Page 216 of Staying Selfless

When he reaches the other end of the platform, he crosses his tassel over his cap, like the true graduate he is, before pointing up into the stands in our direction, a satisfied and knowing smirk covering his face.

He knows he got me. I’ve wanted Eli to finish school and get his degree as long as I’ve known him, but he always brushed it off, hockey being the priority. So, of course, I thought he dropped it all when he left for Texas. Eli never cared about school before. Why would he now?

“Ready?” Marc asks after the graduating class is announced and caps are thrown into the air, signaling the end of the ceremony.

Jack, Mary, and my boyfriend’s teammates hurry down the bleachers, ready to congratulate Eli. It’s not just me that’s been missing him the last six weeks. It’s all of us. But I’m much slower than the rest of the group, my leg needing to rebuild its strength from the accident.

“You guys go ahead. I’m following behind.”

Jack gives me a pointed glance, not convinced and planning to wait for me.

“Please go!” I shout down the bleachers. “I’ll be right there.”

Marc takes off with his family in search of his brother as Ali hangs back with me. We take our time getting off the bleachers and onto the solid ground, bobbing and weaving through the crowd of families looking for their own graduates.

“How are you feeling?” Ali asks as we follow behind Eli’s family, only about twenty feet back.

“Nervous.”

I’ve thought about this moment every day over the last six weeks. My mind has played tricks on me, telling me that things have changed. That I might not be what he wants compared to the world of opportunity he has now, but I just need to see him. As soon as his brown eyes meet mine, I’ll know.

“There he is.” Ali points out as Eli finds his family straight ahead.

God, he looks good.

He always looks good.

But more than anything, he looks happy, and that’s all I could want, seeing as the last time I saw him in person, he was anything but.

“Do I look okay?” I nervously ask my friend, smoothing out my dress.

“You look perfect.”

Eli darts through the swarm of students and guests as he finds his family. He quickly hugs his dad and places a swift kiss on his stepmom’s cheek as he continues to sift through the crowd with his eyes, searching.

A bit of déjà vu hits me from the first time I went to one of his games, almost this exact scenario happening before, and I know he’s looking for me right now.

Before he even has a chance to ask Marc, my best friend turns around and points in my direction.

When Eli’s soft brown eyes meet mine, a calm takes over, and I instantly know that all is right in the world again. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do. Maybe it’s the fact that Eli’s lips split into the biggest grin I’ve ever seen, his eyes crinkling because of it, as he bypasses his family and teammates, jogging straight to me.

His long legs bring him to me in no time. “Come here,” he softly says as he wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and burying his face into the crook of my neck. “Hi, baby,” he softly whispers against my skin, but I can hear the smile in his tone.

“Hi,” I gently say right back, my legs swinging around him and my arms snaking over his shoulders, one hand buried into the mop of hair on his head as I close my eyes and press my cheek to his.

“I fucking missed you, Logan.” He refuses to let go or put me down, his grasp tightening.

“I missed you. So much.”

Eli tilts his head, his lips finding the ink of my collarbone before trailing up my neck and cheek. He puts me back on my feet as the butterflies dance in my stomach, taking away the space for oxygen from my lungs. He moves the hair out of my face before bending down and connecting his warm mouth to mine.

And holy shit, did I miss the way this boy can kiss.

He’s soft and slow but firm enough to tell me everything he wants to say without using words. The pressure tells me how much he missed me, the speed tells me how much he loves me, and when his tongue finds mine, it just reminds me how much he needs me still.

“You taste like a fucking dessert,” he laughs into my lips before pressing his mouth to mine again.

I melt into him, my body needing his as it always does, while I press my face into his chest. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, holding me tight, and allowing me to just be with him for a moment.

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