Lana
One Year Later
Months had turned to weeks before finally, the day of graduation had come.
I wasn’t even excited to get my diploma. No, my heart constantly pounded in my chest for an entirely different reason.
Carter had left me a message. He’d be watching amongst the hundreds of others. He was already here.
As much as I would have loved to find him now after going so long without seeing him, I knew I didn’t have the time. Unless I wanted to risk missing out on my graduation, I’d have to sit through the everlasting announcements of each name before I would finally be able to leave for good and throw myself into his arms.
Just like me, all of my other roommates were excited for today. After learning that we were in somewhat similar situations, I couldn’t blame them for wanting to be done and over with it as well.
We all rode together to the university, but I planned on leaving separately.
Knowing I would be able to see Carter after was all I needed to get through such a boring graduation.
The moment everyone’s caps went up in the air, I was on the move. With the other students feeling my pain, a large number of us made a run for it.
The weather was hot and not even the thin gown was enough to stop me from sweating. Finding a tree with shading, I enjoyed the cool air as I watched others leave the front entrance. Watching random faces exit, my eyes didn’t move. I waited for the perfect moment of Carter walking through those double doors.
I hadn’t seen him since my last short vacation. One week with him hadn’t been enough time at all. Not even the daily phone calls were enough to satisfy me. While I loved his rich voice, I far more preferred to be able to reach out and touch him. Now, I no longer had a time restraint. I had all of eternity to spend with him.
I stood there for minutes unmoved, but remained deterred. With stone feet, I didn’t move an inch. My phone hadn’t even buzzed yet. For all I knew, he could have been one of the last ones to leave. Growing a little less reassured, that all disappeared the moment I saw him.
Carter didn’t look the same. Rather than a suit, he wore a loose shirt and some cargo shorts. With the beard growing on his face, I’m surprised I even recognized him. The one thing that hadn’t changed was that intense gaze of his. The moment our eyes met, I knew it was him.
I abandoned the tree without a second thought and ran into the heat once more. I sprinted and threw myself into his arms. I didn’t care about what attention I brought to us, I was too focused on his arms wrapping around my body, and the way he held me close.
Like this time, he really wouldn’t let me go.
I kissed him and tasted his lips for the first time in months. When I pulled away, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
“You are really here,” I breathed out.
“There was no way I would have missed it.” His smile warmed me all the way down to my toes. When he released me, I had to force myself not to cling to him.
“You look different.” As if it weren’t obvious, he laughed at my words.
“Do I look bad?” After the question left his lips, he reached out to caress my cheek.
“You look great, I love it.” My jaw hurt from smiling so much. Reaching to grab his hand, I gave his thick fingers a tight squeeze. “I am so ready to get out of here.”
Carter let me tug him and whatever direction I pleased. However, he had to take over when it came to finding his car in the loaded parking lot.
We had to stop at the house first to grab my belongings. Having no need to stick around, I planned on moving in with Carter the moment I left the university. With that still being the plan, we drove away and stopped long enough to collect everything we needed.
Once we got on the road and headed in the direction of Carter’s home, I knew confidently that I had no reason to ever look back.