"So," Ruth drawled, her lips pursed teasingly in thought as she laid out with Raffo on a decently warm late May day.

Though it was the day before her big flight to her new home, she knew she wanted to spend most of her time in the one place they shared throughout their time knowing each other. There was something bittersweet and magical about laying out on the grass by their favorite basketball court where so much had happened. Introducing themselves to each other, Raffo agreeing to giving up smoking and Ruth agreeing to join a writing contest she ended up winning, listening to Raffo play the guitar for her, kissing each other for the first time, everything magical one could think of.

There was nowhere else on earth Ruth would rather be.

And by the ache in the pit of her stomach, she knew she was going to miss it desperately.

Raffo, who was currently laying beneath her, lifted his head slightly to look down at her as she took her head off of his chest. He rose an eyebrow. "So?"

She smiled warmly and traced her fingers over the bare skin peaking out the top of his basketball jersey. "How does it feel to be Oklahoma's favorite graduate?"

He chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes. "Favorite graduate?"

"You graduated with one of the highest GPAs in the entire school. And you were absolutely gorgeous doing it, so that makes you a favorite graduate."

"I'm pretty sure that's the craziest thing I've ever heard you say," he grinned, pinching her scrunched up nose between his thumb and forefinger. "But thank you for bringing Ava and Phoenix. I really appreciated that."

Ruth affectionately kissed his hand. "It was no problem. I know you didn't want your mom or Roger to go to the ceremony."

Ruth still had yet to meet Raffo's mother, but she understood why he didn't want her around his home until they successfully moved away from the abuse. After meeting that drunk first hand, Ruth had no desire to return to that house, which resulted in not meeting his mom. Maybe one day. But for now, she was just fine with knowing Raffo and his sweet little sisters.

Raffo had told Ruth a few days before graduation that he never told his mom about the date of his graduation because he knew she'd bring Roger. It was Ruth's idea to bring his sisters with her to the graduation, and it meant all the world to him. For Raffo, it was the little things that really mattered to him. And seeing that sweet little face glow with excitement and adoration when she brought Ava and Phoenix to the ceremony made her suggestion worth it.

Especially when she got the longest (and hottest) kiss out of it.

"Yeah, that would have been bad," he winced.

Ruth frowned. "You know I never would have let him ruin your special day, right? I'd Jiu Jitsu his ass before I'd ever let that happen."

Raffo brushed a small bunch of curls that escaped from her braid and pushed the strays behind her ear. His smile was small but warm and left familiar tingles moving throughout her body. She'd never tire of that little grin that did so well at rocking her world until she was practically breathless.

"I know. And I hope you know that I'm never letting him get that close to you again."

"I didn't get to show off my best moves," she deflated.

He kissed the corner of her pout. "Sorry, but it's not gonna happen."

"Fine," she huffed, laying her head back down on his chest as he fixed his arms tighter around her. She listened comfortably to the slow beating of his heart beneath her ear and briefly wondered how she'd be able to adapt without hearing it for the next few months. She and Raffo had decided that he would fly out in August before the semester started to see her, so it would only be three months until they're reunited. Three awfully long months, but she knew they would be worth it.

"Are you done packing?" Raffo questioned.

"Only because Terry forced me to finish it last night," Ruth admitted. She internally cringed at how long it had taken, but she was happy that it meant spending more time with Raffo instead. "It made me feel . . . weird."

He paused. "Weird?"

"Yeah, like it's all happening too fast. Like I'm not ready to leave you all just yet." She didn't like the lump forming in the base of her throat at the thought of moving away the next day, and if she had it her way, she'd pretend that she was just fine. That she was confident in knowing their relationship wasn't going to change.

But, the truth was . . . she knew nothing about the future. And despite being so sure of herself before, she couldn't help the pit in her stomach at the thought of leaving him for three months.

Raffo hesitated. He moved up into a sitting position and Ruth moved up with him, her hand resting on his thigh in confusion. For a moment, he silently stared down into her face and took in the pushing of her brows and the nervous chewing at the corner of her lip as she waited for him to say something. He sighed quietly.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait for long.

"You know . . . I would give it all up to go with you . . . if I could," Raffo struggled, his voice tight. His fingers slithered into the confines of her curls as his palm kissed her cheek. "To live a life with you would be everything I could ever want for myself, Ruth. I hope you know that. That I'd go to the ends of the earth with you if that meant we wouldn't ever be without each other."

Ruth swallowed thickly, her bottom lip trembling. Her voice wavered when she spoke again. "I-I know."

"But I can't leave," he said, though it sounded like he was saying it more for himself than for her. "And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I kept you around here just for me? Just because I can't lose you?"

"I wouldn't have minded if you did, you know," she joked half-heartedly. "If you asked me to stay."

Just ask.

Please please—pretty please ask.

Ask me to stay, you stubborn asshole.

A corner of his lip quirked up into that beautiful crooked smile of his that Ruth adored so much. "You know I'd never do that, baby. I'd never jeopardize your future like that, not when you've worked this hard for it."

She wrapped a hand behind his head and tangled her fingers into the smooth strands. Her smile comprised the bare minimum. "I always knew you wanted to be rid of me."

He laughed loudly at that one.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," Raffo teased, leaning forward to press his lips to hers and enticing her tongue into the sweetest dance. A star burst somewhere behind her closed eyelids, and a brown-skinned girl danced beneath the sparks of the golden lights.

He didn't pull back after kissing her right away. In fact, he kept his lips pressed lightly to hers, tracing his words against them. "I love you, Ruth."

Ruth coaxed him into one more kiss. "I love you, Raff."

*****

Ruth didn't want to go back home yet. If she could spend forever at that little court doing absolutely nothing, she would. But she knew it wouldn't be right if she didn't spend some of her last day with the two girls who made her move possible. So, when Raffo drove her home, she swallowed her complaints and allowed him to do so.

They spent the entire car ride talking and singing to the songs that played quietly on his radio. Their fingers stayed entwined the entire trip home, never once departing.

When he finally came to the front of her apartment, she turned to him and captured his attention immediately. Her narrowed eyes and puckered lips meant business, and she ignored the smile of amusement he gave her at the sight.

"Be at the airport no later than 7:30. My flight leaves at 8:30, and I want to make sure you don't get there last minute," she warned.

Raffo smiled and tugged her closer towards him. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm serious, Raffo. If you're late, I'm going after you and it will not be pretty."

"I know," he said, brushing his knuckles down her cheek with his free hand. "I'll be on time."

Ruth nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now kiss me."

Raffo wasted no time in leaning forward and claiming her lips one more time. They tasted of bittersweet sadness, of dreams on hold, and a love so strong that it could overcome both of those negative feelings. His tongue swept through her, his lips claiming her, and his love overpowering them both. She matched his ferocity as well as she could and showed him just how much she loved him in that one kiss.

And for extra measure, after she pulled back just a hair's length away, she whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, aiukli," he whispered back, his thumb smoothing over her skin. "So much."

*****