Please Remember Me Like This

Something You Can Hold Onto

Please Remember Me Like This

Chapter 18: "Something You Can Hold Onto"

Here they were: Graduation Day.

After hours of boring rehearsal, using the field and its makeshift stage to walk across countless times, they finally made it. Every senior had their legs twitching, anxious to finally walk across the stage and finalize the end of their high school experience, ready to get out there in the real world. And Aeric's only bright spot in the endless hours of sitting in the sun, on folding chairs way too uncomfortable, was sitting onstage and immediately finding Ian in the crowd (yes, even behind his taller classmates). They sent each other silent looks during the boring moments, the occasional sign of love when they could. Aeric wished he could text, but onstage, that'd just look way too unprofessional, especially when he had the opening speech.

The opening speech... and yeah, Aeric could run in front of all these people, throw a ball with the adrenaline rush of knowing they were all seeing his hard work paying off, but a speech, where he had to stand still, and really look out at everyone while desperately hoping he didn't stumble over his words? Absolutely nerve wracking.

Of course, leave it to Ian to tell him it was great when they rehearsed in his room. As in, just the two of them. With the person he trusted and loved most. It just wasn't fair.

"Ugh—what if I start stumbling through the speech at some point?" he lamented, pulling up his glasses to run his hands over his face. Maybe he should take them off; the crowd would then be blurry and he might be able to get through his speech without worrying about everyone's expression.

But everyone would be able to see through that trick a mile away. And worse yet, what if he couldn't read the words in front of his face? Ian liked to steal his glasses and joke about how bad his sight already was.

Aeric held the speech at about the distance it'd be from the podium, sighing. Yeah, there was no way he could do this without perfect sight. "Shantar's Talon, I'm blind."

"You'll do fine," Ian assured, leaning in to kiss Aeric lightly. "You're one of the smartest in the class—hence why you're making the opening speech. Everyone loves you because you're also insanely nice. Not to mention... you're hot." He added that with a casual shrug.

Laughing, that did ease Aeric up, just a bit. "Oh, I hope I'm not too much with my hands." While he was holding the speech where the podium would be, that was one thing for rehearsal, but for the actual event?

"You could sign," Ian suggested, shrugging once more.

"Oh no, there's no way." Aeric rubbed his hands over his face again, realizing the thought of it had him shaking. "Having a casual conversation with a friend is not the same as translating an entire speech. Besides, the interpreter will be there the whole time."

"Wait—the grammar structure is different?" Now it was Ian's turn to be embarrassed. "Oh, man, now I really regret every sign I've tried to give Millie with how we talk!"

"Yeah, it's hard, babe. But I'm not signing. I'm probably just gonna grip the podium for my nerves. Gods, I hope I don't tap my fingers too much and the mic picks upon it..."

"Hey, Aer, look at me." Ian gently cupped his jaw so they could look each other in the eye. Yeah, most elves had brown eyes, but something about how deep Ian's were, so warm and inviting that made him so trustworthy, that had Aeric relaxing immediately. "You were chosen for this because we all see something special in you. The mic will likely only pick up on that gorgeous voice of yours. You know exactly where I'm sitting for the whole ceremony, and it's just like the ORC—it's only a few hours of our lives. Only this time, we're not being graded on it."