Holding on to Someday Page 4

  A crooked smile forms as his frown disappears. He pulls me into an embrace facing him. “There is no place I’d rather have been tonight than to spend it with you. If we can have just a little longer, it would make me very happy.” Our faces are so close I can feel his breath as he speaks. If I were standing, I would be weak in the knees, anticipating a kiss, but no kisses from Dreamy Drew. Dang it.

  He releases me and goes over to grab a stack of cards on his desk. He asks, “How about just one card game then we’ll call it a night?”

  With a grin on my face, I tell him, “I’m really good at Crazy 8’s.”

  “I bet I can beat you,” he says, laughing.

  “Game. On.”

  We sit on the floor of his room and deal out the cards to start the game. What was supposed to be one game turns into four. I have won two games, and he has too. I think he wants to keep playing so he can get the overall win in before we call it a night. It’s almost midnight, and a yawn escapes me. The last game gives me a win to break the tie. Drew says, “Okay, I give up! I don’t think I can beat you tonight. You're tired, so I should walk you back.”

  He looks at me with those blue eyes and gives me a sweet smile. We clean up our cards, and I grab my sweatshirt. He reaches for my hand, and we make our way out into the cool night air. It’s a little chilly, so he wraps his arm around my shoulder as we walk toward my apartment.

  “I had a great time tonight, Drew,” I confess, still not wanting the night to end. “To be honest, I didn’t have a clue what to expect when you asked me to meet you this afternoon. But this has been such a fun day, and I’ve enjoyed just being with you.”

  I feel a blush rise as I admit this. Drew pulls me in for a hug and rests his chin on the top of my head. “I have too, Clara. You have no idea how much,” he says and squeezes me a little tighter.

  Be still my heart. I don’t think it can get much sweeter than this moment.

  We are standing in front of my apartment. My heart is pounding so loud I am sure Drew can hear it as he takes my hands in his. Slowly, he brings them both up to his mouth and places a gentle kiss on top of each one. As he lifts his eyes to meet mine, he tells me, “I hope this is just the first of many fun times we can spend together, Clara.”

  My smile is so large it’s hurting my cheeks. Looking at him, I whisper, “I hope so too.”

  He leans in and kisses me on the forehead. I stand there with my eyes closed, taking in the tender moment. Before he backs away, he grabs the keys from my hoodie pocket and reaches around me to open my door. Motioning for me to enter, he squeezes my hand once more. “Good night, Clara,” and he turns to walk down the stairs.

  8

  Sunday Picnics

  Even though I got to bed late Saturday night, I find it rather easy to wake up this Sunday morning. Remembering sweet dreams causes a smile to spread across my face as the morning light pours through my window. Lying in bed thinking about the quick progression of our relationship yesterday makes me giggle. It seems surreal. I stuff my face into my pillow and let out a soft squeal and think, did yesterday happen? Did Drew confess that he’s liked me for a while? And, I can’t even pretend to forget that he called me beautiful. Twice.

  I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, and this one landed in my lap so quickly. I'm tempted to pinch myself to make sure I’m not still dreaming. Spending the evening together last night showed me he is also kind, caring, sweet, and protective.

  As I lay in bed - still reeling over what this relationship means - the phone rings. I look at the clock, and it reads 8:21 am. Who in the world would call this early in the morning? I’m sure Julie and Marabeth won't appreciate such an early wake-up call. I jump out of bed and head down the hall to grab the phone, but as soon as I get there, it stops ringing. A few seconds later, Marabeth peeks her head out of her room, holding the cordless phone.

  “Phone is for you,” she says, with a big grin on her face.

  “For me? This early on a Sunday morning?”

  “Yep. And it’s a guy,” she says with a raise of her eyebrow.

  I grab the phone. “Hello?” My heart swells as I immediately recognize the voice on the other end of the line.

  “Good morning, Clara. It’s Drew.” As happy as I am to hear his voice first thing this morning, I am also very curious why he’s calling so early.

  “I’m sorry I’m calling so early on a Sunday morning."

  It’s okay. I was already awake when you called.”

  “That makes me feel better…to know I didn’t interrupt the princess sleeping.”

  “Ha ha… you are SO funny, Drew,” I respond sarcastically.

  "I wanted to see if you would like to go hike the river trail with me today?” he asks. “I meant to ask you about it last night, but… well… I got a little sidetracked,” he says with a smile in his voice.

  “Wow… ummm… okay.” I’m surprised by his eagerness to see me again only after just a few hours away from each other… of which we’ve been sleeping. “Sure, Drew. I’d love to go.”

  “Awesome! And that’s why I called you so early. It takes girls like 2 hours to get ready, so I wanted to make sure you had plenty of prep time.”

  I can't help but giggle at his cute assumption. “Drew, I’m not one of those girls. You should know that by the way I dress on a daily basis. 30 minutes, 45 max, will give me plenty of time to get ready.

  “I’ll pick you up at 11:00 then,” he says, “If that’s okay with you?”

  “Sounds great!” I tell him.

  “Don’t worry about bringing anything but yourself. I’ve got it all taken care of.” He says goodbye and hangs up the phone.

  I have a perma-grin plastered on my face while I get dressed. Kind of in a daze, I make my way to the fridge to get the milk. As I open the door, I stare into the cold box not even thinking about what’s inside. It surprises Drew not only wanted to spend Saturday afternoon and evening with me, but now, he wants to spend Sunday together too.

  “So let’s see,” mumbling to myself, I evaluate the current situation:

  "Cute?…very."

  "Athletic?…without a doubt."

  "Gentleman?… absolutely."

  "Thoughtful?…Hallmark-worthy."

  Wow! I really might have myself something special here. As the cold air continues to billow out of the fridge, Marabeth walks around the corner. “Okay, Clara, spill the beans,” she says, towel drying her wet hair. “You got in late last night, AND you get a call from a guy first thing this morning?” she quizzes me. “Please tell me that was Dreamy Drew on the other end of that phone call.”

  Shutting the fridge door, I turn to face her. “Yes, it was, Drew.” I feel my face flush at the mention of his name. “He called to invite me to go to the river with him today,” I smile.

  Marabeth stands there with her mouth wide open, and her hands drop from her head. “He did WHAT?!” she blurts out loud enough for the people across the street to hear. I run over to her and place my hand over her mouth, shushing her.

  “Shhh… don’t wake up Julie,” I say in a hushed, but firm whisper. I pull Marabeth down the hall into my bedroom and shut the door. Lord knows if Julie wakes up and hears any of this conversation, she will bounce off the walls with excitement. I am not ready for her this early in the morning. I love her, but she is like a kid in a candy store when it comes to anything romantic.

  “Oh my gosh, Marabeth… Drew is fantastic!” I tell her, falling back onto my bed. She sits on the end of the bed, waiting for me to continue. “When Julie and I were getting ready to leave the football game yesterday, he waved me down and asked me to meet him at the flagpole later that night.”

  Marabeth scoots closer and says, “So I’m assuming that’s where you were all afternoon and night? When I got home last night, Julie said you were out with Drew.”

  “I wasn’t sure what he wanted or why he wanted me to meet him. So, I went in with no expectations whatsoever." Marabeth focuses on me, waiting for
more, so I continue. "We had supper in the cafeteria, walked across the street to rent a movie, took a walk through campus, watched the sunset, and then went back to his dorm for the rest of the evening.”

  “Marabeth, he told me he has liked me for a long time, and he even said he thinks I’m beautiful!” Squeals erupt from both of us as we grab hands and bounce up and down on the bed with excitement. “Holy cow, Clara…I think he really likes you! I am so excited for you!” she says pulling me into a hug. “Julie and I both tried to tell you that, but you kept blowing us off like it was nothing.”

  “Drew is so different than the jock stereotype most people put on him. He put his arm around me, held my hand, we cuddled on his couch while we watched a movie, and the best part was he sort of kissed me when he walked me back here last night.” Just thinking about that sweet kiss makes my heart melt all over again.

  “Shut. Up!” Marabeth blurts out as she smacks my arm. “He kissed you?!”

  “Well, it wasn’t a kiss kiss, but he reached down and grabbed my hands. Then he kissed the top of each one and then leaned in and kissed me on my forehead.” I say as I trail my fingers over the place where his lips met my skin.

  “Clara! You lucky dog!” she tells me with a smile almost as big as mine. I know Marabeth is not jealous. She and Sam have dated for almost three years now. They are in love, and I’m sure he’ll be popping the question to her any day now. Her comment isn't made out of jealousy; rather it’s more about being happy for me. I can tell by the expression in her eyes; she knows I have always been the friend and never the girlfriend.

  “So are you going with him this morning?” she asks as she goes back to drying her hair.

  “Of course!”

  “Well, I suggest you get your butt in the shower then,” she says leaving my room.

  ♦♦♦

  Drew picks me up right on time. He extends his arms to greet me and pulls me in for a hug. I feel my cheeks blush, and the butterflies return, flapping around like crazy. Before he pulls away, he leans in and gives me a quick peck on my cheek. “Hey, Clara… you look pretty this morning.” The heat on my face is probably bright red at this point. “You ready to go?” he asks as we walk toward his car. I nod and smile.

  Sliding into the passenger seat of Drew's car, he turns to face me with a big grin and grabs my hand. “I hope you don't have any pressing plans because I plan to keep you most of the day.”

  “I have a paper I planned to start working on sometime today, but I guess I can do that later tonight,” I respond with a smile.

  Batting those baby blues my way, he gives me a wink. “Good, because I would steal you away whether or not you had plans.”

  As we drive away from campus, he almost can’t contain his giddiness. It’s cute to watch him smile so big and look at me every few seconds. Every time he looks back at the road, I feel him squeeze my hand. The next thing I know we are pulling into the drive-thru at of a fast food restaurant. “I hope you don’t mind chicken for lunch because we are going on a picnic.”

  He orders the picnic bucket with a half-gallon of ice tea, and we are back on the road. I knew when we pulled out we were heading toward the river. It’s a really popular place for lots of people to go picnic, hike, and play.

  When we arrive at the gate to the river, the parking lot is almost full. I knew it would be on such a beautiful fall day. The weather is perfect - low 70’s and sunshine. We find a parking spot and get out of the car. Drew pops the trunk, and as I round the car, I see a trunk full of stuff.

  “I guess you were expecting me to say yes to your adventure today or do you live out of the back of your car?” I ask Drew as he pulls out a large quilt.

  He taps the tip of my nose and says, “I had high hopes you would say yes,” and smiles.

  He pulls out a large bag of food, and we gather a few more things from the car and then head toward the hiking trail. We find the perfect spot all to ourselves right on the bank of the river. Drew spreads the quilt over a sandy area by the riverside, and we eat our lunch and laugh while admiring the beauty surrounding us. After we finish our meal, we lay on the quilt and soak up the warm rays of the sun for a while. Drew reaches over to grab my hand and places it on his chest, lacing his fingers through mine. I don’t have to look at him to know he is smiling because I am smiling too.

  “Clara, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I told you last night you are different, but this is something I’ve never experienced.” He continues, scooting a little closer so that our bodies are touching at our side. “I like you a lot, and I want you to be my girl.”

  Everything is happening so fast for me. It’s not a bad thing; it’s just that I have never felt this way, so soon, about a guy before. Yes, I’ve known Drew for a few years now, but we’ve never had any type of relationship other than sharing classes together. Drew seems so sure of himself, yet I have so many reservations regarding his last statement. I’ve only spent a couple of days getting to know him. I like him a lot, but am I ready for a relationship with him? Ugh. Why am I even questioning this?

  There is a long pause before I respond. I’m sure Drew is probably anxious to hear my answer. As hesitant as I am to jump into a relationship headfirst, I decide that I will never get to know him unless we spend time together. And if dating is what he wants from me, then why not. I’ll try it. Here goes nothing.

  Drew is still holding my hand, and this time he turns to look at me. I meet his gaze and smile.

  “I think I would like that.”

  He lets go of my hand and rolls onto his side. Moving closer, he reaches behind my neck and pulls me into a kiss. Our first kiss. Sweet and slow. He kisses me like I’ve made him the happiest guy in the world. I sense a beautiful range of emotions in his touch. He pulls back, caressing the side of my face.

  “You’ve just made me the happiest guy on the planet, Clara.”

  I know at this point that I am truly floating on cloud nine feeling flustered, yet happy. Letting out a soft giggle he pulls me in for another kiss. This one not as long, but just as meaningful. He then jumps to his feet and reaches for my hands.

  “Come on… let’s go for a hike. I need to get some of this energy out of my system.”

  He pulls me up into a hug. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he swings me around in a full circle. Burying my face into his shoulder, I squeal in delight. When he puts me back on my feet, he doesn’t loosen his hold around my waist. He gazes into my eyes, telling me everything I need to know. I can see the affection there… the excitement, the happiness, the contentment… and it makes me a very, very happy girl.

  “Okay, enough ogling over each other… for now,” he says with a smirk. “Let’s get our stuff together and see what these trails have to offer.”

  Drew releases his hold on me and I am very aware of the lack of his touch. I decide I like his affection for me. We gather our belongings and take them back to the car. Drew grabs the backpack out of the back and positions it on his shoulders. As he closes the trunk, he grabs my hand, and we are off on a Sunday afternoon hike together.

  9

  First Love

  By December, Drew and I had been dating almost three months, and we were still going strong. Even though our relationship bloomed rather quickly, it was truly meant to be. I made sure to attend all the remaining home football games and suffered through the away games when he was gone for the weekend. We spent most of our free time together - meals at the Caf, afternoons on the Quad, working on our project, watching movies in his dorm, studying in my apartment. I even let him beat me in a few games of Blitz.

  We planned to split our time together between families during Christmas break. The holiday started with me going home with him for the first part of the break. He only lived about an hour away from campus, still in North Carolina. I met his younger sister who was home from break as well. She was a freshman in college, and we clicked almost instantly. I had been home with Drew once already since he lived close by, so it
wasn’t the first time meeting the parents. All the nervousness of family introductions had already been taken care of so we were able to enjoy spending that time together.

  After spending a week with his family, I hit the road to make the trip to my hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Neither Drew nor myself wanted to part ways, but we knew it wouldn’t be long before he would be joining me at my parents, where we would bring in the new year together.

  I walk through the door of my parents’ house that evening, and my mom all but tackles me, pinning my arms to my sides in a hug lock. It feels good to be home, and I look forward to spending time with my family over the holiday. Once we catch up on everything, I tell my parents about Drew. They can tell I am falling hard for him. I think they trust my judgment enough to know that this is serious.

  Two days after Christmas, Drew pulls into my parent's driveway. I run out to meet him, jumping into his arms. He grabs me and squeezes me as I bury my face into his neck. His scent fills my soul and reminds me how much I’ve missed him. As he puts me down, he pulls me in for a long-awaited kiss. When we’ve had our fill of each other, I pull back and ask, “Are you ready for this?”

  “Of course I am. It’s me meeting your parents for the first time.” He smirks and grabs his bag out of the car with one hand and grabs my hand in the other. Drew walks in behind me and shakes my Dad’s hand introducing himself. He is very gentlemanly and respectful. I think my dad is impressed. My mom hugs him and dotes over him, telling him how much they’ve heard about him and how excited they are to meet him.

  ♦♦♦

  We spend the next few days together, relaxing and letting my parents get to know Drew. Occasionally, mom pulls me aside to tell me how much they love him and enjoy seeing us together. I knew they would, and it makes my heart happy to know they accept him.