Wait for You (wlw) (Bitter spin-off)

forty-two (epilogue)

(there are lots of references to the Bitter epilogue here fyi)

3 years later

Vic's pov

"So the university is basically paying you to be on vacation?" Mei asked as we settled on a bench beside a huge lake, a gorgeous view in front of us.

"Well, technically they're paying me to do research for the University of Colorado, which I did. But they're paying for two whole weeks when the research period was a week, so technically, yes, they are" I said.

"That's so awesome" she said, moving closer to me. "It makes me want to start studying in university again"

"It's never too late" I shrugged, although I knew she would actually never do that.

"Yeah, I don't think so" she chuckled. "I'll be living through your paid vacations"

"I'll be taking you with me every time anyway" I said, leaning my head on her shoulder.

I'd been busy with doing research for my doctorate degree during the past two years, as I'd started right after I successfully got my master's degree in philosophy. I was getting closer to my teaching dream job every day.

In the meantime, Mei had finished her writing course and spent ages writing an actual book, which she'd been pouring her heart into. Sleepless nights, hours of research and hundreds of emails to try and convince a publishing house to sign her up. I knew she was going to make it, eventually. She was too talented for it not to be recognized. Plus, she'd found a job in a skateboard shop in the meantime, which was really the second most ideal job for her.

We'd taken my work trip opportunity to have a vacation in the Colorado mountains, and we wanted to go to another few places we'd never visited after that. We hadn't really organized much of it, we decided we should make it all really spontaneous. One of the countless reasons I loved Mei was because I could do stuff like that with her. Just leave and not really know where we were going. I'd always dreamed of having someone I could do that with.

"Remember when you accused me of being lazy when we went on our first trip together and I said I was tired after hiking for a whole day?" I asked her, laughing lightly at the memory.

"Okay, I did not call you lazy. And you've always told me how you dislike physical activity stuff" she immediately said. "I just have more energy than you, my love"

"I know" I chuckled. "I was just about to say I don't feel exhausted after this hike, and it probably would have killed me back then. This is the good side of having an athletic girlfriend"

"I'm so proud of you" she said, sounding very much sarcastic. "Remember when you couldn't even bother to get on my skateboard and let me teach you?"

"Well, that was mainly because I was scared" I admitted. "And I still am"

"Oh, I know" she nodded. "I wonder if I'll ever manage to convince you to get on a board. I've been trying for almost six years now"

"I'm pretty sure the first times you tried were just you trying to impress me and make me fall for you" I said.

"I mean..."

"You weren't too subtle about it" I laughed.

"It worked" she shrugged.

"I was already down bad for you by the first time you tried to get me on one of those things"

"Yeah, I was too" she chuckled. "If only I had been less of a dumbass back then, we would have ended up together much earlier"