This is an entry for the Currents Epilogue contest! That book was an absolute masterpiece, everyone should head over to Tessa-X's profile to read it!

I hope you all enjoy my entry!

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© 2017 Tessa-x. Epilogue written by Shay Spencer.

Currents || Epilogue

Honest

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"You could have called," Mia said, tugging at the edges of her robe. It was the very robe I had sent to her for Christmas the year before.

"I know," I said.

Giving me a weak smile, Mia stepped aside, allowing me into the room. Kicking the door closed behind us, she hugged her arms around herself, obviously uncomfortable with her current attire.

There was someone else that wasn't entirely happy with her current attire, too, and he had no problem hiding it.

"Rosie," Austin said, shuffling his feet obnoxiously against the ground as he walked. Leaning in, Austin pressed the customary two kisses to either of my cheeks. "What an un-nice surprise. We haven't seen you in at least three months."

Austin, Mia, and Brent had all flown out to London for a Christmas visit. After the long, and wonderful, second summer the four of us had spent together, they had decided to surprise me, and I happily accepted the company.

To say the feeling was mutual in this situation, however, would be a lie.

"Your grammar's gotten better," I said to him. "And sorry. I didn't think-"

"That we'd be having sex when you unexpectedly dropped by?"

Mia's face reddened. "Austin," she scolded.

"What?" Austin defended. "She knows. I'd start to think she was stupid if she didn't."

"Is Brent around?" I asked, not wanting to bicker back and forth with Austin. It was obvious just how frustrated he was with my poor timing.

Mia shook her head. "I'm sure he's at work," she said. "Was he expecting you?"

"No," I muttered. "I just wanted to surprise him."

"So you came here?" Austin laughed. "I'd hope he wasn't up to the idea of a threesome with Torts and I. Don't know how that idea got in your head. Must be some British custom you never told us about."

"Why'd you fly all the way out here?" Mia asked, ignoring Austin's comment. "Didn't you have some big tests this week and the next?"

I shook my head no. "I took them early."

Mia smiled suggestively. "Even when your not an official couple, you two honestly can't keep your hands off each other," she said. "I swear! Brent was just in London a month ago."

"You're one to talk," I quipped. "Glad to see your making good use of that robe."

"Okay! This isn't about my sex life, this is about yours," she spoke sternly. "Now, if you want to see Brent, why don't you head over to his place. I'm sure he'll be home in a bit."

"Yeah," Austin agreed. "And in the meantime, Mia Tortilla and I are off to the shower. Things got pretty dirty back there."

Mia's blush only deepened. "We really shouldn't be eating out tonight. You'll say something that'll get us thrown out of the restaurant," she said, walking off in the direction of her room.

With her exit, Austin leaned in, hoping to keep our conversation private.

"I told you not to call. I thought not flying here was a 'read between the lines' type thing," he hushed.

"I forgot, honestly. I never would have stopped by, otherwise," I reassured.

Austin gave me a small smile before gesturing to the white desk pressed against the wall near the door.

"You can see it before you leave. Consider it a thank you for leaving us the hell alone for the rest of the night," Austin said, waving to me before following in Mia's footsteps.

The desk Austin had been referring to had one drawer cracked open, allowing for me to reach inside and pick up what he had been keeping from Mia. I gently opened the small satin box, peering inside to see exactly what all the fuss had been about for the last week or two.

"Oh Austin," I whispered after hearing the water turn on in the bathroom.

He had better taste than I had imagined.

-

The feeling of the sand beneath my feet had become to feel like second nature. After two summers spent entirely in Camberley, this place had slowly begun to feel like home. The sand, the currents, and the heat included.

The walk to Brent's house also held a natural feeling to it, after making the trip so many times before. Though one thing had changed since my last trip to North Carolina, and that very change was resting in the palm of my hand.

Twisting Brent's key in the lock brought this new excitement that I had never felt before. Yes, in the past, Alister and I had an almost open door policy, but actually having a key to a Brent's place was different than Alister merely allowing for me to enter his family home whenever I pleased.

My shock was apparent to both I and Brent as our eyes locked on one another, my surprise making me stop dead in my tracks. He stopped what he was doing, instead opting to hold his suit jacket in his hands rather than make a move to hang it over the back of the chair.

"Rosalie," he said, sounding just as taken back as he appeared.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this. I caught an earlier flight after finishing my testing. I just, wanted to see you."

"Well you've never been one to ask permission," he smiled. "I'm happy to see you, Rosalie."

"I'm happy to see you too," I said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind me.

"Happy to see the key works," Brent said, turned away for only a second, pulling out a bottle of Pino Grigio and gesturing towards a seat.

"It works perfectly, thank you," I said as I took a seat in the plush chair near the table.

"What made you want to visit early?" Brent asked, popping open the bottle. He walked briskly into the kitchen, coming back with two wine glasses in hand.

"My mum is hosting this lavish party for one of her clients this week. She's practically taken up all the space in the house. Coming home to see my parents for the weekend before my holiday away didn't seem as enticing as it did when I had planned it all out," I said.

Brent nodded. "And as you can see here, I've got more than enough room for you."

With his reminder, I glanced around the small space. Brent had opted to live in the same, small place that he had since my first summer here. He had always talked about moving into some bigger, more appropriately sized home, but he had yet to follow through with his words.

"How were your tests?" Brent asked, pouring the wine into my glass. I gladly accepted it, bringing the glass to my lips and taking a small sip. I would need whatever liquid courage I could get at a time like this.

"They were fine. Middle of the term like this, they were nothing major. Just something to ensure that the students know the material before holiday."

Brent took a seat in the chair opposite my own. "You always confuse me when you refer to breaks as holidays."

"The concept of spring break around this time of year has always confused me," I countered. "There's no reason for it. You've all only just gotten back from the Christmas time allotted. Why take more time off?"

Brent shrugged, taking a sip of his wine. "It's an American thing, I really can't explain it."

"Touché," I said.

There was a small silence that settled over the two of us after that, allowing for either of us to sip our wine, and in my case, it allowed me a moment to think. That photo was still burned into my vision, never faltering to leave my mind. I couldn't help but to feel jealous just thinking about it.

"Who was in that photo that you posted on Facebook?" I asked.

Brent frowned. "Which one?"

"The one with the blonde," I reminded. "The woman with strikingly good features, and blonde enough hair to put my own to shame. She was tanned, had a big chest on her-"

"Rosalie," Brent interrupted, smiling when he did. "That was a client. And that photo was posted to the company's page."

"So?" I sighed, setting down my glass. "The way she was looking at you-"

"She was a client," Brent reassured. "She was looking to better her franchise of nail solons. Do you really think I'd cheat with a girl like that?"

"No," I said. "I just-"

"Rosalie," Brent paused as he too, set down his glass. "Is that why you flew out early?"

"Sort of, yes," I confessed. "The whole thing got to me in a way that I wasn't intending for it to. The thought of you with someone else completely irks me."

"It irks you?" Brent repeated with an amused smile.

"Yes."

Brent reached out, grabbing onto either of my hands and holding them in his own. The simple action was comforting if nothing else, but the touch also sent a shock through my body. Even at times like this, I couldn't get the idea of sex with him out of my head.

"You were the one that thought long distance wouldn't work," Brent reminded.

My mind fell back to the closing night of this last summer. Brent, of course, had been the first one to bring it up, making long distance work. But after all the drama with my relationship with Alister, I was hesitant to say yes. Brent and I had been getting on just fine the way that things were. Whenever we had a moment together, we took advantage of it, but that didn't mean we were officially a couple.

I had somehow managed to get myself into an open relationship, and I knew Brent was just as unhappy with the whole situation as I was.

"I know," I said. "That doesn't mean it's any easier to see you with someone just a month after you were with me."

"I haven't been with anyone but you for a long time now," Brent said. "I don't have a reason to. Ever since that first day on the beach, even with you pissing me off by getting sucked into the water, you haven't left my mind."

I cracked a small smile with his words. He was right, and I hated to admit it, but he was. I should have listened to him, because I knew we could make it work with long distance, that we could beat the odds. With his job ensuring his travels to London now and again, and with my small work load at uni for my second year, he had a point. I guess it had only taken me a while longer to warm up to the idea.

"I know," I all but whispered back to him. "I should have listened."

"You didn't want to," Brent said. "You're so stubborn all the time-"

"And so are you," I interrupted with a small smile. "If we are going to make this work, though, I'm going to need you to always be honest with me, no matter what."

Brent squeezed my hand in reassurance. "Already done. I'd never lie to you Rosalie, and I don't plan to."

-

The rest of the evening had gone much like the other's Brent and I had spent together. Though leaving at the end of the week to return to uni weighed heavily on my mind, having Brent by my side made the thought a little easier to bare.

"He actually did it," Brent said.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I turned away from the window to gaze back at him. "Who did what?"

"Austin," Brent said, handing his phone to me. "He and Mia are engaged."

Looking down at Brent's phone, all I felt was happiness rushing through me. In the photo, Mia held up her left hand, showing the simple sapphire ring that Austin had gotten from his grandmother. He had gone on and on about ways to propose with me over Skype this last week, but now seeing the ring on my best friend's finger, it all finally felt real.

"If those two can make things work," Brent said, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Then I know we can."

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Word Count: Around 2000 words, excluding A/N's and whatnot.

Thank you to everyone who decided to check this out! It means a lot to me - this is the first prompt writing contest I've entered, and I'm pretty proud of it!

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Note to tessa-x (namely because I never commented on Currents): I always had too many things to say at the end of each chapter. Currents was so perfectly written, the humor, the slow building relationship between Brent and Rosalie, the drama of Kensington constantly looming over Rosalie's head, and of course, Austin and Mia. I loved how currents was more than just the title, but a theme and a weird lesson for Rosalie to learn from during her summer away. It was honestly one of the best books I've read, and I know you'll only go on to write even more amazing stories from here on!
Also, at the moment, I'm halfway trough Office Affairs, and loving every minute of it!
I got inspiration from one of the ending scenes including Brent and Rosalie in the hotel room - they promised to always be honest with one another 😊

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Thanks again everyone! Remember to vote, and if you feel, leave a comment!

~Shay 😊