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“I love you guys,” I blurted out, breaking into their conversation.
Hannah gave me an awed look, immediately throwing her arms around my neck to hug me tightly. “I love you too!” she said.
Nick gave me a questioning look. “What’s been up with you? That stomach bug of yours made you sappy?”
I smirked at Nick, knowing that was his way of saying he loved me too. I would take it.
“It’s not a stomach bug,” I said as I shook my head. “You would all be sick too.”
“I’m glad I’m not. I have a party to go to,” Hannah said as she gave her hair a gentle fluff.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t have the time or energy to do any extensive web research or go to the doctor. If I had to suffer through my final weeks, then I would as long as I made it to graduation.
The three of us talked over sandwiches and fries, constantly checking our phones for the email that revealed our fates. As the minutes continued to pass by, the waiting became more and more torturous. Finally, after we ran out of fries to nervously munch on, our phones dinged with new email notifications.
“Who should read it? All of ours will say the same thing,” Hannah asked as she looked between us.
“Madison,” Nick said as he nodded to me. “Read it.”
I took in a deep breath as I grabbed my phone, my finger hovering over the email notification. I was almost too nervous to look at it, but I had to know. I opened the notification, letting my eyes scan over every single word that my professor typed. Finally, the answer was clear to me, and it struck me like a punch.
“We passed. We did it,” I breathed out as I looked up at my friends with a look of shock on my face.
“Yes!” Hannah cheered, throwing her hands up excitedly.
Nick slumped back against the booth seat, sighing in pure relief. He placed his hands behind his head, smiling at us. “Now, we have to actually start the business,” he said.
“One step at a time,” I laughed softly. I couldn’t even begin to think about that right now. I hadn’t even graduated yet, but at least I was one step closer to it. Now, I could actually celebrate tonight with Tyler. It would be good for me to relax and unwind after such a long week.
“UniVerse is going to be a hit!” Hannah said as she threw her arm around my shoulders.
I happily leaned into her side, smiling to myself as the path ahead started to look a little clearer. The obstacles between me and graduation were steadily falling away, and my momentum wasn’t going to stop once I crossed the stage. I was going to take off when it came time to kick off UniVerse, and I wasn’t going to slow down until it was thriving. I hoped that we reached that point, that we tracked down success like Tyler had. Even if he was a great connection to have, I was going to get UniVerse started with as little help from him as possible. I wanted to create my own success. I didn’t want it to be handed to me.
However, just having him in my corner meant the world to me, and it wasn’t just because he was a successful businessman. He was a caring person and a great listener. He was everything that I needed as I prepared for this new journey, and there was no one else that I wanted by my side.
Chapter 22
Tyler
“To the future.”
The sound of glasses clinking echoed throughout my office as Madison and I had a glass of champagne in celebration of her successful presentation. I could only imagine how impressed the professors were.
“I’m honestly still in shock about everything. I have to pick up my cap and gown soon,” Madison said as she shook her head in disbelief. She then took a sip of her champagne, humming at the bold taste. “You spared no expense.”
“Anything for you,” I told her with a proud smile on my face. If she would let me, I would throw a damn parade for her because I was so proud of her accomplishments lately. She deserved to be celebrated, but I knew that she didn’t care for all that flash. She liked these intimate settings better. I admired that about her. She cared about what was genuine. The superficial didn’t matter to her.
At times, I acted like a big-shot billionaire. I bought expensive things for the hell of it, but I didn’t lose sight of who I was. The money didn’t change me. What changed me was being betrayed by someone who I thought was my best friend. That led to the walls that I put up and the cold attitude that followed.
