Page 195 of End Game

“I heard that,” Cami calls from the kitchen.

Griffin smiles.

When she returns, she has four glasses and the bottle tucked against her side.

“I realize Dex isn’t here,” she says as she pours, “but this is still our first New Year’s together and an actual… whatever we are.”

“Polycule,” Ronan supplies.

“Household,” Griffin adds.

“Cult,” I offer.

Cami points at me with the bottle. “See? Multitudes?”

We all stand and raise our glasses.

“To us,” she simply says.

Nobody adds anything.

“To us,” I echo.

Ronan’s eyes meet mine over the rim of his glass.

Something in my chest pulls tight.

The television volume gets slightly louder as the countdown coverage shifts fully to Times Square.

Outside, somebody in the neighborhood starts setting off fireworks early.

A deep boom rolls through the windows.

We all stay standing, but Cami settles against Griffin’s side again.

Ronan steps closer to me.

Not touching, but close enough that I feel the heat radiating off of him.

My body notices before my brain finishes pretending this is casual.

The countdown clock on the television hits sixty seconds.

“It’s almost midnight,” Cami announces.

Thirty seconds.

The room changes.

Not dramatically—just enough.

The talking stops.

The broadcast gets louder.

Outside, fireworks crack in uneven bursts while the television crowd begins chanting the numbers down.

Ten.