A Thousand Times Enough

* Chapter 51 *

LI. • °

Josie Pov

I stood in the mirror looking at myself with my cap and gown, wow. I always wondered how I would react to seeing myself in it for the first time. It was a different feeling than anything I had ever imagined.

It was no longer a pipe dream, it was now my reality. A reality that I get to share with some of the most important people of my life, to walk into success with them by my side was going to be the best feeling ever.

Though my Dad wasn't going to be able to make it, I still felt his love and support through the short phone call we had hours earlier. Also with his happy birthday wishes. Yes, it was my birthday that only Nadia and Silas knew about. I don't want my birthday to be this big event, I just want today to be about graduation. For it to be about all of us and not just me, it was our moment.

Though I wanted my Dad to participate in today, the best choice was for him to stay put and to not raise any suspicions that he and I were still in contact.

He told me how proud of me he was, and how he really wished that he would make it. I knew that, and I knew that after this we had things to work out. The hurt that I had wasn't going to smooth over that quickly, it was going to take time, and he told me he understood and would stop at nothing to fix things.

Silas supports me through it but of course, is still skeptical, but he wants so badly for me to be happy and to feel that empty space that only my father can complete.

Today Nadia and I got ready together, I wanted to experience this moment with her, and through it, she cried like a baby. This time I couldn't tell her everything would be okay because I knew those tears were of joy and bittersweet.

Her Dad had called her this morning and said that he couldn't wait to see her walk across the stage.  Doria was going to be attending as well, and Nadia's emotions were high. She hadn't told her mom that she knew, or told her Dad about the instant betrayal of infidelity.

She didn't know how when she was going to be seeing her Dad for the first time in a long time, instead of on FaceTime. She wanted to know the feeling of what it felt like to have her family back together even if it was for the last time.

She asked me if it was selfish, and I couldn't answer. I wanted her to be happy, I wanted her to graduate with both of her parents present, and maybe that made both of us selfish.

Silas was getting ready with the guys and we both thought it was the best decision and that we would see each other there. I was excited to see him even if all night we were together, but I couldn't wait to see him with his cap and gown to see him complete such an important moment in his life.

It was time.

════ Silas Pov ════

I grabbed the last piece for completion. I turned it around to face the correct way and slid it back on my head. I fixed my gown tugging at the hood of it making it fit properly, I stared at the mirror in disbelief. This was really happening, never in a million years did I think it would come this fast.

As a kid, I used to think it was cool. The gowns and stuff so when Eva was so close to graduation I couldn't wait to see her in her gown, to see her walk across that stage. She was so close, it pained me to think about it. When I saw Florien graduate I was happy for him more so because he barely did, he was always in and out of trouble but for reason he magically passed.