[A/N: Here's part two of the last chapter, as it had ended up being 10.000 words otherwise. Enjoy!]

22nd of May, 2021

The next morning, Dom was stood in the kitchen all dressed up in a suit and an apron, busy making the brunch he had promised. I had slept better this night, but I knew I had to keep myself busy in order to manage my thoughts. I had just put the last plate down on the table, as the doorbell rang. Dom turned the heat down on the stove, took off his apron and hurried to meet them by the door. I stayed in the kitchen area, not really knowing what to do next. I took a seat on the barstool by the kitchen island.
"Hi guys-"
"Dom!", I could hear his little sister Flo exclaim. She sounded much older than the last time I'd seen her, but she still sounded as excited as she always did. He hugged her. "Our hotel room is amazing-"
"I bet it is", Dom replied, as he tried not to laugh at the remark. "Hi Mom-", he told his Mom, Agnés, and they hugged too while exchanging a few words in French. She called him Nicky, like she always used to do. That much hadn't changed.
"And Dad", he continued, and his Dad, David, chuckled just like Dom did, before they hugged as well.
"It smells lovely! Don't tell me you wore that suit cooking, you're gonna smell of brunch all day-", his Mom remarked, switching to her flawed English. Dom just laughed it off. Their chatter felt utterly familiar, even though it had been years since I last was part of it.
"I guess I like smelling like pancakes", he pointed out, sounding carefree.
"You did make pancakes!", Flo said, her happy voice ringing through the apartment. You could hear from miles away how much she adored Dom.
"Well, of course, it's your favourite", Dom told her, and I could hear how his smile was stretching from ear to ear. "Come on, we're in the kitchen-"
"We? Is Isaac joining us?", his Dad asked, a little confused. A knot tied within me. He hadn't told them about me beforehand. We had joked that it would be a fun surprise, but I just assumed that he had told them when he invited them to come.
Dom walked into the kitchen, scratching his head.
"No, he's with his family at a restaurant, um-", he said, smiling a little at me. Flo was right behind him. She was a very expressive person, and her reaction didn't disappoint. Her eyes grew large, and glimmered with excitement.
"Rue!", she shrieked. "Rue's here!", she continued to exclaim, turning her head around to get the attention of her parents that were just coming into the kitchen.
"Hi", I suddenly said, not really knowing how to handle the situation. Flo walked, almost ran, up to me and put her arms around me. She was almost as tall as me now. And her hair was just touching her shoulders.
"Well, this is a surprise", Agnés said, and as I looked at her, I could see that she was smiling. She was just as radiant as always, wearing her colorful glasses and striking contrasting outfits.
"I knew it", Flo said, as she let go of me. "I knew there was something up with you!", she continued to say, as her look turned to Dom. He cracked a laugh, shrugging his shoulders, as he began plating the different parts of the brunch.
"Well, sit down at the table, everything is finished-", Dom butted in, sounding very much like a host.
"I'm gonna check out the place first!", Flo announced and instantly walked off, and Agnés followed her with a slight worry on her face. I grabbed the basket with the bagels we'd got on our way home yesterday, as David walked past me. I was reaching for the plate of pancakes too, and he noticed me struggle to carry more than I could chew.
"Oh, I can take those", he suggested, and he grabbed the plate. I looked up at him, nodding. He and Dom had the same eyes. "It's good to see you again, Rue", he added, giving me a small smile. We started walking towards the table in the living room area. "How have you been?"
I placed down the basket, next to where he placed the pancakes.
"Ups and downs. But I'm doing better", I told him, opting for the truth. He nodded. "You?"
"Same. The pandemic's been rough", he said, looking tired.
"I can only agree", I replied, turning my head around to see whether Dom needed another hand.
"Sit down, I'll be there in a sec!", Dom exclaimed from the kitchen as he noticed my wondering gaze. I rolled my eyes at him, but eventually took a seat.
"Flo, come now, we're about to eat", Agnés said from the corridor, as she was standing in the doorway to Dom's room. I could hear Flo sighing from inside the room.
"I just wanted to have a look!", she annoyingly remarked.
"You can have a look later", Dom pointed out, as he walked into the room, his arms full. Flo took the seat next to mine, trying to seem unbothered by the feast that Dom had prepared. She looked at me, a little hesitant.
"Did you make your dress?", she asked me, suddenly more quiet and a little shy than earlier. I looked down at my dress, suddenly aware of it. It was a wrap dress with long sleeves, in a deep blue linen that I'd fallen in love with when I'd visited the fabric store for the first time in over a year back in March. It was just about midi length, and tied together in the front, and there were bows around my wrists, too. My arms were covered, which was the most important thing.
"I did, actually", I said, blushing a little.
"It's really pretty", she told me. The comment made me smile. I knew it was hard getting a thirteen-year-old's approval, but I had just got it.
"I love your suit", I told her, because I did. She wore a muted light blue suit, perfectly tailored. She shone from the comment, but didn't want to seem to be affected by it.
"Yeah, I guess it's cool. I didn't want to wear a dress", she replied and shrugged her shoulders. Her comment made me smile, as it made it clear that she had found her way in the world. Dom put down the last plate of food.
"There we go. Bon appetit!"

We arrived at the graduation ceremony just in time. Dom handed me his camera, putting me in charge of it.
"Take some of my family. And let Flo have it if she wants", he told me, as he hugged me last of everyone. We spoke quietly, just so that we heard.
"I'll take some of you too", I replied, smiling as we let go of each other. He shrugged his shoulders, as I put the camera strap over my shoulder, like he always had it.
"You'll find your seats on your own, yeah?", he said, a bit louder while he looked to his parents.
"Yes, yes, Nicky", his Mom answered. "Now go get ready", to which he chuckled, and began walking off.
"Okay, okay"

We didn't have any problems finding our seats. I was sat on the edge, as Flo was sat in between her parents. Next to me I had Agnés. My routines had escalated since leaving the apartment, and then leaving Dom. I tapped my thigh rhythmically, as I counted each and every tap in my head. As it went on, I kept beating myself up. I was supposed to handle this.

Soon the ceremony began, and we cheered as we saw Dom come in and take a seat with his class. I took a picture, badly zooming into where he was sat.
There was a speech, and a musical performance.
I tried to constrain my routines, but they were getting worse.
"How are you, Rue?", Agnés leaned in and suddenly asked me after a while, during another musical performance with the school band.
I instantly withdrew myself, and tried to halt my routines. I didn't want her to see. I was suddenly far too aware of the situation, and over and over I tried to make sure that my mask was on correctly.
"Oh, it's okay", I said, but I was catching my breath saying it.
"Dom's not walking for another half an hour, if you need some fresh air?", she suggested, her French accent strongly shining through. "I could come with you"
I shook my head, smiling at her.
"It's alright", I said, as I tried to lower the frequency of my blinking. She took my hand.
"Come, we'll just take a breather", she said, and I folded, nodding. She turned to Flo and David. "We're just gonna pop to the bathroom", and with that we were walking up the stairs of the stadium. We stopped in the corridor. There was nobody there, and the music and noise was less loud.

I took breath after breath, trying to reason with my thoughts by using the techniques I had learned worked best over the years.
Agnés softly kept an eye on me from a distance, giving me space. It was weird, feeling as if I had to keep hiding my routines, even though Dom's family knew about my OCD, and had known, for several years. It wasn't the first time Agnés, or David for that matter, had taken their time to help me out. But still I felt ashamed. Still I felt like they would lash out on me.

"I'm sorry", I told her, as I was slowly getting back to normal. My breathing was slower, and my routines were fewer. But there. Never gone.
"No, no", Agnés replied, putting her hand up and literally waving my apology away. "I saw that you were struggling", she said, looking at me kindly. I fixed my mask once again. "Do you want to go back?"
I nodded, and we got back to our seats.

When Dom was just about to walk the stage, he turned around, having found us in the crowd, and waved with both his arms. As he did that, I snapped a picture of his family. His Dad was crying. His Mom was smiling more brightly than I had ever seen her smile. Flo, was waving back, literally jumping in her seat.
As it was his turn, I turned his camera to the stage. I zoomed in. Pressed record, even though I knew Dom never took videos. But I knew he would want this.
"Dominic Moreau-Fletcher", the speaker said, and we all cheered. Dom took his diploma, and shook hand with the president of the school. He was beaming as he stopped in front of the photographer. Then, he walked off, holding his diploma tightly as he once again found us in the audience. He threw his hand up in the air, waving at us. When he disappeared into the crowd of navy and orange graduation gowns, I stopped recording. I gazed at his family sitting next to me, feeling ultimately happy for having been there for Dom on a day like this.

After about another hour, we had made it out of the stadium, and to where we had parked the car. It was a little further away than where most people would've parked, but it meant that it would be easier to find parking and drive away. We stood in the shade of a tree, chatting as we awaited Dom. My phone began to ring. I instantly replied, seeing as it was Dom calling.
"Hey", I greeted him.
"Hey, sorry, where did we park the car again?", Dom asked me. His sense of direction had definitely not improved over the years. I cracked a laugh, as I began to give him instructions, despite he was the one who had lived in this city for four years.
Soon enough, he emerged from around a corner, seeming a little lost until he found us standing under the tree.
"There you are!", he exclaimed, and hung up, as he hurried to get to us. He hugged his Dad first, who had started crying again. I still had Dom's camera hanging over my shoulder, and quickly I took a picture.
"I'm so proud of you, Nicky", David said, and I watched the moment they shared. His Dad had been the most proud when Dom got into university all those years ago, and I knew it was because he himself hadn't had the opportunity to go to college. He had started working in the restaurant business as a dishwasher and worked his way up to management. Then, Dom hugged his Mom. I continued to take photos. They exchanged a few quiet words in French, as she held him tightly. As they let go, Dom turned to Flo who was holding a bouquet of white lilies.
"Ah, thank you, my dearest little sister", Dom said to her, as he leaned over to hug her. I took another photo, keeping my promise. "It's your flower, isn't it?", he asked her, and she nodded. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that.
"Yeah", she kindly replied, a little embarrassed, and Dom accepted the flowers.
"I love them", he told her, smiling. Suddenly, he turned to look at me. He was beaming. My heart beat a little faster. He was just about to take a step forward, but I stopped him.
"Just let me get a picture of you first", I said, as I tried to capture his happiness in a picture. He heard me take one, and then instantly walked over to hug me. I put the camera down, as his arms embraced me.
"I'm so glad you're here", he quietly told me in my ear.
"I am too", I told him, as I put my head up so that our faces met. His eyes were filled with pure happiness. I smiled. He smiled. "Can I kiss you?", I asked him.
"Always", he replied, and I leaned in to kiss him. Once again, I felt like I always felt around him. Safe. As we let go of each other, I handed him the camera.
"I've tried my best", I told him. He quietly laughed at my remark.
"You're great at it", he said. "Hey, Ma, could you take a picture of Rue and me?"

Later that evening, after having had dinner at a fancy restaurant in the city, we were once again in Dom's bedroom. We sat on his bed, as he went through the pictures of the last few days, searching for the picture of us. I yawned, as the time was late and the day had been long.
"Oh, here, look-", Dom said, pointing at the screen of his laptop on his lap. There were a few. Dom was beaming in each and every one of them. I was too. And then there was one, where he was looking at me, beaming with happiness, and I was laughing. I knew it was right after Flo had suggested we'd kiss for the photo. Dom had replied with you can't just tell people to kiss, and Flo had countered with well, I can and I just did. In the next picture we kissed. There was nothing grand about it, and instead a down to earth, quick kiss. Like we actually belonged with each other.
"I like the one where I'm laughing", I said, leaning into his shoulder. I usually wasn't the biggest fan of photos of myself, but somehow I liked that one.
"Me too", Dom said, as he watched the screen. "It has a story to it"
I yawned again, and glanced at his desk where his diploma was still rolled with a ribbon around it.
"I think it's time for your graduation present", I said, sitting up and pulling up my tote bag. "It's nothing big", I warned him.
"You didn't have to get me anything", Dom pointed out. I pulled the wrapped gift out of my tote, and handed it to him.
"Yeah, I did. It's your graduation", I told him, smiling to the side. He took the gift, and began unwrapping it.
"It's clear who wrapped it", Dom noted, referring to how the wrapping was neatly folded over the corners, and carefully taped together with a ribbon around it. I sat turned to him, excitedly yet anxiously watching him unravel the frame made of light wood.
"Let me guess, to put my diploma in?", he excitedly asked me, meeting my eyes. I nodded.
"Yeah", I awkwardly said. "I had a feeling you probably was going to leave it on your desk otherwise"
He cracked a laugh.
"Probably", he admitted.
"You should put it up", I told him, knowing that he was hesitant to do that. He never flaunted his success. Even though he was the first in his family to graduate.
"I will do that now, thanks to you. I love it", he told me, leaning in to hug me. "Thank you"

On the train back to New York, I gathered my bravery and posted the photograph on my Instagram.

@ruemarkable: One of my favourite people in the world graduated this weekend. Thank you for being in my life, Dominic.

When I arrived at the station, my Dad was waiting outside to pick me up in his car. I was coming over for dinner tonight, since we'd needed to reschedule the other day. I'd told him that I didn't need to be picked up, but he hadn't wanted to hear a word of it. Now he was waving his hand in the air, trying to get my attention as I unsurely looked around by the entrance to the station.
"Welcome back to the city", he said as I reached him, and we greeted each other in a hug. I'd already taken off my mask and disinfected my hands with hand sanitizer.
"Thanks", I said, giggling a little. Somehow I had gotten used to a less busy environment like Syracuse, and my body was slightly agitated by the hustle and bustle of the station. "And thanks for picking me up"
"No problem", he said, and grabbed my bag to put it in the backseat. I shoved my tote in there as well, before sitting down in the front seat. Dad started driving. I was already on my phone, texting Dom to tell him that I made it home safely.
"How was it at Dom's?", Dad kindly and hesitantly asked him, as he glanced over at me smiling at Dom's instant reply of a heart.
"Yeah, it was great", I said, putting my phone down to turn my head to Dad's. He smiled.
"I'm glad", he replied, turning his head back to the traffic.
"What do you mean?", I asked him, a little confused by his reply.
"He makes you happy", he said, quickly glancing at me. "That's all I ever want for you"
"Dad-", I said, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed.
"So, I won't be opposed. If you want to be with him", he continued to say.
"Okay", I said, putting my hair behind my ear just to have something to do with my hands.
"Or if you don't want to be with him", he added, just to be sure.
"I am with him", I told him, a bit shyly.
"I'm glad", he told me, smiling softly. "And your mother will be through the roof with happiness"

—————
Heya again!🫶
As promised, this is the second part of the earlier chapter. It's also a very pure one. I do hope you like it!🥳

I love writing these little snippets of Rue and Dom's life, after having thought about them for a long time. Which is why I also love having this sequel that I can come back to every once in a while: Do you have any suggestions for a chapter? If so, write a comment!☺️

With that said, I hope you've had a nice Easter weekend🥚

Have the loveliest of days,
Sincerely,
H