I couldn’t shake the fears inside me. I had this horrible feeling that Trevor was the one I couldn’t let slip through my fingers—the one that could really make me happy, make me laugh, make me smile. The picture frame was beyond thoughtful and for the first time, the idea of dating Trevor exclusively gave me butterflies. I could only hope that I’d get an answer before Valentine’s Day.
As we walked back to our room, I contemplated escaping the whole damn thing—catching a bus back home for the weekend and avoiding both guys. But I knew that would only delay the inevitable.
I had to figure this out. And fast.
Chapter 21
Three Valentines
Sunny
Valentine’s Day
My gaze couldn’t stop drifting to the dusty clock above my professor’s head. I swore I could hear the seconds ticking away slowly, slowly, slowly. It was taunting me. My plans with Sawyer couldn’t come soon enough. I’d been waiting for this day ever since he officially asked me to be his date for the holiday.
Four more minutes. That was all. Just four measly minutes and I would be on my way to Weston. I’d have an hour to reapply my makeup, put some extra curls in my hair, and change my clothes to a cute outfit I picked up at Hollister last weekend.
Subtly, I began to pack up my things while Professor Marsh finished his lecture. Glancing at my phone, I noticed I had two text messages, one from each of my friends. Grace was freaking out. She had one date tonight and one on Saturday. Claudia wanted to know if her aqua scarf was in my room. It was. Crap. I knew Libby had given her that scarf for Christmas. She was probably planning to wear it to dinner tonight. They weren’t planning anything extravagant, just Chinese takeout at Libby’s. And I was pretty sure there were flowers waiting for Claudia at the front desk when I left Weston this morning.
“Sunny McCormick.” The voice of my professor sent a shot of adrenaline through my belly. Crap, he probably saw me checking my phone. Professor Marsh wasn’t the type of teacher to address students by name, or call on them to contribute to the discussion.
My hand raised above my head, my fingers shaking. “Yes, sir.”
His eyes searched the lecture hall and finally landed on me. “See me after class.”
My pulse raced as I slipped down into my chair, completely mortified.
“That is all for today. See you all next week,” Professor Marsh stated, turning off his laptop.
Reluctantly, I gathered my coat and messenger bag and walked down the steps. I envied the hundreds of students who were allowed to go in the opposite direction. I wanted, no, I needed to leave with them. I was terrified.
“Professor?”
“Ah, yes, Ms. McCormick.” He leaned down and retrieved a simple white envelope from the podium. “Normally I don’t participate in things like this. But the young man was persistent.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, confused. Young man? Persistent?
“Here.” He placed the envelope in my hand. My name was scrawled across the envelope. I knew that handwriting.
Sawyer.
Another shot of adrenaline shot through my abdomen, only this time it was filled with excitement.
“Until next week, Ms. McCormick.”
“Uh…yes, sir.”
My head was swimming, but somehow I managed to walk up the stairs of the lecture hall. When I reached the hallway, I tore open the simple white envelope to reveal a folded note.
Valentine’s Day Scavenger Hunt:
Clue #1: When I speak your name, an echo can be heard in my ears alone.
My ears turned pink, knowing exactly where Sawyer was sending me—the “echo spot” in front of Foellinger Auditorium on the south end of the quad. I couldn’t get there fast enough. A Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt? Holy crap! The hopeless romantic in me wanted to sing my heart out from the rooftop of the auditorium.
The heels of my boots clicked against the sidewalk as I approached the echo spot. My chest heaved up and down when I spotted it. A simple envelope marked Sunny. A daisy was attached. Luckily, no one was nearby to see my excitement as I bent down to retrieve the note and flower. In the exact same handwriting, the note simply read:
Clue #2: Hungry on a busy day? No problem. Stop here for a quick bite on the quad.
Without skipping a beat, I made my way to the food cart in front of the foreign languages building. Dorm dwellers like myself could use our dining hall card to get a quick bag lunch. Luckily, when I approached the cart, I saw the next envelope taped to the soda cooler along with a white rose. The ladies who ran the cart weren’t always super friendly, so having to interrupt them from their work was not something I wanted to do. Quickly, I snatched the envelope and revealed the next clue.
Clue #3: The undergrad library had to be built underground because of me. Can’t throw shade…
Everyone, even lowly freshmen like me, knew the answer to this. Hell, they told us all about the Morrow Plots at summer orientation. The story went that this experimental cornfield set up for agricultural research was so important to the campus that they built the library underground so as not to throw shade on the corn and kill the plot. The Morrow Plots were also not very far from the foreign languages building.
Luckily, Sawyer wasn’t making me cross the campus. He was keeping me on the quad. My frozen toes thanked him. I was hoping to see Sawyer standing near the placard next to the corn, but no one was there. There was, however, another envelope taped to the placard, along with a beautiful stargazer lily.
Clue #4: Catch the quad bus and ride to the pack of six. Perhaps I’ll be there, if this isn’t a trick.
Home. He was sending me home to Weston; everyone knew that the Six Pack was the unofficial name of a group of six dorms, which happened to include mine. A bus had passed by when I made my way to the plots, so I knew it would be a few minutes before another came by.
I texted the girls while I waited at the bus stop, but when the bus finally arrived, I had yet to hear from either of them. Odd. I climbed into the warmth of the bus and sat in the first seat. Within minutes, we arrived at the Six Pack and I hopped off the bus at the first stop.
I looked left and right but couldn’t find Sawyer. Was it possible he wanted me to get off at a later stop? I glanced back at the clue. The word “trick” jumped out at me. Interesting.
My feet felt glued to the pavement as I pondered going back to my dorm room. It didn’t make sense that he’d lead me here with no other clues. My fingers were shaking as the central Illinois wind gusted, feeling like it was cutting through me. I had to give up. This was clearly a dead end. Might as well take a few minutes to defrost and pretty myself up.
My phone pinged with a text message. It was from Sawyer.
Clue #5: Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…
Grace? Was Grace somehow involved in this? That seemed strange considering all the drama that was surrounding her own Valentine’s Day. Dinner with Ross tonight, a date with Trevor on Saturday. Hmm. There was no other explanation. She had to be a part of this crazy romantic hunt.
Breezing past the front desk, I made my way to Grace’s room. The door was unlocked, but Grace was nowhere to be found. Strange. Grace was not overly trusting with her things, and wasn’t the type to leave her room like that.
“Grace?” I called out to the empty hallway. When I glanced back into her room, I saw it. A bouquet of flowers sat on Grace’s desk. I couldn’t assume they were for me; for God’s sake, she had two guys pursuing her. They were probably from Ross or Trevor.
Out of sheer curiosity, I approached the flowers. Sure enough, the card read “Grace.”
“Crap,” I huffed. “Now what?”
I plopped down in Grace’s desk chair. It was then that I felt it. A stem…on my ass. I jumped up as if I’d sat on a sharp tack. The spathe of the calla lily was mashed to the seat. The bright white of the envelope made me smile. I was on the right track.
Final Clue: You probably walked right past me when you entered the building�
��but that’s okay. I won’t take it personally.
My mind was blown. What? I walked past Sawyer? He’s inside my dorm? Where?
Grabbing the collapsed flower, I made my way downstairs to the front desk. I saw his worn brown loafers first and the familiar dark wash of his jeans as he sat on a bench at the side of the lobby. The rest of him was blocked by an enormous bouquet of hot pink roses. But I knew it was him. It had to be.
“You’re too much,” I said as I approached the faceless boy on the bench. Hair the color of chocolate peeked into view when I stood before him. It was definitely my Lost Boy.
“Surprise,” Sawyer said, lowering the vase, a proud smile on his all-American-boy face. God, that smile did things to me.
“I can’t believe you did this.”
“I hope you’re not too cold. I tried not to make you walk too far.”
“It was perfect. Except for Professor Marsh.”
“That was my favorite part.” He chuckled.
“He almost gave me a full-blown panic attack.” I nudged his arm.
“Don’t worry. It was worth it.”
“Good.”
“So, what’s next?”
“Let’s take these,” he gestured to the flowers, “and drop them in your room. And then our real date can start.”
“Okay,” I said, leading him back up to my floor. “So, where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said with a grin.
After dropping the flowers off and convincing Sawyer to give me two minutes to fix my makeup, we were on our way out the door of my building and walking to the parking lot where Sawyer’s car was waiting for us.
Before Sawyer pulled his car out of the lot, he changed the CD to Vampire Weekend, the band I was currently obsessing over.
“Thanks. I love them.”
“I know.” His grin widened as he focused on the road. But there was something about that grin. It was mischievous. And I had to know why.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“They’re playing tonight. At ISU.”
“Okay,” I said.
“You up for a ride? We’ll be there in about an hour—”
“What?” I screeched.
“I got tickets. I know how much you love them.”
“Oh my God. Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.” His smile was warm. “Surprised?”
“Are you kidding me? Best Valentine’s Day ever!”
“Good. The show starts at eight, so we have plenty of time to grab dinner. I made reservations at this really great restaurant in Bloomington.”
“You thought of everything, didn’t you?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I just want to show you.”
“What?”
“How much you mean to me.”
“Wow,” I said, touched by his words. “Well, you’re succeeding. Big-time.”
Sawyer took my hand in his as we drove. The sweet smell of his cologne lingered in the air. As I peeked a glance at him, I tried to remember a time when anyone had gone out of their way like this…like ever. And came up with nothing. Sawyer was proving again and again that I was special to him…that I was different. And I knew, riding in that car, that I was falling in love with him. I’d always been in love with love.
But now…I was pretty sure I was in love with Sawyer Holcomb.
Claudia
“I’ll be there in ten,” I said to Libby, who called just as I was putting my coat on. I was running a little late, but I wanted to look hot. Like beyond hot. I wanted to look stunning. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the scarf she gave me for Christmas, so a last-minute outfit change was necessary.
“Okay. How was your day?”
“You know, classes…whatever. I’m leaving now, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
“Wait. Have you checked your mail yet?”
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Oh…it’s nothing.”
But her voice was cracking on the other end of the line. Libby was nervous and it had something to do with the contents of my mailbox.
“Did you send me a valentine?” I asked, my voice playful.
“Something like that.” Libby breathed into the phone.
“Should I check it now, before I come over? I’m already late…”
“No, I’ve been waiting all day to see you. Get over here. You can check when you get back.”
“You got it. See you in ten.”
“Be safe.”
“I will. I’ll jump on a bus.”
“Good. Can’t wait to see you.”
“Same here.”
Exactly thirteen minutes later, I was taking off my coat and watching Libby’s eyes widen as she took in the sight of me. My hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, my jet-black bangs swept to the side. A plum sweater dress clung to my curves, as did my charcoal-gray ribbed tights. Knee-high leather boots completed the outfit. I not only looked sexy, I felt sexy.
I was ready to tell Libby how I felt about her. Of course, she knew I was crazy about her. But we hadn’t actually said the words. You know, the three words that can make or break a relationship. I wasn’t worried about whether or not she reciprocated my feelings; in my heart, I already knew. She loved me. I loved her. And this was the perfect time to express it.
“You look—”
“So do you,” I said, kissing her lightly on the lips, taking in her scent.
Libby always smelled fresh and clean…which suited her well. She was dressed in a pale blue oversized sweater and white leggings. Her porcelain cheeks had turned pink and her eyes glistened. Is she about to cry?
“Hey…are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just…really happy, ya know?”
“Yeah. I do.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I took her bottom lip into my mouth, biting down gently with my teeth. She shuddered and pulled me closer.
“I missed you.”
“Me too,” I whispered, tilting my head to the side, focusing my attention on her top lip. Again, pulling it into my mouth ever so gently before biting down. Libby squirmed. I knew it was her favorite thing. Libby and I had mastered the art of kissing—there was no doubt about that. We were comfortable taking things slow.
The softness of her lips was intoxicating and I needed more. Libby deepened the kiss, taking control. I liked that. I loved feeling her desire for me in her kiss, in her actions, in her urgency. I don’t think a better feeling existed.
“What movies did you get?” Libby asked between feathery kisses.
“Um…I can’t remember.” I laughed.
“I seem to have that effect on you.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” I said, looking up to the ceiling as Libby continued to kiss my earlobe and chin. “Um…so, yeah. I got that one with Michael Myers.”
“Halloween.”
“Yeah…and um…” I was so turned on, my vision was starting to cross. I wanted to say “Screw the movies and the food, let’s go to your room!” but I knew we weren’t ready for that. “The Chucky doll one.”
“Ooh, good one.”
“Right? That little bastard freaks the shit out of me.”
Libby threw her head back in laughter. “God, I love the way you talk. You’re just so matter-of-fact, tell-it-like-it-is, here-I-am-World-deal-with-it.”
“Well, not all the time.” I felt my cheeks burn. “But I’m getting there.”
“Coming out is a personal thing, Claude. You can’t rush it. We’re together. That’s all I need.”
“Thanks.”
“And you told your friends. I can’t wait to meet them.”
“I know!” I jumped up and down slightly on the tips of my toes.
“It’s on the calendar. Dinner with Claudia’s sorority.”
“You’re so cute.”
“And hungry. The food should be here any minute.”
“Did you get me two egg rolls?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
Libby placed her hands on her hips, trying so hard to be a smartass. But she was just too sweet for that. It was cute watching her try, though.
“God, I love you.” It slipped out, but I didn’t regret it.
Libby’s eyes widened and her lips pressed together. Her eyes began to glisten.
“Oh my God.”
“Too soon?” I asked behind clenched teeth.
“Are you kidding me? No! I’m—” She pressed her hand to her mouth and started to cry. Hard. But she laughed at the same time. Which then made me laugh…and I relaxed. I’d overwhelmed her. But she felt the same.
She pulled me to her, alternating sobs and giggles.
“Are you okay, Lib?” I asked softly. “I didn’t mean to…you know. Overwhelm you or anything.”
“No, no,” she said, pushing me away so that our eyes locked. “I love you, Claudia. Like…so much. Like…more than I knew I could. I mean, I’m out, and I’ve had relationships with girls. But you. You’re different. Does that make sense?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
“I just can’t believe you feel the same way. I mean, I feel so freaking lucky right now.”
“Hey,” I said, wiping her tears. “We’ve been over this. I’m the lucky one.”
She shook her head furiously. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The buzzer interrupted us. The food. We’d forgotten all about it.
“Let’s have some egg rolls. And you can tell me again how much you love me.” I winked.
“Sounds like a perfect evening to me.”
Grace
“I’m a terrible person,” I said, wiping the Pepto-Bismol from my lips. The dread that overwhelmed me at the thought of hurting either Ross or Trevor had made my stomach hurt.
“No, you’re not,” Marie said, rolling her eyes as she applied her mascara.
My roommate was on her way out the door to meet her boyfriend, and I knew she was just appeasing me. Sunny had come and gone an hour ago, busy on her scavenger hunt date with Sawyer. I had hid in the closet—I was such a dork. I knew if she saw me, she’d have a million questions, and the truth was, things like that were more fun with mystery.
Sorority of Three: Freshman 101 Page 15