“It’s okay,” he assured me. “I’m new. They’re supposed to give me a hard time. I’m sure once they get to know me a little better, things will change.”
I threw my arms around his shoulders and said, “I love that you can have such an optimistic attitude about all of it, even when they treated you horribly.”
“I’m sure they’ll come around,” he insisted. “And if not, it’s okay. I’m in a relationship with you. Not them.”
I closed the distance between our faces and whispered, “You’ve got that right.”
At that, Ryker kissed me.
And he did it for a long time. Long enough for me to forget all about uptight dinner conversations and be completely focused on us.
That’s what made me happiest.
And I loved that Ryker could give that to me.
This was heaven.
It was a week after I’d met Scarlet’s parents. And even though it was the middle of September, it was unseasonably warm. For that reason, her parents hadn’t yet closed the pool.
And Scarlet had asked me to come over after school today.
So, I did.
And now I was here with her in the pool.
She was wearing her bikini, her beautiful body pressed tight to mine, and we were kissing. We’d done that a lot lately. A lot.
And other than a bit of touching, that was all that Scarlet and I had done. As much as I had hoped to take that next step with her for what would be the first time for both of us, I wasn’t going to rush her into it.
For the time being, I’d be happy that she was mine and settle for whatever she wanted to do. If kissing and some light touching was all she was ready for, I’d still consider myself a lucky guy.
“I missed you today,” she panted when she tore her mouth from mine.
“I missed you, too,” I told her.
“I miss you every day that I don’t get to be around you,” she shared.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her predicament. I felt the same way. Scarlet consumed my thoughts throughout the day. It was a wonder I still managed to pay attention long enough in school to do well. In fact, I found that I was doing even better in school than I’d done last year. I had a feeling it was all because of her.
Being with Scarlet made me want to be better. I wanted her to be proud of the guy she was with, and I didn’t think she’d be proud knowing I was doing just the bare minimum to get through school.
Needless to say, my parents would be thrilled.
“I’m looking forward to the day we don’t have to spend any time apart,” I replied.
Her eyes widened. “That will be amazing,” she marveled. “Oh, what I would give to be able to see you every day.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “What would you give to see me every day?”
Scarlet’s face changed, and I realized she was taking the time to consider her answer to my question seriously. I knew the moment she figured it out because her face lit up. Then she declared, “Anything and everything. I’d give up anything to ensure I’d be able to see you every day of my life.”
“You sound confident about that,” I noted.
Nodding, Scarlet replied, “I am.”
And I realized she was. Knowing that she felt that way did something to me. We’d been together for just over three months, and they’d easily been the best three months of my life. Something inside me had changed once Scarlet came into my life. Though we couldn’t spend every day with each other, we both longed for it.
For myself, it was something that I felt so deeply about; I couldn’t imagine it ever changing. And that’s when it hit me what was happening to me.
I was falling in love with her. I was falling in love with this girl who was shy, sweet, sexy, and incredibly smart. Mostly, I was falling in love with a girl who made me feel like I was everything she could have ever asked for in a partner. My social status never factored into the equation for her. At that realization, I knew I’d never find another girl like her. Best of all, I knew I wouldn’t want to. And just like her, I’d give up everything for Scarlet.
Five months later
I pressed the button to ring the doorbell at Scarlet’s house. I didn’t know how I’d gotten so lucky this year. It was Sunday, and it was Valentine’s Day.
It was our first Valentine’s Day together, and I was taking Scarlet out to celebrate.
The door opened a moment later, and her father stood there. His eyes ran over me and what I was holding in my hand.
His eyes narrowed.
“One?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” I answered, feeling less than thrilled with my response.
I had made reservations to take Scarlet out to a nice restaurant, and I wanted to make sure I had enough money to pay for our meals, dessert, and a tip. For that reason, I only had a little bit of money left. Ever since I started working, I’d been excellent about saving. I wanted to have a head start at a better future than my parents did. My goal was to become a man Scarlet could be proud of, a man she could depend on to take care of her.
So, as much as I had wanted to touch the money I put into my savings account to get her something else, I didn’t.
And now I wish that I had.
Because the way her father was looking at me told me everything I needed to know about how he felt about me.
I didn’t deserve his daughter.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered as he moved back to allow me to come inside.
I stepped forward and waited just inside the front door. When I didn’t think I could feel any worse about myself, Scarlet’s mom appeared. She came to an abrupt halt and gave me the same disgusted look her husband had given me.
“Oh, look at that, Chuck,” she started. “Scarlet will now have one extra flower to put beside the two dozen roses you gave her for Valentine’s Day.”
Two dozen.
Her father had given her two dozen roses.
I couldn’t even afford one dozen.
Since that was the case, I decided it was better to get her a different flower altogether.
A single orchid.
It was more expensive than a single rose and far less expensive than the dozen roses. More than that, the florist told me that the flower represented luxury, delicate beauty, and strength. All of that made me think of Scarlet, so I thought it was perfect. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
“One day she’ll wake up,” he told her.
Not wanting to spend another minute near them, I was about to excuse myself to wait outside for Scarlet when I heard her descending the stairs. I looked up and saw her.
God, she was beautiful.
Despite all the negative vibes I had experienced when I was alone with her parents, they didn’t stand a chance at the feeling that moved through me at the sight of my girl.
We locked gazes. Scarlet’s face lit up.
She made it to the bottom of the stairs, ignored her parents, and moved right toward me. Throwing her arms over my shoulders, she pressed her gorgeous body against mine. I didn’t care that her parents were standing right there. I slipped my free arm around her waist and held her close.
When Scarlet loosened her hold on me, I did the same. She took a step back, and I held the flower out to her.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Scarlet,” I said.