Come As You Are (An Anne With An E/Sebastian 'Bash' Lacroix Fanfic)

21. Acceptance

I sat on the porch with the gentle spring air passing by. There weren't any stresses that I had to worry about. At least, not until I got the acceptance letter from Toronto. I hoped that I got in. My life was hinging on the fact of whether or not I got accepted. My education, my future, my relationship. If I didn't get accepted, I would probably marry Bash sooner than thought and I would be put in a simple existence on a farm with a husband and possibly children.

I didn't know how to feel about children. I wanted them but I didn't want them to be blind. I had to deal with it and I had to be sent away from my family. I didn't want to send my child away because they were blind. There were a million possible things that could go wrong with children. They could be blind, deaf, or several other things. It scared me so much but I survived going blind. I survived being sent to Toronto with no family and all by myself without my twin brother. At least if the baby was blind, I could help them. They wouldn't be alone in the world and feeling like they couldn't relate to the other kids. They had me and Bash and Gilbert and the Cuthberts and several other people. They wouldn't be like me in the way that I didn't have any family who knew how to care for me.

I was interrupted by the front door open. Bash came out and told me that he was there. I scooted over so he could join me. He sat next to me, taking my hand. I squeezed, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Has the mail come today?" I asked.

"Not yet though I'm sure it'll be here soon," Bash replied. "Isn't your acceptance coming today?"

"I hope so," I replied. "I'm nervous but I think it'll turn out. I want to go so badly. Toronto is my favorite city and I know so many people there."

Bash squeezed my hand. "I'll miss you. A lot. Because you're the love of my life and I can't imagine what the distance will do to us."

I shrugged. "I hope it doesn't do much. I can teach you Braille over the summer so that we can write to each other. We can write each other as often as we can because I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either," Bash said, "so I'll learn it for you. If we're going to get married eventually, I have to learn it. For you."

I smiled widely. "Thank you for thinking about me."

Bash kissed my temple. "I love you."

I kissed his cheek. "I love you too. Remind me to marry you once I come back from college."

"Of course I will," Bash replied. "I will be the one proposing so I can't forget."

I laughed. "Right. I'm the one who forgot. What's the ring going to look like?"

"Why would I tell you?" Bash asked.

"Because I want to know," I answered. "It's not like I'm going to see it. Describe it for me please."

Bash began to go into detail about what he was going to get. Of what he hoped he could get me. I listened quietly, holding his hand. We were interrupted by the mailman coming. I got up, holding out my hands. The mail was placed in my hand and I thanked the man before turning away as I felt the post. Bash had to open the post for me.

"Aria, it's the University of Toronto." Bash trailed off.

"What did they say?" I asked. "Have I been accepted? Don't leave me hanging here, Bash! I need to know!"

"Sorry but . . . you got accepted."

My jaw dropped. "I got accepted? What?! This is amazing! Bash, I'm going to college!"

"I read and I heard, honey!" Bash exclaimed. "That's exciting! You're going to Toronto!"

I bounced up and down, squealing. "It's so exciting! I get to be a teacher!"

"You're becoming a teacher?" Bash questioned.

I nodded. "A teacher for the blind. I want to be like the teachers that taught me growing up. I want to be what they were for me."

Bash took my hands. "Does that mean you're going to be in Toronto forever? Or for a very long time? I don't want to lose you."

I shook my head. "I'm not staying there forever. I actually thought about it. I . . . I want to be a teacher at the blind school that housed and taught me. If I get a job there, I'll have to stay in Toronto during the school year. I'll come home during breaks, like Christmas or in the summer. It'll be difficult but I think we can do it."

Bash pulled me in. "I will certainly miss you. Promise me you'll stay in love with me."

I smiled, confused. "Of course I will. There's no other choice than you. It's not like I can fall in love with someone's appearance. I only love you and you only. It's your soul that I love."

Bash placed a hand on my cheek. "That's good."

He kissed me gently, holding me softly. I placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing his cheekbone.

I pulled away. "Is Gilbert home?"

"I think so," Bash replied. "Are you going to tell him that you got accepted?"

I nodded, stepping away. "I'll go tell him. Can I have the acceptance letter please?"

Bash handed it over and I ran inside. I called out for Gilbert, hearing his voice upstairs. I scrambled up to his room and burst in, waving the letter around.

"Guess what?" I exclaimed.

"What?"

"I got an acceptance letter to the University of Toronto." I thrust my hand out. "Look."

Gilbert took the letter from me. "Congratulations, Aria! You're going to the place of your dreams!"

I bounced up and down. "I know. Have you gotten yours yet?"

I heard a letter be waved around. "Yes, I have. I'm going to Toronto too."

I squealed. "We're going together! That's great! We can see the city together and study together. I can't wait."

Gilbert got up and hugged. "We've got a good few years ahead, don't we?"

I hugged him back. "Yes, we do. And I got my twin brother next to me."