This is the largest piece of creative writing I have ever attempted and it feels surreal to be finished. 

I wrote this story for myself, so the fact that anyone else has read it and enjoyed it feels crazy to me. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has read, voted, or commented on Lost in Translation. It absolutely gave me the inspiration and encouragement to keep writing when I got bogged down.

And if anyone else, like me, is sad to see these character's stories come to an end, don't worry. I definitely have more ideas planned for other stories in this universe (most likely starting with Marcus and James). I will probably wait until I have a significant chunk of chapters done (probably around 10 or so) before I start posting them, so it will be a while. I will likely add an announcement here, as well as on my account, when I do. 

Until next time!

—LOABW 8/18/24