Forgotten Love Letter

FORGOTTEN LOVE LETTER

Sienna

" S o let me see if I understand." I look at Evan, who's setting up the new software on my computer. "This new program will allow us to select songs, make a playlist, and burn it to a CD instead of doing an old-fashioned mixtape cassette?"

"Yup." He turns and beams at me. "It's amazing. You can fit hundreds of songs on one CD; that way you won't need to change a bunch of cassette tapes whenever you feel like listening to your favorite songs."

"I love my cassettes." Dalia, my roommate and one of my best friends, chimes in.

"Same. Especially when I make one for Geoffrey." I smile at them. "We have this tradition that whenever we find a new music genre or artist, we'll make a mix and give it to the other on our anniversary."

"Awww, that's so sweet," she says, swooning.

"Wow, what a way to make me feel even more single." Evan rolls his eyes at us.

"Dude, you have an entire horde of college girls, from freshmen to seniors, drooling all over you and wanting to get in your pants. And you reject them every time." Now it's Dalia's turn to roll her eyes.

Dalia's right. Evan is one of the most popular guys on campus, but for some reason, he's never been interested in dating any of the girls who show interest in him. I suspect the reason for this is he has a crush on a particular girl, although every time I've asked, he's brushed off my question and changed the subject.

"Maybe I'm waiting for you to ask me out, Dal." He winks at her and she laughs, but I can't help notice the blush that colors her cheeks.

These two are definitely attracted to each other and in denial about it. Maybe I should give them a little push?

"You know, winter break isn't that far off. Maybe you two should come with Geoffrey and me to the cabin. We'll have a bonfire, make s'mores, and watch movies. I promise you it's gonna be exactly what we all need after finals."

Evan snorts. "We don't want to ruin your romantic holiday with the boyfriend."

"I agree. You and Geoffrey haven't seen each other in a while; you need your alone time," Dalia adds.

"We'll get plenty of alone time next weekend. Besides, I think he's gonna ask one of his friends to come as well."

It's a little white lie, but I'll make sure to call Geoffrey and tell him about my plan so he can follow along.

Evan's attention goes back to my computer screen, finishing with the installation, and I make faces and whisper, "He's so gonna say yes if you do," behind his back to my best friend. She shakes her head, and I make a menacing threat by pointing my finger at her and then at him and then at me, and mimic tying them together so she gets the hint that I'll do whatever it takes until they stop being ridiculous and admit they have a huge crush on each other.

This isn't the first time Dalia and I have talked about Evan. She says he's too cool and hot to be interested in a girl like her. Especially with him being so popular and all. I remind her it's Evan who sought us out and started this friendship trio. At first, she thought he was interested in me, but I knew he wasn't by the way he's always looked at her. Besides, when he first met Geoffrey, they hit it off, and he's never shown any inappropriate behavior toward me, and he's even made sure all his buddies know I have a boyfriend.

I turn my attention to what Evan is doing on my computer. "You know you'll have to teach me how to use this program so I can practice before making a mix CD for this year's anniversary."

"And maybe teach me as well?" Dalia asks shyly. "I'm not the best when it comes to tech, but I'd like to, um… try."

Evan swivels my chair around and smiles at her. "Of course. It's easy. You'll be a pro in no time."

I'm about to tell them I'll go grab something to drink so they can be alone, when there's a knock on my door and then a very familiar head peeks through the opening.

"Who's gonna be a pro?" Geoffrey asks from the doorway.

"Geoff!" I jump from my bed and leap into his arms.

He effortlessly catches me and swings me around. "Hey, baby."

I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my face in the crook of it. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Did it work?" he asks as his arms tighten around my back.

I feel my eyes water, tears threatening to spill. I've missed him so much. We knew a long-distance relationship was going to be hard, especially because we were inseparable until Geoffrey had to go away for college. When it was my turn and I decided to pursue a major in journalism, four hours away, I wasn't worried because I'm madly in love with him and know all our efforts and sacrifices would be worth it when we're done with school and back together for good.

"I'm definitely surprised," I choke out, clinging tighter to him.

"Oh, baby, I didn't mean to make you cry." He rubs my back, soothing me.

"These aren't sad tears." I pull away so he can see the smile on my face. "It's because I'm so happy to see you."

Evan clears his throat behind us.

"Uh, we're gonna go grab something to eat," he starts as both he and Dalia get up from their seats and walk toward us. "We'll be back later to finish with our project."

"Yeah, but like, way, way later because we're super hungry." Dalia winks.

Shaking my head, I untangle myself from Geoffrey's arms and he sets me down.

"Nice to see you, man." Evan extends his fist toward Geoffrey.

"Nice to see you both too. Don't forget to grab dessert." He laughs as he fist-bumps Evan.

We watch as they exit the dorm room, but not before Dalia makes a fainting gesture behind Geoffrey's back, making me laugh. By the time Geoffrey turns around, they're gone.

"Are they finally together?" he asks as we make our way to my bed and sit.

"You know how stubborn they both are," I answer, shaking my head. "Oh! But I have a plan!"

Grabbing my chin, he slowly eats the distance between us and gives me the lightest and shortest kiss on my lips ever. Still, I feel it all over my body.

"Tell me." For a moment, I forget what I was saying, but he smiles and adds, "About your plan."

"Right. I invited them to come to the cabin with us on winter break." Suddenly, I'm unsure if it was okay to do it without asking him first, but then I'm reminded yet again that this man is perfect.

"Baby, that's a great idea. We can tag team and make sure they come back as a couple after."

"I did lie to them about one thing, though. I told them you'd invite one of your friends as well."

"Hmm… I guess I can ask Max or Diesel to come too, depending on who has a girl by that time so they don't feel the need to flirt with Dalia."

"That'd be perfect!" I squeal. "Max or Diesel having a girl won't stop them from flirting with Dalia, though. But maybe that'll finally make Evan realize someone else can end up with her if he doesn't do it first."

Geoffrey laughs. "You're evil. And I love that about you, my little devil."

His words hit straight to my heart, and it's at the tip of my tongue to tell him I love him too, but I go with a question instead. "So, what are you doing here? And most importantly, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would've grabbed us something to eat or at least cleaned up a bit."

His gaze roams around the dorm room, taking in all the clothes in the basket at the far corner, the toiletries flooding the top of the drawers, and the book bags and shoes strewn over the carpet.

"If you could see the state of our apartment right now, you'd realize how clean your room is. Living with four guys is definitely something I'll never do again after I'm done with college."

I laugh. "Well, at least my bed sheets are clean." I wrap my arms around his neck as I say this. His stare is full of heat, and I don't miss how his jaw clenches.

"Have you eaten yet? I'm starving."

He groans and slams his lips against mine, kissing me. This kiss isn't light or brief. It's deep and raw and full of tension.

"Baby," he warns against my lips.

"I need you," I whisper back. "Please, Geoffrey."

I lie down, my back hitting the mattress, pulling him with me. Geoffrey hovers over me with an arm on either side of my head,making sure not to crush me.

His tongue wraps around mine, and I moan as I lift my hips, seeking the friction I can't stop craving.

His hips move against mine. I can feel how hard he is, and I move one of my hands down to caress his length over his jeans.

Groaning, his hand moves over my breast, squeezing it. It's all the incentive I need to move my other hand to try and unzip his pants.

He pulls away, hitting his back against the wall. "We need to stop." His voice is hoarse as he carefully tries to readjust himself.

I won't have it. We've never had sex. It's one of the things Geoffrey's always been adamant about—waiting until I was older to make sure I wasn't taking that decision lightly.

But I'm done. I've wanted him for so long, and now being apart, not seeing each other for months and months, has only made me crave his touch even more.

"Geoffrey," I snap. "You have to stop protecting my virtue. I want you. Wanted this for so long."

"I know, Sienna." His hand cradles my cheek. "Fuck, you don't know how hard it is for me to stop, but I—"

"What? What is it?"

He clears his throat. "I promised your mom I wouldn't pressure you—"

"OMG, are you serious?" I cut him off. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one trying to have sex with you, not the other way around."

"Baby, you have to understand, she just—"

"I know," Isay through gritted teeth. "I know my father only wanted to sleep with her, and when she got pregnant he was gone, wanting nothing to do with her or me."

I feel my eyes well with tears, but I refuse to cry over a man who didn't want me.

"But you're nothing like him, and she shouldn't have said anything to you, not to mention make you promise something like that."

I'm so mad, I feel like interrupting my mother's trip to tell her how I feel.

My mom and I were always close, but once I hit puberty, everything changed. She's always worried I'll end up pregnant and a single mom. It doesn't matter that she remarried and I have a brother now and she hasn't been alone for years.

"Don't be upset, please. And it's not just what I promised to her." Geoffrey grabs my chin and turns my head so our eyes meet. "I love you. You're the first woman I've ever loved, and I want to do things the right way. I want our first time to be perfect. I don't want it to be rushed. I want us to take our time exploring each other's bodies. I want to hear you moan as I kiss every inch of you and scream my name without anyone else hearing you through a dorm's thin walls. Because, baby"—he crashes his lips against mine and nips at my lip—"I want you to be mine. Your heart, your body, the sounds of you coming. Just fucking mine."

We kiss, tasting every part of each other's mouths. Gently, he pushes me against the mattress and lies on top of me again. Moving his lips from mine to my jaw and down my neck. He continues his path down over the valley of my breasts and my stomach.

And then his head rises, smirking at me. I know nothing else will happen, but I can't find it in me to be mad about it.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess waiting doesn't sound as awful."

His smile widens, and he extends his hand to help me sit up.

"To answer your question, I'm actually heading home tonight."

I arch a brow. "Did something happen?"

"My mom called. It's… my sister…again. I borrowed Diesel's car so I can drive there."

"Oh, Geoff, I wish I could go with you so you wouldn't have to do that alone."

"It's fine." He smiles at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "I have bad news, though. I asked one of my professors for the day off and that means I won't be able to come here next weekend. I'm so sorry, Sienna."

Next weekend, our anniversary. We haven't missed one in the three years since we started officially dating, and even before that, we always celebrated our special dates.

I can see the battle within him. I know how important it is for him, but his family, especially his mom, they're important too. And I love that he cares so much about them, about everyone he loves.

"Well, you're here now. What do you say we go grab a bite to eat and some ice cream? Let's pretend our anniversary is tomorrow and we're celebrating early." I try to sound cheerful.

He stares at me, probably trying to figure out if it's really okay that we won't spend time together next weekend. Then he finally smiles as we stand up and walk toward the door. "Let's go then."

"I'm finished. Can you make sure I didn't screw it up this time?" I ask Evan over my shoulder.

"Let me have a look."

Standing, I move so he can take my place on the chair, and walk toward my bed to start packing.

After Geoffrey and I said goodbye, I rushed to look for Evan and Dalia so we could come back to our room and finish with the software and I could make my first CD.

"Are you sure about this?" Dalia asks. "I don't like the idea of you driving home alone."

"I'll be fine. I'll stop by my house first. Maybe scare my little brother in the process and then I'll call Geoffrey tomorrow so we can meet up and I can give him his first of many anniversary CDs with all those Spanish love songs I found on the web."

"And here it is," Evan announces as he places the CD in its case. "You can write something on it. Let me grab a Sharpie from my backpack."

Once he hands me the Sharpie, he and Dalia start arguing about potential things I can write on it. I go with the perfect words that'll fit the playlist I created.

"Love Letter: Volume One," Dalia reads over my shoulder.

"What do you think?" I ask as I nibble my lip.

"It's perfect," they both answer at the same time.

I finally get home, after weathering the raging storm that hit right as I started my drive here. The house is quiet and mostly in darkness. It's no wonder, because my mom is on a trip and my brother is most likely sound asleep upstairs in his room. Solomon, my mom's husband, is probably sleeping as well. Trying not to disturb the calm, I make my way to my bedroom, and once inside I carefully close the door. I open my bag to grab some clean, dry clothes to replace my soaked ones, finding Geoffrey's gift on top of them. I smile as I draw a finger along the edge of the case. I hope he loves my surprise .

Suddenly, I hear a scream coming from somewhere in the kitchen. I tuck the CD inside my bag again and rush to go investigate it out before doing anything else.

Geoffrey

"How did it go?" Diesel asks from the other end of the line.

"Made it in one piece. Your car is absolutely fine."

He chuckles. "Dude, you know that's not what I'm asking. Did you get the rock?"

I tumble over my bed, then change the phone to my left hand as I grab my grandma's ring on my right. The dim light of my desk lamp doesn't allow for the ring to shine as I know it does.

It's the ring my grandfather bought my granny with his first paycheck after they came to the US. My mom always said it's her most precious family heirloom and she planned for my sister to inherit it. Unfortunately, we both know as soon as she gets the ring, she'll probably pawn it.

"Dude, you there?" Diesel asks.

"Yeah. I got the ring."

"Fuck yeah, man. I can't believe you're actually proposing to your girl next weekend. I'm so happy for you both."

"I feel bad about lying, though. Telling Sienna I was coming to handle a family issue and that I wouldn't be able to see her on our anniversary was hard. She was so disappointed."

"It's just a couple of white lies for a greater surprise. She's gonna flip when you ask her to marry her."

"I hope she says yes." I close my fist around the ring I've been thinking about giving Sienna for years. "Because I can't imagine my life without her."

* Venerable is a dark romance about Sienna's brother, Sebastian.