She gave me a giddy smile. "You did that for me?"
I smiled back. "For you, and for us."
She nodded vigorously. "Yes," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. "Yes, I'll be your girlfriend."
The dining hall erupted in cheers and catcalls, reminding me that we had an audience.
I stood up and wrapped my arm around Scarlet's waist. "You hear that everybody? Scarlet Davis is my girlfriend!" I pulled her closer to me, dipping her at the waist and kissing her in front of everyone. The news would travel fast around campus, and soon the entire student body would know that we were a couple. I never wanted Scarlet to feel like I wanted to keep her hidden ever again.
When I brought us up to standing, I whispered in her ear, "You ready to get out of here?"
"Yes, please."
I grabbed her hand, and we practically ran out of the dining hall.
* * *
"That was amazing, Rush," Scarlet said on an exhale.
"So you’ve told me many times," I teased.
She rolled her eyes at me but smiled as she threw her napkin at me.
"What?" I asked with a laugh. "It's one of my favorite things you say to me."
I stood and grabbed her plate, taking it to the sink.
We'd decided to stay in for Valentine's Day, and I'd made my mom's chicken parmesan. We'd lit some candles and had a nice dinner together and were now planning on watching a movie while we waited for the brownies to come out of the oven.
She came and joined me in the kitchen, helping me clean up. She looked extremely sexy in her red dress and heels, and as she worked around the kitchen I watched her, not believing that she was actually here with me. It had been a week since my very public apology and announcement of us getting together, and things were better than ever. I hadn't realized how much we'd been missing out on when we'd been dating in secret. Being able to be with Scarlet any time I wanted, at school, at the Wolf's Den, at her dorm—it was incredible.
We’d already made plans to go back to Georgia to visit her dad and little brother during spring break, and we hoped to fit in going to a basketball game while we were there. I’d never been to an NBA game before, and I was looking forward to experiencing it with Scarlet.
I’d also called my family and introduced them to Scarlet over video chat. They were surprised and caught off guard since I’d never mentioned her before during our many conversations. I explained it all to them, starting way back to when I'd first seen her photo a year and a half ago. My parents were thrilled and couldn’t wait to meet her. We had a long weekend coming up for President’s Day and Scarlet and I would be driving down to spend it with my family. As I continued to watch her, there was no doubt in my mind that they were going to love her as much as I did.
"What are you looking at?" she asked with a bashful smile.
"Just admiring how sexy you look and how lucky I am to have you in my kitchen," I told her.
Her face fell slightly, and I worried I'd said something wrong.
"Does that mean I can't change into my yoga pants and sweatshirt?" she asked.
I laughed at her response. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "You look sexy in your yoga pants and sweatshirt too. It's actually impossible for you to not look sexy."
She swatted at my chest but smiled up at me. "That's not even true, but I love you for saying that."
After our dining hall experience, we'd come back to my place and made out like it was our first time. She'd told me she loved me too, and it had been one of the best moments of my life.
"It's true to me," I said, placing a kiss on her neck. "You go change, and I'll finish cleaning up."
She kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks."
I'd finished putting the last dish in the dishwasher when Scarlet called my name.
"Rush, can you come here for a minute?" her voice traveled down the hall.
"Yeah," I called back, and I made my way down to my room.
