Denise stood in front of her mirror in her graduation cap and gown, the unwavering smile she had on her face was filled with pride. It was the 8th of June in the year 2019, the day Denise had been playing out in her head since before she applied for UCLA: Graduation Day. After two years in college, she was finally graduating. Denise felt her eyes well up and she lifted her head to keep her tears from falling, her makeup was perfect and she wanted it to remain perfect at least until after the ceremony.

Chris poked his head into Denise's room, it was instantaneous how quickly a smile appeared on his lips when he saw her. An understatement would've been Chris saying "I'm proud of her" because Chris was more than proud of Denise. He wished he could've expressed how he felt but there were simply no words to describe how he felt seeing her in her graduation cap and gown. Denise would've understood if he told her because she felt the same way when she attended anything showcasing or celebrating his undeniable talent. It wasn't completely inexplicable, they could sense their excitement, pride, and adoration, but there was something more that they couldn't account for. However, Chris could accurately determine how happy he was. It was not just because of what Denise had achieved but also because her graduation meant their plans for the future could resume its progression. For example, she was finally going to move in with him. He didn't have to say it, they both knew he was getting a little annoyed with having to drive between her place and his.

Denise spotted Chris in the mirror and the reason behind her smile changed. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, "you look very dignified." She turned, giggling when she shot him a quick wink. "Are you ready to go? Sebastian and Luca are waiting downstairs."

The reason behind Denise's smile changed again when Chris mentioned her best friend's name. Luca was graduating too. After three grueling years of hard work that clearly paid off, she was graduating at the top of her journalism class. It was almost hard to believe Luca had contemplated dropping out of college after her first semester.

Denise could still remember Luca's first year and how it had been hell on earth for her. Denise felt partially responsible because she'd unexpectedly taken a gap year at the last minute, sending Luca off into college life without her best friend. They'd been planning their college life out for as long as they could remember, they'd wanted to get an apartment off campus and meet every day for lunch in the courtyard. All that did happen, it just happened a year later. It was going to be heartbreaking to see their college life come to an end, neither were ready to see Denise leave the apartment they'd shared since December of 2016. Denise was going to miss seeing Luca's face every morning and every night, even though Luca swore she was going to hang around Denise's new home so much Chris thought she'd moved in too.

Speaking of, Sebastian and Luca had officially become a couple. The date they went on the night after Chris' welcome home turned out to be a success, they kissed and sparks flew. It was clear there was something there, they could both feel a future together looming over their heads. In spite of that, they agreed they'd take things slow. It was a smart move, as much as Denise wanted to argue against it. They went on a date every day the entire week Sebastian was in Los Angeles for his shoot, every single second of their free time was spent together, and they proceeded to continue building their relationship through long distance after Sebastian returned to New York. It was a smooth progression, one both enjoyed throughly.

Luca, much like Denise, had no interest in Sebastian's fame, fortune, or connections. But even she had to admit there were benefits to dating a superstar; long distance was much easier when the man she was doing it with was Sebastian Stan. Hollywood was his playground, other than visiting his godmother and seeing the girl who could possibly be the love of his life- he had a ton of other reasons to fly out to Los Angeles. Even if they lived in different states, he was in Los Angeles too often for her to feel the pinch. He also flew her out to New York whenever she didn't have any commitments at school. It took six months before they decided to stop pretending like they weren't already an official couple and announced that they were. Sebastian posted about her on Instagram, they trended on the World Wide Web, and Chris and Denise popped the champagne she bought the day after Sebastian and Luca went on their first date.

"Mm hm, just give me a second." Chris chuckled wearily as he watched Denise saunter over to his side of her bed. "There's something I want to give you before we go." She slipped off her heels and got on her hands and knees to pull her birch box from under her bed. Chris watched her curiously, pushing his weight off the door frame and onto his feet. "It's something I've been working on for a while now, before you even knew I existed actually." She sat on her heels, smiling as her hand brushed over the surface of her leather bound notebook. She never thought she'd see the day she'd say goodbye to it and hand it over to Chris. "To be honest, I didn't know how I was going to give it to you."

"You didn't know how you were going to give something you've been hiding under your bed to the man who sleeps in said bed?" He teased and she rolled her eyes, slipping her heels back on as she returned to her feet. "Oh God, no," Chris simultaneously whined and laughed when he saw the leather bound notebook in her hand. He assumed it was for him because of the gleam she had in her eyes; it was also in her favorite color, she saved Tiffany&Co's signature blue for significant items. She held it out with a smile and he sighed, asking "It's going to make me cry like a fucking baby, isn't it?" when he took it from her.

"Without a doubt," she nodded.

"I appreciate the heads up," he chuckled.

"I was planning to save it until the night before our wedding, but I ended up with the decision to stick with my original plan instead." She informed him. "Y'know, the one I had before I knew I was going to end up marrying my idol?" She teased and he smiled. "And that was to somehow get that notebook to you on my graduation day, so," she beckoned her head at the book.

"I shouldn't start reading it in the car, should I?"

"If you want to look pretty for the pictures, I wouldn't recommend it," she answered teasingly and he cracked a smile, nodding in acknowledgement. "It's yours, you can choose to read it whenever you want but I promise you're going to cry. After all, who is Chris Evans if not a big crybaby?" She teased him again and he rolled his eyes with an involuntary smile.

"I'll save it for when I'm alone then," he told her, setting the notebook down on top of her dresser.

Denise pressed her lips together, suppressing her smile as she watched Chris. She could tell he was having a hard time being patient about it. His hand remained on the notebook, gently stroking the leather surface. She could see him contemplating with himself. He was an actor by trade, as hard as it was, surely he could act like he had it together. He was a little too curious to wait, but he also thought that if the author herself advised him against reading it now perhaps it was in his best interest to wait. He'd cried because of less before, so if the notebook was filled with what he assumed it was filled with- he was definitely going to sob his eyes raw.

"Why'd you have to give it to me now?" He groaned while simultaneously chuckling.

"Because I'm a sucker for cliffhangers," she answered with a giggle, drawing another chuckle from him. "Now come on," she took his hand. "We're going to be late for the ceremony." She pulled him out of the room and away from the notebook. "Chris-" He abruptly pulled her back and into his arms, crashing his lips into hers. She felt a smile on his lips. One quickly surfaced on her own as his hand moved onto her lower back, pressing her body flushed against his. "What did I do to deserve that?" She asked when he broke the kiss.

"You made me so incredibly proud," he answered and both their eyes welled with tears.

"Don't start with me, Evans," she playfully chided. She drew back slightly, tilting her head to stop the tears from falling. Her makeup may have been waterproof but it was unlikely it'd survive the crying caused by the result of Chris' touching words. "We said no crying until we got home, I want to look pretty for the pictures."

"Lucky for you," he gently swiped a tear that was rolling down her cheek, "you're beautiful even when you cry." She smiled then pecked his lips, brushing his bearded cheek with her thumb. "Okay, we should really go 'cause my pants just vibrated." He patted the pocket his phone was in and she tried not to laugh as she teased him.

"Who knew a graduation gown could turn you on so much?"

"Oh God," he threw his head back, bellowing with laughter. "Denise, you are just-" She giggled and pulled away from him, taking his hand as she continued the lead to the front door. "You should really learn to be more like me and keep those terrible jokes to yourself."

"I should," she glanced back at him with a smirk, "but where's the fun in that?"

• • • • • • • •

Chris and Sebastian moved to sit with Denise's, and Luca's families upon arrival. Denise and Luca, on the other hand, went to join their respective classes. It was an overwhelming number of people at the ceremony, majority of them as emotional as Denise was after their chancellor's speech.

The part of his speech that stuck with Denise the most was, "this is the end of your life as a student and the beginning of your life as a contributor to society. You no longer have your parents, your professors, or your student identity to fall back on. You are an adult now. You are responsible for every action you make, and every reaction you create. So do something extraordinary with your time on this earth, with your existence, and do not- for a second, let anyone or anything decide on your fate because this is your life. Stand up, because it's time for all of you to set out and conquer the world."

When applause erupted through the crowd of more than eight thousand people, Denise found herself looking for Chris' face in the sea of people. It was ridiculous because there was no way she would've spotted him from where she was, but she tried to anyway because he was the reason she was here and ready to do as her chancellor said.

Luca spotted Denise scanning the crowd and laughed quietly to herself, she didn't even need to ask to know who Denise was scanning the crowd for. Her laughter subsided and a smile replaced it when she caught Denise's gaze. A nod of acknowledgement filled with a substantial amount of pride was shared between them. The smile Luca had widened when she saw Denise mouthing the words, "I am so proud of you." She quickly reciprocated with a "I am so proud of you too," causing Denise's smile to reach her eyes.

They kept their gazes on each other then turned away chuckling when they both realized they were making each other cry. Denise may not have spotted Chris but she saw her best friend, and she, too, was one of the reasons she'd made it. Without Luca's constant support, Denise wouldn't be where she was- she wouldn't have been graduating nor would she be engaged to someone as amazing as Chris. She had a lot to thank Luca for, but mostly for agreeing to be her friend the first day of kindergarten and sticking with her until now.

When all was said and done, Denise pushed through the sea of students celebrating and crying with their friends and families so she could find hers and do the same. Luca managed to find Denise before she was found herself. She threw her arms around her best friend, tightly hugging her as she cried with utter joy. Denise hugged her back with the same tears of joy streaming down her face, laughing at her promise to not cry until she got home. "Congratulations, Lu." She whispered before she pulled away. "You did it, you finally graduated!"

"You graduated too," Luca smiled, brushing Denise's tears away. "With an amazing fiancé by your side, about to achieve everything you've ever wanted. Aren't you glad I kept your hopes high?" She teased and Denise chuckled. "You always said it was impossible but here we are, where I knew you'd always end up." She took Denise's left hand; the ring Chris slipped on her finger two years ago glistened as brightly as the smiles on their faces. "You are going to do some extraordinary things with your life, Denise," she gently squeezed Denise's elbow.

"Likewise, Luca." Denise smiled, giving Luca's elbow a gentle squeeze back. "And one day soon, it'll be your hand and your ring we'll be admiring." Luca chuckled and lowered her gaze, hiding her reddening cheeks. "He's going to ask, I promise you." It was hard for Denise to hold back her smile when all she could think of was the talk she had with Sebastian about his plans with her best friend. He'd affirmed he was going to marry her, he was just waiting for the right time. Denise quickly reminded him, "there is never a right time, Seb. There's only the right person and Luca seems pretty perfect for you."

"Why don't we focus on your engagement and your wedding first, we don't want a 'Bride Wars' situation to unfold." Luca joked and Denise laughed. "But we both know that's not going to happen, I love you way too much to take a date and location from you."

"Same here," Denise wrapped her arms tightly around Luca again, squeezing her into a tight hug.

"Are the two of you going to share that love? 'Cause we'd really like to get in some PG-Thirteen hugs and kisses before we join your families." Denise heard Chris' voice and laughed, releasing Luca from her arms to turn to her fiancé. "Congratulations, Luca," Chris said to her as she walked past him to hug Sebastian. "For you, my love." He extended a bouquet of red roses and Denise smiled, taking it from him before she buried herself in his arms. "Congratulations, sweetheart. I am-" he chuckled to prevent himself from crying, "I am so proud of you."

"Thank you," she looked up at him, smiling. "I'd tell you all about how I wouldn't have pursued screen writing without you, and how I couldn't have made it through the last two years without you, but-" she chuckled. "It's in the notebook and I don't want to spoil anything for you." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "So I'll just tell you this instead, though- I'm pretty sure you know this by now." He nodded before she could say anything. "I love you, Chris Evans, so much more than you know." He smiled and caressed her face in his hands, ready to dip his head to press his lips against hers. "And I am so ready to move in, marry, and spend the rest of my life with you."

"Took the words right out of my mouth."