Epilogue

One Year Later

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island

Sunday, May 25th, 10:00 AM

Ethan

The chapel bells started ringing at ten o’clock, the festive sound filtering in through the grease-splattered walls of the East Side Diner. From his seat in a window booth, Ethan watched the growing crowd of students outside, some in graduation robes, streaming down Wickendon Street toward the Brown campus.

Meanwhile, Larry kept scarfing down mouthfuls of pancake, acting like they had all the time in the world.

Damn it. They were going to be late. Ethan drained the rest of his coffee, then stood up and stretched.

“We need to get going. We can’t wait any longer.”

“Dude, relax.” Larry licked syrup off his fingers. “I’m sure she’ll be here any moment.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. That girl’s never on time.”

“Hold on.” Larry looked past him, neck craned toward the front counter. “What color is her hair again?”

“Purple this month.”

“Are we talking plum or violet?”

“I don’t know. It’s, like, almost pink.”

“Mauve or lavender?”

“I guess, Mister Fifty Shades of Purple.”

“Sweet. Then she’s here.”

Ethan followed his gaze to Maddie, who was weaving through the breakfast crowd toward them. When she reached their booth, she gave him an awkward peck on the cheek, then turned to Larry and held out her hand.

“Hi. You must be the nerdy roommate.”

“Larry.” They exchanged fist bumps. “And you must be Jess’s flaky sister.”

“I’ve been called worse.” She slid into the booth beside him. “Hey! What kind of pancakes are those?”

“Banana with chocolate chips.”

“Yum. I’m starving!” She grabbed a fork and dug in, speaking between bites. “Where’s the coffee?”

Ethan remained standing. “You can order that to go. We’re late.”

“Jeez, would you chill?” She rolled her eyes and reached for the syrup dispenser. “I just got a text from Maya. They’re still lining up for the procession. We’ve got plenty of time, so sit down.”

“Fine.” Ethan huffed before sliding back into the booth to face her. “But we’re leaving in five minutes.”

Maddie turned to Larry. “Is it my imagination, or has he gotten even more uptight?”

“Try living with him.”

“No thanks.” She inhaled another forkful of pancake. “I’d kill him in less than a week.”

“Yeah?” Larry chuckled. “How would you do it?”

She shrugged. “Probably in his sleep. Maybe a plastic bag over his head.”

“That’s twisted.” Larry put a hand over his heart. “And kinda turning me on. Is that weird?”

“Extremely.” She crinkled her nose. “Sorry, dude. You’re not my type.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“Whoa,” Ethan cut in. “Let’s change the subject before this gets awkward.”

“Too late.” Maddie nudged Larry away. “But I’ll play along. What should we talk about?”

Ethan tried to look nonchalant as he asked, “How is Jess?”

No point in tiptoeing around the subject. After that huge blowup last spring, they’d exchanged a handful of generic texts and e-mails. He knew she was dating someone but hadn’t asked for details, and she hadn’t offered any.

“She’s good.” Maddie turned to face him, her intelligent green eyes suddenly reminding him so much of her sister’s. “She and Jake just flew to Paris for the long weekend. They’ve been together for six months now.”

“Jake?”

The name sounded familiar. Wasn’t that Jess’s high school sweetheart? The guy she hooked up with again when they were going through a rough patch?

“Yeah,” Maddie said, reading his expression. “That Jake.”

“He’s a good guy, right?”

She smirked. “Better than you.”

“Guess I deserved that.” He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Hopefully, Jess had found the kind of love he’d found with Callie. She deserved nothing less. “Please tell her I’m happy for her.”

“Sure.” Maddie studied his expression for a long moment before returning his smile. “And I’ll tell her you meant it.”

“So I’ve got to ask,” Larry broke in. “Is your sister cool with you being, like, besties with Callie?”

Maddie frowned. “I wouldn’t exactly call us besties.”

“Well,” Ethan pointed out. “You do hang out a lot together.”

“Why wouldn’t we? I mean, I got my big break thanks to her.”

“Right.” Ethan nodded, even though he knew there was more to Maddie’s friendship with Callie than that. They’d gotten off to a rocky start after that first disastrous CNN interview, which Maddie had been forced to retract. But Callie more than made up for it by tipping her off about Elin.

“How’s the Cybergate story going, but the way?” he asked as the waitress refilled his coffee. After she’d left the bill, he slid the mug to Maddie and she took a greedy slurp.

“Pick up tomorrow’s edition of the New York Times and you’ll find out.”

“Seriously?” Ethan’s eyes widened. “Your article’s in the Times?”

“On the front page. Here’s a teaser. Indictments are on the way. Elin will be the first, but she won’t be the last.” She grinned. “That bitch is just the tip of the iceberg. The FBI’s investigating more than a dozen other celebrities, politicians and businessmen who used the Kirov cyber network to target their enemies. We’re talking spying, malware, extortion, fabricating fake scandals. Who knows what other shady shit they pulled?”

“Holy crap.” Larry’s mouth gaped open. “You’re the reporter who broke Cybergate?”

“Don’t look so surprised.”

“I’m not.” He reached past her to spear a piece of pancake and popped it into his mouth. “Girl, you deserve a Pulitzer.”

“You think?” She played with her hair. “That line may have just earned you a first date.”

Ethan pulled a face. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that.”

She took another swig of coffee, smiling as she glanced from Larry to Ethan. “Oh, before I forget… I saw Callie’s latest collection in the SoHo Gallery. It’s beautiful. Glad to see she’s painting again.”

“Me too.” He nodded, remembering how Callie had been struggling with her art last summer before Doctor Rai adjusted her meds. It would always be a delicate balancing act, but so far, she’d been on a creative streak without sacrificing her mental health.

Maddie patted his hand. “And how about you? How’s life?”

“It’s good.” He pulled out a couple of twenties and left them on the table. “I start my internship at Mount Auburn in July.”

She raised a brow. “Still plastics?”

“Nope. Family practice. I realized that’s more my speed. I’ve been thinking of doing a fellowship in addiction medicine.”

“Makes sense.” She thinned her lips. “How’s that going?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, even though he knew what she was getting at.

“I mean, how’s your leg?”

“Better.” He rubbed his knee under the table. “There’s still pain sometimes, but I can handle it. Without drugs. I’ve been clean for more than a year now.”

She raised her coffee mug. “Congrats.”

“Thanks. I’m still an addict, though. Always will be. There’s no cure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stay in remission.”

Maddie took a cigarette out of her purse. “We’re all addicted to something, right?”

“Right.”

She dropped it into the plate of crumbs and syrup. “I quit, FYI. Kept that one just to remind me it’s a gross habit.”

“Good,” Larry chimed in. “I don’t date ashtrays.”

“And I don’t date prepubescent boys.”

She kicked him under the table, prompting a high-pitched “Ow!”

“See what I mean. Call me when your voice changes.” Her cell phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. “That’s Maya. They’re about to start.”

Ethan jumped up from the table. “Then let’s go already! I don’t want to miss anything.”

As they walked out into the spring sunshine, his pulse raced with anticipation. He pictured Callie in her graduation gown, marching up College Hill with her classmates. She’d smile and wave to the cheering crowd, one arm wrapped around Maya’s shoulder, eyes sparkling like mountain lakes.

When they reached the Van Wickle Gates, she’d skip through the threshold and throw her cap up in the air, radiating pure joy.

That’s when she’d spot him, her face lighting up.

He’d blow her a kiss and mouth “I love you.”

And she’d answer with that beautiful smile, the one that let him see himself through her eyes.

Painted as only she could, with every color in the rainbow.

***

THE END

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