IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER, Elizabeth Olsen

Graduation

After spending four days in my bed, crying and eating ice cream, I decided to go check my mail. I hadn't heard anything from Lizzie since the talk in my car. It was hard to accept, but maybe things were better this way. Being with her made me feel the most incredible things, but also, it always made me wonder if I was good enough. It's a question no one should ever ask themselves, especially not in a relationship. There's no such thing as being good enough for someone. We're human beings, we made mistakes, and most of us learn from them. I mean, if you're trying, it's good enough.

I opened the largest envelope in which I found my invitation to the graduation ceremony. "You can bring your family, partner, or friends" I read out loud. Well, at least I have friends. I texted Brie a picture of the invitation to which she immediately replied, saying she'd be glad to come with me. I had two days before me to pull myself together, before the ceremony. I decided to clean my apartment as I had left things get messy lately.

Once it was clean, I motivated myself to go on a run. Don't get me wrong, I hate running, I think it's a pointless activity and it makes my whole boy ache. But, it was what I needed to feel in this moment. The temporary pain would take my mind off things. I took my dog with me and ran all the way to the beach, which wasn't that far away, but still. I played with Loki for a while, running around in the sand, until he started getting tired. Then, we ran back to my place. I took a warm shower, to wash away the sand and sweat sticked to my skin.

I repeated that routine the morning, leaving myself the afternoon to go pick up my graduation gown. The idea of getting back in one of these felt weird, a good weird. It meant I was finally done with my studies and could now do whatever I wanted. I made my way to the store which wasn't very busy, very few people graduate at that time of the year. I had already ordered my gown online and just need to pick it up. I didn't really like going into stores and trying things, it made me incredibly nervous. Once that was done, I made my way home. The day was slowing fading, stars staring to shine in the darkening blue sky.

The only thing I could think about was her. How I would love to have her by my side, her warm hand holding mine. It made my heart ache, knowing that if she was standing by my side, she wouldn't hold my hand. She would stay close, but far enough so that people couldn't tell. Truth is, I couldn't do anything to change it. It was something she had to work on, alone.

The next morning, Brie arrived to my place early so we could get ready together. She had bought a fancy suit especially for this occasion. She was so proud of it because it matched gown perfectly. She helped me do my hair and makeup, which I was absolutely terrible at doing. She kept it natural, bringing my hair up in a slick ponytail and applying just enough makeup to highlight my natural features, without it being too much.

"Thanks for doing that" I thanked her, a soft smile spreading on my lips.

"No need to get emotional. Plus, I forbid you to ruin my masterpiece" she faked a stern tone, pulling me into a hug.

She drove me to the University, I hadn't been there in a while. I could do my research from home and I had chosen to not teach to the first year students, so it felt weird being back there. Everyone was wearing the same gown, making the crowd seem bigger than what it actually was. I nervously played with the fabric as I tried to find my seat.

"Hey" Brie pulled on my sleeve, making me turn around to face her. "I'm gonna seat with all the parents" she pointed towards the back of the room. "Also, Lizzie here" she quickly added before rushed to the other side of the room.

"Bire! Brianne!" I whisper-yelled in an hopeless attempt to catch her attention. I looked around the room, my gaze settling on a familiar figure and its deep emerald eyes. What was she doing here? I sat down, waiting for the man on stage to call my name.

"Y/n Y/l/n" the man announced. I got up, carefully making my way to the stage, careful to not trip on the stairs. The man handed me the perfectly rolled paper, shaking my hand as he did so. I noticed Lizzie and Brie standing up in the crowd of parents, cheering loudly as I got off the stage, making me blush slightly.

"Is that Elizabeth Olsen?" I heard the girl behind me whisper.

"Yeah, and the one next to her is Brie Larson, I think" the other answered, matching her low tone. I patiently waited until the ceremony was over, and made my way out of the crowd.

"Y/n" Lizzie spoke, softy gripping on my wrist. "Hi" a soft blush tinted her pale cheeks.

"Hi... why are you- what are you doing here?" I stuttered, genuinely surprised that she showed up since, when we talk about it a little while ago, she said it was too risky and there'd be too many people.

"I- I have something for you" the pink hint turned into brighter red as she gave me a small squared pacage, carefully wrapped in silver wrapping paper. It was the size of a jewellery box, I thought as I held the small pacage, gently taking off the paper. She placed her hands on the side of the box that I was still holding, opening it to reveal a set of pandora rings, the moon and the sun, that I had been obsessed with for quite a while.

"It's a promise ring" she explained softly, carefully taking the silvery moon. "The thing is, I'm sick of hiding. I love you, Y/n, and I want you to know it, I- I want the whole world to know it" her smile grew wider as the words left her mouth. "So, if you want to, I thought we could each wear one, just to show that we're each other's person. Do you want to?" her gaze flickered between my eyes and my lips, waiting for my answer.

"Of course I want to" I chuckled, a happy tear rolling down my cheek as she gently placed the ring on my finger, and leaned in to kiss me. People obviously started looking at us, but she didn't back off, she pressed her soft lips against mines, holding onto me tightly. I could feel her smile against my lips, making my whole body warm up. When we pulled away, people were staring, but she just took my hand and acted like she didn't care.

"Who wants to get some drinks? I think we have something to celebrate" Brie appeared next to me with a large smile on her face.

A/N: Once again I'm on the train for a few hours, so here is a rather small chapter. If you have any ideas or suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them (I mean read them but you got it). I hope you're all doing great, take care 💕