Page 100 of The Change Up
She tentatively approaches me, and I stand, reaching down and grabbing the large bouquet I picked up on the way. I stopped at Chloe’s favorite florist, and she helped me pick out an arrangement she knew Chloe would love. The bouquet is a mixture of eucalyptus sprigs, a variety of white and peach garden roses, and babys’-breath—whatever that is—wrapped in brown craft paper and tied together with a pastel purple ribbon—Chloe’s favorite.
“Hey, Wildflower.”
Her feet carry her toward me, but she pauses at the bottom of the steps. Savannah is still firmly planted at her side.
“Cody. I see you finally tracked me down. I guess I can’t expect a sorority house not to spread gossip.” Her eyes bounce to Sav’s, before saying, “No offense.”
“None taken. Gossip is a requirement to be a member of the house.”
“These are for you,” I say, reaching the bouquet down to her. “Is there a place we can talk?”
She takes the bouquet from me, and I see a glimmer of sparkle in her eyes as a faint smile ghosts across her lips. She loves the flowers. Chloe’s eyes glance around us, pausing off to the side where there’s no doubt a group of girls watching from the window. Freaking nosy leeches.
“You two can talk in the dining room. I can shut the sliding doors. It’s probably the only place where you’ll get any privacy.”
Stepping aside, I let the girls climb the rest of the way up the stairs and follow as Savannah leads us into the lion’s den. Glancing to my right, I’m met with a group of girls scurrying away from the window as if they weren’t just watching every second.
The dining room is off to the left and after following Chloe inside, Savannah steps away and shuts the door, sealing us into the space. Neither of us moves, both firmly rooted in place.
Flexing my fingers into fists, I relax them, repeating the motion. I’m fighting with every fiber of my being not to erase the gap between us and wrap my arms around my girl. I watch as Chloe’s focus shifts around the room, avoiding me before her eyes rest on the bouquet in her hands. She leans down, smelling the floral aroma. I watch as her eyes widen when she notices the brown envelope sticking out of the blooms. Setting the bouquet down, she pulls the envelope out.
I watch as she reads the note. Moisture gathers in the corner of her beautiful eyes, and I fight like hell not to say anything. I’m hoping the words the florist helped me come up with are enough to spark the conversation we both so desperately need.
Words have never been my strong suit. Yeah, I might be able to flirt and joke around, but when it comes to using words to express deep feelings, I clam up. It’s like I forget every word in the English language.
Thankfully, the florist was all too willing to help me capture my thoughts in a way that translated well to Chloe.
Chloe sits in the chair in front of her, her expression blank, as she plays with the card in front of her. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been in this position before with a girl who I can’t imagine my life without.
“Your wordsreallyhurt,” she starts, her gaze never leaving the deep brown table in front of her.
“Wildflower—” I start, but she’s cutting me off before I have a chance to plead my case.
Her eyes find mine, and it kills me to see the tears that escape. I never want to make her cry, never want to be the cause of her pain.
“Let me say what I need to say.” She pauses, inhaling a deep breath as she straightens her shoulders. “I know deep down you weren’t trying to hurt me. In some twisted way, I see that you were trying to protect me from your dad, but it still hurts like hell to hear that I’m not enough. You know the baggage I’ve been carrying for years and to hear you use that against me, it felt like you reached inside my chest and ripped my heart out.
“I needed you, Cody. Never in a million years could I have imagined that I would run into my mom—especially the way that I did—but when I needed you most, you were shit-talking me to your family. And maybe this was presumptuous, and maybe I’m ahead of myself, but there was a part of me that thought someday, maybe, they’d be a part of my family too. And I know how insane that is, given your history with your father, but it’s where my mind was.”
Risking her fleeing like a skittish deer, I move closer. Reaching the chair beside her, I pull it out from the table and drop to my knees. With my thumb and finger, I find her chin and softly grip it, pulling her toward me.
“It wasn’t presumptuous. The idea of making you mine, of being yours forever, it makes me feral. There’s no way I picture my future, and it doesn’t have you in it. You’re my sun. My world orbits around you. You’re my best friend and the person I want in my corner. You’re the person I want in the stands cheering for me.
“You’re the one I want to talk to first thing in the morning and the last person I talk to before I go to bed. It’s always been you. Since that day in the diner when you fumbled through taking our orders, I knew then that it was going to be the two of us. Even when I was a childish moron and left you. A part of me deep down knew if two people could, we’d find our way back to each other. My story ends with you, Wildflower. You’re my happily ever after.”
Tears pour out of her eyes at the admission of my words. Somehow I was able to effectively communicate how I feel. I guess when my back’s against the wall, my brain gets on the same wavelength as my heart. Leaning forward, I kiss the trail of tears, erasing them from her perfect skin.
Chloe Mariano is my endgame. If I have to beg until my last breath, then that’s what I’ll do. Because there’s no way my story doesn’t include her.
Her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me in close. Wrapping my arms around her, I tug her in close. Hoping and praying that my love for her is felt in this embrace. I need her to feel my love, feel how our souls connect. She might be the romantic, but I’ve learned a few things from her romance novels.
“I love you, Chloe. I love you so much.” I whisper the words against her ear.
She sighs against my chest and hope soars through my heart. “I know you do, and I love you, too, Cody. But I still don’t understand why you said what you said. Was it your way of protecting me?”
“In a sick and twisted way, yeah.” Lifting my hat, I nervously play with it before settling it back on my head. “When he confronted me about you, I tried to play it off like you were just a member of the team, but he wasn’t believing my bullshit, so I twisted it into something horrible hoping he’d drop it.”
Chloe’s face turns into pain as if she’s reliving hearing those comments all over again. Before she can dwell on them for too long, I continue.
