The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(72)

I crinkle my nose and shake my head. “I know. Weird, right?”
Quinn sighs. “Not really. You just know when it’s right, you know?”
“Yeah.” I sigh as I spot Kaeleb heading toward the table with a grin on his face. The sight of him still makes my heart race. “You do.”
Quinn notices my distracted gaze and turns over her shoulder, giggling as she twists back to face me. She waggles her eyebrows and I shake my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
Another giggle. “I’m not. I’m romantic. And I like to see you happy.”
She winks at me as Kaeleb takes his seat, setting his backpack on the ground. He smiles at both of us as we fall silent. “Interrupting something?”
“Not really,” I respond.
“We were talking about mail,” Quinn interjects, obviously impatient for my letter. “Have you checked yours lately?”
Kaeleb belts out a laugh and bends toward his backpack, unzipping the front pocket. “I have, in fact.” An envelope flies across the table and lands right beside my soup, Midwestern University College of Medicine stamped on the corner.
My eyes grow wide and I swallow forcefully as I stare at it. Raising my head, I’m met with one pair of green eyes brimming with uncontainable glee and a set of hazel-brown ones full of reassurance. Kaeleb tightens his gaze. “You’ve got this, Bree. Open it.” He dips his head in the direction of the letter.
My hands tremble as I reach down and pick it up. Slipping my finger underneath the flap, I slide it slowly along the seal until it pops open, the typed contents on the inside of the paper screaming at me to remove it. I glance to Quinn, and then Kaeleb, before reaching inside and extracting the letter. I open it, and read the first two lines:
“Dear Ms. Miller,
Thank you for your submission. We have reviewed your application and are pleased to inform you of your acceptance…”
“Oh my God!” My head jerks up. “Oh my God!”
I bound off my seat and shout, “OH MY GOD!”
Kaeleb smiles widely as he stands, and I shuffle along the cement bench until I’m free, jumping into his arms and wrapping my legs around his waist. He catches me, squeezing tightly as he laughs, “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”
I squeeze my hold around his neck. “Kaeleb! I’m going to med school!”
He chuckles. “I know, babe, you are. And I’m going with you.”
I gasp and press away from him, as I inquire, “What? Did you get yours today too?”
He nods, placing me on my feet before retrieving his own letter. “Midwestern University Physical Therapy Program, baby!”
“AHHHHH!!!!” Quinn shouts as she jumps up from the table, running over and circling us both with her arms. “I’m so happy! I think I’m about to cry!”
Kaeleb kisses us both on the top of the head before releasing us from our embrace.
Quinn looks at Kaeleb and me, pride in her eyes. “Well, I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you both I’ve picked a major. Finally.”
“Really?” I shout, excitement still coursing through my voice. With her extended absence from school, she’ll technically be a junior next semester. I know she’s been debating a few options and honestly, I can’t wait to see what she’s landed on.
“I know it’s no acceptance letter, but I’ve finally made the decision.” She looks at both of us. “I’ve decided that I want to major in Sociology so I can become a social worker. I want to try to help whoever I can.” Her expression becomes shy. “I mean, so much of my life has been wasted on things that don’t really even matter, you know? I feel as though I can atone for that by making a difference in other people’s lives.”
I place my hand on her shoulder and give her a smile full of knowing and admiration. “I completely understand, Quinn. More than you realize.”
She grins back at me as Kaeleb adds, “Quinn, you’re going to make a difference no matter what you do. It’s your most innate quality.” Her cheeks redden as he pulls her snug into his waist. “You’ll make a terrific social worker.”
As she embraces him, I watch the exchange with a grin on my face. The two most important people in my life are standing in front of me on what is quite possibly the biggest day of my life. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It feels…complete.
Still smiling, we all take our original seats, the bitter cold no longer noticeable with our excitement.
“Wow. It’s a big day, huh,” I say.
Kaeleb glances at me with a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Indeed it is.”
He places his elbows on the table and leans forward. “I’ve got something else for you.”
My brows furrow in question as he looks to Quinn. “I figured you of all people would want to be present for this.”
Quinn’s eyes triple in size as she slowly slides them in my direction, and I meet her stunned expression with one of my own. We stare at each other, speechless, as the sound of the zipper on Kaeleb’s backpack breaks the silence around us.
Hairs lift all over my body as he rises, making his way to my side while Quinn forcefully jerks her head, indicating that I should perhaps be looking at Kaeleb instead of her.
Yeah, she’s probably right.
I clear my throat and shift my body to the right, facing him as he gets down on one knee in front of me. A crowd has somehow formed around us in the past five seconds, but I couldn’t care less about the onlookers as Kaeleb presents me with a black velvet-covered box.