Epilogue-1

Everett couldn't help it. His body thrummed with energy, his hands shaking with nerves. His leg bounced uncontrollably as he sat on his chair, waiting to be called. Part of the graduation ceremony for the university involved the valedictorian composing an original piece and playing it after the dean gave the final speech. Since Everett was pretty much the face of the school at this point, he got the shining moment. But his nerves were beginning to get the better of him. Everyone knew he wore his heart on his sleeve where his music was concerned and tonight . . . well, tonight he would be totally exposed to everyone in the auditorium as far as he cared to admit. This song just felt personal to him. Primarily because it was. And considering the inspiration for the song would be sitting out in the audience, he didn't want to mess it up. The very thought made Everett wiped his palms on his pants just one more time. Three  years of extra training and fine tuning the skills he already worked on growing up should kick in once he made his way to the stage. But he still felt the jump in his chest at the prospect of performing in front of so many. "Why are you so nervous?" Aaron asked, coming to stand directly to Everett's left. His hand rested on Everett's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "C'mon, you're the best pianist at this school. Between that and the fact that your lady is out there watching you, I doubt you can mess up. You're too much of a perfectionist for that." Everett barked out a laugh and shoved one hand through his hair. He gave up about forty five minutes ago on keeping his hair neat and tidy. He would just have to let it be free because with the way his nerves were fraying at the very edges, having perfect hair was so far down on his list. At the moment, Everett couldn't be more thankful for the guy standing next to him. Aaron became a fast friend of his when he first came to Curtis. Actually, the two formed a friendship before ever meeting face to face. When the preparations for Everett began, the biggest concern was, of course, Everett's lack of sight. So he contacted the school and explained the situation, hoping they could help come up with a solution. Their solution was Aaron. Aaron Hargis possessed a personality similar to Lizzie; always positive and upbeat, never taking no for an answer and always having Everett's back. They began a friendship over Skype and by the time Everett arrived at school, he had a best friend and a roommate all rolled into one. It worked out perfectly for the both of them and for Everett, it had been a life saver. He couldn't count all the time he'd thanked Aaron in one way or another for being so amazing. And right now, as he stood beside Everett, he proved all over again just how much of a support he could be. With the clock ticking down on when his time to perform came up (the dean really just couldn't do with a short speech - it had to be long), Everett let his fingers move in the same rhythm of his song, muscle memory taking over and he closed his eyes. He didn't know if he could stand to mess this up. He just couldn't. There were too many special people in the audience tonight for him to lose his nerve halfway through the song and forget his next move. So instead of focusing on performing the song, Everett focused on what made the song. Eyes closed and a smile beginning to tug on the corners of his mouth, Everett thought of all the little moments that brought him here. Lizzie made up most of those moments. He could still remember when he showed up at this school, excited and nervous and terrified, all three emotions sitting in a bow-wrapped bundle on his heart. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "Calm down," Lizzie told him with a laugh. "You'll do amazing. You always do." With her hand tucked safely within his own, Everett thought maybe it could be the truth. He nodded his head in agreement and he listened to her for a moment, letting go of all those emotions. But they came flooding back the second her hand left his and suddenly - suddenly he felt very afraid. Everett felt his body tensing back up; he would be miles and miles away from the girl he cared for so very much. How would they survive the distance? How would this work? Could he even do this? What if - - "Stop it!" Lizzie's hand smacked his upper arm and she turned him, mostly likely to face her. Everett felt one hand on his cheek and he slightly turned into it, happy to have some sort of anchor when his doubts took control him. "I don't want to mess this up. I don't want . . ." He lost his words, unable to figure out the right way to voice his concerns about college, about being so far away from his family and about how he didn't want to lose Lizzie. Everything was so real all of a sudden and it came as a surprise, regardless of how long this plan had been in the works. But, as usual, Lizzie picked up on the inner workings of Everett's brain. "I know," she whispered, her forehead touching his chest. Everett's arms came around her and kept her close, not wanting to let go. "I'm scared, too. I've never had someone who I counted on so much and who counts on me. But we can do this, okay? We can be there for each other, even if we are so far apart. Do you believe that, Ev? Do you think we can do this?" Her voice was pleading and Everett realized he wasn't the only one scared. The whole time he'd been thinking of how hard it would be to so far away from Lizzie. But it dawned on him that maybe she needed reassurance, as well. So he smiled and nodded, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we can do this." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ And they did it. Everett knew they would make it after just one month of being apart. Skype calls became an integral part of their daily routines. Sometimes, the screen would be live and the only thing happening would be Everett and Lizzie doing work for their classes. Not a day went by when Everett and Lizzie didn't speak in some fashion. And those moments, the sleepless nights and the long conversations made the music. On breaks, when Everett came home, Lizzie was always there. In fact, she usually picked him up from the airport. Their relationship worked, no matter how far apart they were. Everett knew, and maybe somewhere in the way back of his brain he always knew, Lizzie was the one. He loved her and every time he heard her voice, Everett was brought back to that feeling. Opening his eyes, Everett felt relaxed, ready to take on the project at hand.