Love Lockdown

Six Years Later

December 6, 2019,

"Congratulations!" Katara wiped her tears as her family and friends showered her with hugs, kisses, and flowers. After four long years, summers interning everywhere and anywhere that would take her, she was a nurse. While she was excited to be done with school, at least for now, she would miss her home away from home at Northwestern University. Thankfully, her brother had recently moved to Chicago for his new job, which meant that Katara wouldn't be alone in the city. And through him and some drunken nights in Lincoln Park, Katara had made several friends in the city. Having them close made her feel less homesick for her family's estate back in Alaska.

Katara stood in her wildcat purple commencement gown, hair half up in effortless waves, her makeup kept natural, white shift dress, and tan wedges. She brushed her hair out of her face and took one last look at her beloved school one last time. The ivy that covered the sides of the buildings, the purple, white, and pink tulips that brightened up the fronts of older and newer buildings, the dorms where freshmen students were currently moving out, the lake just beyond where they stood. She took one last deep breath and let it out slowly.

Today was a happy day. A day meant for celebration, so she tried hard to fight back her tears as she hugged her nursing friends, many of whom were returning to their home states, and said her final goodbyes to her professors. She posed for picture after picture with her family and friends. Each picture meant a new arrangement.

Some with just her and her gran gran, some with only her mother or her father, some with both, some with only her brother, and many with all of them. Several shots of her with fellow graduates and professors she had grown close to. And finally some with just her close friends. Kai, who was as much a brother as Sokka, Toph, wobbled in her heels, Suki and Aang, who radiated excitement, and her loving boyfriend Jet, who could not stop gushing about how proud he was of her.

By the end of the morning, her cheeks were incredibly sore, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing at the old family's stories being shared with her friends. Her father had invited all of her friends to dinner with them. He had reserved a table large enough for everyone at Kinzie Steakhouse in downtown. Katara walked in with her mother, arms looped together as they followed the hostess to their seats. Her mother was fretting over her dress and hair.

"You should cut it, sweetheart. Once you're working in the hospital, you won't want to deal with all of this." Kya ran her friends through her daughter's wild waves before placing a kiss on the top of her head. Katara sat quietly, allowing her mother to fuss over her hair.

"I'll think about it, mom." Katara leaned back into her mother's hands and sighed happily. She glanced down at the large tan hand on her thigh and placed her own on top of it.

Once her mother ceased playing with her hair, she turned her attention to the handsome man beside her. He tucked some hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "You look stunning today," He whispered to her, causing a deep red blush to stain her cheeks.

Instead of replying, she laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She heard his relaxed sigh and leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

From their side of the table, Sokka and her father both made a face. They had shared their distaste of her boyfriend and made it abundantly clear how they felt whenever he was around. Katara held her tongue because fighting with either one of them was a waste of time. Her mother and grandmother were kind enough to make conversation with him when they visited and even now during her celebration lunch.

"Jet, honey, will you be coming up to Alaska for the holidays this year? We would love to host you." Her mother smiled warmly at the young man, who returned with a charming one of his own. "You know Toph, Aang, Suki, and Kai will all be joining us this year. We have plenty of room too."