He got a pat on the back from the soccer coach and nodded at several teachers. When he turned to descend the few stairs—Ty already behind him, doing his obligatory greetings of the staff—he locked eyes with me.
I surged to my feet. “Wooo! Yeah!” I clapped. Loudly, since no one else was. Eventually, someone whistled, and I added, “Hell, yeah, Jack!”
Jack stumbled, cheeks flushing bright red in the sun as half our class chuckled.
“Thank you, Mr. Winters,” Principal Woodson drawled. “That’s enough.”
Ty had Jack by the shoulder, forcing him to keep moving until he retook his seat.
When my name was finally called, I did the same ritual as the two hundred plus students before me.
“You’re crazy, Princess,” Jack hissed as I walked past him.
I accepted the diploma and handshakes with a huge grin, anticipation vibrating in my veins, and then I turned to face my class, but there was only one student I saw.
Jack stalked my progress across the front and between the rows until he couldn’t any longer. Only he still did. Jack turned in his chair, grinning and eye-fucking me hard enough I could read his dirty thoughts.
The last names were called, but I didn’t hear any of it. My heart pounded, and I rubbed my palms on my gown-covered legs. I was seconds away from making the biggest declaration of my life and so afraid I would chicken out. I’d thought it so many times but had yet to tell him with words. Today, that would change.
“I present to you your graduating class!” Principal Woodson yelled.
Cheers and clapping resounded around us as everyone got to their feet. Caps were thrown in the air, but through the jostling of my peers, I only had one direction to go.
Like magnets, Jack came toward me, both of us still in our caps, uncaring about the tradition. A row of white folding chairs separated us as we stared at each other.
I blinked several times as my vision got a little blurry. I swallowed, but my throat still throbbed with emotion. I fisted my hands instead of reaching for the life that stood in front of me.
Jack, my future.
“Fuck yeah!” Ty snapped from somewhere close and knocked me out of my frozen existence. “Get over here, Asher.”
Jack and I turned just as Ty grabbed Asher by the front of his gown and yanked him against his chest. Asher, who had been smiling with Jamie, startled, then laughed as Ty kissed him. For one second, the students around us quieted, completely speechless, and then Nick grabbed Blaine and did the same. Aaron grabbed Noah. Raul grabbed Tao. Someone went to grab Jamie, but Michael shoved the guy off and kissed his stepbrother. It was like the stroke of midnight on New Year’s.
All around us, boys were kissing boys and girls were kissing girls. The faculty were stunned into silence, and then a few of them laughed and even applauded.
“I should’ve known this class had one more prank in them,” Principal Woodson said from the podium.
With a huge-ass grin, I lunged for Jack and the lopsided smile on his lips. We climbed the row of chairs between us and came together like colliding storms, smacking our bodies against each other with a heavy thud. He grabbed my waist, and I cupped his jaw.
“Should we?” he whispered, eyes darting around us.
“Yes, Princess, we really should.”
“Kiss me,” he choked. “Please.”
“I love you,” I rushed out.
Jack’s grin grew, and then we launched at each other. Like the first time and so many times afterward, we attacked, going full throttle at each other. His mouth held a familiar warmth. His lips carried a comforting softness, and our tongues played an aggressive dance we were all too good at.
I’m home.Wherever he is, I’m home.
Our classmates melted away with the world as we poured ourselves into the long-overdue moment. Salty tears mixed into our kiss, and when I pulled away to wipe my cheeks, his were wet too.
“God, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I chuckled and kissed him again, softer this time, until we only pressed against each other, forehead to forehead and chest to chest as we smiled. Noise seeped in. Cheers and screams of excitement mellowed into dozens of conversations.
