Always There - Part 2 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 208: Two Things On My Mind

I couldn't believe it was already graduation day.

It felt like time here had completely flown by, but every day was nothing short of incredible. The first few days were overwhelming, the both of us trying our best to fit into life here, having known nothing but life in a small town, but it was much easier of a transition than I could have ever imagined. It made me wonder if I ever really liked our hometown at all, or if rather, that was just all I had ever known.

Life here just made sense, something new every day, anything you could ever want within reach at all times, and if not, it was just a few steps down the road. I now dreaded the idea of having to go back home, knowing how little I was returning to.

But despite all of that, there were really only two things on my mind today.

Every year, one student from the graduating class was selected through the school's production program to have their submitted screenplay made into a feature film, and last night, one of my professors told me that mine was in the running. I had told Josh, but I asked that he didn't say anything to anyone when they came to see us. I was nervous enough, and if I didn't win, I would be that much more disappointed for everyone to see it happen.

And then the other was Jake.

I hadn't seen him since the day we left, only having talked to him that night when I told him that it wouldn't be best for him to come visit. This was the time apart that we needed, and if we kept pushing it, neither of us could truly heal. And as much as it killed me, it was for the better.

Or so I had hoped.

There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think of him, wondering how he was doing, what he was doing, who he was doing it with. There were so many times I had almost broken my own rule, curiosity getting the better of me during those lonely nights where Josh would still be working late in the studio, and I'd have the apartment to myself.

But it just felt wrong.

Josh and I were engaged now, and despite the fact that our rigorous schedule left us little to no time to even consider wedding planning, I still loved "playing house" with him, having finally created a space to call our own. I knew I had made the right decision.

Josh was the right decision.
But that didn't change just how much I missed Jake.

I spun around in the mirror, admiring the vibrant purple graduation robes. I couldn't believe I was really graduating. For a while, college just seemed like a pipe dream, but now here I was, trying to figure out how to pin this cap into place. I never knew anyone who had graduated college before, so I was pretty much left to figure this all out on my own.

Well, not entirely on my own.

"Here.." Josh said, giggling to himself as he came up behind me, taking the cap from my hands and carefully placing it on my head. I watched him through the reflection, grabbing two clips from my dresser and effortlessly pinning it into place.
"Purple looks great on you." He said softly, smirking back at me.
"You too." I said, turning to face him, leaning into a gentle kiss. He reached up, caressing my face, kissing me back.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked. My stomach dropped, wondering if it was really that obvious.
"Y-yeah? Why?" He shrugged, forcing a smile.
"You know, just.. considering." I pulled him into another long kiss until I felt him smile.
"I'm okay." I assured him. "I promise." He nodded, holding his stare on me, I'm sure not buying it, but he pretended to. And I appreciated it.

"Well.." He finally said, breaking the tension. "Mom said they're gonna be here any minute so.. we should go meet them outside before it gets too crazy." I nodded, turning back to the mirror, fixing my hair as much as I could.

I hated how badly I wanted to make sure I looked my best, considering how much time had gone by, and how many changes were made.

What if he didn't even recognize me?

"You ready?" He asked, holding his hand out for me. I nodded, taking it and tightly intertwining our fingers, gently swinging our arms as we made our way down the steps and out onto the busy streets of the city. I had grown so accustomed to the constant noises of the area, I wondered what it would be like drowning in the eerie silence of home once again.

"So, I told them to just meet us on the other side to avoid everyone else out here." Josh said, craning his neck above the crowd in order to get a better look. I searched around, looking for any sign of that familiar mop of hair.

And then in an instant, I felt like the ground had vanished from underneath me, making my knees go weak, my body going ice cold despite the blistering sun coating us in Summer's welcoming warmth.

There he was. And for a moment it was like he was staring right through me, until finally his once pursed lips relaxed into a subtle grin, giving me a gentle wave from behind the rest of his family. My heart jumped, waving back as I gripped Josh tight, following him closely behind as he guided us over to them.

What was I gonna say? What could I say? What does anyone say in a situation like this? I felt like I was going to be sick. He was once the person that made me feel so calm, like the rest of the world stood still when we were together, so how did he manage to become the only one who could make me want to throw myself off of it?

I hated how quickly everything came rushing back to me the second I saw him, like all of these months apart meant absolutely nothing. If anything, I felt worse, knowing just how much of his life I had missed, hating that I knew nothing about him now, wanting to hold him tight and never let go, just as badly as I wanted to run away and hide.

My mom made her way over to me first, pulling me into a tight hug. I clung to her, thankful that she was able to be here. There were a few nights where I could tell, just by the sound of her voice that she wasn't doing well, but I knew there was no way she would ever tell me just how bad it really was. I knew that they all knew, and I played along for them, but.. deep down I hoped that if it ever got too bad, that someone would tell me. Because I don't know what I would do if something happened to her and I wasn't there to say goodbye.

They owed me that much.

"Oh, honey you look so beautiful. Look at this!" She said, taking my hand and spinning me around, admiring my purple robes as they shone in the sun. I couldn't help but smile, loving the feeling of being celebrated, especially by her. This was all for her, because without her, none of this would have been possible.

"Thank you." I muttered, smirking back at her. She held her stare on me for a moment and I did the same, taking it all in, both of us knowing how lucky we were to get to have this moment together, not knowing just how much longer we had with each other, and because of that, every single day was a blessing.

And she never let me forget it.

She took my hand and pulled me back in, squeezing me as tight as she could manage.
"Go talk to him." She whispered, now motioning over to Jake. "He's been a nervous wreck the entire trip." My heart jumped. Him? A nervous wreck? I stared back up at her confused, to which she returned my reluctance with a reassuring nod, motioning over to him again. As I peeked over her shoulder, I was met with him already staring back, giving me another shy wave.

"Go ahead." She said. I nodded, hesitating for a moment before making my way over.