Alex (11:53 a.m.):i know
Alex (11:54 a.m.):thats y i warned u
I roll my eyes at the phone, wishing he could see me, then I push the covers back and drag myself out of bed, still gripping my phone in my hand. A quick look through the peephole shows nothing; whoever was there is now gone. So I unlock the door and inch it open.
The fragrance hits me first—floral and fresh and strong. Then I see the mass of dark-red blooms, at least a dozen of them, arranged perfectly in a clear glass vase.
Roses.
He bought me roses. Beautiful, perfect, gorgeous red roses.
Hands shaking, I type out a quick message and send it as I kneel down.
Nico (11:55 a.m.):Holy fuck, Alex
There’s a plain white card stuck right in the middle of the flowers and a small box sitting next to the vase. I shove my phonein my pocket and then carefully lift the vase and box and head back inside, kicking the door closed behind me.
I set both things on the table and then sit down, overwhelmed. He’s randomly done a few sappy things like this over the years, like our first Valentine’s Day together when he attempted to bake and decorate a heart-shaped cake (I have photo evidence of how spectacular that fail was), but this is hitting different today. It feels like much more than just a show of support and love.
My phone vibrates, and a string of red heart emojis greets me when I pull it back out of my pocket. I really don’t want to cry again—I did enough of that earlier—and so I blink back the tears and send him a short reply.
Nico (11:59 a.m.):You didn’t have to do this
Alex (12:00 p.m.):u havent opened the card yet have u?
Nico (12:01 p.m.):=P
Alex (12:01 p.m.):;)
Nico (12:02 p.m.):They need to invent a better eye roll emoji
Alex (12:02 p.m.):open it <3
Sighing, I set my phone back down and pick the card out of the flowers. Inside the envelope, there’s a single piece of white cardstock embossed with a red rose. I run my finger over it, then flip the card over.
I love you
with all of my heart.
- Alex
Just like the flowers, the words hit hard, and I screw my eyes shut, willing myself not to cry. Tears slip out anyway, and I shake my head and wipe them away so I can see well enough to text Alex back.
Nico (12:04 p.m.):Fuck you
Alex (12:04 p.m.):ah
Alex (12:04 p.m.):thats the reaction i was expecting
Alex (12:04 p.m.):also im free tonite
Nico (12:05 p.m.):Jesus
I swipe at my cheeks again, laughing through the tears, and then I open the small box. Inside, two very large chocolate-covered strawberries drizzled in white chocolate sit on a plain rectangular plate, a little pink heart-shaped candy withluv ustamped on it positioned between the strawberries.
I close my eyes and laugh again, and then I pick my phone back up.
Nico (12:06 p.m.):These strawberries are massive. Guess I don’t have to worry about making lunch
