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I felt arms slip around me and I leaned back into Simon's warmth. Sarah gave us a knowing look and went back to join everyone in the living room. Simon and I stood there for a few moments, watching the snowflakes swirling around.
"I love snow."
Simon's arms tightened around me, his lips close to my ear. "It's our first snowfall together. We're going to have a lot of firsts together."
I bit my lip. If only he knew the biggest first that I would experience with him. Because I knew despite wanting to wait, I wanted my first experience with making love to be with Simon. I wanted him as my first, my last and everything in between.
We watched the snow for a few more moments and then joined the rest of the group. Neal was a perfect gentleman for the rest of the evening, treating me like just a new friend. I was relieved that Neal seemed to easily accept that friendship was the only thing he was going to get from me.
Chapter Nineteen
I woke up Monday morning to a winter wonderland. A thick layer of snow coated every surface outside and made the sun shining into my room even brighter than normal. The vision of Neal that had occurred last night faded as I quickly got ready for class, although I was really preparing to see Neal again.
The snow crunched under my boots as I made my way to campus and I squinted as the rays of sun bounced off the blanket of white. I took my cell phone out of my pocket, debating my next move. I had gotten Neal's phone number last night under the guise of inviting him to join us the next time we went to the East End, and now I was trying to come up with a way to meet him again without giving him the wrong message. I quickly texted him.
Hi. It's Caitlin. Free for lunch today? I want to get your opinion about a present for my boyfriend.
There—I had managed to include a reference to Simon being my boyfriend in the text. Neal immediately texted back.
Sure. How does 1pm sound? How about Colette's?
I bit my lip. There was no way I wanted to meet Neal at Colette's. It wasn't worth the Spanish Inquisition I would get afterwards from Colleen and the other employees.
Actually, do you mind if we just meet at the cafeteria in the student center? I want to make sure I'm not late for my next class.
I pulled my collar tighter around my neck as a gust of wind blew against me as I read Neal's answer.
No problem. See you at 1pm.
I sighed with relief. I wasn't sure if my excuse of wanting to get Neal's opinion about a present for Simon was believable, but I felt that the excuse at least made it seem like I wasn't hitting on Neal.
I survived my morning classes, although it was hard not to be distracted. I had a feeling my grades were going to take a nosedive, but I couldn't worry about that now. I hurried over to the student center afterwards, checking my watch to make sure I wasn't going to be late.
The cafeteria was bustling when I arrived and I stood in front to wait for Neal. I felt a little guilty for not telling Simon that I was meeting Neal again, but I knew he had back-to-back classes on Mondays until the late afternoon, so I didn't want to bother him.
I caught site of Neal strolling towards me, his blond hair looking almost like a halo as it glinted in the sunlight. His face broke out in a wide smile when he saw me.
"Hey. Good to see you again."
I smiled, suddenly feeling nervous. "You too. Thanks for meeting me for lunch."
We didn't speak much as we navigated the cafeteria with our trays, making our selections. Neal tried to pay for my lunch, but I adamantly refused, insisting it wasn't necessary. I felt like I should pay for his lunch since I had invited him, but I thought that might send the wrong signal so I just quickly paid for my meal and waited until he was done at the cash register.
We sat down at a nearby empty table and I gave myself a mental pep talk. I could do this.
"So, I really wanted to get your opinion on a Christmas present for Simon. I don't know what to get him."
Neal opened his bottle of water and took a drink before answering me. "Why don't you ask Grant? Didn't they grow up together? As his cousin, I would think Grant would know him better than me. I just met him."
I wanted to kick myself repeatedly. I hadn't counted on Neal bringing up that point, even though I had thought of it myself.
"Well, you're right. Grant and Simon are pretty close. But Grant is the most unobservant person in the world. He has no idea what Simon would like. Grant lives and breathes the Henchmen and doesn't seem to take note of much else. He just told me to get Simon a gift card." I silently apologized to Grant for this dismal portrayal of him.
Neal grinned as he started eating his sandwich. "Then I have a feeling Sarah is going to have plenty of disappointments in her future. Although I can't lie—I once gave a girlfriend a gift card for Valentine's Day. She told me I was the most unromantic person in the world and threw it at me. I guess it didn't help that it was a gift card for a local hardware store." Neal shrugged, his eyes sparkling. "She had mentioned that she wanted to paint her bedroom a different color, so I thought it was an appropriate gift. My only excuse for my lack of imagination is that I was a sophomore in high school."
I laughed, feeling some of the tension dissipate due to Neal's self-deprecating attitude. I was lucky that Neal was such a nice guy. I couldn't imagine how much more difficult it would be to stay close to him if he had been an arrogant jerk.
"So, any suggestions?" I started eating my salad, feeling better about the whole situation.
