Page 87 of Battered Moves

River

I weave my way through the sea of people, normally something that would irk me, but today, I can’t help the grin that stretches across my face. The reopening seems to be a massive success.

I approach the front of the stage and spot Chris already there. I’m late, but I have a good excuse. Today was the final meeting for the acquisition of my game. After college, I poured everything into developing it, hiring a team of designers and an additional developer. Chase lent his business and marketing expertise, and our game skyrocketed in popularity. Today, I sold the rights to one of the biggest companies in the industry and will be raking in a shit ton of money.

Now, I can decide whether to make a sequel, develop a new game, or just take some time off to enjoy life with my family. I’m leaning towards the last option for now. I’ll figure out my next move when I get bored. As long as I have them andherby my side, everything will turn out great.

Ryder’s prediction has come true. We’re all so happy, it’s disgusting to watch, which Chris doesn’t hesitate to remind us of every chance she gets, but I don’t care. Life is good, and tonight, we’re going to party like there’s no tomorrow.

“Hey!” I greet her with a hug. She smiles back at me.

“Hey, Mr. Millionaire, how is the air up there?” she says, and I chuckle.

“Oh, shut up, brat, but yeah, it feels good. How are you?”

“Great, I just made it here thirty minutes ago. Jacinda kept me up in my office, if you know what I mean.” She wiggles her eyebrows, and I gag, making her laugh. “It’s my turn to disgust you, so take it like a man.”

I smile, happy to see her again. Chris opened her own therapy practice with a little help from Jaxon and specializes in unconventional relationships. It’s been a huge success, and she already has clients on the waitlist. As she searched for an assistant to help her with all the paperwork and calls, she found Jacinda, and they both say it was love at first sight. Only a year later, and they’re already engaged. We’re so fucking happy for them, and Liv is going to be their bridesmaid, which had her crying happy tears for a whole weekend.

I look around the empty stage, then turn to Chris.

“Did I miss everyone already?” I ask her.

“No, Liv still needs to perform,” she says. “But Chase and Gunner already went up, and they were fire! I’m even tempted to take some classes myself, despite my lack of coordination.”

I think to myself how lucky we are that the big changes at the studio are seeming to work out so well. I remember when Jaxon decided to leave Tanner Fitness not long after Liv, Ryder, and I graduated. It was clear to all of us that the spark had gone out. He used to work tirelessly and never complained, but after taking a second bullet to the chest, he wasn’t happy with the long hours and workload anymore.Life’s just too short to spend it at work when your family waits at home.Despite this, he still showed up for work every day. It took many conversations with Liv and the rest of us to finally convince him to let go of something that no longer brought him joy.

Now, here we are. Liv bought Jaxon’s half of Tanner Fitness, and together with Chase and Gunner, they put in months of work to transform it from a fitness center with a dance studio to a large, modern dance studio. It’s divided into three sections—one for hip-hop and break dance, one for Latin dances, and one for contemporary and ballet. Liv even convinced Gunner to quit his job at his father’s security firm and become a full-time Latin dance teacher. I’ve never seen him happier since he cut ties with his abusive father.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, I spot Gunner making his way through the crowd towards us, holding hands with Gustavo, his boyfriend. They just started dating and look so happy together. It’s funny to think how jealous we all were of him and Liv, but he never looked at Liv the way he looks at Gustavo.We were such blind fools.

“Heeeey, GG!” Chris greets them, using the couple name Liv gave them.

In the gaming lingo, GG means good game, and Liv said Gunner had some good game to catch himself Gustavo. Even I can admit that he’s a very good-looking guy. They met during the search for another Latin teacher for the new studio.

“You guys were amazing up there! The bachata was on fire, but I also loved the tango!” Chris says.

Gustavo blushes while muttering his thanks, and Gunner looks at him dreamily before kissing his temple.

To promote the reopening, Liv and Chase arranged this little dance show in front of the studio on a stage we made in the parking lot. I scan the area, trying to spot Jaxon. He rented a food truck to give out free food today, but I’m sure he’ll take a break to watch Liv perform. We’re all excited to see her dance today. She hasn’t told us what she has planned, but it’s clear from everything I’ve picked up that it’s going to be something special. My phone beeps with a text from Jaxon, interrupting my thoughts.

You here already?

Yup, standing with Chris and GG in the front row.

A minute later, Jaxon appears beside me, a smile on his face. It’s amazing to see the change in him over the past few years. He’s still his brooding, surly self, but happier and much more relaxed. I smile to myself, knowing that Liv has made us all the best version of ourselves.

“Do you know the Muffin Man?” Chris asks me, her eyes comically wide.

“The Muffin Man?” I ask with a chuckle.

“The Muffin Man!” Chris shouts.

Gunner laughs but hides it with his hand when Jaxon scowls at him, crossing his arms over his chest. He recently opened a brunch place near the beach called Sunshine Beach Brunch that has been getting hyped like crazy. Jaxon offers exceptional brunch options, where customers can compile their ingredients themselves or order bestsellers, which was Liv’s idea. In addition, he offers a variety of muffins, including basic ones like chocolate chip or banana and fancy ones like onion basil. The local newspaper tried his creations and wrote a whole article about him, calling him the Muffin Man. We’re still not over it.

“Shut up, Chris, or I won’t bring you muffins anymore,” Jaxon warns.

“You didn’t have to pull out the big guns,” Chris says, putting her hands up in surrender.

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