Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 20:15:57 -0700 From: andy dearth Subject: Rings and Promises #30 by Kane Chapter Thirty: You are all in my heart... [Author's Note: So, how are you guys doing? Rough day at work? School? Well I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I made a small error with the last chapter so I apologize. I'll make sure to be careful with this chapter. Well I hope you guys have an awesome day, night, afternoon...whatever time it is right now. ^_^ Much love and hugs ♥] Aiden P.O.V It's finally happening. Graduation...graduation...graduation...I can't even get passed that word. What could I say to my best friends and the love of my life on this happy yet lonely day? "Hey," Eli whispered as he grabbed my hand. "Smile darling, it's a special day." We were sitting in the front row in the auditorium. I watched all the graduates with their big smiles, in their red graduation gowns with their gold tassels moving as they look around at their parents and friends. But the one I was staring at most was Vulcan. He sat a couple rows back, looking right at me, that mischievous smile on his face. He winked at me. I gave him a small wave. "I love you." He mouthed each word slowly, his gaze turning soft with each syllable. "I love you too." I mouthed back. He smiled. The speeches went on and on, and I began to wonder if these people were just making it up on the spot. The valedictorian was announced and the salutatorian came after. After all the speeches were over and done with, it was time for the diplomas and awards. "Eli, do you feel as lonely as I do right now?" I whispered, squeezing his hand as each name came and went. Eli squeezed back and smiled a sad smile. "Yeah I do. But I know that Brett and I are going to be together again. So I can wait." Waiting, the hardest thing anyone can do for the person they love, especially when that person is the very air you breathe. "Attention everyone," We turned our gazes to find Lee standing on the stage. "I'd like Mr. Vulcan Magnus and Mr. Seth Devereaux to stand up and come to the front please." The students murmured as Seth and Vulcan got up and walked over to Lee. "I think this is the first time I've heard Seth's last name." Eli whispered. I nodded in agreement. "Um, did we do something Lee?" Vulcan said. Lee chuckled. "No, no calm down." Then he cleared his throat. "Mr. Magnus, you and Mr. Devereaux's attendance and your tendencies to get into fights are pitiful. You guys leave school whenever you want and are quick to throw the first punch." Vulcan gave him a dull stare. "Way to put our crap on blast Lee." Seth just sighed. "Really appreciate it." He said sarcastically. Lee laughed and so did the rest of the students. "Oh relax." He then handed Vulcan and Seth a gold plaque. Vulcan arched a brow and took it. Seth looked like he was being handed the key to the city. "I'd like to present these awards to the both of you. Even though the aforementioned are true, you never let your grades slip and you protected those who needed protecting." I saw Brett smile. Lee held out his hand. "I am proud of you," He turned his gaze to all of the graduates. "all of you. Now go raise hell!" Every single graduate stood up and cheered. Vulcan shook Lee's hand and so did Seth, holding their awards up for us and smiling. I gave them a thumbs up while Eli blew kisses. The ceremony was finally over and it was time for the parents to get mushy, the teachers to sigh in relief, and for Eli and I to go see our boys and get mushy with them. When we finally found them, and it did take a while because we were being crowded by parents, Brett was hanging off of Seth's back and grinning like an idiot. Karen was there talking with Valerie, and Maia was sitting on Vulcan's shoulders. "Hey you." Eli said as we got closer to them. Vulcan set Maia down and immediately hugged me. Eli pulled Brett off of Seth and jumped on him instead. Brett just laughed and held on to Eli. Seth came over and ruffled my hair. "C'mon man my turn." He said as he poked Vulcan on the back. Vulcan let me go and grinned, then he let Seth have me and it was like being in a straightjacket. "Seth, you're crushing my ribs." I said in a tight voice. Seth let me go and kissed my forehead. "Finally, high school is done! Freedom!" "By the way," Eli said as he jumped off Brett. "today was the first time I heard your last name Seth." Seth arched a brow. "Really?" "Yeah, are you like, part French?" I asked, because honestly, when have we ever talked about Seth's background? Seth thought about it. "Kinda...my grandfather is Cajun." "Huh...and while we're on the subject, because it seems like all this time you're background hasn't been mentioned much, tell us about your family tree." I said as I put on my serious face. Seth just laughed. "Well my granddad was a restaurant owner in New Orleans and it was in that very restaurant where he met my grandmother. She was a librarian of Greek decent. Apparently she was on vacation with some of her friends and they went into that restaurant blah, blah, blah long story short, it was love at first sight. They got married, had my dad, moved here and settled down. Then my dad met my mom in a bar, they went on a couple of dates, a year later he pops the question and they get married. I was a honeymoon baby. Are you two happy now?" Eli and I just stood there. "Dude..." That was all we could say. "Hey guys, what say we all go out and celebrate huh?" Vulcan asked as he snuck up behind us and draped his arms over me and Eli. Seth was all over that idea. "Dude totally!" He took off his graduation gown and cap and handed it to his mom. "We're gonna celebrate mom!" Seth grinned. He kissed her on the cheek before turning back to us. "Don't worry Valerie we'll take good care of your baby boy." Vulcan teased as he pinched Seth's cheek and made cooing noises. "Um, could you watch Maia?" Vulcan asked as he let go of Seth. Valerie chuckled. "All right, but be careful. I know how crazy you kids get on graduation." Seth nodded and we all bolted from the auditorium. We all crammed into Brett's car. Vulcan was awkwardly stripping off his gown in the backseat. "Dude finally, this thing is really stuffy!" He folded it up and with his cap, placed it on his lap. Brett was trying to strip and drive which proved to be a little hard to do, but he did manage. Eli took care of the cap and gown. "So what do you guys wanna do?" Eli asked. "Well we could go to the beach." Seth said. "I haven't been to the beach in ages." I said, thinking back to the last time I saw the ocean. Brett considered it then he smirked. "Shall we everyone?" We stopped at a variety of stores and bought a bunch of snacks, drinks, and even some sparklers, fire crackers, and little fireworks. We got beach towels and lawn chairs, it was a wonder that all of that stuff fit in Brett's trunk. As we drove, I just looked at everyone and tried to commit this day to memory and the looks on everyone's faces. Everyone was smiling, laughing, everyone was just alive and full of energy. I loved it. I wanted it to stay like this forever. I took mental pictures, snapshots of everyone's happy faces. Eli holding Brett's hand and kissing his fingers, love in his eyes, Vulcan's dimples getting deeper as he laughs, Seth's skin glowing in the sunlight, and then me, feeling so happy I never wanted this day to end. "Hey guys..." I said. They turned all their love and attention to me. "Just so you know, I really love you guys." I said as I put one hand on Brett's shoulder and the other on Vulcan's knee. The love in their eyes never left. Brett looked at me through the rear-view mirror and smiled. "I love you too man." He said as he let go of Eli's hand for a second to grasp mine and give it a good squeeze. Vulcan grabbed my other hand and held it to his lips. "You know I love you back." Seth and Eli both nodded. "Love you too little brother." Seth said as he reached over and ruffled my hair. Eli looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I love you too darling." Being called darling by Eli gave me a sweet feeling. This was the perfect day to start our little beginnings. Seth P.O.V Aiden's sudden rush of feelings were felt by all of us. I could tell no one wanted today to end. After this its college, work, and maybe independence. But I knew, even when we're all separated, we'd be together in the end. Because we were friends, brothers, and our hearts were the same. "We're here." We all looked at the ocean with amazement. It wasn't the first time we've seen it but now it felt like this ocean was different. It felt new. It felt like it was put here specifically for us. "Let's go!" Eli said as he jumped out of the car. Aiden followed right behind him. Vulcan, Brett, and I carried the stuff down and set everything up. Aiden kicked off his shoes and socks and walked over to the ocean, standing on the shoreline and let the waves wash over his feet. He sighed and I could tell he was smiling. I watched him. His back was facing me but I could read him. I watched the wind blow through his hair and I watched him inhale the salty air. He was having fun. I smiled. "What is it?" Vulcan asked as he grabbed a bottle of coke. I nodded towards Aiden. "He's beautiful." Vulcan nodded. "He is." He got up and walked to him, hugging him from behind. It was beautiful, they were beautiful, they were meant to be. I sat on the sand and watched. "Hey..." I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and Brett and Eli were smiling down at me. "We'll find each other again." I whispered. "What was that?" Brett asked, still smiling affectionately at me. I shook my head. "Nothing...wanna get your feet wet?" I asked, giving them a mischievous grin. They grinned back and Brett pulled me up. Eli grabbed my hand and pulled me as he ran towards Aiden and Vulcan. We got into the water, not even caring that our sneakers were probably going to smell a little funky later. We splashed around like kids and laughed. We laughed hard and the fun just seemed endless. I love these guys and I will forever love them. They mean so much to me that sometimes when I think of being separated from them my chest hurts. But I know for sure, I believe with everything that I am, we will always be together. "Seth? Are you okay man?" Vulcan asked as he put an arm around me. I nodded. "Yeah, I guess graduation just hit me." He pulled me closer. "I love these guys." He whispered. I know he did. "I love them too." It was hard to believe that the people we were before are not the people we were now. Brett changed, we got to know Eli and watch how he changed Brett, Aiden changed and because of him, Vulcan and I changed too. We were becoming better, taking steps to becoming the best versions of ourselves. We stayed at the beach until dark. We just sat there watching the sky turn from blue, to orange, to dark. It was beautiful. We didn't say much. We just sat together, Eli leaning against Brett, Aiden sitting next to me and holding my hand while his head rested on Vulcan's shoulder. "Oh yeah..." Brett muttered as he stood up. He went over and dug through the pile of stuff we bought until he came across the sparklers. He brought them over and dug through his pocket, pulling out a box of matches. He lit one and watched it glow. "Awesome." He smiled like a little kid. We all lit one and watched as the light bounced off each other's faces. I smiled at everyone, committing their faces and expressions to memory. I wanted to look back on this day and smile every time that I do. This beach, this time, these people, I want to remember them all. These were the best friends I've ever had and I don't know what I did to deserve them but I am thankful. As it grew darker and our firework supplies lessened, we all just lied down on the beach and stared up at the night sky. "Would it be crazy if we all just slept here?" Eli asked. "Do you want to sleep here and wake up with sand in your ears and kelp in your hair?" Aiden chuckled. Eli did too. "I guess not." "We could you know. We have beach towels and lawn chairs." I said, reminding them of our supplies. Eli sat up. "That's right!" He went over to get a towel so that he and Brett could share. I decided to follow and grab a lawn chair for Vulcan and I. I was thankful they were big enough so that Aiden could lie in Vulcan's arms. We kicked off our shoes and socks and went back to star gazing. We snacked and sang different songs off key, and we continued to enjoy the night, for it was the last night for all of us to be together. College would hit us soon, and maybe some of us will get jobs, but times where we are all together like this will be scarce so I knew that everyone just wanted to be together for as long as possible. We wanted this to be our fondest memory, but we also knew that it would only be one of many fond memories. Vulcan P.O.V I could tell Seth was acting different and I knew and understood why. Much like him I wanted to stay like this. This night was perfect. The stars were out and the sky was beautifully dark. The ocean and moon seem to fit perfectly as one enhanced the beauty of the other. Eli rested his head on Brett's chest and sighed affectionately. Brett stroked Eli's back and snuggled a little closer. I looked at Aiden who was laying beside me, one arm draped over me, his head resting on my chest, his heart in tune with mine, and his beautiful eyes looking out at the scenery. I looked over at Seth. He stared at the moon. I didn't know what was on his mind, but whatever it was it must have been moving, for his gaze was calm and warm. His hair moved with the breeze and his chocolate eyes began to soften. He was beautiful. His skin and the moon seem to go together. I wanted him to find someone to share his beauty with. I wanted him to find someone who could share her beauty. But Seth was Seth no matter what, and he had a big heart and a warm smile. His soul is his greatest gift. He is Seth Devereaux, my best friend and my brother. "Be happy..." I whispered, letting my words be carried with the wind. "Hmm?" Aiden looked up, his eyes half lidded. I shook my head. "Are you sleepy?" I asked. He nodded. "You're so warm..." He snuggled closer and sighed. I kissed the top of his head and turned my gaze back to my best friend. He was looking back at me this time, a small smile on his warm face. I smiled back at him. He turned back to gaze at the ocean as he lied back in his lawn chair. Brett and Eli were snuggled tightly together and were fast asleep. I was content. I was with people I loved, and I was happy. I sighed and let the sound of the ocean waves lull me to sleep. I dreamt of everything that happened up till now. All the memories of everything we've been through flooded my mind and played themselves out, one image after another. I watched as I first met Aiden. I watched as I struggled with my feelings, only to realize now that they were more obvious to everyone but me, and I saw my first kiss with Aiden. I saw everything that made me who I am and I was thankful for every moment of it. I was thankful for these guys and I was thankful that I had found the only person I was ever going to love in this lifetime. I had found my soul mate. I was surrounded by wonderful people who didn't judge me. They just accepted me and gave me their kindness and love. I watched every memory form and pass me like images from a projector and I was thankful for each memory and all the lessons those experiences taught me. I slept peacefully. I had Aiden in my arms. This was the perfect end to our beginnings. It really was, and I am thankful for all the love and support I've gotten and the people I've met. You are all in my heart.