Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Miss Graduate

Denise stood in front of her mirror in her graduation cap and gown, the unwavering smile she had on her face was filled with pride. It was the 8th of June in the year 2019, the day Denise had been playing out in her head since before she applied for UCLA: Graduation Day. After two years in college, she was finally graduating. Denise felt her eyes well up and she lifted her head to keep her tears from falling, her makeup was perfect and she wanted it to remain perfect at least until after the ceremony.

Chris poked his head into Denise's room, it was instantaneous how quickly a smile appeared on his lips when he saw her. An understatement would've been Chris saying "I'm proud of her" because Chris was more than proud of Denise. He wished he could've expressed how he felt but there were simply no words to describe how he felt seeing her in her graduation cap and gown. Denise would've understood if he told her because she felt the same way when she attended anything showcasing or celebrating his undeniable talent. It wasn't completely inexplicable, they could sense their excitement, pride, and adoration, but there was something more that they couldn't account for. However, Chris could accurately determine how happy he was. It was not just because of what Denise had achieved but also because her graduation meant their plans for the future could resume its progression. For example, she was finally going to move in with him. He didn't have to say it, they both knew he was getting a little annoyed with having to drive between her place and his.

Denise spotted Chris in the mirror and the reason behind her smile changed. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, "you look very dignified." She turned, giggling when she shot him a quick wink. "Are you ready to go? Sebastian and Luca are waiting downstairs."

The reason behind Denise's smile changed again when Chris mentioned her best friend's name. Luca was graduating too. After three grueling years of hard work that clearly paid off, she was graduating at the top of her journalism class. It was almost hard to believe Luca had contemplated dropping out of college after her first semester.

Denise could still remember Luca's first year and how it had been hell on earth for her. Denise felt partially responsible because she'd unexpectedly taken a gap year at the last minute, sending Luca off into college life without her best friend. They'd been planning their college life out for as long as they could remember, they'd wanted to get an apartment off campus and meet every day for lunch in the courtyard. All that did happen, it just happened a year later. It was going to be heartbreaking to see their college life come to an end, neither were ready to see Denise leave the apartment they'd shared since December of 2016. Denise was going to miss seeing Luca's face every morning and every night, even though Luca swore she was going to hang around Denise's new home so much Chris thought she'd moved in too.

Speaking of, Sebastian and Luca had officially become a couple. The date they went on the night after Chris' welcome home turned out to be a success, they kissed and sparks flew. It was clear there was something there, they could both feel a future together looming over their heads. In spite of that, they agreed they'd take things slow. It was a smart move, as much as Denise wanted to argue against it. They went on a date every day the entire week Sebastian was in Los Angeles for his shoot, every single second of their free time was spent together, and they proceeded to continue building their relationship through long distance after Sebastian returned to New York. It was a smooth progression, one both enjoyed throughly.

Luca, much like Denise, had no interest in Sebastian's fame, fortune, or connections. But even she had to admit there were benefits to dating a superstar; long distance was much easier when the man she was doing it with was Sebastian Stan. Hollywood was his playground, other than visiting his godmother and seeing the girl who could possibly be the love of his life- he had a ton of other reasons to fly out to Los Angeles. Even if they lived in different states, he was in Los Angeles too often for her to feel the pinch. He also flew her out to New York whenever she didn't have any commitments at school. It took six months before they decided to stop pretending like they weren't already an official couple and announced that they were. Sebastian posted about her on Instagram, they trended on the World Wide Web, and Chris and Denise popped the champagne she bought the day after Sebastian and Luca went on their first date.