Chapter 38: Chapter 38

♥♡Valentine's Day♡♥

~Three years later ~

I opened my eyes with the familiar look of my dorm room surrounding me. I shared the room with a short, blonde girl, Pippa Anderson who had a lot of cool tattoos and piercings on her skin. She was a very sweet girl, always helping me with my homework. She was also very adventurous, out-going and a social butterfly, exactly opposite to me. I considered her a great friend but only Claire was my best friend. But currently Pippa's bed was empty. She had gone to Radford to visit her ailing mother.

I had college at nine in the morning, and I would need at least fifteen minutes to get there.

I rolled on my side and glanced up at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It was seven in the morning. Why didn't the alarm go off? I usually woke up at six.

Then I saw something next it. A note.

Good morning, beautiful. You look gorgeous today. Happy Valentine's day, my Valentine :)

I love you

A smile made its way to my lips. When did he come here? And oh God, I almost forgot it was Valentine's day today.

I wished I wouldn't have to go to college today so I can spend the whole day with him. I got off the bed, stretching my arms over my head. A yawn escaped my lips. I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After I was done, I walked back into my room. That was when I noticed another note stuck to the door.

I walked towards it and pulled it from the door. I read the note which was written in his elegant handwriting.

Hungry? Open the door. By the way, I love you

Okay. I loved him too. But if he was not on the other side of that door, I was going to kill him. This was fun. When did he do all of this?

So I grasped the door handle and yanked it open. Right before me was Brian, sporting a cute smile which showed off his dimples. He was holding a tray.

"Good morning," He said chirpily, before walking in and placing the tray on my bedside table and turning back to me. As soon as he turned around, I put my arms around his neck and brought my lips to meet his. He smiled against my lips but kissed me back, his arms encircling my waist and pulling me closer to him.

"Thank you," I said after pulling back.

"I love you," He whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver.

"You realize you've said that three times today. Two times in the notes and now," I said, holding his hand. "And I love you too."

"If I could, I'd be telling you that I love you every minute of the day."

"That's cheesy."

"And you aren't?" He said, kissing the tip of my nose. "Come on, I made something for you," He led me to the bed and took the tray in his lap.

"What is it?"

"Nutella French toast with strawberries!" He said. "I know that you love Nutella, so I thought I should make something which has Nutella in it. I hope you like it."

I took a bite of the toast, and marveled at it's delicious taste.

"How is it?" Brian asked me nervously. "Do you like it?"

"Sadly, no. I don't like it at all." I said, feigning displeasure.

Brian's face fell. "Oh, no," He said, biting down on his own toast. He scrunched up his brows in confusion, "It tastes alright to me, though."

"But I don't like it," I said, trying not to laugh at how he was looking right now, worried and all. It was cute.

"Don't worry. I'll make it again. I'm so sorry. I don't know what went wrong," He said, putting the tray on the table and he was about to get up when I put a hand on his, pulling him down again.

"I don't like it, Brian," I said, smiling softly at him. "I love it. Seriously, it's delicious."

"Are you sure? If you don't like it, I'll make it again."

"Brian, I said I love it."

"You got me worried there. I thought I messed up," he said and I just laughed. "You're going to pay for that," He said, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Really? And how am I going to do that?"

He looked at me mischievously. "Like this," He said, before leaning down and closing the space between us. Once again, his soft lips were on mine, moving in sync with me. I subconsciously began lowering my back on the bed as he got on top of me in a straddling position. Our lips detached for a mere second as he adjusted his position so that he wouldn't be crushing me under his weight. And then our lips were back on each other again. One of his hand went up to the side of my neck and the other cupped my cheek, tilting my head to the side so he could get better access. We pulled away, breathless and with our slightly swollen lips. He didn't stop though. He continued showering hot, lingering kisses down my jawline and on my neck where he bit my soft spot gently causing a moan to escape from my lips. His hand slid down to my waist and under my shirt as he caressed my skin sending shivers down my spine. But when I felt his hand go further up my shirt, I knew that if I didn't stop here, we'd go too far. And I wouldn't be able to stop him, as well as myself then. I pushed him back a little, chuckling on seeing him pout adorably.

"That's all you get," I said. He collapsed on the bed beside me, turning his head towards me to stare into my eyes. I stared back at his blue eyes for what felt like forever until I sighed, remembering I had college in an hour and I would possibly be late. As if sensing it, Brian kissed my forehead before getting up. I got up too.

"It was so good!" I said, stuffing the last bite of the toast in my mouth. I suppressed a moan.

"I'm glad you liked it."

I glanced up at the clock and realized it was almost 8:30 in the morning. My eyes widened.

"I have college at nine! Brian, get up," I said, holding his arm and making him stand up, "I have to change, and you have to go."

"Can't I stay and watch you change?" He said, looking at me mischievously.

"No! Go to your room," I said, dragging him to the door. Brian and I were in the same dorm building. His room was one floor above mine, but he rarely lived there. Mostly, he would be with me in my room when Pippa wasn't around because she hated our lovey dovey moments. She was a bit tomboyish.

I quickly changed into a pink Kiss shirt and black jeans, and hurried out, locking the door behind me.

~~~

I collapsed on my bed as I came back home from college at around five in the evening. The whole day had been so damn boring that I literally fell asleep during a lecture. There was a test too. I didn't know what to expect of it, I would probably just get a bit below average marks. Wow. What a Valentine's day.

I didn't even bother to change as I kicked off my shoes and just laid there, staring at the ceiling.

I didn't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up when someone knocked on my door. Pulling myself out of bed, I walked towards the door and yanked it open.

"What're you doing here, Brian?" I asked as I let out a yawn.

"How was your nap, sleepyhead?" He asked, beaming down at me.

"Good, I'm not sleepy anymore, I guess," I said, letting him in.

"Great! Go and change."

I looked up at him confusedly. "Where are we going?"

"You'll know that soon. For now just go and change, or I'll do it for you," He said, smirking at me.

"That's not needed," I said, picking up a random shirt, "I know how to change," Turn around and don't peek," I ordered.

"Yes ma'am," he said. He did as he was told and I quickly changed into the shirt, glancing at Brian to see if he was looking. Once I was done, I tossed my previous shirt on my bed.

"So...where are we going?" I asked Brian who turned around to look at me.

"Not we, you are. You are going to the mall."

"Um...for what?"

"Shopping, of course."

"You're not coming with me?" I asked, pouting in the end.

His eyes flickered down to my lips for a second before looking back up at me. "No, I can't," He said.

"Why not? Imagine how boring it will be to shop without you."

"I'm sorry, babe. But I can't. And don't ask me why."

"Why?"

"You have to go shopping," He sang, dragging me towards the door.

"Okay, fine. I'll go," I said. "I'm just going to kill you if I get bored there," I warned.

"Yeah, okay. You can kill me later," He said, about to close the door. "Oh, wait!" He said, opening the door wide and before I knew it, he yanked me in. My back almost slammed against the door as he kept his hands on either side of me.

"Oh my gosh, Brian! What the-"

I was cut off by his lips on mine, barely giving me time to catch my breath. His hands slid down to my waist and he pulled me closer to him. My hands buried in his hair, pulling at it. I can never resist Brian's kisses. Every kiss was special to me and meant something different each time. This kiss was passionate, not sweet and gentle.

His tongue slid across my lower lip and I opened my mouth, tilting my head slightly to allow him better access.

We finally broke apart and gasped for air. My cheeks instantly felt hot and I quickly opened the door to get out.

"I'll go now," I said to him.

"Don't be too late," He said. I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

~~~

I trudged up the steps to my room. I knew I shouldn't have listened to Brian and gone shopping. It was not exciting at all. Mostly because I was shopping alone in a shopping complex where almost half of the population were couples shopping together, holding hands and getting naughty in the trial rooms. I tried my best to ignore the moans from the adjacent trial room.

Most of my time in the mall was spent in the food court, stuffing food into my mouth. There again, a couple was sitting near where I was. The boy was feeding the girl her food and they were getting all lovey dovey. Ugh! I was so jealous.

I missed Brian. I didn't like shopping alone these days. I wanted Brian to come with me but he didn't. I didn't know what he was doing in his room. Sleeping, probably? Or homework, or...God knows what. Hadn't he planned anything for today? Gosh, so unromantic.

As I was about to walk up the last flight of stairs, my foot was left hanging mid air as I gazed at the piece of paper on the stair I was about to step on. I picked it up, dusting off the imaginary dirt on it. It was blank so I flipped it.

Some things I love about you.

I read aloud, and smiled. And here I was thinking he didn't plan anything special for this day. I didn't care, really. As long as he was with me, I didn't even mind doing homework with him.

The next step also had a note. I picked it up and flipped it.

Your sweet smile

As if on cue, I smiled reading it and blushed.

The way you blush

As I read the next note, I blushed deeper.

Your soft, strawberry hair.

P.S. I love your strawberry shampoo

The next note read. Self consciously, I sniffed my hair. It smelt like strawberries.

You're cute when you're angry

Well, I rarely get angry.

You in your Mickey mouse pyjamas turn me on ;)

Was it even possible for me to blush even more?

Your laugh is like music to my ears

That was cheesy Brian for you.

The way you kiss me, I love it

I was sure I resembled a beetroot right now.

The way you argued with me for two hours six months later because I jumped in front of Jesse who was about to shoot you

That brought unpleasant memories in my mind but I shoved it away.

I'm sorry for making you sad by mentioning about the Jesse incident.

But I love how you put your dear ones before you

Of course I would. I love them more than anything in the world.

I love how you get all overprotective when it comes to your family and friends

I didn't want to lose anyone after my dad and Jake.

And the thing I love the most in the world - YOU.

I stared at the last note before biting my lip. I loved him too. Honestly, I wasn't sure if we'd be together once we were out of high school. But here we were. Two months later we would even be celebrating four years of being together.

I placed my hand on the door handle. My heart was beating faster. I wondered what he had planned for tonight. I took a huge breath before opening the door. The first thing I saw were candles. Scented candles were bordering the room, its sweet smell filling the whole room. It was dark inside, the only source of light being the light from the candles. The floor was adorned with heart shaped balloons, giving it a romantic vibe.

I stepped into my room and spotted Brian leaning against the wall, staring intensely at me as I shut the door behind me.

"This is beautiful, Brian," I said. I saw his lips twitch up in a smile.

"Not as beautiful as you," he said, and I blushed. "You like it?"

"No," I said. "I love it."

He pushed himself away from the wall and walked towards me. He pulled his hands from his jeans' pockets and engulfed me in his arms, snuggling his face into the crook of my neck and placing a soft kiss on my collar bone. I shivered involuntarily.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Come on, I have planned so much for tonight," He said with a smile as he held my hand and led me to the coffee table.

"That's why you forced me to go to the mall?" I asked. "You didn't have to. I would have loved to help you."

"But I wanted this to be a surprise for you. I made the Nutella French toast and it turned out to be good. But I was not sure whether you would like this or not," He said, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"I love boys who can cook," I stated.

He looked up at me, "You love boys who can cook. I can cook, I think. So, you love me?"

"You already know that. I love you," I said, staring intensely into his eyes to let him know that I really did love him. So much. He grinned at me. "Well what did you make?" I asked curiously.

He cleared his throat, "Caramelized onion and Brussels sprout pizza."

"Oh! And it's heart shaped!"

"Yeah."

"Wow, this is so cute. Thank you, Brian. I didn't know you could cook this well, heart shaped and all."

"Well, I really don't know how to cook. I just looked up for the recipe on the internet," He said, smiling sheepishly.

"That doesn't matter. You did cook something that-" I sniffed, my nostrils filling with the pizza's delicious smell. "-smells so heavenly."

Brian looked at me with amused eyes. Okay, I shouldn't have sniffed the pizza like that.

"Well then, let's eat," I said. Brian took out a slice of the pizza and brought it to my mouth.

"Aw, thank you," I said before taking a bite of it. The pizza was so good. It definitely topped my favourites list.

I did the same thing to him. "It's awesome! I love it!" I said, taking another bite of it.

We ate the heart shaped pizza and talked about a lot of things. This was one night I will never forget.

When we were finished with the pizza, I put the dirty plates in the kitchen sink. I'd wash them later. I turned back to Brian.

"And what's for dessert?" I asked.

"Red Velvet truffles," He said. "These were a bit hard to make."

I felt guilty. Brian had done so much for me and I didn't do anything for him. I felt like a bad girlfriend now. As bad as a girlfriend who forgot her boyfriend's birthday.

I pouted as he put forward the delicious, lip smacking, mouthwatering red velvet truffles. I wet my lips at the sight.

"Brian," I said and he looked up at me. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" He asked, scrunching up his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry for not doing anything for you, whereas you have done so much for me today. I feel terrible. I'm sorry for being such a bad girlfriend."

He chuckled at this. "It's okay, Brooke. You don't have to do anything for me. Just be with me. That's all I ask of you. Just by being my girlfriend, you've given me everything. And I love you for who you are. I don't need anything else."

I stared into his eyes to see if he was lying to not make me feel bad. But when I saw that he was telling me the truth, I smiled at him.

"But that doesn't mean I won't do anything for you," I said as I picked up a truffle. "Thanks for making this day very special for me," I said as I brought the truffle to his mouth and he took a bite of it.

I picked up my own truffle and placed it in my mouth. I couldn't suppress the moan that followed. The red velvet truffles were seriously the best I had ever ate.

As we finished the truffles, I set my plate down and turned to him. "Brian, seriously just tell me something you're not good at."

He chuckled, "I'm not good at dancing."

"Really?" I asked. "Well then, let's see."

I pulled out my phone and began scrolling up my playlist. I put the song on play and turned to Brian.

"Come on, get up," I said, holding his arm and making him stand up.

"Jeez, you like old songs?" Brian asked as he recognized the song.

"Hey! No matter how old, I like Can't Help Falling In Love With You by Elvis Presley," I said, hitting him lightly on the chest. "And besides, I think it's the perfect song for today. That's how a good Valentine's day must go for me, eating a delicious meal made by my boyfriend just for me, and also the desserts like red velvet truffles. How could a dance not come in here. And there's no other song better than Can't Help Falling In Love With You for a perfect slow dance. I like things old and simple." It always reminded me of my dad and mom. They used to dance on this song sometimes and so I loved this song.

"I don't care what the song is as long as I'm dancing with you," He said, placing his hands on my waist and pulling me closer. I put my arms around his neck as we began to sway to the music.

Brian was not that bad at dancing. He just did some weird dance moves. But those were quite cute actually.

I gazed up into his blue eyes, seemingly lost in it. He stared right back at me. His eyes seemed nervous. Why was he nervous? It was perfectly fine if he didn't know how to dance. It seemed like he was deciding upon something, but was quite unsure about it. The song seemed to fade away until it just became background music.

"Brian, what happened?" I asked, trying to find the answer in his eyes, if only they were able to tell.

He stared at me for a long time and I fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, "I want to give you something," He said before detaching my arms from around his neck. My hands fell limply at my sides. He reached out to the back pocket of his jeans and took out something. I gasped as I saw that it was a ring.

"Are you asking me to marry you?!" I burst out.

His eyes widened, "What?! No!" He said quickly, before quietly muttering to himself, "at least not yet." I caught that but didn't comment on it. "I mean this is not an engagement ring or something, no it's not," he chuckled at that, "but it's a promise ring."

"A promise ring? For what?"

"It's a promise ring, my promise that I will never, ever leave you. Brooke, we've been through two break ups in the last three years and I don't want a third one coming up. Ever. This is my promise. I'll never give you a reason to break up with me. No reason is more important than you. I love you."

My eyes filled with happy tears and I quickly blinked them away so that he wouldn't notice it. But he did.

"Hey, you're not supposed to cry. You're supposed to say that you love me back and kiss me," He said, pouting in the end.

I chuckled at him before putting my arms around his neck and pulling him to me, "I love you too," I whispered in his ear. He hugged me tight. I pulled away to look into his eyes before leaning in and placing my lips on his. He immediately responded, pulling me against him tightly by my waist.

We broke apart for air, "Sealed it with a kiss," I said as he brushed the tip of his nose with mine.

"Let me put this on your finger," He said, holding my right hand. He was about to put the ring on my finger, when I realized something and jerked my hand back.

"W-What happened?" He asked me with wide eyes.

"You're putting it on the wrong hand. You were going to put the ring on my ring finger of my right hand. That's for the engagement ring. Place it on the ring finger of my left hand," I said, extending my left hand.

"Oh, right," He pushed the ring on the ring finger of my left hand and I marveled at how pretty it looked.

"Thanks."

We sat back down. Brian threaded his fingers through mine and held my hand. We stared at our intertwined hands.

"I almost thought you were going to propose me for marriage today," I said, chuckling.

"Wouldn't you like to, someday?"

"I would love to, but I'm just twenty and too young to get married."

"Of course. I wasn't proposing for that though. It was just a promise ring."

I nodded.

"But I do dream of marrying you someday," He said after a while and I looked up at him in shock. "And dream about making twelve kids with you. But that's when we both settle down. When we both have jobs and are stable in life. That's when I'll ask you to marry me, Brooke. Because that's the only way I can be closest to deserving you. I want to give you the life and love you deserve."

I barked out a nervous chuckle. "Huh, and you dreaming about marrying me and making twelve kids with me is not creepy at all."

Brian laughed, "I was just kidding about that part," He said and I relaxed. "Is what I would have said if I wasn't actually serious." He muttered afterwards and I stared at him. He didn't look like he knew that I heard what he just said. So I let it go.

And it didn't matter though. I was planning on spending my whole life with him. It didn't matter if he proposed me now or later. My answer would be yes both the times.

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I felt a pair of lips brush against my forehead and I opened my eyes to see Brian kissing my forehead. I smiled up at him.

"I want to kiss you," He whispered and my breath hitched as I heard the longing, desperation and desire hidden beneath it. He leaned down once again to place his lips on mine.

"I love you," He whispered against my lips.

"You're probably saying this for the hundredth time today but I love you too," I said, without detaching my lips from his. Instead I pulled him closer and pressed my lips to his passionately.

"Do you trust me?" He asked as he broke the kiss. I saw it in his eyes, the desire. I knew what he wanted. And I wanted to give it to him with no hesitation. Because I did trust him. I hadn't given up my virginity till now and I wasn't ashamed of it. If someone did love me enough to stick with me till I was ready, he was the one for me. Brian was the one for me because he didn't just love me for my body, he was as much in love with my soul and who I really was, as I was in love with him.

I had always wanted to give up my virginity after marriage, but now when I look at Brian, I see the rest of my future with him. So I didn't the see the point in waiting. From today, we would be each other's forever.

"I do," I said before pulling his shirt off of him. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. I trusted him and I knew that I wasn't going to regret this one bit. Because as Brian made love to me that night, I knew that we were in this for the long term.

I didn't regret pranking the wrong guy. It brought me to Brian. If not for the revenge plan, I would've never met the good boy of our high school. And to think it all started with a revenge plan gone wrong.

Maybe we were just destined to have something between us.

***

THE END