Dan and Tommy’s Summer

--- Epilogue ---

The next few weeks flew by in a sort of chaotic fog for the boys. At Dan’s house, when he and his father were there at the same time, things were uncomfortable and tense. Big Dan still wasn’t talking to him much. Dan could tell that his dad was still not happy about having a gay son. So he avoided being around as much as possible. 

Tommy’s parents on the other hand were almost over-supportive. They welcomed Dan in with open arms. Dan spent most of his free time there with Tommy until their apartment was ready. Nothing had really changed on that front except the amount of time Dan got to spend with Tommy. 

Tommy got one of the several jobs he applied for in Ann Arbor. He started training as a second shift assembly associate at an automotive supplier two weeks ago. Dan got through all of the registration processes for his first year at U of M and was already attending classes. 

Aside from weekends, their busy schedule didn’t provide much time for each other. Dan would stay up to see Tommy come home from work, usually with some kind of dinner ready for him before going to bed. Tommy always made sure to wake up enough to be able to kiss Dan and spend a few minutes with him before he left for class. Even on the days Dan had early classes. 

Although Dan’s parents, mostly Big Dan, refused to help them get an apartment, they upheld their agreement to pay for Dan's classes. And because he would have already had to pay dorm fees, they decided to pay part of the cost of the apartment each month. That was mostly Dan’s mom’s doing. 

Tommy’s parents co-signed on the boy's apartment, loaned the boys the money for all the necessary deposits to get moved in, and helped them get moved to Ann Arbor. 

Their apartment was small and cozy. They were working on filling it up with furniture, both hand-me-downs and used pieces from local want ads. Tommy thought it was starting really to come together and felt like home. Dan was getting there. 

— One Year Later —

Tommy's job had been very rewarding. He quickly picked up the skills needed and got promoted to Team Lead over mirrors. The new title came with a significant raise and for the last three months, a first shift position. He enjoyed the job but not as much as he enjoyed his evenings at home with Dan. 

Dan did well in his first-year classes at the university. He had made several friends and became active in the school's LGBTQ Student Communities. Tommy joined them at many of their events both on and off campus. 

Rowan and Tony became regular visitors to their first apartment. They hung out at Aut regularly and even got Dan to dance occasionally. Their double dates were always a hoot with Rowan’s boisterous outgoing personality.

Dans’s mom visited them regularly. The three of them became really close and it was one of Tommy's proudest moments when he was able to pay for all of their dinners at Red Lobster. Somewhere around the four-month mark, Big Dan dropped by the apartment unannounced one Saturday. He apologized to his son for the way he reacted and made a commitment to try to understand and accept Dan and his sexuality. He mostly wanted to let Dan know that he was proud of the man Dan had become. This was the bridge that started bringing the two back together. Since then, he's come to visit several times, at first just taking Dan out for lunch or dinner. On his last two visits, Tommy was invited as well. Both of the boys were happy at the progress Dan and Big Dan's relationship had made.

Tommy's parents were regular visitors as well. They always brought some kind of baked sweets with them as well as the occasional new piece of decor for the apartment. Tommy's mom bought herself a new Cadillac and left her old one in Ann Arbor for Tommy to use to get back and forth to work. Tommy was so excited when his mom announced that she was leaving her car there, that he cried like a school girl. He loved that car!

Dan still tooled around in the old Buick Regal. It was still loud and rattly so any time they went back home or out somewhere together, Tommy made sure they took the Caddy. It wasn't that he hated the clunker, there were a lot of great memories made in or around that car. Yeah, it was, he kind of hated the Buick. 

With the extra money Tommy was making in his new position at work, the boys decided to move into a nicer, bigger apartment when their lease was up after a year. Dan got all the fancy amenities that he wanted in the move. They couldn't wait until summer when they get to hang out by the pool. With the entire deposit returned, they were able to finish paying Tommy's parents back the money they loaned the boys to get started. It was a great feeling for Tommy and it made their visits home much sweeter. 

Their life was perfect. At least perfect for them. Dan and Tommy looked forward to what the future would bring them, knowing that together they could get through anything.

A/N: I wanted to thank all of y’all for following Dan and Tommy starting in Camp Lady Of The Lake and through Dan and Tommy’s Summer. At a combined almost 70,000 words, a year ago I’d have told you I could never write a novel. I can’t say that anymore. But It was time for me to bring this to a close.

I’m considering reformatting this into Kindle Vella. But either way, I’m working my way towards publishing something to see where it goes. My dad says I should do kids books, my “grandkids would like that better.” Lol But Im stitching to this genre! Keep watching for me here, I’m also on wattpad where I’ve been slowly adding all of these stories over there as well as Twitter and Facebook all under the same name. Find me and follow me there.

I’ve grown a lot since the very first story I put here but especially  through Dan and Tommy and in no small part, from all of y’all’s feedback. Thank you so much!