I'll follow you into the dark

Part 10

I take Shawn's hand in mine as we walk to campus, the apartment is so close to the university that we can just walk. As we get close to the building I stop walking without even noticing. Shawn steps in front of me and puts a hand on my cheek, making me come back to reality.

 " What's going on? Are you okay?" He asks in a worried tone of voice.

 " Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous, being back to college brings up some memories." I say a little sad.

 " You're going to be okay. I know how you miss the classes, just focus on that." He says cupping my face and pecking my lips.

 I smile at him and take a deep breath before we go inside. Turns out he was right, I was not only okay, I was on a high after my classes. I missed this so much and in the end it felt like I never left, even though it's a different university everything about it felt like home. I meet Shawn in the cafeteria after our classes are over and he also seems fascinated by everything, of course it can feel a little scary at first but he was overall just happy about being here.

 In the afternoon, he drives us to therapy and I start to think how crazy it is that the first time I came here I was terrified, but now it's a part of my life that I'm sure I would miss in case I ever stopped. Later we try to cook something together for dinner, but Shawn drops an egg on the ground and somehow we start a little food war. It was extremely fun but we totally regret an hour later when we have to clean the kitchen and end up having nothing to eat for dinner. We sit on the couch eating the pizza we ordered and laugh at how bad our cooking skills are.

 " You have something here." Shawn says pointing at the side of my lips.

 " Here?" I ask trying to clean it.

 " No, here." He says laughing. " Nevermind." He adds getting closer to me and taking the small piece of cheese with his tongue and then kissing me.

 " Why do I feel like you did that on purpose so you could have an excuse to kiss me while we eat?" I say after we pull away.

 " Maybe I did that." He says while pecking my lips.

 I laugh and pull him in for a proper kiss, so we end up making out more than eating the pizza, and eventually falling asleep on the couch in each other's arms. The next few weeks go really well and I almost forget I was nervous at first, until one day I have a flashback during one of my classes. It was a flashback of him sitting watching the class, just like I used to see him back in New York after he was released without a proper penalty. I feel tears roll down my face and suddenly I can't move, until the professor asks me if I'm okay. I try to say something, anything actually, but not a word comes out of my mouth, I just get up and leave the class while everyone looks at me. As I walk out I bump into Shawn, he was waiting for my class to be over.

 " Mila, what's wrong?" He asks hugging me as I break down in his arms.

 He walks me to a bench, handing me his water bottle and after around ten minutes I finally calm down.

 " What happened?" He asks confused and worried.

 " I saw him." I say trying to control my breath as he holds my hand. " I saw his face in the class, like he was another student here. This is new, I never see his face so clearly like I did today."

 He holds me tight because there's nothing he can really say to make me feel better. It's been a while since something like this happened, but the fact that I didn't have a full on panic attack, like I usually do, means this is actually a progress.

 As the months go by I have less episodes like this one, until they are practically non existent. What matters the most is that Shawn is by my side every step of the way, helping me and making sure I know how much me loves me.

- 2 years and a half later -

 I can't believe today is the day of my graduation. It seems like it was yesterday when Shawn and I first walked through these gates, but here I am in my graduation gown, in the same spot we stopped that day because I was too nervous to come in. I smile remembering all the good moments we had together in this place since that, but also all the times I broke down and he was here for me. I know I would still come here, since Shawn still had time before his own graduation, but somehow this felt like closure.

 As I take my seat with all the other students, I see Shawn and our families smiling and waving at me from the back of the room. Even Dr. Lisa is here, we became very close during this time and it actually surprises me that I didn't try to give up therapy even once. When my name is called I hear them all cheering and clapping, it feels magical somehow to finally hold my diploma and have so many people supporting me. When I finally meet them to take pictures, Shawn holds me and lifts me up in a tight hug.

 " I'm so happy for you." He says kissing me.

 " In a short time this will be you. Can you believe we made it?" I ask in disbelief.

 We laugh together and our families join us in some group hugs. Shawn's dad takes us to a fancy restaurant to celebrate, and even though this is not my style, I end up loving the food. After desert Shawn gets up and asks me to do the same because he has a surprise. I do what he asked a little confused, but when I see him getting down on one knee I suddenly understand. We've talked about this a bunch of times, so it was not totally unexpected, but I thought he would wait a few more years.

 " Camila, will you spend the rest of your life with me?" He asks as we both smile really hard.

 " Yes, you would have to put up with me anyway, because there's no way you would ever get rid of me." I say as he slides the ring on my finger.

 I pull him up for a kiss as we hear not only our families but the whole restaurant cheering. My mom is a mess of tears and even my dad is almost crying. I would say this the beginning of the rest of our lives together, but honestly it all started a long time ago.

- 1 year and a half later -

 I didn't think watching Shawn's graduation would be so overwhelming, but I'm so proud of him for chasing his dreams that I can't help but cry when I see him holding his diploma. He's been already working as a producer in a record label for a year now, but seeing him finally graduating makes everything even more real. We've been living without our parents financial help for awhile now, since I've also been working as a high school teacher for over a year. I hold him so tight when he walks to us and it's like my own graduation all over again, since during dinner with our families I also say I have a surprise, just like he did one year and a half ago. We decided to start planning our wedding after he finished college, so everything seems to be happening in the right time. I hand him an envelope and everyone in the table seems confused, including him.

 " What is this?" He asks analyzing it.

 " Open it." I say not being able to hide my excitement.

 I see his face change from confusion to surprise, and then to happiness when he sees what's inside. Our families seem super confused and curious, so Shawn shows them the ultrasound he just took out of the envelope.

 " I'm pregnant." I say looking at them before Shawn pulls me for a hug and a passionate kiss in front of everyone.

 Looking back now, I feel like everything happened for a reason. If I hadn't come back to Miami and started therapy I wouldn't have met Shawn, I wouldn't be about to marry my soulmate and start a family. Sometimes shitty things happen in our lives, and even though it can be unbearable at first, there's always a light in the end of the tunnel. Shawn was my light all those years ago, he pulled me back when I was drowning. I think I should have known back then, when we bumped into each other that first day, that there was a reason why I couldn't look away from his eyes. It feels like destiny put us together and somehow we both knew from the start that this was meant to be.

                          THE END

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A/N: I wanted them to have a cute ending, so here it is. Thank you, guys, for reading and voting for this short, but very special, story. 💗💗