Captive (Sequel to Infatuation)

Epilogue

SONG(s) FOR CHAPTER:

♬ Half A Heart by One Direction ♬

♬ Photograph by Ed Sheeran ♬

EPILOGUE

8 MONTHS LATER

♕ HARRY STYLES ♕

DISORIENTED YET ANXIOUS, I turned this way and that trying to decipher which path was correct. People were crowding the parking lot, hovering the doorways, adding difficulty for me to choose the proper entrance. Maybe they all led to the same place or maybe each one was different, but I wanted to take no chances. I couldn't be late.

After asking multiple people for the designated area, I finally got a detailed answer. I followed the sidewalk that looped around the massive building, raking a jittery hand through my hair. My heart was pounding, a combination of nervousness and eagerness. I picked up my pace a bit, practically jogging.

The early February air was crisp, my cheeks flushed from the steady breeze. It was comfortable, even with the sun beaming down, though a few clouds did streak the sky. It was a perfect day for the perfect return.

What felt like an eternity later, I stumbled upon the correct building, breathing in relief before pulling open the door. The place was packed nearly wall-to-wall, people of all ages mingling and milling about. I searched for familiar faces but came up short, my eyes instead landing on the stage directly in front of me, the speaker standing on it unnaturally small from my distance away. I found a piece of wall no one had already claimed and leaned against it.

Grace's graduation. 

Tournaments had finished a mere few days ago and I was lucky enough to make it back here in time. We had kept in touch over the phone, of course, but she had been so busy finishing up school and I had been so busy with the championship, we haven't talked in nearly two weeks. She had no idea I was here and that made it all the more beautifully exhilarating. 

Still scanning the crowd, it was simply too full to find anyone. Even the people near me seemed to blend together with neighbors. I had already broken a sweat and I was even standing near the door, which had been propped open due to the rising heat in the room. An elder lady passed me with an extra pamphlet, saw me sweating, and smiled knowingly.

"It's not much, but it'll keep a nice breeze on your face," she said, giving me a curt nod then walked off before I could thank her.

Fanning myself with the pamphlet, the audience began to cheer. I looked up to see a man jogging down the stage towards the microphone. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Today we're here to celebrate some incredible youth for making it this far." He peered in front of him, where I just noticed the graduates sat. "Give yourself a pat on the back because you made it!" 

They hooted and hollered and all I could think about was the fact that Grace was among them.

The ceremony went by with varied speakers and such. I'd be lying if I said I was fully paying attention. Some of it was semi-interesting and the rest seemed to drawl on and on, with no end in sight. When it finally came to handing out the diplomas, I was on my toes to peek over heads.

"Matthew Allen..."

Damn, she's all the way at the end. 

"...Piper Morris..."

This is going to be another hour, Jesus Christ.

"...Layla Smith... Marcus Valentine..."

Are these people tiptoeing across the stage on purpose?