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The man in front of us clears his throat to speak. This is it. The moment I have been dreaming of. My eyes snap to the older man, waiting for him to speak.
“I hereby—” It stops beating altogether. I can’t believe this miracle is taking place today. It felt impossible a long time ago, but here I am, ready to jump forward and take on everything life will throw at us. “Welcome you to our university. Everything is set up and classes will soon start.”
“Perfect,” Chester says, brimming with joy for me. It makes me fall even harder for my boyfriend with the curly hair and the full scruff. My highs are his and vice versa. We’ll fight for the things we want and celebrate them together.
He closes the distance between us, and his lips skim my cheek. His scruff tickles my face. “I’m dating a uni girl. Wicked.”
“That’s weird, Chester,” I mutter, turning my head to stare at his sparkling eyes. He wiggles his eyebrows enthusiastically, and I reach over to kiss his lips in order to stop his foolish comments.
“Here you go,” the friendly man behind the desk says and offers me everything I need to start my university experience.
“Thank you.” I grab the folder that shows the logo of my university. Pride surges through me. I’m going to work hard for the future I want. The future I deserve.
“Ready, princess?” Chester says, and I nod my head his way. I tug at our hands, and together, we walk out of the old building, straight to the car parked a few streets away. I stare at the folder in my hand.
“Dreams do come true and I’m living mine as long as you’re by my side,” Chester says, reaching for his car keys in his pocket.
“You’re like a completely different man, Chester Boyd. Now you say love is your dream, when a few weeks ago, it scared you shitless.” I shrug my shoulders teasingly before leaning against the shiny car in front of him.
“You made me start to dream.” His eyes snap up to me, and they grow dark, filling with lust. I can’t help but throw him a daring look.
He closes the distance between us, and he drops his hand next to me on the roof of his car. I’m caged in. Chester lowers his lips to my ear. A tingle spreads over me when his scruff scrapes over my neck.
A soft kiss is dropped under my ear, and a shiver moves over my body. My legs grow weak. “I do feel obligated to mention that I intend to love you every day.”
I bring my hands to his neck to hold him tight before my lips search for his. I fill my kiss with everything flowing inside me. I fill it with love, with joy, and with promises of a future that might be unpredictable, but I’ll make the best of it.
I know Chester can taste it because he offers it back.
I love you, Evangeline, he mouths against my lips, and once again, the corners of my lips lift into a smile.
“I love you more.”
“Impossible,” he whispers before he withdraws, and his face falls quickly. Worry runs over me. What now? “Fuck, we’re one of those clingy couples I used to hate. We’re disgusting, Evangeline. We should tone it down a bit before we go to your surprise party. Sebastian and Moreen might vomit because they definitely can’t handle so much love and happiness.”
“Surprise party?”
***
It’s a surprise party all right, even though they didn’t yell ‘surprise’ that loudly when we entered Chester’s home. It was only Topper, Livia, and Ada, Moreen’s sister, who showed their enthusiasm by screaming it at the top of their lungs with poppers in their hands.
Jocelyn and Prescott did have smiles on their faces and congratulated me, while Moreen looked like she’d rather be anywhere else, and her husband, Sebastian, was too busy telling his daughter when to jump out from behind the couch. But still, my heart is filled with so much warmth.
These people, however flawed some of them might be, are part of my new and improved life. They add to the happiness and the joy. I lost my brother and my mother, but I gained new friends and family as well. People I don’t want to lose ever.
My eyes drift to the white wall with the large bookcases. The chatter is loud and the clatter of knives and forks vibrate through the room as they enjoy their cake, but it evaporates for a second when my focus falls on something else. I might not be able to see Frederic’s house across the street, but I still feel a slight bit of hope deep in my heart that my mother could become the person she was once before. I’ll hold on to that because my life took a turn for the better and I believe hers could too.
“Livia looks so much like Sebastian,” Joycelyn says. She sits next to me, and I have never really talked to her before, but the few words we have exchanged were pleasant, and I look forward to getting to know her.
My eyes flicker to Sebastian, who sits on the couch with a bunny in his hands. Livia’s loud laughter echoes through the room as she rolls on her back, holding her shaking stomach. Sebastian’s mouth turns into a smile as well, and I read the love he has for his daughter in his eyes. He might be aloof and gruff towards the rest of the world, but he doesn’t hide the love he has for his daughter.
“They do really look alike,” I add, taking in their dark brown hair.
“Well, that’s impossible,” a cold, hoarse voice says next to me. I turn my head to Moreen, who wipes the crumbs off her yellow sundress like she didn’t just drop a bomb.
“What?” I ask, shocked to the core, and for once, my brain can’t follow or fill in the blanks. Her mixed-coloured eyes stare at me.
“It’s impossible for Livia to look like him because Sebastian is not the father. Well, not her biological father.”
