Hello my lovely readers!! Here it is, the final chapter of Cupcake Boy. It has sadly come to an end now. I am going to take a break after this and do some editing with my stories.

To here you go. Please share you thoughts on this. It will help me improve my writing.

Thank you readers for all the support and love that you have shown for this. I truly appreciate it. Have a wonderful day ahead. God bless all of you and remember to stay safe. Muahhh. Lots of love to you guys.

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A week later.

AJ's POV

"I can't believe you're going with the black!"

"Willow, it's graduation. I don't have to dress up. Plus, we're all going to be wearing our graduation gowns."

"But we bought the pink one!"

"I don't even know how that happened! I looked away for one second and you got me that dress."

"But it's pweety." Willow pouted and gave me the googly eyes. "The pink wants you AJ. It says 'wear me.'" She spoke in her baby voice.

"Willow I promise to wear it some other time okay. Just not for graduation. The other dresses we bought are too striking for me."

"Okay then wear the white." She crossed her arms and stared at me with those challenging eyes of hers.

"Willow-"

"You said the pink one was striking. So wear the white. You chose the plainest white ever so wear it. It's the least you can do for me AJ."

What?!

"I can't believe you made me buy four dresses! What was I doing?!"

"Oh you were too tired to argue with me remember?" She said casually. "Come on AJ, you can wear the black one some other time. It is pretty but wear a different colour today. Please. The pink or the white. At least I'm not making you wear the floral one." She smiled at me and batted her eyelashes. I groaned and grumbled at her face.

"Fine." I finally gave up. "I'll wear the white."

"How about the pink-"

"White!"

"Okay, okay."

Yes, Willow made me buy four dresses which she thought would look 'phenomenal'  on me. She complained that I wore pants too much and that I should explore fashion more.

She dragged me to so many different stores. When we were halfway done, I was completely exhausted. That's how she took over and chose a couple of outfits for me. I will have to wear them sooner or later. Well that was last week.

Now we stood in my room as we were getting ready for our graduation.

I honestly couldn't believe the day is here. I can still remember my first day of kindergarten! This was a crazy feeling. I shook my head and quickly changed my dress.

The white I chose was completely plain. Void of any sparkle of floral designs on its fabric. The sleeveless, short dress however hugged my body and showed off my curves. It had a sweetheart neckline and it was fitting right until the waist. The bottom half which was the skirt, was flared but not too much. The dress was just nice. There was a neat ribbon on the left sleeve, which was actually on my shoulder. It was sweet and simple. I paired my dress with silver heels.

Willow's dress was a dark shade of rose gold. It was sleeveless too and stopped right above her knees. It had a round neckline with a long, narrow split in the middle. The top was completely sequinned. So it sparkled just like Willow's personality. The skirt part was plain. She paired her outfit with a pair of rose gold heels. I loved the dress on her.

"You look so pretty!!" Willow squealed and gave me a hug.

"Look who's talking. You're glowing Willow." I smiled at her.

"Ready to make Rylen fall in love with you again?" She winked at me.

"I can't wait to see Eli's reaction too." I smirked at her. She blushed and squealed like a little girl.

"I can't believe you're together with Eli. You were the one who thought it was weird that I liked it remember?" I stared at her.

She smiled sheepishly. "What?! When?!" Hey tone went higher and higher. Willow then laughed awkwardly.

"But he's so boring and bookish." I imitated her voice sounding like sunshine. Honestly, my fake Willow voice hurt my own ears.

"I do not sound like that! And..... yeah you were right about him. He's a great boyfriend."

"Yeah he is and so are you. Don't mess it up. You guys are adorable together." Shouldn't have said that because it landed me a bone crushing hug.

"What time are your parents leaving Willow?"

"In an hour or maybe two. I'm not sure but they'll be there." She shrugged. "Quick, we have to pack our make-up too. It's a long drive to the university." She said and took a bag she brought with her. I made a list in my head of all the important things we needed to pack. Remembering that our graduation gowns and caps were already in the car, I relaxed a little. After we packed everything we needed. We were finally ready to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's fucking crowded AJ."

"Yes, Willow. Graduation remember?"

"We need to go to the restrooms." She pointed to our faces.

Knowing that she would want to touch up, we found a parking close to her faculty. That way it would be closer to the restrooms and the main auditorium. I grabbed both our gowns and our graduation caps before we headed out.

"Willow we have 15 minutes. Hurry."

"Okay, okay don't rush me. I might mess it up." I sighed and followed her in. Checking myself in the mirror, I noticed that my make-up was untouched. It still looked fresh.

"I think I'm good. You need help with anything?"

"Nah, I got it. AJ just reapply some lipstick. And give me my gown." She commanded me. I did as I was told and we were ready in 12 mins. Congratulations Willow!

"Okay so where are they waiting?" Willow mumbled.

"Either the field of the cafe. I doubt they'll get a place inside the cafe." I answered her.

"Pffft, Rylen can get a place anywhere AJ. I bet they have a table inside. Plus, I told Eli he had to pamper me today."

Of course she did and he definitely had the hots for her. Speaking of Eli, he graduated 3 months ago. Advanced mechanics with Honours. He was the top student of his university. Yes the proud son of Mr and Mrs Henderson. I bet his younger siblings either looked up to him or hated him for setting up such a high standard.

"Hah! They're in there!" Willow exclaimed, getting all excited. I sighed to myself and it wasn't because her.

I hated the way my gown was flowing with the wind. I felt like a tent.

"Smile AJ." Willow nudged me. "It's our graduation."

I simply glared at her. The good news is, she was right. Eli waved at us through the glass window of the cafe. He was wearing a formal navy blue shirt with a black tie and black slacks. He looked really good and Willow just stared at him from the road.

I had to snap my fingers in front of her face to get her out of her thoughts.

She then grabbed my hand and we hurried into the cafe. Fortunately the bothersome flowing stopped but there was another problem.

People.

The cafe was fucking crowded. So we had to pushed our way towards Eli's table. Thank goodness it was a corner table.

"Ladies! You both look gorgeous." He gave us a brief hug and turned to Willow.

"Hello princess." He said softly. Willow shyly looked up at him and whispered something.

Awww.

Then I slowly turned towards Rylen who was quietly sitting in the corner as he waited for us to be done with our greeting.

Since he didn't like saying hello or good bye first, I leaned down to him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Good afternoon." I said with a  small smile.

"You look beautiful." He stared at me for a moment.

"Thank you and I really like your hairstyle." I commented on it. It was perfect. A neat side cut and the rest was styled but it was ever so slightly disheveled.

"Hmmm, I could get used to your compliments." He held my waist and pulled me closer to him.

"Rylen, we speed walked all the way. I wanna sit."

"Alright then." Instead of letting me go he tugged me forward and made me sit on his lap.

"Rylen." I gritted out in embarrassment.

"You can be comfortable like this and why are you getting all red again?" I buried my face in my hands and groaned at him. Of course he laughed out loud.

Even Willow and Eli stopped their conversation to stare at us for a second.

"Anyone hungry?" Eli awkwardly asked.

"Nope I ate on the way." I answered him. Willow said no because she didn't want to disturb her lipstick and Rylen just ate.

"We have to leave in ten minutes. It will start soon." Rylen muttered and kissed my cheek.

"O..okay." I blurted and looked away from him. Willow was giving me the googly eyes again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The auditorium was glamorously decorated. From flowers to the lighting. It looked like a hall made for royalty.

"This is fucking exquisite." Willow whispered from beside me. Nodded at her. I was thankful to be sitting next to Willow. Willow's name was the last her course and mine was first in Biochemistry. Since our courses were arranged one after the other, we got to sit together. Too bad I got separated from Rylen. He was four rows in front of us, sitting next to Pete and another one of his buddies.

Eli was sitting among the parents. But he was gladly taking the pictures.

Noah wasn't with us yet because he was chosen to be the student representative so he was giving a speech.

Once all the students were seated, we stood up again to sing the national anthem. That was followed by a few more speeches by a bunch of important people. Most of them we still don't know. Willow and I only knew one important person with a speech.

That was Noah.

And so we tuned out everything until he walked up to the podium. Willow quickly looked behind her and waved at Eli. Since she was the only one who suddenly did it, a few people turned look at her frantic gesture.

"Just text him or give him a miss call." I whisper yelled and pulled her hand down.

"Ugh, this is so much easier AJ and look he saw me. Now he knows he has to focus on Noah for a while."

"For a while?" I raised a brow at her and she replied me with a wink.

"A very good morning to you ladies and gentlemen." We heard Noah's voice.

"Okay it's starting." I whispered to Willow. Looking at where he stood, I didn't even know why I was nervous.

Okay Noah Santiago. Go for it.

Noah looked good in the dark blue graduation outfit. He didn't seem as nervous as before. Noah spent a lot of time in preparing the speech he was about to deliver and that is why he stood confidently before us. 

"Firstly, I would like to thank our Chancellor Mr. Benjamin Loyd, our President Mr. Morgan Hector and the Board of Trustees of the University of Art and Tech for this wonderful honor. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the board of directors, the Deans, to all of our faculty heads and to our lecturers. I thank you and I appreciate this opportunity." Noah briefly nodded at the university heads seated behind him on the stage.

"And now allow me to congratulate us. Every single one of the graduates here today. We made it." The was a deafening round of applause when he said that. A few whistles too. Although he couldn't see me clearly, I smiled up at him before he continued.

"And for that we honour each other. We know the struggles we faced, the obstacles we had to overcome and the biggest battle we fought, our studies itself.  They say life as a university student is supposed to be one of the best experiences that any of us could ever ask for. They're right. You know, I can actually remember the orientation days when we had to register ourselves with our acceptance letters. I remember paying for the first semester, taking the key to my room, praying to God that I would get a bearable roommate who wasn't totally out of his mind."

Students laughed at that and one of the boys quickly stood up and bowed dramatically. Obviously it was Noah's roommate.

"Everything is still so clear in my mind. It's like our first day happened yesterday. Remember the ridiculous ice breaking ceremonies that actually made the whole week awkward for us?"

Some groaned, others cheered. I personally hated it of course. Who enjoyed introducing themselves in front of large crowds anyway?

"And look at us now, look at where we sit. We're finally able to say to ourselves that we have completed another beautiful stage in our lives. Let's savour this moment of success. Let's take a moment to recall our first day of kindergarten, our first day of primary school, our first and last day of highschool. How we dreamed to be that person. How much we longed to get ourselves into a university. Some of us wanted to make it in life, and there were others running away from the life they lived through education because it was the only way out for them. Whatever the reason, here we are. We did it.

I will miss the endless partying, the drinking, the part where I could make stupid mistakes and still wake up everyday and go to class like nothing happened. I will miss doing my assignments the night before it's due and I can't believe I'm going to say this but I think I might actually miss my crazy roommate Josh." Noah looked at him and smiled. When he looked back at his papers, his smile slowly faltered.

"Now, I would like to get real for a moment. These three and half years meant a lot more to me. Beyond my studies, the parties, my hook-ups, my insane best friends and everything that I enjoyed during my stay here. I say this because this is where for the first time in my life, I..." Noah took a deep breath and looked at his papers for a moment. I leaned forward in my seat. I wanted to run up to him and hold him but that was impossible. He had to be strong now. I held Willow's hand when he finally looked up at the crowd.

"This is where I actually fell in love. With a sweet, loving girl who had a heart of gold. She was caring, she was talented and she was smart. Really smart. And I fell hard. I fell for her despite not wanting to be committed to a relationship. Due to that, I buried my love for her for almost two years. Until I couldn't hide my feelings anymore. How could I? She was one of a kind. Any boy would be lucky to have her.

Unfortunately, she couldn't see what I saw. She....she wasn't able to see that spark within her, the spark she carried wherever she went. That's why she never fully saw her self worth. And there were people around her who made sure she never did.

The very same people diminished that spark inside her until there was an emptiness that ran a little too deep. So when that spark was gone, she faded away with it. And there was nothing I could do to save her. There was no bringing Cora Destiny back.

All I felt was anger and rage. At first I was angry with her then slowly it was all redirected to myself. Why didn't I do anything? Why couldn't I see the signs of her struggle. I was close to her. And yet I was so blind to whatever she was going through.

Sadly, it wasn't just me. It was everyone. From lecturers to students. Ladies and gentlemen this is a horrible flaw in today's society. We fail to see one another. We fail to actually observe one another. And so we are blind to the suffering of others. To their pain and struggles. This graduation doesn't only mean that 'Okay, now I can move forward in life and it's time I secured everything I need.'

No. Make use of this new beginning. I hope that we will all step into the world and make a difference. We can start by offering kind, simple words to one another. Greet them, acknowledge them. If you can't, try a smile.

Sometimes it might not be much but sometimes that can save a life.

We studied to make a better world. At least that's what the courses narrow down to. So, whatever we do with our lives, let it lift people up. May our talents and our education truly acknowledge those around us who need us. Let us not be ignorant. Because ignorance can kill.

Cora deserved better. She should be sitting next to her friends. Laughing and feeling proud of herself. Instead, she's gone for something all of us were too ignorant to notice. I hope her death would bring meaning to our lives and teach us valuable lessons. The pain has certainly taught me some things.

Never take anyone for granted ever again. None of us should hold back our feelings. Tell your loved ones you love them. Let them know how you feel. Appreciate the people in your life. Take care of them. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow.

Further more, I would like to say this. Live life to the fullest. Do not live up to society's expectations. Especially if your heart tells you not to. Because sometimes, we have to think beyond all that stuff. We have to see things from different angles. Explore the world and reach for your goals. And never, ever forget the ones who made you. Never let them go.

When this ceremony is over, I would like to hug my parents and say thank you to them for making me the person I am today. To all of you graduates, thank your parents and everyone who helped you get this far. Thank them for their pain and hardwork too. Because a lot of them endured a lot of suffering so that you might be able to get a higher education. Thank them for their guidance and their support.

To those of you who believe your loved ones played no part in your success, thank them anyway. Humility can be an important step in finding true self satisfaction and the peace of mind. And that can take you far in life. Lastly, be a good person no matter how the world tries to destroy that goodness inside of you. Trust me, it will happen. Do not let it.

Remember who you truly are and be a good person. Thank you and congratulations to all of us."

There was a standing ovation for Noah and his heartfelt message. I blinked back my tears as I clapped for him. I was so proud of my friend. He couldn't have done it better. He said exactly what people  needed to hear.

"He nailed it." Willow laughed while she dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

"He did." I said softly. I hope you heard that Cora.

Once all the speeches were over, it was time for the presentation of our scrolls. We were finally getting that degree.

I took multiple pictures of Rylen when he went up. He looked too good, I couldn't help it. I didn't stop until Willow snatched the phone from my hand.

"Hey!"

"Prepare yourself AJ. We're going up soon. Stop being a such a schoolgirl." She chided. I looked her for a moment, completely at a lost for words.

"You did not just call me that."

"Yes I did. And it felt fucking amazing to finally call you all the things that I thought I would never get a chance to call you in this lifetime so deal with it AJ." She sassed before flipping her hair.

~~~~

Soon after, it was our turn at last. Happiness and sadness filled me at once as we walked up to the stage one by one. Happiness because I was going to own the honours degree. Something which I had worked tirelessly to achieve. Sadness because I couldn't physically experience this with Cora. All I could do was take a deep breath and believe that she was with me in spirit. Like I always did.

That alone gave me the strength and a sense of calmness as I received the scroll in my hands.

I slowly looked into the camera and smiled. Then I looked at Rylen. He was taking pictures the same way I did. And that made me laugh out loud on stage. Realising what I had done, I quickly covered my mouth and ran down the stage.

I strode towards Rylen and wrapped my arms around him. He did the same before he lifted me up.

"Did you just laugh on the stage in front of hundreds of people?"

"You made me laugh you moron." I kissed his cheek.

"Congratulations Amelia Jewel Alistair." He whispered close to my ears. I blushed at how he said my name and looked at my shoes.

"I wanna leave already."

"Well we still have to wait until it's over so get back to your seat." He pecked me on the lips and shooed me away.

The ceremony took another half an hour until it was over. But of course it wouldn't be complete without a photo session. That took another hour.

The auditorium was cleared only after that. Once outside all the fresh graduates were reunited with their parents and other  family members. There were hugs and kisses everywhere I looked. More pictures were being taken and laughter rang throughout the campus. It was a bright, happy environment filled with pride.

Although I knew the chances were slim, I still looked for them. I stood up on the tips of my toes and did a 360 degree scan. As usual, they were not here. Why did I ever expect them to be here?

Shaking away my disappointment, I fiddled with the scroll in my hands not wanting to bother my friends who were having a sweet moment with their respective families.

Thinking that I should just take a bunch of selfies of myself around the campus one last time, I gingerly fished out my phone from my bag and turned the camera on.

The moment I looked up to see if there was a nice spot, I froze. Gripping the phone in my hand, I took a step back in surprise. I couldn't control the wide smile that spread across my face. There, standing at a distance, were none other than Mr and Mrs Charles.

Mrs. Charles excitedly waved at me and called me over. Without a second thought, I ran towards them and hugged them both.

"What are you guy guys doing here?!"

"Did you actually think we'd miss your graduation AJ? Ouch." Mr. Charles said as held my shoulders.

"You guys came all the way. For me." I whispered out. I still couldn't believe they were here. They came so far.

"Yes we did AJ. We've always been there for you and Cora. And now we're always going to here for you. How could we miss this sweetheart? Congratulations by the way." She stepped forward and hugged me once again.

"Awww, I love you guys." I smiled up at them. "You made my day, I'm so happy." My smile turned into a heartfelt laugh.

"Now, let's take a selfie." Mrs. Charles stood beside me. I gave her a proud look and pulled Mr. Charles close to us as well.

"Take another. I have a few more poses." The older woman beside me adjusted her hair. I giggled at her enthusiasm for pictures and took as many as she wanted. Eventually, I had to stop because her husband was getting tired.

Once she was satisfied, I put away my phone and we just talked about the ceremony earlier. In the middle of it, I felt a pair of arms around my waist.

"Where did you go? I was looking for you." I smiled up and him and gestured towards the couple in front of me.

"Aunty, uncle. Remember Rylen?"

"Oh yes we do. Congratulations boy." Mr. Charles shook his hand and Mrs. Charles pulled him in for a hug.

"We were just talking about the ceremony." I informed Rylen and the four of us continued to chat for a bit.

"We're going out to eat in a while. Would the two of you like to join us?" I asked them both.

"Oh no dear. You youngsters go ahead. Uncle and I have plans." She smiled at me then she pulled me away for a moment.

"We've been planning on going out together for some time now. I think it's important for the two of us to spend time together. Today seemed like the perfect day."

"That's wonderful. Go. Go ahead and tell me all about it the next time I visit you."

"I hope it won't be long before I see you again."

"I'll drop by soon. Don't worry. And have fun today."

"You too dear. You've definitely earned it." She caressed my cheek and left with her husband.

"That was nice of them." Rylen stood beside me.

"Yeah it was." I smiled up at him. "Where to now?"

"I was thinking that we should spend our last day in a very special place."

"Ooooh. Where?" I leaned in excitedly.

"Nearby. Where's Willow and Eli by the way?"

"Taking pictures I guess. Let's give them some time. Are the rest coming with us?"

"Yeap. Look Jaxon and Noah are ready." I turned around to see the two of them walking towards us. I ran up to Noah and he engulfed me in a bear hug.

Just for today, I didn't mind the countless hugs I gave and received.

"That was a beautiful speech Noah. We loved it and Cora would be proud of you." I said to him in all honesty.

"Thanks AJ, I appreciate it. And now I'm starving. Rylen won't tell us where we're going." I laughed at his impatient complains. Just when I was about to reply him, I stopped and saw someone behind him. She was saying goodbye to whom I presume were her parents. Once the older couple left, I walked up to her.

"Yi Zing?"

"AJ!" She excitedly ran to me and hugged me. "Congratulations!"

"You too. Hey, were those two your parents?"

"Yes, they're headed back because they have to be somewhere else right now. I'll see them again tomorrow. I know they're planning a surprise party for me." She rolled her eyes.

"So, some of us are going out to eat. You know, a small celebration. You wanna come along?"

"O...of course. I would love to. And I'm actually starving." I smiled and grabbed her hand before dragging her towards the guys. Now, Zach had also joined in.

"Come on man, where are we going?!" Jax was pleading Rylen like a toddler.

"Congratulations Jaxon. I didn't get to say it earlier." I lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"Thanks sailor man. Now could you please ask your stone head boyfriend to tell us where we're going?"

"Hey stone head boyfriend. Where are we going?" Rylen flicked my forehead before turning to the rest of the group.

"It's a place where we've all been throughout our university life. It's a simple venue but the place is warm and comforting. A lot of memories there too so I think we'll all like it."  Before I could ask questions I figured it out.

I knew exactly where he was taking us.

After a long wait for Eli and Willow we finally left the campus.

~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later, we all walked into the bakery.

Mr and Mrs Quinton were readily standing at the entrance to welcome all of us. Mr. Bernard actually had a party horn and blew it to our faces.

"I see you are prepared for this." I teased him.

"Always am AJ. Good to see you Rylen."

"Yeah you too. Thanks again for all this." Rylen said to him. The whole bakery was decorated according to a graduation theme. There were no specific colour codes but it was pretty. There were colourful balloons on the ceiling, ribbons on the chairs and our tables were filled with cupcakes of every flavour.

"This is so pretty!" Willow squealed as she gripped Eli's hand.

"Yeah. This is amazing." He looked around the bakery is awe.

"Hey Rylen I love this place but how am I supposed to stuff myself with cupcakes? I need a heavier meal man." Jaxon leaned next to Rylen. Noah nodded his head in agreement.

Well, they do have a point.

"Guys relax. I know all of us are starving right now. That's why they're preparing us a big home cooked meal." I'm not exaggerating, there were actual cheers from us.

"Rylen you booked this whole place?" Yi Zing asked him.

"Yeap. It wasn't hard. Mr and Mrs Quinton would do anything for AJ. She used to work here."

"That's so sweet of them and AJ you have to bake me something one of these days." She turned to me.

"It would be my pleasure." I excused myself while they took their seats at the tables. Walking into the kitchen, I saw Winnie the Pooh trying to juggle a few glasses in the hands.

"Here let me help." I took the glasses from her and arranged them on the table.

"That's all you're going to do. Now go and join the rest. You're not working today young lady." She said sternly, leaving no room for arguments. While I walked back, I caught Rylen staring at me from top to bottom.

I immediately blushed and quickly took my seat beside him.

"You look lovely in that dress." He kissed the side of my head.

"Thanks." I squeaked out. "I'm glad we finally get to take those gowns off." Rylen was wearing a fitted black shirt that made him look more desirable than usual. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows so the tattoos on his arm were very visible. Gosh, why did he have to be this hot? I was already blushing and he didn't even have to do anything.

"What's going on inside that dirty mind of yours?" He whispered close to my ear. I pushed him away and fiddled with my fingers. Rylen laughed at my embarrassment and took my hand in his. Thank goodness everyone was engrossed with their cupcakes. It was nice to see them enjoying the treat.

"Champagne for all!" Mr. Bernard announced and left two bottles on the table.

"I love you Mr.B!" Jaxon gave the man a thumbs up but before he could reach for the bottle, Zach snatched it and poured himself a full glass.

"Me first." He smirked at Jaxon. After he was done filling up his glass, Noah took the bottle and poured the champagne for everyone.

"To what shall we toast to?"

"Hard work?" Eli suggested and Willow called him a nerd.

"To Cora and to a new beginning." Everyone went quiet as Zach boldly proposed his toast.

"I like that." Noah nodded at Zach. And so we all clinked our glasses and drank our champagne.

The conversation soon picked up from where they left it. Everyone was listening intently to Jaxon's heroic deed when he saved a lost dog. He was 12 at the time and the dog he saved was actually his own dog which I believe had actually ran away because Jax was a horrible owner.

Anyway, he had his own way of seeing things.

As we were listening I felt Rylen's hand on my knee. Raising a brow, I turned to look at him.

"Let's take a ride after this. Just you and me." A soft smile played on my lips as I nodded at him.

Soon after the food arrived. Mr and Mrs Quinton prepared a big meal for us. They roasted a chicken, there was fried rice, mixed vegetables, also beef and potato layered casserole, pasta and meatballs, along with mashed potato. Winnie the Pooh promised us that we could order as much milkshake as we wanted to.

Jaxon was having the best day of his life.

We ate to out hearts content. Everything was perfectly cooked and the food was delicious. More importantly we had a great time together. As we should.

We talked for hours, we ate, we laughed and soon it was time for goodbye.

Jaxon and Zach needed to clear their house, and the rest had their own plans with their families. However, Eli and Willow wanted to spend the day together like Rylen and myself.

Willow had told me that she wanted to go to the beach with Eli. She kept imagining how romantic it would be and soon she was staring in her own romantic comedy.

"And we're leaving! I'll see you soon AJ!" She was giddy with excitement and I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. She hugged me before grabbing Eli's hand. He didn't really get to say goodbye properly.

"Bye AJ, bye Rylen, bye guys and bye Mr and Mrs Quinton. I loved the foo-" And he was out.

"Well, I guess I'm leaving too." Yi Zing stood up.

"Hey you want a ride back to campus?" Noah offered her.

"Yeah. That would be great."

Noah then turned to me. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I will see you soon AJ."

"You better." I said sadly. Noah was my first friend in the university besides Willow and Cora. I was going to miss him so badly.

"Hey why the long face? I'll see you soon, that's a promise AJ." We hugged each other for a long time.

"I'll hold onto that promise Noah."

Then I said good bye to Jaxon, Zach and Yi Zing as well. Actually I wasn't going to miss Jaxon. We lived close to each other and something tells me we'll clash together again in the next chapter of our lives. We always do.

Once we all said our goodbyes, I sat down again. I just wanted to rest for a moment. After the long day we had, I felt exhausted.

"Have you thought about it? About what you're going to do next?"

"I don't know yet Rylen. I don't think I'm going to do anything immediately. I might continue to help Mr and Mrs Quinton out with the bakery."

Rylen looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to say that. Since I was a nerd who always put her studies first.

"How about you?" I asked him.

"I'll start small of course. Maybe work in an automotive industry and then work myself up from there."

"That's nice. I'm sure you'll get whatever you're after."

"Really? Love the confidence you have in me."

"What? You're smart." I shrugged at him.

"Come here Amelia." He grabbed my waist and pulled out of my chair and sat me across his lap. It happened so fast that I had to blink a few times.

"I was right there and now-"

"You're closer to me." He finished my sentence and gently kissed my cheek before he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Rylen please behave. Winnie the Pooh might be watching."

"She's always watching. Nothing gets past that woman." I giggled at him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. His mouth was warm against mine and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach again. Only Rylen could make me feel this way by just a simple kiss.

We pulled away and rested our foreheads against each others.

"Amelia."

"Rylen."

"Amelia, I really have to say this." He suddenly said in a shaky voice. His thumb drew circles on my side as he looked at me. Was he nervous? I gently caressed his cheek and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Then say it Rylen."

"I love you Amelia Jewel." He whispered as he looked deep into my eyes. His grip around my waist tightened.

"I understand if you're not ready, I really do. But this is how I feel. I don't ever want to lose you."

"Rylen you won't. Because I'm not going anywhere." With that being said, I crashed my lips against his and kissed him passionately. I poured out everything that I felt for him through that kiss. It was fiery and sweet at the same time. It made feel alive and I wanted him to be with me forever. Only him.

"Rylen I'm not going anywhere because I love you too. I always have." His hard gaze softened at my words and he was calm again. I was then pulled in for another hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he rested his head on my shoulder. I was once again in his warm, protective, and comforting embrace and honestly, I would rather stay in his arms than be anywhere else.

"I love you. A lot more than I can express with words." He whispered against the crook of my neck. I pulled away and cupped his handsome face.

"I love you too Rylen. You're my cupcake boy. Now and always." I said tenderly.

The End

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Well, it ends here. What a journey. I would once again like to thank all the readers for your support. This is the final chapter of Cupcake Boy.

A few fun facts.

Rylen Cameron becomes very successful in the automotive industry. He's would eventually open up his own company.

AJ spends 8 months working in the bakery before she finally decided to apply for a job. She works in a research company and carries out biochemical experiments. Being a mentor to others is also part of her job.

She maintains a very close relationship with Mr and Mrs Charles.

A year after graduation, her parents finally call her. They want to mend their relationship with AJ but she will make it difficult for them as it is not easy for her to be accept their sudden apology. She boldly tells them that Rylen is the man for her and they reluctantly accept, not wanting to lose their daughter forever.

Noah decided to get his master's degree and is currently working for his PhD. He gives motivational talks in youth centers during his free time.

Jaxon is planning on opening up his very own bar with Zach by his side.

Willow and Eli are living in their very own romantic movie. Willow is a dance master and she's making her way to broadway. She's enjoying every little thing in life. Especially her Eli.

Bye bye. 👋👋💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞