Auggie kisses me. “There was never any doubt that you’d graduate. With the highest mark in our year group, no less.”
My face flushes with heat. I pull him to me for a deeper kiss and then peck Casey’s lips. “We all did amazingly.”
“We did,” Casey says.
He got a two-two, and Auggie got a third. I am insanely proud of all of us.
As we walk into the hall the ceremony will be held in, I scan the visitor seating. I locate our families with ease, all sitting together in one long line. My parents and the twins smile and wave at me.
Casey’s parents seem to be chatting about something. I suspect Philipa is comparing this hall with the one at Lancaster University. She’s been to lots of graduation ceremonies over the years. They’ve invited us on holiday again this year. Last year’s holiday was a lot of fun. We stayed in a villa with a pool, which kept Casey happy. We did the tourist thing, sometimes with his parents, sometimes on our own. It was a fantastic week and a much-needed break after the academic year. When we returned, we were able to begin our summer jobs feeling refreshed. This year, we’ve declined their kind offer so we can go away on our own. We’ve bought student rail tickets, and our plan is to stay in youth hostels as we spend a month travelling across Europe.
Auggie’s parents sit beside Casey’s. It’s still a rocky road, but Auggie’s relationship with them is getting better. They visit at least once a term and have also been communicating with Auggie over phone calls, text messages, and emails. Maybe they won’t ever be as close to Auggie as Casey and I are to our parents, but at least they’re talking and getting to know each other. Most importantly, they’re being supportive of Auggie’s aspirations and his relationship with Casey and me.
We’ve been together for twenty-one months, and everyone has got used to the fact that we’re a triad and that we’re in a committed relationship. It’s not been easy. We’ve all needed to give and take, and communication has been important, but we’ve weathered every emotional flashpoint and come out the other side stronger. I can’t imagine my life without them.
We’re seated by course, in alphabetical order, so none of us are sitting together. As the ceremony opens, ceremonial officers, known as bedels, lead the profession of staff into the hall. The presiding officer, in our case, the head of the science faculty, officially declares the ceremony open. Then comes the long process of calling us all onto the stage to receive our degrees, undergraduates first, followed by those receiving master’s degrees and then doctorates. I’m too excited to be bored. I’m graduating alongside my boyfriends. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and it feels like we’re going to spend them together.
For now, we’ll be staying in Leeds. All our parents are disappointed by that, but it’s the best place for us right now. We have full-time, permanent jobs arranged for the end of the summer. I’m going to be working for the pharmaceutical company I did summer work for last year, Auggie will be apprenticing as a chef, and Casey has a job as a swimming instructor. He’s also secured himself a place on the city’s swimming team, so he’ll get to keep training and competing. I’ll be earning the most by far. Not that it matters. We’re a triad. We’ll support each other financially and emotionally.
A member of the ceremony staff signals that it’s time for everyone graduating from the pharmacology course to go up to the stage, leaving our mortar boards on our seats. Once we’re lined up, we’re called to the centre one by one to shake the hand of the head of science.
“August Cunningham.”
I chuckle at the use of Auggie’s formal name, or his ‘Sunday name’, as he’s taken to calling it. His parents are smiling, though. They’re trying to call him Auggie but prefer August. He looks so handsome as he receives his degree. He’s wearing a smart suit under his gown, but the rest of him looks the same as always: handsome and a little scruffy. My body hums with excitement for him. He worked damn hard to get here, and he deserves his moment of applause.
He walks off the stage and sits while I shuffle forward in line.
“Emory Jones.”
I can feel Auggie’s and Casey’s loving gazes on me as I walk up to the head of faculty. He hands me a white envelope.
“A small reward for your achievements over the last three years.”
“Thank you, sir.” I’m sure my face is bright red, which is going to look great in the photos my parents are taking. Not.
He shakes my hand, and then the moment is over. Heart thumping, I leave the stage without tripping down the steps and take my seat. Auggie leans forward to give me a huge thumbs up, which makes me grin even wider than before.
I tap the white envelope against my thigh as I wait for Casey’s class to go up. Then I get to gaze at our handsome swimmer as he waits in line to be called to receive his degree. He has a sweet, nervous smile. He keeps glancing at me and Auggie, and every time he does, his smile becomes more confident.
When the ceremony is over, we meet each other and our families outside.
“Congratulations.” Mum hugs me before Dad does the same.
“What’s in the envelope?” Auggie asks once we’ve all had hugs from our family members.
“I don’t know.”
He laughs. “Open it.”
“We’re dying to know,” Mum says.
I open the envelope and pull out a card which says ‘Congratulations’ on the front. I turn it over and read the message on the back aloud. “Awarded to Emory Jones for receiving the highest mark in pharmacology. It’s a fifty-pound gift voucher.” I show it to everyone.
“Well done.” Dad claps me on the back.
“Well deserved,” Mr Cunningham says.
“You worked hard,” Mum agrees.
