They were graduating. Asa sat at the back of the bar, half-drunk gin and tonic on the table in front of him. He did not look like someone who had finished the last exam of their university career. Less still, someone who knew that it had gone well. He was tired, of course, burnt-out after weeks of late nights spent cramming for tests, but that wasn't it. The good thing about cramming for tests was that it made you forget about everything else, you didn't have time to think about the obvious.
They were graduating.
He'd been... happy for Russ, when he'd found Finnian. Yes, he'd been happy. But, he and Russ had still lived together, still gone to the same university. There was an old friendship there. Asa had known Russ longer than anyone, save Lapin. They'd gone to boarding school together, for Christ sake's. Asa had been Russ's first crush, first kiss, first ex. Even after they broke up, they'd been a constant in each other's lives. Change had been unthinkable.
He hadn't dreamed that Russ would end up happy. Not that he wasn't... not that he didn't deserve-- just-- why couldn't they have stayed unhappy together?
Asa took another sip of his drink, the ice cubes clinking as he did so. He could always party tonight. There were a lot of other law students done today, so there was bound to be celebrations going on. He definitely couldn't face packing. He'd need to double-check with the firm that wanted him, too. There was so much to sort out. He needed to talk to Russ about all the joint stuff that they'd bought over the two years of living together. He presumed things like the broken accordion they'd dug out of the rubbish and the ugly stuffed cat they'd bought on a whim could probably just be thrown out, but, perhaps Lapin or Russ would turn out to be more sentimental than he thought.
Shit. They were graduating.