The Professional Lover (18+) | [Complete]

20 : Craving Him

The following chapter contains explicit material intended for an 18+ audience ONLY.

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Three months later, I am graduating, and it feels unreal. My mom isn't here, and I don't care, because Mickey is. I extended the invitation, and when she asked me if Mickey would be there, I told her yes, he would always be there. She made me choose. Honestly, it was an easy choice to make.

I run my fingers over the engraved letters on the front of my new degree holder. It's empty, of course, but it still means a lot to me. I've accomplished something I've wanted since ... Well, since I gave my baby away to his more capable parents. All that time making up for the school I had missed while pregnant, then all that time figuring out the quickest way to become something respectable. This empty holder means I've done both. Now what?

I guess I was moving to LA to play house with my porn star boyfriend.

Everything had gone according to plan so far. I visited Mickey over spring break and it was sexy, sexy heaven. He helped me get ready for the four interviews I had managed to schedule for the six days I was there. Shortly after returning, I heard back from my second favorite, and they offered me a paid position with the schedule I wanted, and I was insanely excited. After that, it was decided. I would be moving to California.

There was quite a bit of a debate over whether or not I would be getting my own place. Needless to say, Mickey wasn't keen on having distance between us anymore. And Mickey always gets what Mickey wants, especially when it's me.

"Congratulations graduates!" The room bursts into cheers and I snap back to reality just in time to watch everyone throwing their caps into the air. I laugh, knowing they will all spend minutes trying to find theirs again, but I join in on the fun, kissing mine goodbye forever.

We file through the rows to leave. Once we're back in the room, I find Jenna and Emma. Knowing how they work, this is probably the last time I will see them. Is this when a person with the correct levels of emotional capacity feels sad? I ask myself. I wouldn't know.

"Penny! We did it!" Emma says with tears in her eyes. I guess that answers my question.

"We did! Again!" I remind them. This was our second graduation after all. Not that it was any less special than the first, but I wasn't a huge fan of the pomp and circumstance of it all.

"I can't believe it's already here!" Jenna says. She looks a little teary-eyed too. It makes me wonder if I should fake it, but I'm out of practice with that. "This is it for us. You'll be leaving for California, and we'll be here all alone."

"Then we should enjoy today," I tell her. They both smile and pull me to them. They loop their arms through either of mine and we walk outside together to find our families. Though I know it's forced, I can admit it is nice to have mandatory friends for life milestones like these.