Him

47: He's A Grad

"Congratulations Graduates! May your future be great!"

Everyone throws their caps in the air and Theo lifts me in his arms.

"We fucking graduated!!"

I laugh, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him.

"Yeah, we did."

Everything seems so long ago from now.

Me moving into Theo's apartment for the first time, our first kiss, him telling me he was in love with me and me telling him the same.

Sometimes I think back to that night of the gala.

It replays in my head and I wonder why I made everything so complicated.

I've realized that sometimes it is your own self that tries to ruin your happiness.

We both had gone through pain because we were scared of our feelings not being recognized and reciprocated.

Here, on graduation day with my friends and family gathered, I was so happy.

This was the beginning of the rest of our life.

"Come on love birds, let's go found our family!"

Hazel shouts and Theo rolls his eyes, putting me down and taking my hand in his.

We go through the groups of fellow graduates and their families, hugging and crying until we find ours.

My mom waves me over and I smile, waving back.

"My baby girl is all grown up now."

She says wiping the tears from her eyes and I smile, letting go of Theo to hug her.

"I love you so much, Isabella. Congratulations."

She whispers in my ear and I smile, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Mama, and thank you. I couldn't have been here without you. I love you too."

I heard a camera click and I pull away, seeing my dad behind his Canon camera.

"I had to make sure I got a picture of my girls."

I smile, hugging him, "Thank you, Dad, for being you."

He chuckles, hugging me back, "Anytime."

"Let's get your sister so we can get a picture of all of us. Oh, and get Theo and the Robertsons."

"So, basically, everyone?"

I ask him and he nods, "Sounds about right."

I love that my dad always included them like they were part of our family from the beginning.

He weaves through the crowd, taking my mom with him, probably going to get Ivey and Will. I turn and go the other way to look for Theo and the rest.

I laugh when I find him with his graduation leis.

"Ah, the traditional leis."

I say, greeting him and he sighs, tugging at one of them.

"I love my mom, I really do but this year, I'm sure she's trying to suffocate me. She already got Isaiah and Hazel by the way and her bags still seem pretty full which means she's coming for you next."

I waved off his comment, looking at the different ones he got.

I personally loved graduation leis. Since Theo's mom is Hawaiian, she participates in giving leis. They are given to graduating students to wish them good luck in the next chapter of their lives.