Lydia
“Stay still,” I tell Bash, laughing as he keeps bending down to kiss me. “I keep having to redo the tie because you’re moving so much.”
He places his hands around my waist and pulls me in. “I can’t keep my hands off of you; I’m sorry.”
I can’t help the blush that betrays the sternness I’m trying to give him right now. “Okay, okay. Just let me finish, and I’m all yours.”
“That you are,” he says softly, kissing the top of my head as I finally finish.
I step back and look at my work, look at my boyfriend, look at the man who has healed parts of me I never thought would be repaired. I’m just so thankful for him, for the blessing he has been in my life.
Bash gives me a look that tells me he knows I’m admiring him, and gives me a little smirk before getting closer and picking me up off the ground. I squeal, and he drops us both onto the bed, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me.
“I can’t wait to make you Mrs. Ramos one day,” he tells me.
I pretend to be shocked. “You want to marry little old me?”
He just nods, smiling at me. “I want everything with you.”
I lean down and kiss him, then prop myself up on my arms to look at him. “I’m so proud of you.”
“For what?” he asks.
I look around the empty dorm, then back at him. “For what? For everything, for all that you’ve accomplished, for finding what your purpose is, for being the man you are, for…for loving me, for all that you’re going to do in life.”
He takes my face in between both of his hands and gives me the purest look of love. “Thank you for helping me with all of those things.”
I shake my head. “I had no part in that.”
“Trust me,” he says, “you did.”
He studies me for a beat, eyes all glassy and soft. “I love you, Lydia.”
The words hit different in moments like this—the quiet ones.
I just smile, and he brings me back down to kiss him. It’s a kiss that makes me realize in this moment that home will always be wherever he is now.
“I love you too,” I tell him. “Now go be a college graduate before you ruin that tie I just fixed.”
He laughs, pressing his forehead to mine. “Yes, ma’am.”
* * *
Hundreds of names echo across the field, but it’s his that slices through the noise.
“Sebastian Anthony Ramos.”
The crowd erupts. Simone screams beside me, waving a banner she made that reads “Your Future Therapist.” And on my other side, Bash’s mom grabs my hand and squeezes it as she shouts for her son.
Bash crosses the stage with that small, proud grin, the same one he wears when he’s pretending he’s not getting emotional.
He spots us and lifts his cap in our direction.
I try to hold the tears back that prick my eyes, but I can’t.
I’m too proud in this moment, too amazed by the gift Bash has been, too in awe that I get to be by his side wherever life takes us.
His mom sees right through my emotions and pulls me in for a hug, whispering, “Thank you for loving my son.” It makes me feel like I’ve gained another mom in a way…which just makes me more emotional.
Dinner that night feels like something out of one of those movies where everyone finally gets their happy ending. The restaurant’s buzzing with laughter, the table’s too small for all of us, and the waiter looks mildly terrified by all the noise.
Erik’s sitting across from Lani, not being able to take his eyes off her, no matter who tries to talk to him.
He graduated today too, and even though he plays it off like he doesn’t care, I know it means a lot that we’re all here for him.
Nobody else showed up for him. His chairs are empty of family, but full of people who showed up anyway, and will always show up.
When the food comes, and the toasts are all made, Lani lifts her drink one more time. “If no one else has told you today, Erik…I’m proud of you.”
Everyone at the table freezes. Mason stops mid-bite, and Simone’s mouth falls open in shock.
Lani rolls her eyes and sets her drink back down. “What? I just…feel bad. And…I am proud. But don’t get used to any more compliments. That’s all I’ve got.”
Erik smirks at her like that made his whole day. “Then I’ll savor it.”
Even if she doesn’t see the way he looks at her…
I do. I see the love in his eyes and how much he cares about her.
I know he hurt her in the past, and even though I don’t have all the details yet, I have a feeling that he never wanted to.
Knowing who he is and his character, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
She shakes her head and tries to go back to a normal conversation so the attention isn’t on whatever that was anymore.
I can tell how down Erik was today. It’s been a big day for both the boys, and I know seeing everyone else’s family around has been hard for him.
Bash has only told me bits and pieces about Erik’s family and childhood, but I know them severing ties with him before he left for college was really hard on him.
He’s always been an amazing friend to Bash and is a huge reason why he is where he is today.
I want to see him happy and thriving, too.
We’re all kind of a big family now. Mason and Erik feel like they’re becoming brothers to me, and Lani and Simone will forever feel like my sisters.
After growing up and feeling like I had lost everything…
and I mean everything, I could have never in a million years expected to be where I am today, surrounded by this many people who love and care about me…
and each other. If Simone, Sarah, and Mark have taught me anything over the years, it’s that blood will never be the most important part of what makes people a family.
After all the plates are empty, and the conversations are still flowing, I notice how far apart Mason and Simone are sitting, how they haven’t said much to each other today, how they just aren’t their normal selves.
I lean over to her when everyone else is distracted. “What’s going on with you and Mason?” I ask.
Simone sips her drink, eyes finding him across the room where he’s laughing with the waiter. “Nothing. We’re just friends. Why would anything be going on?”
I raise a brow. “Uh-huh. You forget who you’re talking to?”
She sighs, and there’s a sad smile that tugs at her lips. “Really, nothing is happening. We’re not good for each other in that way…so it is what it is.”
I laugh quietly. “I think that’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told me.”
“How is it a lie?” she asks.
“Because Mason is good for you. He might be the best thing that’s ever walked into your life from my point of view.” I pause, then grin. “Besides me, obviously.”
She snorts. “Obviously.”
“I’m serious, though,” I tell her. “You do deserve happiness, Simone. And Mason…he’d probably scream how much he loved you from the rooftops if you let him. He already protects you like his life depended on it.”
She rolls her eyes, half smiling. “Yeah, well, that’s a nice fantasy and all, but sadly it’s just not the reality.”
I nudge her knee under the table. “Just…be patient with him maybe? Give him a chance to fix whatever is happening right now with y’all. I know he’s got a big heart. But I also see the pain inside him. I know all too well what that looks like, especially when someone is trying to hide it.”
Simone’s expression softens. “I know,” she whispers.
The conversation fades as laughter pulls us back in, and other conversations with the people we love come easily for the rest of the night.
Outside, Bash slips his hand into mine and pulls me a little closer, his tie loose now, gown long gone.
“You okay?” he asks, voice almost a whisper.
“Better than okay.” I smile up at him. “You?”
He brushes a strand of hair from my face. “I’m always good when you’re around.”
“Ready for the next chapter of your life?”
He nods. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to the future for once.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
“I’ve got a lot planned,” he says, winking.
And for once…I’m not scared of the future.
I can actually see one for the first time.
I couldn’t say that a year ago. I’ve never felt happier, and it’s not that I’m perfect, or that Bash is perfect, or that life never gets hard.
It’s that for the first time ever, I’m looking for the good instead of the bad; I want to keep growing because I’ve seen how far I’ve come, and I’m enjoying the journey.
I want to be here.
I never used to think I had anything left in life to be happy for, to be grateful for, to live for. But having Bash, being in love with someone who makes me genuinely love myself back, has opened my eyes to all of the things that have been right in front of my face this entire time.
I have so much to live for now, and I’m so grateful that I got the second chance and the second love, both of which have made me realize how beautiful life is, even after darkness tried to swallow me whole.
The devil truly has no claim on me anymore.