Complicated People, Complicated Love

Valentines Day

Maya

    I hear a knock at the door and attempt to walk over. I'm getting better at walking, I hardly limp anymore and the pain is almost completely gone. I open the door and Lucas is standing up straight with a huge goofy grin on his face. He's wearing a grey button down shirt which is a lot fancier than his usual T-shirt. He's holding blue flowers (my favorite color) and around his neck is a giant stuffed elephant.
  
     The elephant looks like a giant version of the small one on his bed that I've named Cornelius. This one must be at least four feet tall. Lucas is still standing there with the ridiculous smile on his face. I laugh, but it's because I'm happy. I never thought that I would meet a guy who cared about me so much that he would bring me extravagant gifts like these on Valentine's Day.

     "Now you won't be the shortest short stack in your apartment," he says handing me the flowers and lowering the elephant from his neck.

    "Ha-ha," I say sarcastically. I open the door wider so that he can fit himself and my gift through the door.

     "How's my pancake?" He asks giving me a hug.

     "Better. I have something for you too," I say letting go and hurrying to my room. "Stay there!" I call back to him.

      "But you didn't even know I was coming over," that's true, I didn't, but he's Lucas, I knew he'd do something.

      "Come on, it's Valentines Day, I wouldn't leave you hanging by not getting you anything." I reach into my closet and pull out the bag. It's filled with thin mint cookies, his favorite desert. There's also a drawing of us. It's the first day we met, on the subway. Smiling at each other.

     I move to the living room and he's sitting on the couch now. I hand him the bag and sit next to him.

      He gasps. "A bag! You shouldn't have!"
 
       "Shut up and open it you weirdo," I say nudging him. He laughs and opens it. He laughs again when he sees that it's filled with a box of one hundred thin mint cookies.

       "Now this is what I'm talking about," he says opening the box right now and somehow shoving three in his mouth. He sees the drawing tucked behind the box. He pulls it out and crumbs fall out of his mouth as it opens.

      "This is amazing!" He yells spewing cookie crumbs all around him. I laugh wiping some off of my jeans. He swallows. "Seriously Maya, this is by far the best piece of art I've seen in my whole life. Thank you," he puts down the drawing and hugs me.

      "Thank YOU. I'm totally naming the elephant Fudge. Now you have Cornelius and I have Fudge. Like Cornelius Fudge from Ha-"
   
       "Harry Potter," he says finishing my sentence. He laughs. "I knew you were smart but that's a genius." He says looking at me like I'm a nerd. I laugh and punch his shoulder.

      "Shhh, you'll hurt my street cred," he looks at me, shakes his head, and smiles.

      "I love you," he says it like he's said it to me a thousand times. He doesn't break eye contact even after he says it, as if he for sure means it. I feel scared at this commitment but at the same time I can't help but smile.

     "I was going to say that first," I say. His smile gets bigger.

     "There's nothing wrong with saying it second."

     I shake my head, "I love you too," I say. He kisses me and then I can't help but laugh.

     "What?" He asks.

     "You taste like thin mints."