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"HERE'S TO OUR GRADUATES!" Mr. Pankow stated, lifting up his wine glass.
"We are so proud of you guys!" Mr. Addison chimed in, "Cheers!"
Everyone at the table lifted up their fancy glass and repeated, "Cheers!" Tonight, Rudy, Erin, and their parents were going to the fancy restaurant on the cruise ship to celebrate their graduation. Both of the families were dressed to the nines as they enjoyed the best meal of their lives.
"It seems like just yesterday you two were little kids running around and playing in that treehouse your fathers built for you." Erin's mom said, beaming with pride.
Rudy's mom agreed, "It really does, Kate! I can't believe how fast our babies grew up."
After everyone had ordered their meal, Mr. Pankow asked, "So, Erin, I heard you had big work plans after this trip. Tell me about them."
"I mean, it's nothing special, but after the cruise, I have a job lined up in Charleston, South Carolina, to go work as a nurse at a big children's hospital up there," Erin said half optimistic about the future and half horrified by it.
"No, that's an awesome, sweetie! You are going to be an awesome nurse." Mrs. Pankow said endearingly.
"Aw, thanks, Aunt Michelle, and Uncle Andy, that really means a lot!" Erin responded.
By that time, the food was finally out, and they each began to eat their dinner. The families continued to talk about Erin and Rudy's future plans and reminisced on their favorite memories.
After a while, Rudy declared, putting down his fork, "I'm stuffed!"
"Yeah, that was delicious. Thank you again for dinner!" Erin said cheerfully, standing up from the table.
"Yeah, thank you!" Rudy chimed in.
"No problem. I think we're going to go play Bingo down in the lounge, want to join us?" Mr. Addison asked.
"As fun as that sounds, dad, I think we're going to pass," Erin responded sarcastically.
"Suit yourself!" Mr. Pankow stated as the parents walked out of the restaurant and down to the game lounge.
Looking towards Rudy, Erin asked, "What do you want to do tonight?"
"We could go sit outside. I heard there is supposed to be a full moon tonight." Rudy said smiling, not only was he a movie buff, but he also was way into astronomy.
"Oh yeah, I bet that would be beautiful." Erin agreed, walking out of the restaurant.
The two of them walked outside and up the stairs to the top deck, where the moon was shining brightly.
"You look beautiful tonight, Air Bear," Rudy said, emphasizing the nickname.
"Ha, well, you look pretty sharp yourself, RuRu," Erin teased back, grabbing Rudy's hand and holding it similar to the way they were the other night. Erin had suppressed what happened between her and Rudy, blaming it on her emotions and the heat of the moment. But Rudy, he could not get it off his mind. Every second of that night played on a loop in his mind constantly.
"I like holding your hand," Rudy said, smiling innocently.
"I like holding your hand too," Erin responded, smiling back with the same cheesy grin.
The two walked hand-in-hand to an outdoor lounge chair.
Rudy laid down, and Erin placed her head on Rudy's chest. Rudy, though caught off guard by her closeness, was not complaining.
The two talked about irrelevant topics before Rudy said, "The sky is really pretty tonight," he said, looking up at all the stars.
Erin grabbed Rudy's hand and pointed at the sky, "Do you see that constellation up there? That's the Little Dipper, and if you look over there, that's the Big Dipper."
"Wow, that's so impressive, you know the one thing about astronomy that everyone else in the world knows," Rudy teased.
"Oh shut up," Erin joked back, "Find then smartypants, tell me something I don't know," Erin asked in a testy tone.
Rudy's heart pounded, was this the right moment? Screw it, now or never. Rudy paused for a second before he blurted out, "I like you. And not in a school crush kind of way, but in like I don't ever want to spend a day without you kind of way. I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for quite some time. But you are also my best friend, and you have been for my whole life. And I don't ever want you to think that I did not want to be your best friend because I am in love with you. Maybe those things are mutually exclusive, but maybe I can also be your best friend and be in love with you. I didn't tell you how I felt because you always had Jairus. And I loved being there for you and wiping away your tears and telling you how special you are because we're best friends, Erin. I hated the way he made you feel horrible about yourself. I hated the way he would manipulate you into making you feel like the bad person. I hated the way he made you cry every night for seven years. Don't get me wrong, I hated everything about Jairus, but more so than anything, I hated the fact that he was doing all the things with you that I wanted to do. I hated it when you would stay up late talking to Jairus on the phone because I secretly wished it was me. I hated when he would sneak behind you and kiss you because I just prayed one day that would be me."
Erin was silent. For a moment, earth and time stood still. She was speechless.
Rudy continued, "Erin, I'm so in love with you. Everything about you. From the way you laugh at my pitiful jokes to the way you are always looking out and caring for others, there isn't a single thing I do not love about you. And trust me, I have looked for your flaws to try to convince myself I wasn't in love with you, but there are none. You would always ask me what my perfect ten was and Erin, you are my perfect ten. I know this might ruin our friendship, and I'm truly sorry if this does, but Erin I could not go another day without telling you how I feel. We can completely ignore this whole speech even happened, but Erin, I can't ignore my feelings for you anymore."
Rudy finished waiting for a reaction, but Erin just looked at Rudy with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Rudy, I love you too," Erin whispered as she pulled Rudy into a kiss, but contrary to the other night, he did not pull away for a long time.
