Page 94 of Aching for His Discretion

We had so many unresolved issues, and I had no clue what to do at this point.

And as Gabriella ran from Troy, tears in her eyes, I could only shake my head.

“Don’t leave him, Gabriella; he loves you!” I exclaimed, wiping my tears.

“What are you doing?” I heard a voice, and I jumped to see Micah, Elliot, and Nico standing with confusion riddled on their faces.

I paused my favorite childhood movie, embarrassed, and I wiped my tears as Micah pushed the front door closed.

“H-hey, guys...” I said, sniffling, and Nico came to sit beside me as the guys placed some bags on the counters. They were planning to help me pack and move, and as much as I didn’t want to bother them, I greatly appreciated their help.

“What’s wrong, Little Mama?” Nico asked, and I shook my head as I played with the end of my sweater. Elliot and Micah both came over as well, and I felt pressure to speak as they continued looking at me.

“I’m... I’m just gonna miss him. Things between us just changed so much, and they’ll never be the same as they used to,” I whispered, and they remained silent. They noticed he’d been acting different lately and always did their best to comfort me.

“Teegan... you shouldn’t let this preoccupy your mind. You’re graduating medical school tomorrow, for Heaven’s sake. Your parents will be there supporting you with us. You should be celebrating,” Micah said, and I shrugged softly.

“I know. I just feel overwhelmed by it all and sad,” I whispered.

Elliot crossed his arms. “You shouldn’t let him ruin your big day. You haven’t even guessed what your surprise is tomorrow. Preoccupy your mind with that, why don’t you?”

“Because it’s useless!” I groaned. “You guys are being so mean. You don’t even want to tell me.”

“Would it be a surprise then?” Nico asked, and Micah shook his head.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one out of the four of us?” he asked, and I grabbed two pillows and threw one at Micah, then hit Nico with the other. In response, they simply smiled at my irritation with them.

“Now, if you idiots don’t mind,” Elliot said angrily to Nico and Micah before looking back over to me, “I would like you to get some rest so that tomorrow morning, you’ll have plenty of time to do your hair and makeup to get ready for your big day.”

I sighed before standing and grabbing my kitty in my arms. Making my way over to my room with a pout, I reluctantly let out a sad smile once my back was toward them...

See, they always know how to make me feel better.

“Teegan, honey, we need to get a move on!” my father said by the door, and my mother glared at him through the doorway as she finished helping me curl my hair.

“Shouldn’t you be downstairs waiting in the car?” she asked, and he simply crossed his arms. She rolled her eyes at him, and I giggled as I slipped on some flats and grabbed my black heels and my cap and gown. My mother grabbed some of my other necessities before my father grabbed most of the items from our hands and sighed as he made his way to the front door.

I kissed Grayson goodbye before stepping out and smoothing my shimmery beige mid-bodycon dress out slightly. I was a bit skeptical of wearing it initially, but it was absolutely gorgeous. My mother ushered me over to the steps with a huge smile on her face but tears in her eyes as well.

“Mama... don’t cry,” I whispered, and she shook her head.

“Cry? I’m not going to cry, sweetie,” she said as tears fell down her face.

“Yes, she will and then you will too! We need to go now!” my father said at the bottom of the steps, causing my mother to roll her eyes.

We quickly went down in a hurry. Upon exiting the building, another car pulled up behind my father’s, and Micah stepped out dressed in a white button-down and black slacks.

“Dr. Monroe! We need to get a move on. Mama Roe, Papa Roe, the ceremony isn’t going to wait for us,” he said, and my fatherrolled his eyes as Elliot and Nico stepped out as well. My mother squealed happily as she gave the three of them hugs as I helped my father load the car with my things.

“All right! Chop-chop, we got to get a move on, Doc.” Nico winked, and I smiled as I sat in the back of my parents’ rental car before my father pulled off.

Much to my father’s surprise, despite our tardiness, we made it to the ceremony on time, and I was sitting amongst my classmates as a speech was being given on our behalf.

It felt surreal almost that Alec and Dr. Harrington were gone… and so were the questionable decisions the school was going to make because of them. Though it was a different atmosphere after they left, the school’s prospects were looking up. They were much more positive with more attentive staff, better regulations, and promising allocations of the school funds.

It was almost as if their disappearances were a blessing in disguise.

Looking in the crowd, I felt my heart crumble for the hundredth time… not noticing Levi anywhere near the guys or in the back possibly. I made them save him a seat, but it was still empty. We were already standing to be called to the stage, and I felt a bit sad as I waited for him to show up, though I knew I was hanging onto false hope.

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