where all the poets went to die [dead poets society]

24 - one last hurrah

Two Years Later...

The chapel didn't look any different from how Maria remembered it. It was still ancient-looking and majestic, a dominating presence at the end of the cobble-stoned walkway. It felt odd to be walking the pathway alone this time without her uncle holding her hand and without the daunting thought of having to spend a year of her life at the formidable Welton Academy.

Two years had passed since Maria and Uncle John had left Welton.

Two years since the incident.

Two years since she had seen any of the boys.

And two years since she had seen Charlie.

His class ring no longer hung on a chain around her neck, instead, in its place, was a gold locket. Inside, a picture of him, cut into the shape of a heart to fit the crevice of the charm on one side and on the other, a minuscule picture of the two of them taken by Meeks during her time at Welton.

It had been gifted to her through the mail about a year ago. She had been expecting the usual letter from Charlie, addressed to her in his scrolling handwriting, but this time, the letter came with the necklace - a token, he had called it, of their love.

Maria smiled to herself, her fingers unconsciously moving to touch the cold metal that rested against her neck. The locket had been a constant reminder of Charlie's presence in her life, even when they were miles apart.

As she approached the chapel, her heart raced with a mix of excitement and nervousness. She knew that today was the graduation day for the class of 1962 - she had known about it through the frequent letters Charlie and the others sent her - and couldn't want to surprise them all.

They had no idea she was even here.

She waited, her heart hammering as the heavy doors of the chapel swung open and a sea of graduates and their families came flooding out.

And there he was, standing tall and proud, his dark hair slightly tousled, but still there was that preppy, handsome look.

Maria's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him from where she stood off to the side.

And then, almost as if sensing her, his familiar eyes turned to where she stood. They widened a fraction, his lips curving into a wide grin.

She lifted a brow, cocking her head to the side.

Charlie's lips twitched into a smirk - that same smirk that had greeted her two years ago and she watched with a big loopy smile on her face as he stepped around the crowd of people and made his way towards her.

He stopped about a foot away, his eyes drinking in the sight of her.

The years apart seemed to melt away in an instant as the electric connection surged between them.

"My, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, doll."

Maria couldn't hold herself back any longer. With a surge of emotion, she sprang towards him, her heart racing in her chest. She crossed the short distance between them so fast that she was almost a blur of color. As she leapt into his waiting arms, time seemed to slow down.

Charlie's strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her close and lifting her off the ground.

Maria's whole being was consumed by the overwhelming feeling of being in his embrace again. She pressed herself against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck, inhaling his cologne - which she found with great happiness that it was still the same - still that same deep, musky neroli and cedar. It swirled something deep within her and she clung onto him tighter.