CHAPTER 36:

Where She Gets Him a Cookie

~~**~~

It was past 8 P.M when I finally left Caroline's house. My mind was still swirling with ideas about how I should ask Archer to go to prom with me.

I knew he didn't like a lot of attention. He wasn't exactly into flashy things. Archer's love language was small acts of service. So I made up my mind. I knew that even though he refused to admit it he was secretly obsessed with the dark chocolate cookies I sometimes brought home from the café. I saw the way his eyes lit up every time I offered them to him and how he ate them slowly like he was savoring each bite.

I stepped into the café, and the cheerful chime of the bell announced my arrival. Sofia looked up from the counter her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing me at the café on my day off.

"Hi, Sofia." I smiled and greeted my manager.

She gave me a warm smile of her own. "What brings you here today Fallon?"

My eyes brightened. "I need a custom cookie. A large twelve-inch dark chocolate one."

I bit my lip as my smile widened. "I need you to write the letters P R O M on it and add a question mark in the end."

~~**~~

I struggled with the box containing my modest little promposal as I climbed the steps to my apartment. I hoped with all my heart that Archer liked it. I couldn't wait to hand him the box and see the look on his face when he opened it.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was eerily quiet.

"Hello?" I called out but no one answered. No one was home? My eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Archer should have been home by now.

I jumped in surprise as the sound of my ringtone cut through the silence of my apartment.

I placed the cookie box on the kitchen counter and fished the phone out of my bag. I sighed in relief when I saw Archer's name flash across the screen.

"Hey, baby." His voice rasped as soon as I picked up.

"Hi," I murmured softly.

"How was your day with the girls?" He asked.

I smiled. "Amazing."

"I missed you though," I told him truthfully.

He sighed. "Yeah. Me too, love."

"So when are you coming back home? Soon I hope?" I asked hopefully as I glanced at the cookie box.

He sighed again. "That's why I called you. They're making me work an extra shift here so I won't be in till late."

I could feel the disappointment making my heart sink.

"Just don't burn yourself out, okay?" I told him.

I knew that between pulling extra shifts at work and studying for his AP mechanics final he barely even had time to breathe these days.

He laughed softly. "I won't. Don't worry about me. Go to sleep, okay? You've been up since the crack of dawn."

"And whose fault is that?" I demanded, my cheeks heating as I recalled exactly how I'd woken up with his head between my thighs.

"Go to sleep. Don't wait up for me." His voice suddenly grew gruffer, probably recalling our early morning escapade himself.

A couple of moments later Archer was called back into work and after a sweet goodbye, he finally hung up.

I changed into my pajamas and got into bed.

I'd just have to ask him first thing in the morning.

But when I woke up for school the next morning Archer was already gone and on his pillow, there was a neatly folded note telling me that he had left early to study at the library.

I screamed into my pillow in frustration.

Why is nothing going in my favor?

This situation cannot get any worse.

But I stood corrected, because as soon as I stepped into the kitchen my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw Adrian sitting on the kitchen island barstool munching away at the dark chocolate cookie I'd bought yesterday.

For Archer.

I grab the box from in front of him and he has the nerve to look offended.

"Hey! I was eating that!" He protested.

"Yeah, well that wasn't for you!" I barked, crossing my arms over my chest in annoyance.

Adrian gave me a pointed look. "How was I supposed to know?"

I raised my hands in annoyance. "Oh, I don't know." I hissed. "I was hoping the huge sign on it that read 'P R O M ?' would make it obvious!"

My roommate suddenly looked sheepish. "Oh, yeah I was kind of curious about what that meant but hunger won out over curiosity in the end."

I sighed. I honestly couldn't find it in myself to be angry with him for long so instead I came up with another solution.

I used the cookie cutter to cut the leftover cookie into five smaller pieces. Adrian helped me quickly make a new batch of icing and I piped the letters P-R-O-M individually onto each cookie and added a question mark to the last one. After putting the cookies into a smaller box and tying it with a cute ribbon I was finally satisfied.

When I reached school the first bell had already rung and Archer was no longer in the library.

I got a text from him during lunch break saying that he had an important errand to run.

I was determined to catch him after swim practice after school so I told my manager to let me off a couple of hours early and that I'd make up for it by working a double shift tomorrow. She thankfully agreed.

I drove the convertible back to school and parked outside the pool building. I got out of the car with the box of cookies and hurried to the door. The guys were starting to leave. Their hair was still wet from the shower.

"If you're looking for your boyfriend he already left." A familiar voice called out and my heart sank.

I swiveled around to face Colton.

"Hey there, stranger." I finally greeted him.

His grey eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. "Hey, freckles." He greeted back.

I rolled my eyes at the nickname.

"So, Archer isn't here?" I asked him with a frown.

Colton shrugged. "No. I think he said something about having to leave early for work."

I sighed as I kicked a stray pebble on the ground. "Well, that sucks."

Colton eyed the box in my hand. "Is it his birthday or something?"

My frown deepened. "No. I was planning to ask him to go to prom with me but I hardly see him these days. He's so busy."

Colton raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Interesting."

I handed him the box and chuckled at the incredulous look he gave me. "It's cookies. We should probably just eat them. They'll go stale by the time I see Archer now. I'll  have to come up with another way to ask him."

We sat down on the wooden bench down the corner and ate the cookies in silence.

I finally turned to him. "Why you don't come over anymore?" I asked out of genuine curiosity. "Spartacus misses you," I added after a beat.

I wouldn't say that Colton and I were close exactly, but we understood each other. It was always fun whenever he came over, both my roommates adored him. But recently he'd stopped visiting as often as he'd used to.

He gave me a pointed look. "Yeah, and risk walking in on you and Hastings having sex again." He grimaced. "No thank you, I think I've been scarred enough for a lifetime."

I could feel my face heat up in mortification as I recalled the incident.

"You should have knocked before coming into my room," I said defensively.

His lips twisted into a sly smirk. "Now where's the fun in that?"

I laughed.

"Seriously, Colton," I told him. "I miss having you around. There aren't many people in this world who can understand where we come from. I don't know about you but I consider you a friend. Just because I'm dating Archer doesn't mean we should stop hanging out altogether."

For a moment his grey eyes studied me.

"Okay then." His lips tilted up to one side. "Let's hang out."

"Good," I responded with a smile.

"Come on then. Let's go." He suddenly got off the bench, waiting for me to follow.

"Now?" I sputtered.

He shrugged. "I was going there anyway. I wouldn't mind company." He started walking.

"Going where?" I asked as I got up and jogged to keep up with him.

"You'll find out soon enough." He chuckled.