Flood [h.s]

June 3rd

This is it. High school is over.

Harry had always wanted to get out as fast as possible after Arcadia took her life, but now he found that he was sad again because it was over. There would be no more lunches with Eve in the cafeteria, or kissing her without warning against the lockers, and no more holding her hand down the hallways.

He wasn't ever going to be able to make those memories again, especially the ones where the building blocks of their relationship began and where Eve had practically forced him to talk to her.

He was so glad that she didn't give up because, if she had, he wasn't so sure that he would be where he was right now; he finally understood what Arcadia went through, but in his own way.

Harry got out. He beat the sadness. Eve helped him fix himself and she stopped the rain.

He loved her so much.

They were in a secluded section of the church, waiting to line up to walk across the stage, when Harry pulled her aside to somewhere that was far quieter.

"I'm terrified of you leaving in August. You've got your whole life planned out up there and I have no idea if I'm even in it or what I want to do with mine. I hate that you're leaving, I really do, but I definitely don't want you to stay here for me. I love you more than anything that I ever thought possible and I really, really don't want you to forget about me. I don't think that I could handle it in all reality.

And...and even if you decide at some point that you don't love me anymore, I will always love you and what you have done for me. So, I want to give you this ring to make sure that I keep my promise and to maybe help you remember me too."

There were tears in her eyes as she nodded and he carefully placed the ring on the proper finger, "I promise you, that I won't ever let the distance get in the way, no matter how hard that it gets, because I need you to be there more than I need anything else. You will always have me, even if I forget it myself."

He could suddenly breathe again and he held her securely in his arms for a while before pulling apart and kissing her lightly.

When they got back to where they were supposed to be, no one had even noticed that they were gone. That was alright though, because they never needed them anyway, as long as they had each other, they would be alright.

Eventually, Eve had to step away from him and line up closer to the front than he was, but that didn't matter because they had their promise and he knew that she meant it.

She got to walk long before him and, he hadn't planned on cheering, but as she walked across that stage, he cheered so loud for her that people gave him rude looks and he actually made her stop walking to find him and smile, her eyes shiny in the bright lights.

That was it. She was now a graduate and onto better things.

It took an incredibly long time to get to the S's, but when his name was called, as he expected, only Eve, his parents, and her mum cheered, kind of like it had been for Eve, but he heard her voice above everyone else and she was so close to the stage that he 'broke the rules' and blew her a kiss just before he shook the principal's hand and exited the stage.

As soon as they could go their own way, he ran to Eve and pressed his hands to her cheeks, pulling her in for a kiss that resonated from the very center of his heart. And, just like the first time he had kissed her in almost the same manner, her knees gave way and he had to hold her up to some extent. He didn't mind it at all though because he loved her far more than anything he ever thought possible for someone like him.

She would always have his heart, no matter what tried to get in the way of that.