Lily's POV

As I walked towards the building, I reflected on what had happened in the past few years. Me and Asher moving, our separation, getting back together, and finally, graduating from university. I was on my way to surprise Asher during his graduation ceremony. I couldn't lie and say that the last few years weren't hard. They were very hard. Hence why Asher and I broke up. We thought that we couldn't continue our long distance relationship. We were both too busy and barely had time to talk over the phone. With a huge fight, we broke it off over the phone. However, not even two days later, Asher came to my dorm room all the way from Michigan, crying and telling me how big of a mistake we had made. I wasn't able to let him go either, so I got back together with him.

We made a vow to call each other everyday, even if it meant FaceTiming while we were doing assignments. It's safe to say, we hadn't once broken it. And now, we could finally be together. I had gotten a job in Michigan as a piano teacher and planned to move on to opening my own studio, just like Penelope. Juilliard's agents had promised me that this job was the right track to get to where I wanted to be. I didn't plan on becoming a concert pianist because I was still scared of playing in front of huge crowds. Asher was planning to swim in the NBA and I was extremely happy for him.

Walking inside the building with Cole, who had also gotten into Juilliard, I immediately spotted Jason and Ryan. Walking up to them, I hugged them tightly. Cole had wanted to  become a concert pianist, Ryan a therapist and Jason wanted to play football in the NBA. I was very happy for all of them. Cole and I sat down, waiting for the boys to get their graduation certificates. Once they got them, they both smiled brightly and rushed back to the bench, a mischievous grin on their faces. What were they up to?  Once Asher came up on the stage, I felt my breath catch in my throat. He looked just as handsome as he did four years ago. In fact, he looked even better.

It hadn't been long since I had last met him but I always got extremely excited. Asher walked off the stage and I immediately went to him. As he saw me, his eyes widened in shock. As still as a statue, he stood frozen in the middle of the walkway. His face morphed into a smile and he ran towards me, crushing me into a hug. As I laughed at his reaction, he grabbed my face and kissed me on the cheek. He asked me,

"When did you get here? I missed you so much!"

I told him about my plan of surprising him at his graduation as we walked towards his car, heading to a restaurant. I was told that the five of us were going to celebrate at one of the most famous and expensive restaurants in all of Michigan. I couldn't say that the food wasn't delicious. The five of us had a fun time eating, talking and laughing. We shared random, funny things that had happened at our respective universities during the time that we hadn't met.

After dinner, I saw Cole, Jason and Ryan heading off towards the hotel. Apparently, they were tired and wanted to rest. They thought that I had missed the winks that they sent towards Asher, but I wasn't stupid. After all, who would believe that the three of them had recently developed a serious case of 'the winks'. Sighing at their antics, I decided to ignore whatever they were doing. They would tell me when they wanted to. Asher told me that he wasn't tired and I agreed with him. We had barely done anything except for eaten. The two of us decided to go to one of the lakes that he used to talk about over the phone.

The view at the sight was absolutely beautiful. The moon was reflecting off of the surface of the lake, also shining on other parts here and there. The calm ripples on the surface of the water and the sound of the water was soothing. Asher smiled at me, took my hand and led me to further out, towards the lake. Once we got there, he said,

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I nodded, agreeing with what he had said. What he said next made me blush.

"Well, not as beautiful as you. And because of your immense beauty, kindness, strength and personality, I want to ask you something."

Once I motioned for him to continue, he bent down on one knee, producing a silver box. I instantly put my hands to my mouth. Shock coursed through my body. He wasn't going to propose, was he? I mean, I did want him to but we were both still too young. He probably realized what I was thinking, because he smiled, opened the box, and said,

"Do you promise to agree to being my beautiful wife when the time comes?"

Realizing what was happening, happiness surged through me, making me feel giddy. I shouted out a yes,  making him stand up, take my wrist and put the bracelet on it. What he said next made my heart melt.

"Just as you've kept the necklace, I want you to keep the bracelet. As long as you keep it, I'll know that you're still waiting for me. And to complete the set, you need to wait for the ring. In the mean time, just continue to stay by my side and be the amazing person that you are today."

As a few tears escaped my eyes, I leapt into his arms, feeling extremely blessed to have him in my life. He kissed my neck, making me remember the presence of the tattoo. I realized that it didn't bind me to Carter. In fact, I could bind myself to anyone with the presence of the Lily. I knew that the only person I wanted to bind myself to, was Asher. And I was exactly what the flower represented.

Devoted.

And, it's officially finished. I really hope you guys enjoyed the book just as much as I did writing it. Thank you so much to you all for reading this book and giving it a chance. Please comment and let me know if you liked it or not. It will make my day. I'm truly so grateful to all of you. I love you all. Peace out! <3

How I got inspired to write this book:

I was mainly inspired by a few songs that I listened to. More specifically, Lily by Alan Walker and a few other's. The plot started to form in my head as I started to search up the meaning of the flower, "Lily." It meant loyalty/devotion. I deduced the song "Lily" as one that was talking about how people are sheltered while growing up. But once they start to see the real world, the truth about everything that was hidden from them lies right in front of their eyes. I was really into books that talked about abuse and thought that fake promises of love could be a way to lure you away from the safety of your home and out into the cruel and harsh world.

That was basically my main inspiration for the plot and book. I guess that what I'm trying to say is, if you look deeply into things, you can get inspired and think of stories that you never could've before. I've had a few people ask me where I get inspiration from, so I just wanted to share it with all of you. Once again, love you guys. Peace out! <3