Finding Another Like Me. - 20. Chapter 20

The month of February came faster than I had planned. Before I realized it, I only had a few days until Valentines Day and I had not given any thought to what I would get Chris. I knew he was planning something special for me; he had been dropping hints everyday for a month. I was excited.

As I stepped out of the car, the wind whipped across my face, it was really chilly out. I walked into the store and was embraced by the warmth. I took off the sun glasses I had been wearing to block the glare from the snow. I decided the best way to figure a gift for Chris was probably to start with the simplest part: a card.

As I walked down the aisle to the Valentine’s Day cards, a girl in the aisle caught my eye. I just stared. She had this long chestnut colored hair with light colored skin. Her lips had a light color lip gloss and her eyes were green. I could not stop staring at her. Finally she turned and we just looked at each other.

“Kyle?” she said.

“Lauren?” I responded.

“Yes!” she turned in heels and ran to hug me. “What’s up? How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. How about you?”

“Great actually! I’ve missed you!"

I was shocked by this comment, “You have?”

She looked at me blankly. “Obviously!”

I was stunned. “Even after…”

“Yeah. I realized now like I should have always known. You were always kind of distant. Like it wasn’t hugely noticeable but I think I always knew.”

“Oh. I really am sorr…”

“Don’t be. I’m alright actually. Better than alright I met a guy over Christmas break and I am really happy. We’re taking it nice and slow and it seems good. Hence why I am in the card aisle.” She laughed.

I chuckled.

“And what about you? Talk around is there is a special someone in your life?”

I began to blush. “Ummm….” I could not bring myself to say it. I felt weird saying it because I thought she be mad I led her on for so long.

“Kyle, I know,” She stared into my eyes. “And I’m not mad. Chris is amazing. I have known him since I was a kid and he really is great.”

A smile broke my face. “Thanks.”

“No problem! But I’ve got to go; I’m meeting my mom for lunch. But text me sometime I really think we should start hanging out more. I miss you, Kyle.”

“I miss you too, Lauren.”

She quickly gave me a hug and proceeded to the checkout line. I was just left there shocked. It felt really good to have seen her. I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest.

It didn’t take long for me to get a text on my phone from Lauren. It was funny the more we texted the more it became easier and easier to talk to her. It was like we hadn’t ever stopped talking and had been friends for years.

We had made plans to do dinner the night before Valentines Day, just so we could catch up. As we sat at the restaurant I listened to her talk about how she met her boyfriend. It was really cute actually. They had met when she was up in New Hampshire on vacation skiing. They were in the same ski lesson and they ended up falling on each other.

I chuckled. “That’s so amazing. Very cute.” I sipped my drink.

“Now what about you and Chris? How’d all this drama with you two begin?” she smirked.

I laughed. “What makes you think our relationship is drama?”

She smirked, “Well I do hear things. Paige… really? You pissed her off.”

“Well that wasn’t hard,” I laughed. “ She’s crazy.”

“I know!” Lauren shrieked.

We continued on the topic of Paige for a few minutes, before I started to tell her all the history between Chris and me. God I never realized how much we truly had gone through. I loved it though. The more I thought about what we had gone through, the more I realize that what we have is so special. I truly love him.

We left dinner after hours of talking. She had to head home, because her boyfriend, Jeff, was picking her up early for their Valentine’s Day date. My guess was that they were going skiing, but I didn’t want to spoil it for her.

That night I was lying in bed and felt my phone vibrate from under my pillow. The caller ID read Chris<3, so I quickly picked up, “Hey babe.”

“Hey. What’s up?” Chris replied sounding tired.

“Nothing just lying in bed, you?”

“Umm nothing same. But I wanted to call to say something.”

“Oh…” I was a little chocked at this.

“Look up.”

I was so confused. I looked up and saw the ceiling part of my bed. “Huh?”

“Your clock!”

I turned my head to the right and saw my clock. As I first laid my eyes upon it I watched it turn from 11:59 to 12:00.

“Happy Valentine’s Day babe. I love you!” Chris whispered into the phone.

I just smiled. I felt a light bit of water come to my eye. “I love you too, Christopher.”

“Alright well I know you are tired, so go to bed. I’m picking you up, so be ready by 4:00.”

“Ah hun, no. Can we talk a little bit longer?”

“No go get some sleep. Plus I need to go finish some things up for tomorrow.”

I chuckled. “It’s midnight what could you possibly have to do?”

“Don’t you worry. I love you. Goodnight!”

I didn’t even get a response before he hung up. He was right though and I slowly felt myself falling asleep.

Valentine’s day was spent with my family for the most part. I finally started to get ready by 3 and at 4, Chris was sitting outside my house. I walked out holding my pitiful gift and gave him a kiss. The moment my lips touched his I felt energized. I missed his lips so much.

“Hi!” I pulled back giving him a smile.

“Hi,” he smirked back.

“So where are we off to?”

“That’s for you to know and me to find out.”

“What?”

“Wait no I meant that reversed!” He laughed. “Here put this on!” He handed me a bandana.

“What? No!”

“Come on please! It’s part of my plan!” He gave me a pouty face he knew I couldn’t say no to.

“Fine, but I’ll need your help.” He leaned over the seat and started to tie the bandana around my head. After he was finished I felt him slowly start to kiss my neck. I let out a slight moan and then he was gone.

I felt the car begin to move as we sped off. I couldn’t see anything out of this bandana and soon lost track of the turns we were taking. A few minutes after leaving I heard Chris click a button on his stereo as Love Story by Taylor Swift, one of my favorite songs, begins to play.

I began to smile as I listen to the words of the song. Then I heard something else. Its Chris, he was singing along.

“We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes
And the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air

See the lights
See the party, the ball gowns
I see you make your way through the crowd
And say hello, little did I know”

I felt his hand grab mine as he continued to sing. I loved it. Even though he could not sing for the life of him, it just meant so much to me. As the song ended another one of my favorite songs came on and this continued. Chris continued to sing to me the whole ride until I felt the car stop and the music shut off.

I heard him jump out of the car and then my door opened. I felt him grab my hand and slowly pull me out of the car. However he didn’t just lead me, he full on picked me up and held me in his arms. Wow this kid was strong. Slowly I felt us pass through a few door ways and down stairs. My body brushed against a few walls but nothing too hard. Then cautiously he lowered my body so I was on my feet and then proceeded to stand behind me and wrap his hands around my face.

I felt his breath on my neck as he whispered in my ear, “You ready?”

I nodded my head. And I felt his fingers slip into my hair as he untied the blindfold. It slowly fell from my face to reveal Chris’ hard work. Laid down on the ground was a blanket. On top of this blanket was two plates set with silverware and napkins. In between the two plates was a candle and on the side of that a bouquet of roses with a DVD case set on the side of it. Then on the other side there were a few covered dishes.

I felt him slowly wrap his arms around me as he brought me back to reality. “Wow!” That was all I could manage.

“Happy Valentine’s Day baby,” he whispered into my ear. “I love you.”

I let what he said set in as I looked upon the scene once again and then I turned in his arms. I looked into his eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too. I love you so much. This is amazing!”

We proceeded to kiss starting out lightly then passionately until it was broken by his laughter. I pulled away giving him a questioning look.

“You haven’t even sat down yet and you already think it’s amazing. I find it amusing.”

I chuckled. “I find everything about you amazing, Christopher.”

He pulled me once again tightly into his arms as we proceeded to walk together over to the floor. As I sat down on the blanket, I finally noticed the room we were in.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Ummm…my house,” he gave me a sheepish smile. “I’m sor….”

“Don’t apologize it’s perfect. I was just checking.”

“Good cause not only is it our date spot, but also my parents are gone for the night so I figured you could stay over.”

I smiled, “Definitely!”

“Good. So now to the food,” Chris proceeded to take off the cover off the bowls to expose three of my favorite dishes: chicken fingers, pasta, and pigs-in-a-blanket.

“Oh my god! Are you serious?” I exclaimed.

Chris smirked. “Yeah. I asked your mom for your favorites.”

I was so happy. “And you cooked them?” I was slightly shocked.

Chris put on a hurt face. “Yes? I’m not that stupid.”

I laughed. “I wasn’t saying that. I was just so impressed. You should know the fastest way to a guy’s heart is his stomach.” I smiled.

“Oh I know,” as he proceeded to rub his belly.

He began to start filling my plate and his and soon realized he had forgotten to put in the movie. I quickly looked down at the movie to see it was ‘A Walk to Remember.’ Only he knew that was a guilty pleasure of mine. It was my favorite chick flick. I could not believe he had remembered. As the movie began, we ate and talked, like always there was never a dull moment in our conversation. After we finished eating, Chris cleared the plates to the side and then proceeded to pull the blanket off the ground and over the two of us. We sat on the ground watching the movie. I rested my head on his shoulder as he held me in his arms.

The movie ended about two hours later and Chris stopped it during the credits and looked at me.

“So now time for your presents!”

“What?” I asked. “I don’t need any presents!”

He laughed. “They are small and you have already seen all of them.”

I gave him a puzzling look.

“Well the first one is these,” he said pulling the roses towards us. “The second we just watched. I got you your own copy of the movie, since I know how much you love it.”

I smiled.

“For the third and final, look down!”

I moved my head down, expecting to lay my eyes on something different, but then I noticed the blanket we were under had writing on it. The blanket was blue, but the writing was white and read: Chris and Kyle. It was written in cursive in a big heart with the date we met under it.

I felt the tears swell to my eyes. It was so amazing and so cute. I pulled Chris closer to me with so much strength. “I love you. Thank you so much!” I proceeded to be emotional.

He gave a nice chuckle. “No problem babe. I love you too.”

I leaned up and kissed him.

“Wait actually that’s not your last present!” He pulled out a card from his back pocket. “This is actually from my parents…but it’s addressed to the both of us.”

I looked at him puzzled.

He proceeded to open it while still holding me in his arms.

As he opened it, a card was reveled. The card read, “To our sons. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Our sons?” I questioned.

“They really do love you like a son,” Chris explained as he opened the card.

In the card there were two blue colored slips of papers and a note written on the card. Chris passed the two sheets of paper to me and I read them. They had a bunch of numbers on them and the words, “Carnival Cruise April 17th-24th” My jaw dropped.

Chris began to read the note in the card:

Dear Chris and Kyle,

We love you both and know how much you have gone through this year. Chris as your aware your senior trip with your friends is coming up, so we believed you would enjoy it the most and it would be the more memorable if Kyle came with you. Happy Valentines, Easter, and part graduation present!

Love, Mom and Dad

“Oh my God!” Chris shouted jumping up. “This is amazing!”

He pulled me off the ground and made me jump up and down. He gave me and huge hug and kiss. I was still in so much shock.

“Seriously?” I was still shocked.

Chris just nodded and continued to force me to jump up and down.

As we celebrated, I felt my phone vibrate from within my pocket. I stopped jumping and slipped it half out and saw it was Conor. I hit rejected figuring this wasn’t the best time. I had told him that Chris was suprising me, so he probably was just being a nosey best friend wondering what we were doing.

Chris was like a little kid and was having so much trouble being calmed down. Finally I realized one more thing. “Oh my God”

He stopped and looked at me, “What?”

I laughed. “I left your gift in the car.”

I jumped over the couch and bolted up the stairs leaving him confused. I proceeded up to his car and opened the door. As I opened the door I looked in and grabbed the box of chocolates and the bear. As I turned around, I felt my phone vibrate again and once again it was Conor. I rejected it not wanting to interrupt my date. I headed back inside and downstairs.

As I entered, I outstretched my hands and said, “Im sorry they s…”

“These are perfect!” Chris said and grabbed me into a hug.

Once again I felt my phone vibrate from within my pocket, so I pulled it out. It was Conor again.

Chris looked at me puzzled and then at the caller ID.

“It’s the third time in five minutes?” I stated.

He looked at me still confused. “Well obviously answer it then. He’s your best friend. It’s probably important.”

It seemed so odd. I handed Chris his gifts and answered the call putting it on speaker phone.

“Hello?” I said questioningly.

No answer.

“Conor?”

There was again no answer.

“Seriously…”

Then I heard it. There was deep breathing into the phone.

“Conor, what’s up?”

The breathing just continued. Steadily.

“Conor, what’s wrong?”

There was a pause and then I heard his voice, but it didn’t sound like his voice, “My life is over…”

Then the call went dead.