Chapter 6: Like Child, Like Parents.
***
The doors to the auditorium swung open, revealing a sea of familiar faces bathed in the soft glow of overhead lights. The chatter of friends reunited, footsteps echoing on the polished floor, and the occasional burst of laughter made the atmosphere lively and warm.
Sebastian and Aisha stepped inside together, their eyes briefly meeting with a shared sense of comfort. The room buzzed with excitement as classmates caught up, forming small clusters of animated conversation.
As they moved deeper into the crowd, a shout rang out, cutting through the noise. "Hey! Over here!" It was Rina, waving enthusiastically from their usual spot near the front.
"Finally!" another voice added— Jin smiled, leaning casually against a chair nearby.
Sebastian grinned, feeling the familiar ease of old friendships settle around him like a blanket. "We took our sweet time," he joked lightly.
Aisha laughed softly, her tension from earlier melting away. "We're always late, no matter what."
"Blink and you miss them," Jin added with a smirk. "You two should've known Mr. Brandon wouldn't be happy."
"Mr. Brandon's going to have a field day scolding us," Sebastian said, shrugging. "Besides, it's good to be here with you all."
The group burst into a shared chuckle, the cozy feeling of friendship bubbling up between them like a soft glow, as they slid into their seats, anticipation buzzing in the air of the auditorium..
***
"Looks like all the latecomers have finally arrived," Mr. Brandon, the H.O.D of their department, remarked with a sly grin as he glanced at some students
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
A ripple of laughter moved through the classroom. The students chuckled, some covering their mouths while others exchanged amused glances, amused by the professor's attempt at humor.
"Man, he's never going to let us live this down," one of the boys muttered under his breath.
"At least we didn't miss anything important," a girl whispered back, trying to stifle a smile.
Another student rolled his eyes and sighed, "Trust me, with him, just showing up late is already a crime."
The latecomers exchanged awkward glances, half - embarrassed and half - amused, while the rest of the class watched the exchange with barely hidden grins.
Sebastian and Aisha, already seated near the middle rows, watched the scene unfold quietly. Aisha raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly toward Sebastian.
Before he could respond, Rina, sitting right beside her, leaned in with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Good thing you two made it before the professor started. Imagine if you'd walked in together, now or later… Mr. Brandon would've probably composed a whole ballad about it."
Jin, seated next to Sebastian, smirked and muttered under his breath, "Yeah, all of them already thinks you two are inseparable. Showing up late together on the the last day of college? That'd just make it official."
Aisha shot them both a sharp glare, cheeks burning pink. Sebastian just sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You guys never quit, huh?"
Rina grinned like it was a sport. "Not when it comes to you two."
Jin chuckled, this time with mock seriousness. "But really, it's the last day of the college, buddy. You have to tell us seriously— are you two really not in a relationship?"
Before either Aisha or Sebastian could answer, Rina jumped in. "Jin, you'll never get the answer! They always dodge the question. No matter how many times you ask, they just come up with excuses." She nodded firmly, as if she'd just uncovered some grand secret— high stakes drama, clearly.
Sebastian opened his mouth to respond, but before a word could escape—
Clap Clap Clap
Mr. Brandon clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention back to the front
"Alright, alright, lovebirds and chatterboxes," he said, mocking sternness dripping from his words. "It's your last day here. Try looking like graduates instead of extras from a comedy skit."
The class dissolved into laughter again. Desks rattled, shoulders shook, and even the shyest students covered their mouths, grinning.
Aisha wanted the ground to swallow her whole. 'Graduates? Lovebirds? He didn't just say that out loud, did he?' Her face burned hotter than the projector bulb above their heads.
Sebastian, maddeningly calm, slipped his hands into his pockets. "...well, I guess it's official. We're the class clowns now."
Aisha glared daggers at him. He just smiled faintly, a hand brushing the back of his neck as if to say 'what can you do?'
Rina leaned forward like a cat pouncing on weakness. "Even Mr. Brandon ships you now. Destiny, Aisha. You can't fight destiny."
"Ship?" Aisha echoed, horror widening her eyes. "Wait. No. Don't call it that—"
Jin smirked. "Fine, fine. But during today's farewell, you owe us a dance at least. Otherwise, it's just cruel to the fans."
The glare Aisha gave him could've incinerated steel. "Keep dreaming."
Sebastian chuckled, low and quiet. "…I don't mind considering it."
Aisha wents to say more—
But Mr. Brandon raised his hand, and somehow the entire room froze like puppets yanked back by strings. It was the kind of authority that came from years of training students who thought they could slip past him.
"Before you all vanish into excitement," he said, his sly grin fading into something firmer, "a reminder. This afternoon is your formal graduation ceremony. You will maintain discipline, follow the seating arrangements, and— most importantly— try not to look like you just walked out of a late-night party. Parents, faculty, and alumni will all be watching. Understood?"
"YES, SIR"
A chorus of reluctant 'Yes, sir' rolled across the auditorium.
"Good"
Mr. Brandon's eyes scanned the rows, sharp yet amused, before landing squarely on Sebastian.
"And Sebastian, as the top graduate of the our college, you will be delivering the valedictory speech. I expect you to be ready— both in words and in nerves. This isn't something you can dodge."
The class immediately erupted again, but this time with cheers and whistles.
"Of course it had to be him," Jin muttered, shaking his head. "Golden boy always strikes."
Rina elbowed Aisha, whispering loud enough for half the row to hear. "See? Your boyfriend isn't just Mr. Popular— he's Mr. Perfect too. Imagine standing next to him now."
Aisha rolled her eyes when she heard Rina's teasing.
***
After Sebastian and Aisha's car disappeared down the street, the house fell into a calm rhythm once more. Mrs. Vail tied her hair back with a clip and slipped back into her morning chores. The clinking of plates, the swish of cloth folding, and the light creak of floorboards filled the quiet.
As she folding laundry that had been sitting in a basket since the previous evening 'He's all grown up today…' she thought as she smoothed a crease from a stack of freshly folded shirts.
"hehehe," her mind still lingering on her son's nervous yet excited smile that morning.
Meanwhile in the study, Mr. Vail sat with his reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, a pile of documents from the firm looming like an unspoken challenge.
He wasn't doing heavy work, just reviewing, page after page, line after neat line of text. Soon, the paper rustling became his world, shutting out everything else.
And time— the trickster it always was— slipped past them in silence.
When Mrs. Vail finally wandered into the study, towel in hand, her gaze fell on the wall clock just above the desk. For a moment she froze. Then the folded towel nearly slipped from her hands.
"H..HONEY!" she cried, her voice breaking the study's stillness. "It's already eleven - thirty! The ceremony starts at noon— we're supposed to be there by now!"
Her husband blinked, slowly lowering the page he was reading as though the words had suddenly abandoned him. He glanced at his wristwatch, then back at the clock, as if hoping both were wrong. "…Already? But I've barely gone through the first set of files."
"No, NO— forget work" she snapped, storming toward the wardrobe. "Forget the files, we're going to change. Now!"
The bedroom erupted into chaos. Hangers scraped against each other, dresser drawers thudded open and shut, and fabrics rustled as though they too shared the urgency of the hour.
Mrs. Vail tossed aside two long sleeve jumpsuits before settling on the sapphire-colored one she had carefully ironed last night.
"HONEY, the navy one!" she hissed, darting an impatient glance at her husband, who was still fumbling with his options.
"The gray one looks fine—"
"No it doesn't!"
"…Fine, fine, the navy it is," he grumbled, though a slight grin tugged at the corners of his mouth as he wrestled into the jacket.
Minutes later, they met by the mirror. He was fastening his cufflinks, while she adjusted the pleats of her jumpsuit with trembling fingers. For a brief moment, their eyes met— and suddenly the nervous flurry softened.
"Dear," Mr. Vail murmured, a laugh escaping him, "who'd believe we almost missed our son's graduation because of work?"
She puffed her cheeks in mock annoyance, then broke into a laugh of her own. "Don't joke about it. This is Sebastian's big day. We can't let him down."
Grabbing her purse and adjusting one final strand of hair, she pulled him toward the front door. "Come on. Let's hurry before traffic decides to turn against us."
The door clicked shut behind them, leaving the house quiet once again— but this time with excitement lingering in the air, as if even the walls knew this was no ordinary afternoon.
***
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