Temi POV

I'm sorry.

Please don't blame yourself, Temi.

I just couldn't anymore.

Thank you for giving me a reason to smile.

I love you, please forgive me.

I will forever be your best friend, even when we're not physically together.

Don't be afraid to open your heart up again. Live for the both of us.

I love you.

Yours always,

Grace.

The first time I read Grace's letter, I was angry and confused. I couldn't believe that this was all she had to say. It felt like years of our lives together were summed up in those few lines. Discarded in those few lines. I never read the letter again, because I couldn't bring myself to. I just couldn't do it.

For the longest time, I was in pain. The pain is still there. I retreated from everyone and everything. I shut everything out.

I'm putting this out there to be vulnerable with all of you, all my followers, and everyone that's been reading my poetry blog, wondering where I am, and what I've been up to.

It's been a hell of a year. I've been grieving, but it gets easier.

I think I understand Grace a lot better now. I think I'm understanding those I love much better now, too. I feel Grace in me every day. She lives now and forever in me, in my thoughts, and in my memories. She lives in my heart.

After all, what is grief, if not love persevering?

There's a knock on my door, and I look up just as Isa appears in the doorway. She's leaning against the doorframe as usual.

I take in how beautiful she is, like I've done a thousand times before. She runs her hand through her hair, which she recently cut to a bob length, pushing it to the side. She pulls this off so effortlessly and I take her in, loving every bit.

"Are you ready for senior year? Summer is almost over," Isa says.

She's right. This past summer has been different. First, it was my first summer without Grace, and I also spent so much time with both Isa and my mom. It was refreshing; different. But I embraced every moment.

"It's weird, going into Senior year of college without Grace. She had been here with me for literally all my other years," I say truthfully.

Isa nods her head, walking over to me. She reaches out and rubs her thumb gently against my face.

I shut my eyes, leaning into her hands, so my face is now resting in her palms. We stay like this for a moment.

"I think I'm going to reach out to my dad," I suddenly blurt out.

I open my eyes slowly. Isa is looking up at me with a serious expression on her face. She nods her head supportively, before leaning down and placing a kiss on my forehead.

"Do whatever you need to do. I will be here with you, throughout."

I'll be lying if I said I didn't think about my father ever since I saw the picture of him when I was kidnapped earlier this year.

I had asked my mom about it, and for the first time she had opened up about my father, confirming what Katherine said to be true. She told me I had every right to get in contact with him and apologized for avoiding conversations about my father whenever I had previously brought him up.

I thought I wouldn't want to. After all, he has a life of his own, a whole family of his own. But I want to. I don't know why. Some sort of closure, maybe?

"Are you good, baby?" Isa asks, rubbing her thumb against my face softly.

I snap out of my thoughts, turning to face Isa and smile.

"I'm perfect, now that I'm with you."

"Mmm, never labeled you as the corny type," Isa responds, causing me to smile.

"You get to focus solely on your art now," I say. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm excited. I'm nervous as fuck, too. It's definitely gonna be a new start, new experiences and all... for the both of us, I guess."

"Well, I'm glad that we're experiencing it together. I wouldn't want it any other way," I say. I stand up so I'm now facing Isa. She has a smile on her face which I mirror.

"Speaking of forming new experiences together..." Isa says, taking a few steps towards me and wrapping her arm around my waist, "I think it's high time we make it official..."

"Official?" I tease, "are you asking me to marry you?"

Isa laughs playfully in response.

"Baby steps..how does being my girlfriend first sound? We can work up after that."

"Isa... are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" I ask because I'm dumb and my heart is pounding in my chest.

Isa pulls me in closer so our bodies are fused against each other.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking," she whispers in my ear. The hairs on my neck stand up and I shiver slightly in her arms.

Isa moves her head back, so she's looking into my eyes directly.

"Your lack of response is making me nervous."

"Yes Isa, I will love to be your girlfriend," I say, wasting no more time.

"Perfect," Isa says, a huge smile growing on her face, "it would have been awkward if you said no. I'll have to-"

I cut her off by kissing her. She's kissing me back, holding me tight. Everything feels perfect. This is perfect.

Everything is going to be fine. I am okay. For the rest of my life, I'll wake up every day intending to live. I am going to live. For me, and for Grace.

I love you, Grace. And I miss you, now and forever.

A year later

Isa POV

Everything has been going smoothly so far. I cannot stop the smile that is on my face as people move around, looking at my art, taking it in, admiring it.

My first ever art exhibition ever, and it's in New York City. It's crazy. It's surreal. I would never have thought that in a million years it could ever have come to this. I never thought that I will ever have come to this.

But yet, here I am, surrounded by what I love. Surrounded by people that I love.

At that moment, I catch sight of Temi and her mom in the corner, looking at one of my artworks. Temi is talking to her mom, and without even hearing them, I know she is explaining the piece to her.

After all, she had been beside me when making them every step of the way. I had run my ideas by her severally and if there was anyone else that knew about my artwork as well as I do. It's Temi.

I make my way to the middle of the room, taking a deep breath.

I tap the microphone in my hand slightly, and immediately all eyes turn to face me, giving me their full attention. Slowly, the bodies of people walk toward me, till there's a circle formed around me.

All the while, I am watching with a smile on my face, only getting bigger and bigger. This is my dream come true.

"Hello everyone, and thank you for being here tonight," I say, my voice echoing through the microphone, "I am so excited to share my art, and have all of you here with me at my first ever art exhibition."

There are cheers and a few claps from the crowd. It's beautiful, and I take in the sea of faces. There are some familiar faces and some faces that I've never seen before. But regardless, I am happy that they are all here. I am grateful for every person here tonight.

"This exhibition is something that I have been working on for a little over a year now," I continue after the cheering has died down, "it explores loss and it explores grief. It explores welcoming new experiences, and opening one's heart to accept the new."

I look through the crowd and notice Simon. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it tonight, and the smile on my face grows even brighter. I feel warm inside.

"We've all lost someone we loved or cared about in some way or another. Whether through break-ups, moving to a different place, or even death," my eyes lock with Temi's. She's standing in the crowd, her hair is in box braids flowing down to her waist. Her eyes are shining as she looks at me. There's a proud smile on her face.

"This exhibition explores that loss," I say finally. "I hope you all can see its beauty and experience emotions the same way that I did whilst creating it. Once again, thank you for being here, and enjoy the Joshua Richardson Exhibition."

There are cheers once again, and I nod my head gratefully as the crowd disperses.

"I thought you said you wouldn't make it," I say to Simon, approaching him. As usual, he is dressed in a suit, there's a light smile playing on his lips.

"You believed that?" Simon says, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

I smile gratefully. Simon has always been someone I look up to, and my leaving the bodyguard agency is not something that would change that. Not now, not ever.

"You are pretty amazing at what you do," Simon says, his voice is light and teasing, "even though you were an excellent bodyguard, I much prefer you as an artist, at least that way you wouldn't fall in love with your assignee."

"You're right about that," I say, laughing. Falling for Temi is one thing that Simon will never let me live down.

We stand and talk a bit for a few moments before Simon has to go.

Temi now walks towards me alone, a sly smile playing on her lips. I take in her large eyes, surrounded by a dark blue eyeshadow, smiling.

"Oh hey beautiful," Temi says, "my mom just left. It's getting pretty late and you've had a long day. Are you ready to go?"

I nod my head and let Temi takes my hand in hers. Tonight is only the opening night of the exhibition. It's going to be up for a few more weeks, and people can come in and see it as they please.

The night is cool as Temi and I walk over to her car, hand in hand.

"I can't believe we're here," Temi says, voicing my thoughts exactly. "We're in New York City, both doing what we love, and being together."

Temi had graduated from College a couple of months ago and had immediately secured a job writing on Wall Street. We had moved to New York City after planning to do so for a couple of months. This way, Temi was closer to her mom and work, and I had even set up a studio here and had my first-ever exhibition tonight.

"I know," I say, taking in the quiet night around us. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

We arrive at the car. Temi, who finally got her driver's license a few weeks ago, immediately makes a beeline for the driver's seat. I roll my eyes playfully but make my way to the passenger seat.

Temi backs out of the parking lot, but takes a wrong turn immediately, running into a trashcan, causing it to fall over. Luckily, the trashcan is empty, so there isn't a mess.

"Baby..." I say warily.

"Oops, at least that wasn't a person," Temi responds and instantly starts giggling. I try my best to keep a serious expression, but cannot help it and before long I'm laughing too.

I'm happy. Truly happy in my heart and soul.

As we drive off, I think of Josh. I know he's smiling down at me and will be proud of me tonight. Of course, I dedicated my first ever art exhibition to him because he always encouraged me to go after my art, and live my dreams. He was the only one that ever did.

I am living my dreams for him because he never got the chance to.

What is grief if not love persevering- WandaVision