matter how badly I want to.” His shoulders slumped as he turned to go inside without waiting for an answer.
Alone on the steps, Vivi congratulated herself for surviving another round with David, and tried to ignore the heaviness settling in her chest. With Hank’s help, she just might make it through the week.
C HAPTER F IVE
Georgetown University
Twelve Years Ago
A lone in his cramped dorm room, David pushed back from his desk to hunt for his red pen. He thought he’d left it in the pencil cup. Apparently not. After turning his backpack inside out, he slouched onto his bed with his computer case and began methodically digging through each pocket. He didn’t find the missing pen, but his fingers discovered a folded note wedged between two interior partitions.
Curiosity pricked him upon finding the unfamiliar letter. A faint vanilla aroma reached his nose when he unfolded the missive. He then smiled, immediately recognizing the girlish cursive handwriting, scrawled in purple ink.
Dear David,
Cat is so excited to start high school next week, but all I can think about is how you’ll be off at Georgetown. I hope you don’t find this note for a couple of weeks so I can have fun wondering about when it will happen, and if it will make you smile. I only wish I’d have had the guts to tell you all of this in person.
I guess a good friend would be proud to see you go off to such an amazing college. All I can think about is how much I’ll miss hanging out with you in your kitchen or yard.
I’ll also miss the way you talk to me like I’m mature even though I’m a lot younger than you. Most guys your age (and mine) find me weird, but you’re not most guys—thank God.
A third thing I’ll miss is watching you and your mom together when no one is paying attention. That’s when you ditch your overachieving, perfectionist habits and relax. I like seeing that side of you.
Basically, I’ll miss almost everything about you. Cat’s friendship and your family mean everything to me. I love her, Jackson, and your mom (your dad still scares me), but mostly I love you.
I know I’m too young now, but when I’m grown up, I’ll find a way to own your heart just the way you’ll always own mine.
XOXO,
Vivi
P.S. Write to me if you ever get bored: [email protected].
David reread her letter twice, smiling. Jesus, she’s brave . He’d been aware of her crush from the beginning, but this bold declaration surprised him. He leaned against his headboard and glanced at his watch. Three thirty.
Closing his eyes, he imagined the scene in his mother’s kitchen at that moment. Jackson and Cat would be arriving home from school, probably with Vivi tagging along. He could almost smell the patatas and salsa brava his mom might have put out as a snack. Thinking of them gathered around the table, laughing about their day, made him homesick.
So far college had proven to be both challenging and exciting. Although he’d already made a few new friends, he missed the comfort of his family and old friends.
Funny that a love letter from a fourteen-year-old girl could lift his spirits. He suspected most guys would be annoyed or embarrassed by her affection. No doubt his roommates would ridicule him if they found the note.
Sometimes Vivi’s attention made him uncomfortable. Mostly he marveled at her courage. She seemed to accept the futility of her crush but persist in spite of it, as if it were too big to bother hiding.
Sadly, her guileless nature also made her a target, which always made him want to punch something or someone. But high school should give her the chance to meet more people like her, especially in the fine arts department.
In any case, she deserved a response. He opened his laptop and added her e-mail address to his contacts.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: I Found It
Vivi,
I just finished reading the letter you stowed in my computer case. I wonder when you were able to sneak into my room to hide
Alone on the steps, Vivi congratulated herself for surviving another round with David, and tried to ignore the heaviness settling in her chest. With Hank’s help, she just might make it through the week.
C HAPTER F IVE
Georgetown University
Twelve Years Ago
A lone in his cramped dorm room, David pushed back from his desk to hunt for his red pen. He thought he’d left it in the pencil cup. Apparently not. After turning his backpack inside out, he slouched onto his bed with his computer case and began methodically digging through each pocket. He didn’t find the missing pen, but his fingers discovered a folded note wedged between two interior partitions.
Curiosity pricked him upon finding the unfamiliar letter. A faint vanilla aroma reached his nose when he unfolded the missive. He then smiled, immediately recognizing the girlish cursive handwriting, scrawled in purple ink.
Dear David,
Cat is so excited to start high school next week, but all I can think about is how you’ll be off at Georgetown. I hope you don’t find this note for a couple of weeks so I can have fun wondering about when it will happen, and if it will make you smile. I only wish I’d have had the guts to tell you all of this in person.
I guess a good friend would be proud to see you go off to such an amazing college. All I can think about is how much I’ll miss hanging out with you in your kitchen or yard.
I’ll also miss the way you talk to me like I’m mature even though I’m a lot younger than you. Most guys your age (and mine) find me weird, but you’re not most guys—thank God.
A third thing I’ll miss is watching you and your mom together when no one is paying attention. That’s when you ditch your overachieving, perfectionist habits and relax. I like seeing that side of you.
Basically, I’ll miss almost everything about you. Cat’s friendship and your family mean everything to me. I love her, Jackson, and your mom (your dad still scares me), but mostly I love you.
I know I’m too young now, but when I’m grown up, I’ll find a way to own your heart just the way you’ll always own mine.
XOXO,
Vivi
P.S. Write to me if you ever get bored: [email protected].
David reread her letter twice, smiling. Jesus, she’s brave . He’d been aware of her crush from the beginning, but this bold declaration surprised him. He leaned against his headboard and glanced at his watch. Three thirty.
Closing his eyes, he imagined the scene in his mother’s kitchen at that moment. Jackson and Cat would be arriving home from school, probably with Vivi tagging along. He could almost smell the patatas and salsa brava his mom might have put out as a snack. Thinking of them gathered around the table, laughing about their day, made him homesick.
So far college had proven to be both challenging and exciting. Although he’d already made a few new friends, he missed the comfort of his family and old friends.
Funny that a love letter from a fourteen-year-old girl could lift his spirits. He suspected most guys would be annoyed or embarrassed by her affection. No doubt his roommates would ridicule him if they found the note.
Sometimes Vivi’s attention made him uncomfortable. Mostly he marveled at her courage. She seemed to accept the futility of her crush but persist in spite of it, as if it were too big to bother hiding.
Sadly, her guileless nature also made her a target, which always made him want to punch something or someone. But high school should give her the chance to meet more people like her, especially in the fine arts department.
In any case, she deserved a response. He opened his laptop and added her e-mail address to his contacts.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: I Found It
Vivi,
I just finished reading the letter you stowed in my computer case. I wonder when you were able to sneak into my room to hide
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