Page 41 of Matched (LSU #5)

GRADUATION—ONE MONTH LATER

J ada held up her phone. “We need a photo of you and Jonas together.”

“Yeah, we do.” I slung my arm around my best friend as we posed in our graduation caps and gowns. When Jada had snapped several pictures, Sophie and my dad took her place, brandishing their own phones.

“Proud of you,” my dad said when Jonas stepped aside to speak to his own family. “First one in the family to graduate. Lemme take a photo of you with Soph.”

I posed with my sister until my dad gave us a thumbs-up and lowered his phone, and then we talked a passer-by into taking a couple of photos of the three of us.

“Dad’s right. You should be proud of yourself.” Sophie rose onto her toes to kiss my cheek. “You did it. My brother is now officially a postgrad student. I’m so glad you’re still going to be at LSU in September.”

“Me too. I promise not to cramp your style or interfere unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

She laughed. “Good. There might not be anything to worry about on that front, anyway. You know Pete?”

My radar immediately started pinging. “Pete? Daisy’s brother? The Pete that went to our school and now goes to LSU? My football teammate Pete?”

“Yeah.” A shy smile tugged at her lips. “Um. The first weekend we were back at home for the summer holidays, when you were staying with Charlie and his family, I went to a BBQ at Daisy’s house.

We started talking, and, I don’t know, we seemed to click.

I’d never really spoken to him properly before.

Not a one-on-one, serious conversation, anyway.

He was just Daisy’s annoying twin brother. ”

Pete . I didn’t know him all that well. He was the same age as Sophie, so we’d never really interacted at school, and he’d been on LSU’s second team until recently, when he’d been promoted to the first team. But we’d been in the same orbit for a good few years now, and I knew he was a decent guy.

“Supports Glevum, too,” my dad interjected with an exaggerated wink, and yeah, if he had Dad’s blessing, then I had nothing to worry about.

“You’re together, then?”

Sophie nodded. “It’s going that way. We’re taking it slow. I don’t want to upset Daisy or make her feel like she’s caught in the middle.”

“I know that feeling,” I muttered, and Sophie and my dad both laughed.

My dad had heard a very condensed, highly edited version of the whole Charlie saga, and to say the man had found it amusing was an understatement.

He’d taken my bisexuality in stride, and as with Pete, his main concern had been the football team Charlie supported.

Thank you, Glevum FC, for bringing families together.

And to Jordan Emery and Theo Lewin for normalising queer relationships for people like my dad, who pretty much lived in a heteronormative world with his exclusively straight friends, their social lives revolving around their football team.

When Emery and Lewin had been outed, it had sent shock waves throughout the Premier League and the wider football community, but Glevum’s supporters had rallied round them.

Now, to the majority of Glevum fans, they were just another football couple, albeit one with a massive amount of media attention.

“Where is Charlie, anyway?” Sophie asked.

“He was going to find his brother and sister because they were sitting in a different section at the graduation ceremony. I didn’t realise the Southbank Centre was so big. That hall they held the ceremony in…bloody hell.” Even the foyer area we were in was huge, packed full of people.

“I know.” She glanced back at the doors that led into the hall. “It was like a West End theatre or something.”

“Yeah, and there were a lot of people in there, so it might take them a while to make it out. He should be back soon, though. He’s been gone for a while.”

Sophie’s gaze caught on something over my shoulder. “Any minute now.” The back of my neck prickled in awareness, and when I turned around, Charlie was there, beaming at me, with his siblings right behind him.

I pulled him into my arms, kissing his smiling mouth. When we drew apart, he shook his head, still beaming at me, and it warmed me all over.

“How is it you look so hot—” Cutting himself off, he eyed my dad cautiously, his cheeks flushing beneath his tan. “How is it you look so handsome in that gown and cap?”

My dad smirked at him. “No need to censor yourself on my behalf. Takes after his old man, doesn’t he? I was very hot, back in the day.”

“Dad!” Sophie shoved his arm. “Stop traumatising your only daughter!”

“And your son,” I said with a grimace.

“Hey, now. Your dad’s a bit of a silver fox,” my traitorous boyfriend said, accompanied by nods of agreement from his brother and sister.

This line of conversation needed to end right now, and it was up to me to change the subject. “We haven’t done introductions yet. Gem, Rocky, this is my sister, Sophie, and my dad, Tim.”

They spent a few moments greeting each other, and I took the chance to wrap Charlie in my arms again, kissing the tip of his nose. He placed his mouth to my ear, speaking in a low, sultry voice. “If you wear this outfit when we go to bed tonight, I’ll make it worth your while.”

An intriguing scenario played through my mind, but… “This is hired. I can’t send it back with cum stains.”

Charlie buried his laughter in my throat. “I’ll be careful. I have an idea about a graduation ceremony with a difference.”

“I bet you do. Tell me about it later, preferably when we’re far away from anyone we’re related to.”

“I will.” He kissed my neck and then raised his head. “I’m really proud of you, Nate. When I saw you up there on the stage today, getting your degree from the vice chancellor, I just…I dunno. I felt so proud. You’re amazing.”

The love and sincerity radiating from him made my stomach do somersaults.

“I love you so much,” I murmured.

“I love you more.”

“Not possible.”

A loud groan came from behind Charlie. “Please, stop. This is nauseating. Gem, remind me to never fall in love.” Rocky pretended to throw up, and Charlie punched him in the arm.

Gem ignored them both, turning her attention to me. “Congratulations, Nate.”

“Thanks for coming down for it.” The fact that both of Charlie’s siblings had made the trip to London just for my graduation meant a lot to me.

Charlie had been my boyfriend for a relatively short time, yet his siblings had recognised the deep connection we had as soon as I’d met them in person, and they’d reacted accordingly, making me feel like part of their family from the very beginning.

“It’s our pleasure. It’s the school holidays; we get free accommodation at Charlie’s student house and a couple of nights in our capital city.

Why wouldn’t we come?” She smiled at me and added, “But the main reason for us coming was to see you graduate. You’re a part of the family now, and we support our family. ”

“On that note, I think it’s time to celebrate.”My dad glanced at his watch. “Jonas and his parents are supposed to be meeting us at the restaurant at two, aren’t they?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We’d better go.”

“Wait. I want to get a photo of you and Charlie. Please?” Gem shot us a pleading look, and there was no way I was going to say no. Of course I wanted a photo with my boyfriend at my graduation ceremony.

Arms around each other, we smiled for the camera, and then I pulled out my own phone and took several selfies of the two of us. I sent one to Jonas with the message, You kicked this whole thing off with your app. Forever grateful .

“Alright. Everyone ready?” My dad glanced around our small group, and at our nods, he began to make his way towards the exit doors.

We left the Southbank Centre behind and stepped into the sunshine.