Love At First Text ✔️

Her

Eden had forgotten all about the flowers she was arranging when she got the email. It was like the word stopped, and all that she knew was the tick of each second and the weight of her phone in her hand.

She'd screamed for Lorna and Chloe, unsure if she could even look at her results herself. She already thought she was going to vomit or cry, and she would likely do either no matter the outcome. Hence, someone else was going to have to tell her so she didn't have to read them herself. The grades of her final exams and assignments would distinguish what qualification she would receive.

"What do I do Eden?" Lorna asked, holding the phone with a slight tremble.

"Click the links. Tell me the number." She instructed.

Chloe was leaning over Lorna's shoulder, pointing at that which was important. "You need all three?" She clarified.

"Yes." Was all Eden could say. "But don't tell me! Not until you know them all."

Chloe and Lorna both nodded, and then tapped on her phone screen. She felt her heart catapult into her mouth as she tried to gage their expressions. They both read in a hurry, both wide eyed, and then pressed again, the action repeating itself a third time after that. As Lorna read the last results card, a grand smile grew slowly across her lips. "They're all firsts." She breathed out.

Eden nose burned as tears pressed at the back of her eyes. "Firsts?"

"You passed everything with firsts." Chloe reiterated, and she screamed a cheer, throwing herself at Eden. Her arms came around her neck and she was jumping, almost knocking back the chair she sat on. She felt numb – couldn't hardly believe what she was hearing.

"They're all firsts?" She couldn't help but ask again.

Chloe dragged her to standing, grabbed her shoulders and shook her from her stupor. "All firsts. Which means you've passed everything. Which means you have a degree." It did. That is exactly what it meant. She had nothing left to cover, no modules left to learn, no exams to re-sit. She had passed everything, and she would soon graduate with a Degree in animal science and Honours in biology. And, with these results considered, she would very likely be graduating with an overall First.

"I have a degree." Eden mumbled, and then laughed through a sob. Lorna yelped gleefully and pulled both the girls into a hug.

She had done it. She was halfway to getting the veterinary surgery she had always dreamed of. Halfway to Noah's Ark.

Eden was crying into Chloe's shoulder, overwhelmed by all of it, but they were the happiest tears. Filling her with that insurmountable joy, that which she had only experienced once before. When Sebastian had told her he loved her. All she had wanted in her entire life, and she had been offered them both within the span of a week.

The bell to the shop chimed, and reluctantly, Lorna peeled herself away to deal with the customer. All the while, Eden and Chloe were still hopping around like maniacs, both grinning from ear to ear and laughing as they did so. They didn't stop, even when Lorna reappeared, Sebastian beside her.

"Woah, why are there tears?" He hurried out, placing down what he help on the table to rush to Eden's side. She shook her head, taking a step from Chloe to leap into his arms. He caught her without problem, and was only slightly surprised when she covered his face with quick, albeit wet, kisses.

"I passed my course." She told him, still half sobbing. He smiled back as though it was a success of his own.

"Of course you did! You know how many nights I sat on facetime and watched you pour over notes? You were bound to pass it easily." He kissed her properly then, holding her close to him, and behind her, Chloe made a cooing noise.