Always

Chapter 82

Neither of us said anything as I ripped the envelope open, my breath rattling through my chest as I reached inside and pulled out the folded papers.  I closed my eyes as I held them, taking a deep breath before looking at Harry once more.  His eyes were fixed on me, a gentle smile still pulling at his lips as he waited patiently for me.  I was so grateful for him in this moment because there was no way I’d have been able to do this alone. 

“You’re okay,” he said soothingly.  I nodded and swallowed harshly, keeping eye contact with him as I slowly unfolded the paper in front of me.  My pulse thudded through my veins as I straightened it out, not dropping Harry’s gaze until I had it completely unfolded.  With a sharp inhale, I shifted my gaze down, absolutely terrified I was about to be rejected from the only college I had applied to, the college I would go to with Harry and start the rest of my life with him. 

To Miss Joey Saunders,

My eyes skimmed over the words and I felt like I was going to throw up, my breath coming out in ragged pants through my parted lips.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted…

My hand clamped over my mouth as a wide grin split cross my face, tears leaking at my cheeks and blurring my vision from reading the rest of the letter.  It didn’t matter, I had seen what I needed to.

I had gotten in.

I was going to college with Harry, officially.

My eyes flitted up instantly to lock with Harry’s, where my ecstatic expression was reflected on his face.  I was unable to speak but nodded sharply at him as tears spilled down my cheeks, the muscles of my face burning from my manic grin. 

“You got in!” he shouted happily, rising from his chair quickly and pulling me up with him, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist as he hugged me to him and lifted me off the ground.  I clung to him, shaking now from pure happiness rather than nerves as I continued to cry tears of joy and relief.  He spun me around the room, both of our arms gripping each other so tightly it was difficult to breathe.

He set me down on my feet and wrapped his hands firmly around my face.  He pressed his lips to mine, holding me tightly against him as he kissed me.  My smile splitting across my face again broke our kiss, but it didn’t matter.  He was here, sharing this moment and celebrating with me, and I could not be happier.  His hands remained on my face as he dropped his forehead to mine, standing as close to be as possible and grinning like a fool, just as I was.

“I know you’d get in, Joey,” he said happily, never more pleased in his life to have been right about something.  A happy sob choked from my throat as I held his eye contact, not bothering to stem the tears that were leaking from my face. 

“I’m so relieved, oh my god,” I gasped, my words coming out slightly weak from my crying and my utter bliss. 

“Baby, we’re gonna be together,” he said, his grin so wide I could practically see all of his teeth.  The happiness flowing around the two of us was inescapable, encapsulating us in a bubble of pure and unadulterated elation. 

“I can’t stop crying,” I sobbed, my cheek muscles burning from the width of my smile.  Harry laughed easily as his thumbs wiped away the wetness beneath my eyes. 

“It’s okay, love,” he reassured me.  I let out a weird half laugh, half cry as I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged myself into his chest.  He held me tightly, letting me bury my face in his neck as he squeezed me against him.  I breathed in the familiar scent of him, ecstatic beyond words that I’d be able to spend the next four years at the same school with him.  There was nothing in the world that could make me happier in this very moment than the prospect of our future and being here with him.