BLUE [BXB]

TWENTY EIGHT

   Vincent squirmed, eyeing the large crowd nervously. He had yet to spot his father among the sea of people, but he wasn't worried about that: If Vincent really knew Roger, he'd be right to assume the man was seated at least an hour before the ceremony, front row. 

   What he was worried about, though, is that his boyfriend was nowhere in sight, and the students were just about to line up for their degrees. His light, concerned blues scanned the enormous football field over and over again, his heart dropping when there was no sign of his lover. 

   He almost went to tell Mrs. Longwood, but, thankfully, a pair of arms wrapping around his waist interrupted him. The familiar cologne wafted into his nose, and he found himself breathing in the scent, the knot in his chest unraveling as relief washed over him.

   He turned to Ethan with a weak glare, attempting not to swoon at his freshly-shaven, cleaned up attire. "Where the hell were you?"

   Ethan took no mind to his boyfriend's snappy tone, and leaned in to kiss him quickly. It was quite the sight, really; he was finally comfortable enough to show his lover affection in public, even in front of what could quite well be over a thousand people. It's not like most people cared, anyway.

   "Well, hello to you, too," Ethan joked, bumping his nose with Vincent's. "There was something minor I had to deal with. Don't worry about it."

   Vincent furrowed his brows curiously, about to pester him for details, but he was interrupted by the assistant teachers ushering them in place. Obviously, due to the different letters of their names, Ethan and Vincent were stood far from each other in the line. Before he could get to his position, Vincent wrapped his slender arms around Ethan's neck, in a quick hug made awkward by the annoying caps. 

   All in all, the ordeal was quite uneventful. Vincent tried not to trip on stage, posed for a most-likely ugly picture, and retrieved his degree. There were a few speakers, but it was nothing unusual, very cliche and expected. Afterwards, he met up with Roger, who gave him the biggest, tightest hug Vincent had ever received. They both had tears in their eyes, but their smiles were wider than ever. 

   "I am so, so proud of you," Roger exclaimed, staring fondly down at his son.

   Vincent smiled tearfully, trying not to burst into sobs at the idea of leaving his father behind. A few weeks earlier, he had received his acceptance letter to the California Institute of Arts and decided he would be majoring in graphic design. He was ecstatic to be enrolled in his top-choice university, studying something he absolutely loved, but abandoning his life here—abandoning Ethan—made him rethink all of it. 

   Ethan didn't take the news very well. At first, he was on top of the world, absolutely thrilled for his boyfriend's success. When it settled in that Vincent would be leaving, though, he tried to hide his heartbreak, but failed miserably. Every night, he'd call Vincent and cry into the phone for hours. He became unbelievably clingy, wanting to spend every waking moment with the boy before he was ripped away from him.

   Not that Vincent was complaining, but it broke his heart to see Ethan so hurt over their separation. He'd tried to decline the offer and stay, but practically everyone he knew threatened to murder him for it. He wasn't worried about their relationship, though. What they felt for each other was far too deep to be ruined by mere distance. They'd make it work. Vincent was sure of that.

   Vincent was pulled from his thoughts as somebody came running towards him, screaming his name. He looked up to see his best friend, running ridiculously as the navy cape floated behind her. Just in time, he caught her jumping into his arms and was barely able to hold them upright.