“YOU READY?” SHE squealed with way too much joy, and I smiled trying to come up with as much enthusiasm as I could.
Somewhere in the distance, in the auditorium, my family were probably sitting and watching my every move. This wasn’t just my achievement; it was ours as a group. Without my parents there would have been no way I would have made it to cap and gown day. Without my sister’s calls checking in on her broken-hearted sister, I might not have pulled myself out of bed on the bad days. Without my Ita’s care packages of homemade pan dulces, hot chocolate packets with peppermint sticks taped on them, and old romance novels, I would have felt alone.
They’d worried.
Living across the country was hard enough of a concept for them to handle, especially when we were a tightly-knit family. Then they had seen me with Brandon that last summer. As much as my parents had tried, they’d loved him too. My Ita had adored him. They had front row seats to those two years as we had foolishly tried to make it work with millions of miles between us. When life had happened and thrown one obstacle after another and we had held on. Or at least I had tried. He’d given up on us. The letters had dwindled, and calls had all but stopped. Good morning texts had become a thing of the past by the time he’d called that last time.
The problem was, I had fallen in love with Brandon so deeply, there was no way I knew how to exist and not love him. I hadn’t completely lied. I’d tried to move on.
Two years, and I’d been on three dates. Two had been set up by friends, and one had been with a teacher’s aide who had asked me out. None had gone further than a first date and a handshake at the end of the night.
My heart didn’t know how not to love Brandon Chu.
But this moment was more than the past.
My row stood, and excitement trickled into my veins. The future was bright, and I was ready for it. To get out into the world, even if I hadn’t exactly decided which direction to take. But I would. Name after name was called, and soon mine was announced as I walked across the stage. Through the cheers and claps I knew my family was out there. I knew, in a way, he was there too. Not literally, but I knew Brandon. Even if he had moved on and was probably married with two kids and a white picket fence, he’d think of me today. Or at least once through graduation season. Walking down the steps with my diploma in my hand, I looked into the crowds, and my eyes teared up as a memory popped into my head as I walked back to my seat.
_______________
“Whatever,” I’d scoffed, my face hurting from smiling so much.
“I’ll be there.”
“You think so?” I asked wistfully as I looked out at the horizon.
“Hell or high water, I will be there. I promise.”
“We’ll see.” I’d laughed, leaning my head against his bare chest, his skin warm from the sun beating down on us, the waves crashing mere feet away from us as we sat on the sand. “Four years is a long time.”
“It will go by in the blink of an eye. I’ll serve my time, and you will get your diploma, and then we will start our life.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Why not? Loving you is easier than breathing, niña linda. We can get through this time. I know it.”
“In your bones?” I asked. He’d been saying that all summer, and as crazy as it sounded, I loved the confidence in his voice when he said it.
“In my bones,” he repeated, kissing the top of my head. “I’ll be there. I’ll watch you cross the stage, and I know what I’ll be thinking when I watch you.”
“You do?”
“Yup. I’m gonna think the same thing I thought when I first laid eyes on you a month ago,” he said, and I remembered looking up at him, his dark straight hair gleaming under the sunshine.
“And what’s that?”
“That’s the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“You so didn’t think that.” I laughed. God, he was charming.
“I did. Well, kinda.” He shrugged. “Truth is, I saw you.” His hand stroked my cheek. “Brown hair with bright blue streaks and these denim shorts, and I thought… Mine, she’s mine.” His arms tightened around me, and I laughed.
“Yours, huh?”
“Always.”
“And always,” I had whispered back.
_______________
“Nina? Hey, you okay?” Macie asked, snapping me out of the memory that hit like it had just happened. I nodded, wiping the tears away.
“Always.” I winked, knowing she had no idea how much that word meant to me.
Brandon
She was fucking beautiful.
I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off her. Thankfully, the room had been packed and Sam and I had been able to stand off to the sides unnoticed.
“Thought that was you,” a deep voice spoke, and I turned to it. “How are you, kid?”
“Mr. Montenegro.” Nina’s dad.
“Freddie, remember?” He smiled and put his arms up like he wanted to hug me, and that took me by surprise. “Come here, son,” he ordered, giving me a man hug, patting me on the back. “Nice to see you.”
“You too, sir.”
“She know you’re here?” he asked, dropping his arms and standing next to me.
“No, sir.”
“Quit with this sir shit. Makes me feel old.”
“I don’t think you could ever be old.” I fought from saying sir again. Four years in the Army ingrained shit like that.
“You gonna talk to her?”
“I don’t think she would want that,” I admitted, glancing down at my shoes and then back at him.
“Now, we both know that’s bull,” he surprised me by saying, and just like that, the stubborn sob inside of me had a flicker of hope.
“She did great. Honors?” I changed the subject despite the fact I was tempted as fuck to ask what he meant.
“Yeah.” He studied me for a while. “As a dad, you never want your little girl to meet a guy. I tried not to like you, kid. I made that clear, and I’ve always been a straight shooter with you, and you being here today—”
“When did you see me?” I cut him off wondering how the hell I hadn’t noticed.
“When you parked right next to my rental.” He laughed, and I wanted to laugh too. I wasn’t as stealthy as I’d thought.
“Does she know I’m—”
“No. Neither do the other women I’m stuck traveling with. Look, if you’re here for her, talk to her. She misses you.”
“Mr. Monte—“ The look he gave me made me stop and change my words. “Freddie, I’m sure she’s moved on.
“Why? You haven’t.”
“I could be here for someone else.”
“You could. And I could be Andy Garcia’s long-lost brother, but we both know that’s not the case.” He shrugged. “I know my daughter, and Brandon, you gotta know, she still loves you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked out loud like an idiot. “I mean, I was the one who ended it and—”
“And broke her heart?” I flinched at the words. Knowing I’d hurt her hit hard. “You did, kid. I seriously wanted to kill you. But about a week later, I knew why you had done it. I didn’t like my little girl hurting, but I got it. The fact you’re here and have been looking at her like she’s the star and moon and the sun means you still have feelings for her.”
“I do, sir. I never stopped loving her. The distance and… It was a lot.”
“I bet.”
“I did what I thought was best. I’m sorry I hurt her.”
“I’m not the one you have to apologize to.”
“Right.”
“I’m taking them out to dinner. Sushi.” He scratched the side of his head as he looked toward the women in his family, “She should be back home by nine.”
“Nine?”
“In case, yah know, an old friend wanted to stop by and say hi.” He shrugged as he looked out toward the crowd, and his eyes softened. “Unless you wanna approach now.”
“Now?” My tongue felt too thick for my mouth.
“You have about a minute to decide.” He patted my shoulder and walked off, leaving me stumped. I scanned the area, and sure enough, she was by the exit, her cap in hand, long flowing hair over her shoulders, still in her robe. I watched as she slipped out, and even though I knew it would mean delaying their family dinner, my feet had a mind of their own.
One step after another, my heart thundering in my chest, they took me to my girl.
