Chapter 15 — Game Night (Cards, Confessions & Goodbyes)
Ted Mosby believed relationships ended with fireworks and heartbreak.
Barney Stinson believed relationships ended because someone didn't "suit up."
And Ivar Scherbatsky? He believed relationships sometimes ended with timing — not because love wasn't real, but because the world pulled in different directions.
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Game Night
The gang had gathered in the apartment: board games, beer, and Lily's attempts at "relationship therapy."
"Game Night!" Marshall announced, stacking cards like it was a legal precedent.
"Game Night," Barney corrected, "is code for gossip and humiliation."
"Exactly," Robin said, smirking.
Ted shuffled cards nervously. He'd been watching Ivar and Victoria all night, waiting for cracks. They laughed easily, brushed hands often, moved like they'd been a couple for years.
But Ted saw the flicker in Victoria's eyes — the hesitation when she caught Ivar looking at her too long.
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The Reveal
Halfway through the night, Victoria excused herself to the kitchen. Ivar followed, sensing the shift.
She leaned against the counter, arms folded. "I got the letter."
Ivar frowned. "What letter?"
"Fellowship. Culinary program. Abroad. It's… everything I've wanted."
Silence stretched. The sound of Barney shouting in the other room — "Who wrote 'Canadian Batman' on my card?!" — barely registered.
Ivar finally said, "When?"
"Two weeks."
He nodded slowly. "You're taking it."
"I want to," she whispered. "But I don't want to lose this."
He touched her face, gentle. "Then don't think of it as losing. Think of it as… a pause. Go. Do what you're meant to do. If it brings you back, good. If it doesn't…"
Her eyes brimmed, but she smiled. "You always make it sound easy."
"It's not," he said softly. "I just refuse to lie about it."
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Goodbye
At the end of the night, while the gang argued over who cheated at charades, Ivar walked Victoria to the door.
They kissed long, slow, like trying to memorize each other.
When they parted, she whispered, "Drumroll?"
He smirked faintly. "Always."
Then she was gone.
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Chapter Closing Beat
Back inside, Robin found Ivar at the window, staring into the city.
"You okay?" she asked.
He didn't look away. "No. But she deserves the world more than I deserve to keep her from it."
Robin studied him, torn between admiration and pity. "You really do make everyone else's drama look small, you know that?"
"Good," Ivar said, finally turning. "Means they'll never see me bleed."
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This is a chat got story you can tell from the amount of words each chapter but I enjoy the twist I add.