ARTEMIS' POV:-

　　Elijah was staring at my face with a mischievous grin on his face. I guess he was planning on doing something funky to me if I didn't answer him correctly. "Did you buy me a graduation gift, Eli?" I asked him in a teasing tone and with a matching grin on my face as he had on his face.

　　An annoyed look appeared on his face as he heard me. He looked like he was going to drop me back to school, he was that annoyed. "Seriously! You had to take the perfect guess. Couldn't you have tried a few times before telling me the right answer?" Elijah asked me in an annoyed tone. I couldn't help myself but laugh at him. He was actually the cutest when he was annoyed.

　　"And would have lost the chance to make you cook my favourite dinner for me. Not a chance, Eli. You know you can't expect me to compromise if you mentioned food." I replied to Elijah while laughing at him. He rolled his eyes at me in annoyance as he heard me. Well, he knew well that I was a foodie and if it was Elijah who would cook for me, I would never take any chances at all.

　　He grabbed my jaw and pulled my face towards his. He sucked my lips hard and I moaned inside of his mouth. When he pulled away from me, I had an angry pout on my face. He knew ways to tease me.

　　The teasing smirk was back on his face as he pulled away. I punched his chest and he laughed out loud. He then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. "That's the Artemis I like to see around me. Now tell me the truth, you were thinking about your father because it is your graduation. Am I wrong?" Elijah asked me in a low tone while he was rubbing his hand gently on my back.

　　My head was on his chest. I looked up at his face and found him staring at me. "Yes! For once, I wanted to see a proud look on his face for me." I replied to Elijah in a low tone. He pecked my forehead and placed his head on my head.

　　"Baby girl, you don't need your abusive and arrogant father around you anymore. I have heard you crying for help at night at the very beginning. I don't need your words to describe your life before you came here." Elijah whispered in my ear softly while rocking me back and forth in his arms as if I was a baby.

　　He was right. Ever since I had been living with Elijah, I had been happy. He was supportive and understanding for me. I knew we started off roughly. But I knew that he was trying to protect me all this long. I tightened my hold around his torso and buried my face in the crock of his neck.

　　I liked being in his arms and I just couldn't resist his warmth. "Thank you for everything, Elijah. I needed this pep talk." I whispered in his ear as I closed my eyes. Elijah started the car again and drove away again.

　　"I will be there by your side to support you. You don't need anyone else. So just don't think about anyone else who brings tears in your eyes." Elijah whispered in my ear and I smiled widely.

　　"What are you going to tell everyone? What is our relationship?" I asked Elijah in a teasing tone. I giggled as I knew that question was going to give him a little hard time. Since he and I both were just friends so far.

　　Friends with benefits. That's the name he gave our relationship. It disappointed me a little. But I was happy that I got to be with him. "I will tell everyone that you are my girlfriend and I am your boyfriend." Elijah whispered softly in my ear then he pecked my forehead. I gasped loudly as I heard his confession.

　　I pulled away from Elijah and looked into his eyes. His eyes were on the road but he had a bright smile on his face. A kind of smile that appeared only when someone felt relieved after confessing something to a certain someone. "Don't look at me like you don't know that. You know what kind of relationship we have between us." Elijah added in a teasing tone as he stopped the car in front of the school gates again.

　　I was just speechless. I felt that way towards him. I wanted to be his girlfriend. But I didn't have the guts to say that to him out loud. "I knew you needed time to accept it. If you still need more time, just let me know. There is nothing wrong for being extra cautious with your heart. Heartbreaks hurt more than the heart attack, you know." Elijah spoke in a gentle tone. He then leaned in and pecked my lips. When he pulled away, I no longer remembered what made me sad on the day I had been waiting for so long. Elijah cheered me up somehow as always.

　　He opened the door of the car and stepped out of the car. He was holding me in his arms as he stepped out of the car. He placed me back on the ground. Then he reset my hair with his hands. Once done, he grabbed my hand and placed the keys of his new car in my hands. "Elijah, are you kidding me? I can't take this. It's too expensive. I can't take this from you. Please, try to understand." I tried to convince Elijah. He just wrapped his arms above his chest and shook his head.

　　"You can't return a gift. So just zip up and put it into your clutch. The ceremony is starting. You don't want to be late for your graduation, do you?" Elijah spoke to me in a low tone. Before I would have opened my mouth to argue with him, he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the graduation ceremony. He knew I would never argue with him. He helped me to my seat first, then he went to take his seat.

　　Well, just because the ceremony started, didn't mean the argument was over. I knew I could continue that at home. Amy was sitting beside me. She gave me my gown and my hat. I quickly pulled them on and waited impatiently for the principal to be done with his boring speech. Half of the students were asleep during his boring speech. All he was talking about was his personal life and the things he had achieved.

　　He was actually telling us all to follow his path. While we knew that he was still the principal of the highschool because his wife was the main trustee of the high school. He didn't even know the difference between a painter and an artist. He thought fashion designing was nothing but a bunch of ladies sewing a new set of outfits for themselves.

　　At last, his boring speech ended. The principal finally started calling the graduates to collect their certificates. I was the sixth student to be called. Amy and Amira were called before I was called. I went on the stage and my eyes went towards the crowd. It took me a moment to find Elijah. My heart felt joyous as I saw a proud smile on his face for me as he saw me on the stage. He had helped me study. And I was able to graduate peacefully because he was right by my side. So that graduation was his achievement as well. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

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　　After the graduation ceremony, I was standing at the gates of the school. While Elijah went to get his car. I was taking selfies of myself with the school in the background. I didn't get a lot of time to make more memories of that place. But the time I had spent in that school was better than my past high school. Maybe because I had friends here with me.

　　My eyes suddenly widened as I saw something from the corner of my eyes. I pulled my phone off of my face and looked at the woman in front of me. She had long strawberry blonde hair. Her hair was curly, not straight like mine. Her eyes were green and her skin was pale. My heart skipped a beat as she suddenly smiled. That smile was familiar. I took a step forward.

　　She was surrounded by a bunch of people. But I didn't notice any of those people. I was busy looking at that woman. It looked like I was staring at my own reflection in the mirror. The only difference between us was that I was a teen and that woman. Was surely in her forties.

　　I rubbed my eyes a few times to reassure myself that I was no longer dreaming. The last time, it was like I had dreamt about it. But it was no dream. It was reality. I was looking at my mother. It was her. She was standing in front of me. Emotions rushed through my body. My heart was racing inside my rib cage.

　　Tears welled up in my eyes as I started walking towards her. That smile. I could never forget that smile. But I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes too. I couldn't help but notice how easy it was to read her face. Her lullabies, her stories and her laughs, I could hear them all in the back of my head.

　　But then, she hopped into a car. My eyes widened in horror as I ran in the direction of that car. I felt a pair of arms wrapping around my waist and I was suddenly pulled away. I couldn't understand what was happening and why anyone would try to keep me away from my mother.