"Now introducing the graduating class of 2024's Biology majors!" The chancellor announced with a bright smile on her face.

Imani was lined up, waiting for her name to be called. From her spot near the stage, she could see her friends, family, and her adorable boyfriend, Drew. Imani smiled brightly and waved at them.

Drew and their friends were in the stands cheering on Imani. Their commencements had been earlier in the day and when they saw that Imani's was starting soon, they made their way across campus and joined her family. They sat through the long speeches and corny jokes until finally it was her time to walk across the stage.

Out of more than 400 kids in her major, Imani shone the brightest. She looked beautiful in her black and white robe and her hair was in those long braids that Drew still loved. He smirked; Drew knew underneath all that, she wore a black strapless dress that hugged her curves and made him drool. He still couldn't believe that he was blessed with such a gorgeous girlfriend.

People were cheering all around them as names were being called but Drew kept his eyes on Imani. She turned around and caught his eye, blowing a kiss at him which Drew pretended to catch. Imani waved and walked closer to the stage. She was about to be called.

"Imani Odo..."

Loud cheers filled the auditorium as she walked across the stage and shook hands with the chancellor and a couple professors on stage. Jasper, Jade, and Sir were screaming their heads off for her and Drew smiled at them. He got up from his seat and whistled before screaming, "YEA IMANI! THAT'S MY BABY!" He felt like such a proud boyfriend.

Imani felt her cheeks heat up at Drew. She was embarrassed but she laughed. She loved that boy to death. Imani headed back to her seat and turned towards her parents, waving her diploma back and forth excitedly. She was so happy as she looked down at it in her hands. Imani was proud of herself, her friends, and her boyfriend. They had worked so hard to get to this point and now that it was finally here, it almost felt bittersweet.

"You may now move your tassels to the left."

Imani stood up with a smile. Her classmates cheered around her as they threw their caps with pride. Friends cheered loudly, cried, and hugged one another. This was it.

"Congratulations class of 2024!"

~*~

Imani walked out of the auditorium trapped under the arms of a few of her classmates. They were telling jokes and sharing their plans for what they planned to do after college. Imani was in the middle of sharing her plans when she felt one of her friends elbow her, a smirk on their face.

Imani looked up and broke into a large grin. In front of her stood her beautiful boyfriend. Drew still had his robe on and his long hair was gelled back neatly with a couple strands falling over his brow. He looked sexy as hell as he smiled widely at Imani.

Her friends hugged her and said their goodbyes, leaving Drew and Imani alone on the sidewalk. He had a smirk on his face as he looked her up and down. Imani smiled and Drew opened up his arms for her, laughing as she dashed towards him.

Drew caught her and spun her around. "Babygirl, you did it! I'm so fucking proud of you!" He set her down gently on her feet while his arms remained around her waist.

"I'm proud of you too. We did it!" Imani smiled brightly at him. Drew cupped her face and started to pepper her face with kisses. He couldn't get enough of the adorable expression on his girlfriend's face.

Drew couldn't believe it. He had really graduated. He did it with his friends. With his family. With the love of his life by his side. He couldn't be more grateful.

Drew kissed Imani on the lips and pushed a braid out of her face. "I love you."

Imani beamed. "I love you too."

"Oh my gosh, we get it." They heard Jade groan from behind them. Drew and Imani broke away from each other and laughed, turning towards the rest of their friends. Drew had his arm around Imani and pulled her into his side.

"Ugh, seriously. Is it everyday we gotta see y'all nasties kiss?" Sir gagged dramatically.

"Literally! Seeing you guys suck each other's face off everyday is not good for my health." Jasper twisted his face in disgust.

Imani and Drew looked at each other and laughed. Their friends were always so dramatic when they wanted to be. Even after four years of Imani and Drew dating, they hated their PDA and took any chance they could get to crack a joke. That didn't stop the two lovebirds though.

Imani smirked and got on her toes, stealing another kiss from Drew. Jade, Sir, and Jasper groaned loudly and made gagging noises.

"Okay, okay! Damn!" Imani rolled her eyes, playfully.

Jade smiled before pulling her best friend in a hug. "We did it! We did it!" The girls cheered as they jumped up and down.

Graduating together was something Imani and Jade had envisioned since they were in middle school. And here they were years later; together surrounded by family, friends, partners. It was a dream come true.

The guys looked over at the two who had tears in their eyes as they jumped around before engulfing them in a bone-crushing group hug. They had come a long way. And they had forever together to go.

"Okay! I need to greet my mom before she insults me." Imani laughed and pushed her way out of the hug after a minute.

The group turned the corner and walked through the field in search of their families. Everyone was there congratulating one another on such a huge accomplishment. Students took pictures with their friends. Mothers cried with their kids while fathers smiled with pride. It was beautiful.

"Imani!"

She heard her name being called and before she could even respond, she was held in a death grip by her mother.

"Imani dear! I'm so proud of you! My daughter has grown into such a beautiful woman." Diana crushed Imani even more.

"Mom! I can't breathe." Imani could barely get the words out by how tightly her mother held her.

Diana pulled away from Imani and smiled at her. "Sorry, I'm just so happy." Her mother wiped at her eyes before any tears could fall.

Her eyes quickly lit up when she noticed Drew smiling behind Imani.

"Drew dear, congratulations!" She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheeks.

"Thank you, Mrs.Odo." Drew flashed a heart-stopping smile at her.

Diana held his cheek with a smirk. She was obsessed with Drew and his pretty face. Any chance she got, she would talk to Drew about the most random things and Drew would never complain. She loved him as if he was her son. Imani was convinced that her mom even loved Drew just a little bit more than her own daughter at times.

Imani's mom turned around to hand her phone to her husband and begged him to take a bunch of photos of them together.

"Mom!" Imani groaned. She was sure she would be seeing these pictures all over Facebook and Whatsapp within the next hour.

Drew on the other hand, loved it. He laughed as Imani's mom posed beside him. He loved and respected Imani's mom like the one he never had. He was grateful to Imani's family for taking him in and loving him too.

Imani's dad walked up to the two after the photos and pulled Imani into a hug, kissing her cheek. "Esosa dear, I'm so proud of you."

He pulled away and wrapped his arms around Drew in a tight hug. "You too Andrew." Drew smiled and returned the hug.

Imani laughed at the two men. When she had first introduced her parents to Drew three years ago, her mom was the one that took an instant liking to him. And when they told her that Drew was the same boy from all those years ago, she cried and approved of Drew immediately. Her mother had always been a hopeless romantic.

However, Imani's dad took a bit of convincing. He saw Drew's tattoos, buff stature, and tall height and automatically chalked him up to being a thug. He was cold to Drew at first and only approved when he saw just how much Drew truly loved and cared for his daughter. The way Drew looked at her reminded him of the way he looked at his wife. It was clear nothing would separate those two. He approved of Drew eventually and loved him in his own way. The both of them had come such a long way.

Imani noticed Drew's dad walking closer to them. She smiled at him.

"Imani, congrats!" Austin called out to her. Imani walked closer to him and kissed his cheek. Drew's dad handed her some flowers.

"Mr. Stone! Thank you so much!" Imani accepted the beautiful roses with a smile.

He pulled Imani into a hug. "Please Imani, we're practically family. Austin is just fine. Dad is even better." He smiled and winked over at his son who stood behind Imani.

"It's only a matter of time."

Imani laughed and squeezed him back. "Okay, Austin."

Drew watched the exchange with a huge grin on his face. Drew's dad loved and treated her like his own daughter. Imani laughing and smiling with his dad and her parents just felt so right to him. She was so right for him. He knew that he would do anything to keep her that way; happy and by his side.

His dad was right; it was only a matter of time before Drew proposed. And now that they had graduated, Drew knew that that time would be coming sooner than later. He loved this girl to death; a future with any other girl felt wrong. A future without Imani was Drew's worst nightmare.

Imani pulled away from Austin and smiled at Drew who moved to her side. He grinned back, enjoying the butterflies that swarmed in his stomach at her smile. How the hell did I get so lucky?

A couple feet away, Jade, Sir, Jasper and Brandon were laughing and telling jokes, completely in their own world.

A group of girls walked by the group and smiled at Sir, asking for a graduation photo. Sir flashed his million dollar smile and winked at the group before leaving.

"Will he ever settle down?" Jade scoffed.

Brandon, Jasper's boyfriend, smiled. "Based on what you guys have told me? I'm going to go with no."

Jade was laughing when she felt Jasper elbow her in the side. She was about to cuss him out when he pointed to something behind her. Jade turned around and stared at the figure, a smile slowly forming on her face.

"Jade, mi amor, congratulations." Chaz walked up to her with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He had graduated the year before but still stuck around campus to see Jade almost every other week. Chaz was serious about dating her, even if she continued to reject him.

"Thanks, Charlie." Jade accepted the flowers with a large grin. They were beautiful and they smelled just as good as they looked.

"No problem. You look beautiful." Chaz winked.

Jade felt her face heat up and she knew she looked red as hell. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself, Chaz."

And she wasn't lying. His hair was in it's usual curly fro. He had on a dress shirt and pants for the formal occasion. He looked good.

Chaz's words got caught in his throat. Did Jade just compliment him? Without some sort of slick remark after?

His lips pulled into a smirk. "Mhmm! Is that a smile I see? Does this mean you're finally going to give me a chance?"

Jade smirked, a blush creeping up her face as she started to walk away, "Who knows? I'll think about it."

Chaz noticed her walking away and chased after her with a smile of his own. Sir made his way over to Jasper and Brandon smiling over at Jade.

"Will those two ever get it together?" Sir laughed.

Jasper sighed. "Only time will tell."

~*~

Drew and Imani were walking around the field. Families were starting to leave and they were waiting for their parents to get the car from the other side of the campus.

Imani felt Drew squeeze her hand as he tightly held onto hers. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Even after four years, Drew still had the same hold on her heart as the first night they had said I love you. Imani couldn't believe how far they had come. And they had forever to go.

Drew smiled at his girlfriend. Imani was the best thing to ever happen to him. He loved her more than words could describe. He was sure he fell in love with her everyday, no matter what she did. It was actually ridiculous. Drew chuckled.

When they were reaching the end of the field, Drew tugged on Imani's hand to get her to stop walking. Imani looked up at him with a look of concern. He was red and didn't say anything to her for a moment.

"Are you okay, D?" She touched his forehead to check for any signs of a fever.

Drew grabbed that hand and squeezed it before looking Imani in the eyes. "Close your eyes."

Imani laughed. "Drew, c'mon! You know I hate surprises."

"Please? Just close your eyes. It's important."

Imani kissed his lips. "Fine. For you." She closed them.

She felt Drew let go of her hands and fiddle with something that made some noise. She felt him behind her, lifting up her braids before moving them to the side. Something cold laid against her neck.

She felt Drew's breath against her ear. "Open."

Imani looked down at the necklace that laid against her chest. It had a beautiful butterfly that shined brightly as Imani played with it. She smiled. It looked just like the butterfly Drew had tattooed on his arm. Her favorite one.

Imani smirked. "Oh? What's this for?"

Drew held both her hands in his and smiled down at his girlfriend. "It's a promise, from me to you."

She laughed, a warm feeling in her stomach. "And what does this promise consist of Mr. Stone?"

Drew pulled her closer. "It's a promise that I'll love you forever. I'm so grateful for Imani, you truly have no idea. Without you, I would've still been that same lonely kid that I was four years ago. Hell, I truly don't know where I would be without you. I know I say this all the time, but I'm so happy that I met you. When I was 5. When I was 19. You're my best friend. You're the love of my life. And I'll love you until my last breath. This is my promise to you that no matter what happens in the future, I'll keep fighting for us."

Drew kissed her forehead and Imani beamed. "I love you too. I don't think I'll ever love anyone as much as I love you, Andrew Stone."

He let go of Imani's hands and cradled her face. "This might sound corny but before I met you, my life was cold and bitter like..."

"Coffee?" Imani suggested.

He nodded. "Yeah, coffee. And then you came along like some sort of sweetener and sweetened up my life. Your sugary lips. Your smile. Your eyes. There was no way I wouldn't get addicted."

"You're right," Imani scrunched up her face, "That was corny as hell." She laughed.

"Shut up." Drew laughed and pulled her face closer to his.

He captured her lips with his in a slow kiss. A kiss that said everything he couldn't. He felt Imani smile against his lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Imani laid her hands on his chest, against his heart. Drew smiled and sighed in content. It was like her hand belonged there; his heart would always belong to her.

Imani pulled away from him with a smile so bright, it could make the sun jealous.

"I love you."

Drew kissed her one last time before holding her hand again so they could continue walking. He was so happy. He had his friends, his family and the girl he loved; life couldn't get any sweeter than that. He smiled at her.

"I love you too."

~*~

And that's a wrap guys! I just wanted to say thank you guys to everyone who commented, voted and supported me along this journey. I am so grateful for each and every one of you!

There won't be a sequel for Sweetener guys. When I wrote this book, I wanted it to be a short(ish) story. I like the way Drew and Imani's story ended and I don't want to ruin that by writing a terrible sequel 😭😭

BUT, as for a next book, who knows? I don't want to say too much because I won't lie y'all, I lose interest in shit real quick, like I'm even surprised I finished Sweetener 😭. But I'll be sure to let y'all know about anything new!

And just because Sweetener is done doesn't mean I'm gone. Feel free to inbox me, comment, all of that! ☺️

Thank you guys so much again, and I love y'all!

-kalopsia 💗