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*** THIS EPILOGUE ENDS WITH AN OPEN-ENDING. AS THERE IS NO SEQUEL IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH A NOT-COMPLETELY WRAPPED UP/HAPPY ENDING, PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER ***

Five Months Later

As I walk into the kitchen, the smell of bacon makes my mouth water.

Harvey stands at the stove, shirtless, wearing a pair of loose track pants. Mia sits on the bench, wearing his t-shirt as he places a cooked piece of bacon into her mouth.

"Glad to see you feel comfortable around us," I roll my eyes, gesturing to Mia's bare legs. Harvey picked up another piece of bacon. I reach out and pinch it from in between his fingers, popping it into my mouth.

"Hey, that was for me!" Mia grumbles.

"Snooze you lose," I shrug, moving around them and towards the fridge.

"Who's excited for their first day of University?" Harvey asks in a cheerful voice.

Mia and I both exchange a look of dread as Hayden walks in. He grunts in response. His hair is sticking up in odd angles. My eyes land on his bare chest where a dark mark brands him from last night. I feel my cheeks warm as I think back to it. We had sat down to watch Mean Girls, something I have been trying to get him to do for ages before we got... distracted.

"All very enthusiastic, apparently," Harvey sarcastically says.

I pour everyone a glass of juice before going around to the kitchen island and drawing up a seat. I watch as Mia leaned over, turning the radio on. Hayden is rubbing his eyes, yawning while Harvey is bopping up and down as he cooked.

These are my housemates.

Harvey, Mia, Hayden, and myself found a share-house about twenty minutes from the University. Even though some of my classes are spread out, due to the public transport here, I can easily come and go from Uni as I please. I somehow managed to get my license, even though I probably wasn't ready, but have decided to catch lifts and public transport to Uni will be safer for now, as driving through the city is a bit full-on for a new driver, such as myself.

Mia had her heart set on Melbourne, but when she got an offer from Sydney and was wait-listed for Melbourne, she made the decision to move here with us. It made sense as we had another room to rent.

We all moved here a couple of months ago, to get used to our new life before classes started. Harvey's mother rings us non-stop, often sending up care packages and food. It's awesome because we don't have to cook as often.

Hayden's mother sold the house and moved into a group-home facility. She met a guy there who is also wheelchair-bound, meaning that eventually, Hayden might end up having a step-dad. We still never speak of Hayden's biological father. I brought up the topic of visiting him once, only to be shut down. Hayden wants nothing to do with him and I respect his decision.

Quickly, we had become our own, little family.

"Breakfast is ready!" Harvey sings and we eagerly grab plates.

I load up my plate with toast and bacon, making a sandwich. Everyone else spread egg across the toast "like normal people", according to Mia.

"First class is at eleven - how cool is that? Starting at eleven?" I ask to no one in particular, my mouth full.

"Yeah but we all have a swim meet at 9. Except for you," Mia pointedly says to Harvey.

"Yep, you suckers have to be there early and I get to relax. Who's the real winner here?"

Mia throws a tea-towel towards him but he swats it away before it hits his face.

The house we got was the one Harvey found when we were back at school. It has five bedrooms and all of us have our own, even though we end don't end up sleeping in our own beds, the majority of the time. Mum has been in discussion with the owners of the house as they told us they might be selling in the next few months. Mum is often on the look-out for investment proerperites and although she never would usually buy in Sydney, she's in negotiations for this house as I plan to stay here for the next few years.

I finish eating and down the rest of my drink. We all go about our routines to get ready, while Harvey lazes on the lounge, watching some fishing show on Netflix.

I settle on wearing a pair of intentionally ripped jeans, a Calvin Klein branded jumper, and my black vans. I straighten my hair, considering this is one of the only days we're not going to be swimming. We're going to meet the Coaches and the other swimmers for the first time.

"You look cute," Hayden compliments as he enters the bathroom, wearing a white polo t-shirt, maroon shorts, and his converse.

"Thanks," I grins, rolling up the sleeves of my jumper.

He lightly pushes me back against the sink, before pressing his warm mouth to mine. Our lips movd together and my hands run down his back.

"I knew living with my girlfriend would be awesome, but it has exceeded my expectations," he murmurs, softly nibbling at the corner of my mouth.

"It has been pretty awesome." 

It was great--Mia and I share a bathroom and the boys share the other. There's also a third toilet, to make things easier. The whole house is spaced out generously, allowing us all to have our own space.

The trial for Ashton is still on-going. He has petitioned that he was not in his right state of mind at the time, which has dragged out the trial. He still hasn't been charged yet. I live far enough away from him now to not feel worried or threatened, at this point in time.

After kissing my nose, Hayden steps back. He sprays deodorant as I exit. I hitch my bag onto my shoulders, the heavyweight making me take a step back.

"Feels like I'm at school again," I complain.

"Yeah, except we had lockers there."

After one more run-through of my mental checklist, I trot downstairs, to see Mia sliding her feet into her boots.

"Ready?" Hayden asks her.

"Yep."

She plants a kiss on Harvey's cheek, before leaving. I still find them being together kind of weird. Cute, but weird. They didn't socialise or interact much, for so long. Or if they did, she was probably mean to him, considering she was the best friend to Mike, who openly bullied Harvey.

Mike moved down south somewhere, taking a gap year. I don't think he will end up attending university. We haven't really spoke to him much, since finishing school.

It was Mia's turn to do the driving today. I call shotgun, forcing Hayden to sit in the back.

I plug my phone in, putting up my pop playlist, as Mia began to reverse out of the driveway.

"Guys, are you nervous about meeting the swim team and the Coaches?" she asks us. "Considering our... history."

"No way, I'm excited!" I tell her, turning so that I am facing her.

Her blonde hair had been cut short and is dead straight, neatly brushing over the tips of her shoulders. She is wearing purple-tinted sunglasses, matching the amethyst necklace she always wears. Her new haircut made her seem older than she is. With her stylish dress choices, she often looked like she was mid-twenties, not turning 18 this May. It was easy to forget she is a year younger than us. 

"Yeah, I'm keen to meet them. They're going to be really good," Hayden pipes up.

"If you say so," she sighs, nibbling at her lip thoughtfully.

It took a little over twenty minutes to get there, due to traffic. As I step out, I inhale a deep lungful of the air around me, excitement coursing through my veins. We have already taken a number of tour guides through the Uni, as it is so massive. The first route we learned is the way to the indoor pool.

We park as close as we can, meaning it is only a ten-minute walk to the pool.

I let my eyes roam. Even though I have visited the campus many times in the last couple of months, I still haven't seen all of it.

"Don't be nervous, it will be fine," I assure her with a grin. "The best is here."

"I know, I know," she nods, twisting her fingers together.

"You'll feel better once you've met everyone."

We walk through the door and a smile stretches across my face as my eyes landed on the pool. This is where I will be spending the next four years. More, if I go onto my Master's degree.

I look around, seeing that a few others had arrived. There were two men standing off to the left, wearing matching uniforms. They both looked like Coaches. They were in deep discussion.

I place my bag onto the bench, Hayden and Mia following suit.

"I'm going to get some water," Mia tells us, heading over to the water cooler, on the other side of the room.

I look over my shoulder, to see another man standing there, writing on a whiteboard. I grimace. From back on, he looked just like Ashton. Tall, blond, muscly, and tanned, with the body of a swimmer.

I drop my gaze to the floor, letting out a breath.

"You okay?" Hayden asks gently.

"Yeah, I'm good."

I look up to smile at him, only to see him looking shocked. I spin around, to see the man I was just watching, approach us. My mouth falls open as he smirks at us, looking so much like Ashton, it is scary.

"Hayden and Grace, I've heard so much about you," he grins devilishly, his fingers enclosing around the whistle.

I feel my mouth turn dry.

"I'm Coach Brennon," he greets, smirking. "Ashton's brother and your new Coach."

No... This could not be happening. I feel my stomach clench as I stare at him, my mouth gaping.

"Welcome to the team," he grins, sending us a wink, before walking towards the other two men.

I exchange a horrified look with Hayden.

Oh shit.

--------------------

Mwahaha. Anyone expect that? I'm evil, I know, I'm sorry.

Hope you guys enjoyed the epilogue! I never do sequels so please don't spam me asking for one!

Thanks again for reading this story! Hope to see you all again throughout my other stories on here! :-)

DON'T FORGET that I have heaaaps of other stories you can read, ones that are completed and on-going! All of them are available to read through my profile! :-)

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