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His heart lightened at the thought of doing something for her, whether they were together or not.
After getting everything he needed, he took it over to the apartment, with Diane’s permission, and set up.
Diane stared at him from the side door. “You know I’m giving up a romantic night with Cameron to do this, right?”
He nodded. “Yep, and I’ll be forever grateful.” He pulled out a box of her favorite cookies and showed it to Diane. “Just for you... and your sacrifice.”
Diane took the box and held it to her chest. “Thank you, that’s so sweet. I hope she realizes how much you do for her and finally gets through her hesitation.”
“I hope Aimee sees it too.”
18
Holly
It was Valentine’s Day, and Holly was heading home for a long weekend, completely and depressingly empty of plans. She loved her roommates, but she was sick of seeing them. Her heart ached for Eric.
Since calling things off, she hadn’t seen a trace of him around school, in the parking lot, or even close to her apartment. Before they’d started dating, she’d seen him every few days at least.
She was supposed to be celebrating love, and instead she was going home to eat with her roommates. Even Diane, who was still in a relationship with Cameron, was sacrificing her night to stick with Aimee. It was wearing on Holly, and she was starting to regret the decision to give up everything for someone who didn’t seem to appreciate her.
Holly stopped short when she saw shiny pink, red, and white balloons wrapped around her apartment’s door handle. Cameron had gone all out. Lucky Diane. Diane had been struggling too.
With a sigh, Holly opened the door, careful not to mess any of the balloons up or smash them in the door, then gasped. Roses everywhere. A candlelit dinner was set, and the air smelled amazing.
“Diane? Aimee?” she called out.
Footsteps padded down the hall, and her roommates ran out of the room, carrying teddy bears.
“Whoa, what’s all this?” she asked, though she had a sneaky suspicion that filled her heart with hope. Diane handed her a navy blue bear. “Who is this from?”
“This is from Justin,” Aimee said, smiling brightly, showing off her pink one.
“And from Cameron,” Diane said, lifting her green bear.
So, it was from Eric. Only he would think of something like this.
She buried her face in the bear and sniffed, hoping it smelled like him, but it only held the scent of a newly store-bought stuffed animal.
“What about this dinner? What are we doing? And did the guys do all of this?”
“Actually, Eric did,” Aimee said, her smile never wavering. “He’s such a sweetie.” Aimee led her to the food cabinet. “He even made sure you had food for the next six months.”
Holly froze, her face still in the bear’s neck. She placed her bear on the couch. Oh, he was going to get it.
“Don’t get too mad. He claimed it was paying you back for the many dinners you make for us.”
“Well, should we eat?” Aimee asked, smiling more than ever. She was sure cheerful.
Diane nodded. “Sit, and I’ll pull everything out of the oven. All three boys made dinner before you came, and I’ve kept it warm.”
“Why aren’t they here?” Holly asked, already knowing the answer.
Diane didn’t say anything, but nodded in the direction of Aimee, who only looked at her plate and held her bear tightly to her chest. Completely oblivious to their feelings. Didn’t she realize that they were sacrificing? For her?
Despite Diane’s protests to sit and let her take care of everything, Holly put out pans of steaks, rolls, and corn on the cob. Diane grabbed a bowl from the fridge and sat down when everything was put on the table.
“Thanks for being my valentines,” Diane said. “Let’s eat.”
