There are many different love stories present in our everyday lives. From the greats of Brontë and Austen to The Notebook and those others that we all are probably guilty of flipping through on Netflix on a monotonous Saturday night. Or the rest of us who prefer to bury our faces in the romance novels and pretend the emotional heroine always somehow ends up with her destined lover every single time. Well, this is not one of those love stories. This is college in the 21st century and the only thing that’s coming even remotely close to the sappy love stories that we find in books are if the frat guys I see across the street from my dorm brought home the same girl for the second night in a row.

“Oh, come on, Jennah. Please come!” my friend Mallory pleads at the main desk window where I sat. 

It’s February 14th, Valentine’s Day, and I’m working the afternoon shift at the main desk in the dorm that her boyfriend and I both live at.

“Don’t you trust him? Besides, I just ended things with Carter and I very much had planned to spend tomorrow night by myself in bed binge watching Pretty Little Liars.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Of course I trust him. It’s those girls I don’t trust. What if somebody actually bids on him?!” Her voice raising an octave as she finally tells me why she wants my support and my presence.

I laugh and earn a glare from her. “Mal, it’s a date auction and it’s for a good cause. Aren’t the proceeds going to UNICEF or something? Besides, if you were so worried about another girl taking him on a date, why the hell did you agree to let him do this in the first place?” I ask, genuinely curious. Mallory isn’t the jealous type and her boyfriend isn’t exactly Liam Hemsworth so I don’t think she has anything to worry about.

She rolls her eyes again. “That’s not the point! It’s the principle of the thing. He has a girlfriend – me,” pointing at herself.

“Okay, girlfriend. So why not just outbid whoever bids on him?”

“Because,” she replies drawing out the word, “it’ll make me look like the psycho crazy girlfriend who bid on her own boyfriend at a date auction.”

I raise an eyebrow at her as if asking her to get to the point. 

She sighs. “So you’re going to come with me and bid in him for me,” she states matter-of-factly. 

This time I actually laugh really loud. “I am not doing that.”

She opens her mouth about to object, but I stop her. “Mal, I love you, but this is really overthinking it. It’s for a good cause. And if someone bids on Jaime, it means you got good taste. Own it. Love it. Accept it. That I am not going to that date auction.” I finish, deadpan.

“I’ll help you log all the flowers and packages behind you,” she counters. I groan. 

I had purposely tried my very hardest to not work the afternoon shifts behind the desk this week. I knew the Valentine’s Day deliveries were going to come flooding in. I was right. They started coming as early as a week ago. Imagine my supervisor’s shock when I actually asked to be put on the 8AM shifts for the whole week, even Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Too bad the schedule was already set and others asked for the same times so they could spend the rest of the day with their SOs. Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against Valentine’s Day. I just think it’s a stupid Hallmark holiday. 

“Well…?” she asks with a smile on her face, hopeful. 

I turn around and look at the pile of red and pink shit behind me and groan again. “Ugh fine! But you’re doing all of it today and this weekend.” 

“Omg you’re the best!” she exclaims and goes around to the door. She walks in and hugs me and takes a look at me. “Jen, you look amazing but think you have something red or pink to wear for tonight?”

I scowl at her. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now? I’m going for moral support, not walking in the auction myself.”

She holds her hands up, defeated. “Fine. Can’t win them all.”

I walk around her and make towards the door. “Where are you going?”

“You said you were gonna do the package logging so I’m going to go upstairs and take a nap and prepare for this cheesy ridiculous of an evening. Like how much ridiculous can they get holding this on actual Valentine’s Day.” I half taunt. 

“It’s still your shift.”

“But you said you’d take it.” 

“But-“ she starts, but I’m already halfway out the door.

“See ya at 7,” I call behind me as I make my way to the elevators and I can feel her glaring at me from behind. 

I’m riding up the elevator when I get a text from Mallory. Seriously look nice. There’s someone at the auction. He’s in the same club as us. Just wanna introduce you two 🙂I let out an exasperated sigh and hang my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. I send a quick No reply. The last thing I wanted was to jump into another guy after Carter, which I told Mal, Jaime, and the rest in our group, Cassie, Connor, and Evelyn.

My phone buzzes with another text from Mallory. Just one date like you said. Besides, we’re all going out for Cassie’s birthday dinner right after. Justin is surprising her tonight. Connor is bringing his friend and Evelyn is bringing some new chick she’s seeing. Just didn’t want you to be alone.

I put my phone on DND and flop onto my bed and was out in about five seconds. 

[Inspired by: My life… during a happier time.]

~*~*~*~

Author’s Note –

I wrote a lot when I first moved out to LA. Oddly enough I always wanted to write this down, but I was never healed enough or strong enough to be able to. Until now – sort of. This reminded me of a happier time. When things were much simpler and all I had in my head were romance novels and unrealistic expectations.

I always say I write scenes based off of something usually very random that I see that sparks an interest (i.e. a set of old wooden double French doors). This, however, actually happened. I’d say this scene was about 90% real.

I guess part of the reason why I never write endings is because I have yet to find a happy one.

Thank you for reading.

– xox, Jay.Lee