An hour later, Julia entered the dining room of the Notting Hill Resort one last time. She took a breath. Her head definitely felt better. Andie hadn’t been wrong about the shower, and it was true, if Julia missed the window when she usually took her medication, she felt off the entire day. She spotted her friends seated at what she’d started to think of as their usual table. David and Patrick were there, too. A bittersweet pang wafted through her as she crossed the room.

“Why the glum face?” Patrick asked, brows creasing in concern as she took a seat across from him.

“I’m just a little sad thinking about how everything is coming to an end,” Julia admitted. “Look, I know David and Patrick aren’t your real names, and I understand this whole week was a game, but I just want to say I’m happy to have met you both.”

“Oh,” David said, clutching his chest. “You are just the sweetest.” He hopped out of his chair and hurried around the table to give Julia a quick hug.

“Meeting new people is one of the best parts of these experiences,” Patrick said. “And the hardest.”

“Goodbyes are always hard,” David agreed, returning to his seat.

“Especially when you meet someone truly special,” Patrick added.

Julia jerked her head up. But Patrick wasn’t looking at her; he only had eyes for David.

“Wait a minute,” Andie said, leaning forward and eyeing the two men curiously. “Did you two meet at something like this?”

“Guilty as charged.” David chuckled. He reached for his partner’s hand and they entwined fingers.

“It was my first role-playing adventure,” Patrick explained.

“Yes, my little LARP virgin,” David said affectionately.

Patrick sighed good-naturedly and continued, “We got paired up for a few activities, and things sort of happened from there.”

“But how did you know?” Julia asked, unable to stop herself. “I mean, how did you know that what you were feeling was real? That it was going to last beyond the end of the game?”

The two men exchanged a look full of memories.

“We didn’t,” Patrick said. “Not at first.”

“But we were both willing to take the risk and find out,” David added. “As much as we enjoy the fun and excitement of playing pretend, at the end of the day—or the week—when we return to our real lives and our real selves, that’s when we know what we have is real.”

“It’s true,” Patrick agreed. “All the heightened emotions and passionate moments of the fantasy are icing on the cake for what we have back in the real world. It’s all the normal, boring stuff, the quiet moments at home, that create the foundation for a lasting relationship.”