Kiara woke up the next morning, still completely amazed, shocked, and relieved. She had been terrified about what her parents would finally say about her acceptance letter. She still couldn't believe how the conversation went.
The night before…
"So about this Harvard thing" continued her father. Her father and mother exchanged worried glances. Kiara couldn't keep eye contact with them, so she kept her head bowed. Finally her mother spoke up, "Are you sure that going to Harvard is what you really want to do? We need to know that answer before we can continue with this conversation." Kiara slowly looked up, nodded, and said, "Yes ma'am, it is, more than anything in the world".
"Well now that that's out of the way, honey we couldn't be more proud and happy for you!", her father exclaimed with a huge cheese eating grin on his face. Kara's mouth dropped to the floor in shock. She looked back and forth between her parents smiling faces, completely baffled by their reaction.
"You're happy about this?", Kiara questioned.
"Well of course we are sweetie. Why on Earth wouldn't we be?", laughed her mother.
Kiara was floored," I don't know, I thought you would be upset or mad that I got accepted into a school that's so far away from you guys. Especially since I'm your little girl and your only kid. I guess I thought you'd want me to stay right here by you so you could keep an eye on me."
Her father cut in and informed her that the only thing they cared about was her happiness and if that meant her happiness was miles and miles away from them, then so be it. They were ecstatic that their little girl was going to be a doctor! The first doctor in the family, actually. Kiara was so relieved her parents were on board with Harvard that she couldn't help but smile and feel like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest.
Present time…
Her mother knocked on her door to let her know breakfast was ready and waiting for her. Kiara slowly rose from her bed, still warm with excitement and happiness about her parents support. She thought, as she got dressed and brushed her teeth, " I got accepted into Harvard Medical School, my dream school, my parents are supporting my decision to go, and we're heading out to buy my supplies I'll need for school today! This is the best day of my life! Nothing can go wrong today!". Kiara finishes getting ready and practically bounces down the stairs to get to the kitchen for breakfast.
"Good morning pumpkin. Looks like you're still in a good mood from our conversation last night, I see", her father laughingly states.
"I am dad. I was just so scared to tell you guys about it until James convinced me to. I was worried you would force me to stay close to home and go to a local college since Harvard is so far away", Kiara replied. "But now that I know you both are okay with me going, I feel like I'm floating on a cloud!".
"Haha, well pumpkin, we love you and we want you to be happy, and we will always support you in whatever decisions you make, as long as you're happy".
Later that afternoon, Kiara met up with James at their favorite cafe. She had been thinking a lot about leaving for Harvard and how much she was going to miss him. She knew it was because he was her best friend but there was something else to it, she just couldn't pinpoint it.
"Hey, you!", James yelled out as he walked through the door.
"Hey to you, too!", laughed Kiara.
"So, how did the talk with your parents go about Harvard?", James queried.
"It actually went way better than I thought it would", answered Kiara. "They were actually super proud of me and really excited and happy for me. I still can't believe it".
"See? I told you it was going to be okay. And you were stressing and worrying about nothing. Haha crazy woman!", James said laughing.
Kiara couldn't help but laugh, too. Her life was good and it was just getting better every single day. How could she not be happy? Her parents are supporting her decision, she has the best friend in the world, and she's finally going to be a doctor! But there was still this nagging feeling she couldn't quite pin down and it was bothering her
Noticing the expression had completely changed on her face, James softly grabbed her hand and asked if she was okay. But when she said it, he noticed tears were slowly filling her eyes.
"Kiara, please tell me what's wrong?", James insisted.
"It's nothing, I'm fine. I promise", Kiara answered, avoiding his gaze.
James knew she was lying and it broke his heart seeing her like this. Ever so gently, he caressed her cheek, turning her face towards. "Please, tell me what's wrong?", James insisted.
Finally, Kiara looked him in the eyes and knew the answer to his question. The feeling she couldn't quite describe, was completely clear now. The reason she was so scared to leave for Harvard.
James. He was the reason she was terrified to leave. She couldn't believe that their years of friendship had blossomed into something more for her. She was in love with her best friend. But how was she supposed to tell him? What if he didn't feel the same? She couldn't bear the thought of being rejected by him. It could ruin their friendship forever.
"It's just, I'm going to miss you and my parents so much while I'm gone, that's all", Kiara finally answered with a smile.
She had decided as soon as she realized, she would keep her feelings to herself for now...