Lucky's Real Life Romance Novel

Chapter 32

I finally finished 'Youth of Us' and the response so far was far better than I could've imagined. River gave me a lot of material, and although I was thankful to him for it, I wasn't even bothered by my book anymore. I was more worried about graduation. It was only a week away. After graduating, I would only have a few months with River before he needed to be in California for orientation for UC Berkeley. My orientation for Vanderbilt wasn't until later, so we made a plan for me to go to road trip to California with River before flying back. I was trying to do anything I could to prolong our time together.

Graduation came too suddenly. Before I knew it, I was wearing a green robe and walking the stage to receive my diploma. I wanted to cry. River was right; I was a crybaby. After the formalities of the ceremony were over, we went back to my house where my dad was hosting a graduation party for us. It was a small and intimate get together with the only real friends we had: Aiden, Trevor, and Melanie. Even though everyone was reminiscing and laughing together, my heart ached. This would be the last time the five of us spent time together like this. Trevor got accepted into the University of Texas on a football scholarship, Aiden was going to New York University to study music, and Melanie was going to Vanderbilt with me to also study child development. Melanie would be the only friend I got to keep. Everyone else was leaving. The guys were all hanging out in the backyard, grilling meat while Melanie and I stayed inside with Mia.

"How are you so calm?" I asked Melanie curiously. She chuckled as she looked at me as we sat on the couch.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Trevor is going to be in Texas for the next four years, but you two are still dating. How are you so calm about it?" I clarified. She sighed before leaning back.

"It's inevitable we'll spend some time away from each other, but it's not like I'll never see him again. We agreed to FaceTime each other whenever we can. During holidays and breaks, he'll probably still have training, so I'll go to him to visit. We'll text each other every day. And we love each other, so the trust is there. Meanwhile, you've been freaking out for months already because of River. Do you just not trust him?" Melanie countered. I shook my head.

"It's not that I don't trust him. It's just that... I'll miss him. I don't want to be alone again," I admitted. Melanie only smiled as she slung an arm over my shoulders.

"You'll have me. And you can always call him, and see him during the breaks," she tried to assure me.

"When do you guys leave for California?" She asked.

"Next week. We're going a little earlier to get him situated and have a vacation beforehand," I answered. With the extra money from River's last fight, he decided to take me on vacation. We would spend two weeks in California, just us, before I needed to fly back to Tennessee. I'm pretty sure he only suggested it to calm my nerves.

"I think it's sweet that he's still trying to coax you," Melanie noted. She wasn't wrong. River had been doing nothing but coaxing me since the Vanderbilt applications came back, but he was always patient. When the food was ready, we ate and talked together and just relaxed. Even after Mia went to sleep for the night, they stayed. I think knowing that this would be our last time as a group like this, we were all a little unwilling to end the night, but eventually, it had to end. After Aiden, Melanie, and Trevor left, it was just River and I again. We got ready for bed before going to my room.

"Are you excited to go on vacation?" River asked with a soft smile.

"I'm not really too happy to be counting down the days," I said in passing. He wrapped his arms around me before placing a kiss on my head.

"Lu, it'll be fun. Just you and me in California. We can go sightseeing, go to the beach. I'll show you around my future campus. We'll eat good food," he tried painting a pretty picture.

"But at the end of the trip, I still have to say goodbye," I reminded him. He let go of me and I got in the bed. He laid down next to me before pulling me into his side.

"I'm only leaving for a little while, and when I come back, I'll be able to properly take care of you and Mia. You won't have to worry about anything," he promised.

"I don't need all of that, I just want you," I muttered as I felt my tears wanting to fall again. I groaned and turned away from him to cover my face with my arm. I didn't want River to see me crying again. I'd already cried so much over this in the last few months. I knew that every time I cried, River felt bad, but there was nothing he could do. What's done was done. River chuckled softly and pulled me back to face me as he moved my arm away from my face.

"Come here, my big crybaby," he teased me. I sniffled as he wiped my tears away. Even though I was crying, River still wore a soft smile for me.

"I love you, Lu. I'll never stop loving you. I want to be able to take care of you so we can start our own family. I don't want to worry you by fighting all the time to make money. I want to study hard and become a doctor, buy a cozy little house, marry you, have kids with you, take care of Mia, and start our lives together without having to worry you. I don't want you to want for anything. If I could, I'd give you the world. But for now, that means going to California for a few years. Can you be strong and go a little while without me, hm?" River said softly. I was still crying, but I nodded. River smiled lightly as he wiped my tears away and pulled me into a hug.

"I promise, after college, I'll never leave you again," he said softly.