Note: I didn't know how to explicitly mention this in the chapter, but about a week has passed since the previous one.
Mrs. Levin opened the refrigerator, scanning it from top to bottom. There was enough food to last another three to four days, but she made a mental note to go to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up, just in case. She had a more pressing matter to deal with for now: What was she going to make for lunch?
The front door opened and closed, alerting her. Whoever it was had some nerve, barging in unannounced. Fully prepared to give the intruder a stern talking to, she hurried out of the kitchen, only to see Kevin and Gwen. Hand over her heart, she sighed in relief. Kevin was welcome home anytime, but she wished he had the courtesy to knock first, or preferably, give her a heads-up.
She walked over to them, and Kevin happily hugged her. "Hey, Mom."
Ever polite, Gwen extended her hand. "Hi, Mrs. Levin. It's nice to see you again."
"I'd like to think we're past handshakes by now, Gwen." With a laugh, she hugged her tightly, then turned to Kevin. "You didn't tell me you were coming over."
"Wanted it to be a surprise. I've got somethin' to show you." Mrs. Levin suddenly noticed that Kevin was holding a big brown envelope, which, after a moment of hesitation, he handed to her. She took his intensifying grin as indication that whatever was inside was a good thing.
She pulled out a big piece of paper from inside and gave him the empty envelope. Her attention was immediately drawn to Kevin's full name in the middle, written in big, bold letters. Her gaze traveled upwards slightly, moving over three words, 'General Education Development'. Gwen and Kevin remained silent, watching her expression change from one of uncertainty to one of pride as she re-read the whole thing to let it all sink in.
"Kevin, this... this is amazing!" Hardly containing her tears of joy, Mrs. Levin threw her arms around Kevin, nearly knocking him off-balance.
"Couldn't have-" He gasped, struggling to breathe in his mother's embrace. "-done it without Gwen."
"He's being modest. He-" Mrs. Levin hugged her again, effectively cutting her off.
"Thank you," she whispered into her ear before letting go. She returned Kevin's diploma to him so he could put it into the envelope, reviewing the interactions she'd had with him over the past few months. All the tiptoeing about where he was going and what he was doing made much more sense now. "Is this why you've been spending extra time with Gwen? You've been so secretive about it, I thought..." She trailed off with a chuckle, shaking her head. "Well, you know, you two are at that age where-"
Kevin flushed with embarrassment. "Mom, no, it's not like that! She- She was helpin' me study!" Gwen, equally abashed, could only nod and smile awkwardly, supporting Kevin's story.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked.
Now that he'd made it through to the other side of the whole ordeal, Kevin realized it was a little ridiculous that he went to such lengths to hide things from his own mother. He reminded himself that he wouldn't have known how everything was going to turn out. At the time, he didn't want to take any chances. "I didn't wanna get your hopes up. When I started this whole thing, I wasn't sure if I could do it. What if I told you about it but ended up failing?"
Mrs. Levin placed a finger under Kevin's chin, forcing him to keep his eyes on her. She needed him to see the sincerity on her face. "l would've been proud of you for even trying. I know you would've done your best. That's what matters." Her other hand squeezed his shoulder firmly. "And I'm proud of you now. So, so proud. Not just for getting the GED, but for being the person you are today."
Kevin's lip trembled. It never occurred to him how badly he needed to hear those words from her. Now that he had, he felt a bit more complete. The best part was that he didn't doubt her. He was finally at a point where he knew he deserved to have her be proud of him. "T-Thanks, Mom," he said, his voice breaking.
Smiling, she patted his shoulder, then clutched the envelope. "I need you to make a copy of this. I'm gonna find somewhere to frame it." She scanned the room briefly, already thinking of suitable places on the wall to display the diploma.
"Told you we should've done that on the way here." Gwen lightly elbowed him, to which he responded with a snicker.
"Stay for lunch, both of you. We're celebrating." Judging by her tone, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Fortunately, neither Gwen nor Kevin thought to decline. "Call Ben and tell him he's invited, too."
"On it." Kevin retrieved his phone from his pocket and went to his room. His mother, meanwhile, sat on the living room couch.
Gwen stood in place, unsure if she should follow Kevin or go to the couch. Her decision was made when Mrs. Levin patted the spot next to her. "Sit with me, will you, Gwen?" She did as she was asked and settled into a comfortable position, giving Mrs. Levin her full attention.
"Thank you for everything you've done for Kevin. He's... He's had a rough life." For a split second, Gwen saw a change in Mrs. Levin's expression, though she quickly composed herself. Was it regret? Guilt? Kevin never said anything, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he held some resentment towards his mother for his less-than-ideal childhood. Gwen guessed she was aware of that and felt at fault for not doing enough. "I'm sure he's done things he's not proud of- things neither of us knows about- but he turned his life around. You've helped make him a better, happier person, and I couldn't be more grateful."
"The pleasure's all mine, Mrs. Levin. Kevin's special to me," Gwen replied. "I'd do anything for him and there's no doubt in my mind that he'd do the same for me." Given the countless times he'd risked his life for her in battle, his dedication to her had been long since proven.
"Oh, trust me, I know! You wouldn't believe the way he talks about you. That boy's head over heels for you."
"The feeling's mutual." Despite maintaining a smile, Gwen felt a twinge of jealousy. She wished she could talk to her parents about Kevin the way he talked to his mother about her, but their disdain for him was much too apparent for her to even consider it. On the bright side, it was nice to know that Kevin talked about her.
Out of the blue, Kevin obliviously halted their conversation as he came out of his room. "Ben'll get here in a bit. He just woke up."
"It's noon," his mother pointed out.
He snorted. "It's Ben." He went to sit beside Gwen, who shared a look with his mother, implicitly agreeing to continue their conversation later. This didn't go unnoticed by Kevin. "Did I miss somethin'?"
"Nothing, dear," Mrs. Levin assured him. "I suppose I'd better get started on lunch. You kids know where the snacks are if you need any." She got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen.
"Thanks, Mom."
Gwen scooted closer to Kevin and waited until Mrs. Levin was out of earshot before speaking. "So, you did it. You're past the finish line."
Kevin reflected on the last few months; all the hours he spent learning everything he needed to know for the GED and all the practice tests he took to prepare for the real thing. He'd lost count of how many times he doubted himself. Through it all, Gwen's support and faith in him and his abilities didn't waver whatsoever. He wouldn't have been able to do any of it without her. "Ya gonna say 'I told you so'?" he asked, turning to her.
"Maybe someday." A small smirk stretched across her face, which morphed into a genuine smile. "Today, though..." Holding his cheeks, she drew his head to hers to kiss him on the lips, slowly and longingly. When she broke away, she stared into his dark eyes. "I'm proud of you, and I hope you are too."
It still felt a tad strange for Kevin to admit he was proud of himself, but he didn't care. He'd earned the right to be proud. "I am."
"Good." Satisfied with his answer, she released him and took his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders. She rested her head on his chest, mindlessly drawing shapes on his free hand with her finger. "What's next?"
Kevin paused. He'd been so caught up in making it through the GED tests that he hadn't put in any thought into what to do with himself afterwards. Did he have to do anything? A big part of him wanted to bask in his victory without worrying about anything else. "I guess the normal thing to do would be to go to college, but I ain't feelin' it. Plus, I ain't exactly the poster boy for 'normal', am I?"
"That's okay. You don't have to decide right away." She placed her hand flat over his. "I'll be here no matter what."
"You always are."
"Yup, sorry, you're stuck with me," she jested.
"Good, 'cause I wouldn't have it any other way." His arm tightened around her. "You're my girl."
Pulling away from him, she looked up at him, an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. "Say that again."
"You're. My. Girl." He pressed three kisses to her forehead, barely making it to the second one when she started tittering, giddy with unbridled joy. "And I love you," he added. Truth be told, 'love' couldn't begin to cover what he felt for her, but it was the closest word he could find.
"I love you, too." Gwen wanted to freeze time somehow and stay in this moment. Unfortunately for the both of them, a voice yanked them out of their bubble.
"Aren't you two just the cutest?"
Noticing his mother standing a few feet away with a hand behind her back, Kevin panicked and put a respectable distance between himself and Gwen. "M-Mom! How- How long have you been watching?!"
She laughed at their mortified expressions. "A couple seconds." Gwen restrained herself from hiding her face in one of the pillows on the couch. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I just thought I'd bring this out for Gwen. It'll give you something to talk about while I make lunch." The hand behind her back raised a blue book into view.
Kevin squinted, attempting to get a closer look. Something about it seemed incredibly familiar. "Wait, is that-" His eyes shot open when he recognized it. "N-No, Mom, please!"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, honey." Ignoring his plea, Mrs. Levin walked to Gwen's end of the couch and passed her the book. On the front page was a picture of a very young black-haired boy, no older than two, dressed in a T-rex-themed onesie. What caught Gwen's eye the most was the toothy grin on the boy's face. Overall, he looked like a far cry from the young man sitting on the opposite end of the couch.
"Baby pictures? This is gonna be good."
That's the end of the story! Thank you all for making it all the way through and for all the kind comments! Special thanks to Royal Detective for suggesting the story in the first place. I know it wasn't perfect, but I truly hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.