Chapter Text
I rolled my eyes annoyed.
“Jenna, stop it. You know I wouldn't stand a chance anyway.”
I was sitting next to my best friend in a seminar room at our university with my head in my hands. I had my eyes closed.
“But it's worth a try. And it costs next to nothing!” Jenna answered and I shook my head slightly.
“I just don't want to make a fool of myself...” I admitted sheepishly, opening my eyes and looking sideways at my best friend.
“But then just do it anonymously. Come on Y/N! Otherwise, you will never come close to Jere!”
I closed my eyes again in frustration. I knew Jenna was right, but I still didn't think it was a good idea.
Because Jere Pöyhönen – as foreign as his name sounded – was the captain of our school's ice hockey team. And it was a really good team. Our school always won the last games and championships - mainly because Jere was pretty good. In addition, he not only looked pretty good with his black hair and blue eyes, he was also just extremely friendly and courteous. Just the other day, he'd helped a girl who had stumbled and spilled all her books across the hall.
So it's no wonder that the girls queued up for him and all the boys wanted to be like him.
I sighed softly. It just wasn't fair. Mainly because I, Y/N, the girl with the glasses and the sweaters that are always too big, would never stand a chance with the boy - even though I had a crush on the young man with the blue eyes. But again, who didn't?
However, maybe that was exactly why I finally agreed with Jenna and bought a rose from a stand in our cafeteria after our seminar. It would be handed along with a small letter to the chosen person on Valentine's Day. Anonymously of course.
But now – a few days later – Valentine's Day had come and I regretted this decision very much. Because Jere would probably – like every year – get the most roses one way or another, so mine was simply superfluous.
Once again I sat in a seminar room, but this time without Jenna. She had a different course – in contrast to Jere. Because he had the same course as me today and was therefore in one of the front rows. I cautiously peered at the handsome young man and sighed softly.
I should have left the rose and the letter for real. And besides, I was now just awfully embarrassed if he ever found out that probably the cheesiest message of them all came from me.
But I was torn out of my thoughts when Isabelle, who took over the management of the rose sales campaign every year, entered our seminar room; in her hand a large bouquet of roses.
I automatically slumped in my seat and stared at the table.
“All right, folks. Here are the roses” she grinned at everyone and began distributing those red flowers in our class.
“Anna? Like every year, one goes to you.” With that, she presented a rose to a girl in the third row.
This went on for a while until Isabelle finally stopped at Jere's with the remaining seven (!) roses.
“Jere Pöyhönen, still the record holder” she laughed at the blue-eyed man, who nodded and accepted the roses. Then he looked at them closely, but didn't open the small envelopes.
Meanwhile, Isabelle had left the room and the lesson continued.
But my heart was beating wildly.
I slumped further and further into my seat but I couldn't take my eyes off Jere as he began to read each message carefully.
My cheeks turned pink and I looked embarrassed at the blackboard again. However, my thoughts were racing and I couldn't really follow the lecturer.
When class finally ended, I grabbed my stuff as quickly as I could and almost fled the room to meet Jenna in the cafeteria.
“And?” she asked me from afar and I sighed and fell onto the chair next to her.
“I have no idea. He smiled a few times but I couldn't see which one was mine and… well, it doesn't matter anyways” I said annoyed, resting my head on my hands.
My best friend pityingly stroked my shoulder and I smiled slightly at her.
At least until Jere entered the cafeteria together with a few friends. They sat down at their “regulars' table” but I averted my gaze and turned to my food, which Jenna had brought for me.
Suddenly Jenna kicked my shin. I was about to start a protest when I looked up.
And saw Jere standing at our table.
My eyes widened and my hands almost immediately started to sweat.
“C-can I help you?” I asked after a short while, during which Jere apparently had no intention of saying anything. He just smiled.
My heart was pounding in my chest.
“You tell me.” The blue-eyed smiled at me and I swallowed hard.
That smile... and the black, slightly tousled hair...
I quickly tried to wake up from my daydream and give a reasonable answer.
“I guess I don't understand” I stuttered, fiddling with my fingers nervously.
Jere smiled again before starting to answer.
“Isabelle said you sent me one of the roses?”
I looked at the boy in front of me with wide eyes. Even Jenna next to me made a surprised noise.
That's it. That was my end. Isabelle had spilled that I bought a rose for him. It was against the rules but that didn’t matter anymore because now I was dead.
A blush shot up into my face and I stared at my opponent in shock.
“Jere, I'm sorry f-for bothering you with this. I mean, who wants to get a rose from a nerd and anyways, I should have just left the rose...”
“I was very happy about it.”
The last words stuck in my throat.
“But, you know, uhm... I had no idea my eyes reflected galaxies.”
He quoted my letter. I choked on my own spit and coughed. Jenna, who I'd completely forgotten about for the moment, patted my back reassuringly.
After a while I calmed down and cleared my throat several times.
“I know that sounds cheesy” I mumbled softly and Jere laughed briefly. I could swear it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life.
“Listen”, the young man began, “it's Valentine's Day and I think you're pretty cute, so… I don't have any plans for today and I wanted to ask if you have time at six? At my house? We could watch movies and order pizza or something like that.”
Jere scratched the back of his neck, slightly nervous – and my eyes widened.
“You're asking me out on a date?”
Thoughts raced through my mind and I couldn't stop any of them. Jere Pöyhönen asked me out on a date. Me?!
“It seems like…”
I stared at him in disbelief for a little while before nodding, perhaps a little too vigorously, and letting out an “Absolutely”. Jere laughed again and leaned forward a little.
“I’m glad.”
With that he came a bit closer and breathed a small kiss on my cheek. And God, his lips were velvety and soft.
When Jere broke away again, he gave me a small piece of paper, winked at me and then turned around to go back to his friends. I couldn't help but just stare after him.
Did that really just happen?!
“Just look already! What does it say?” Jenna's excited voice brought me back to the present and I unfolded the small piece of paper in a daze. Various numbers were arranged in a row on it.
Jere's cell phone number.
I hardly heard Jenna's squeak because I was far too focused on the little heart that Jere had drawn behind his number. Maybe the rose wasn't such a bad idea after all.