“Sounds official,” Nick chuckles. “What is it?”
“I need some flowers sent to a guest’s room,” I say. “But I can’t be seen carrying them there. This guest, she doesn’t want people to think she’s screwing me to get ahead.”
“Sure,” Nick says. “That’s not a problem, mate. Any particular sort of flowers?”
“Sunflowers,” I say immediately.
“All right, specific,” Nick laughs. “Any particular reason?”
There is a reason, but I’m not about to tell Nick that. “Nope. Can you sort it?”
“’Course I can. What time do you want them to arrive?”
“Just before the dorm alarm goes off.”
“Any note?”
“No,” I say. “She’ll know who left them.”
And she’ll know why I chose sunflowers, too.
I stand up from the squat, kicking my feet out and then straightening up my shorts, which are clinging closely to my thigh muscles.
“Sounds good,” Nick says.
“Wait a sec,” I laugh. “You haven’t asked who they’re for.”
“Mate,”Nick chuckles. “I don’t think I need to, to be honest. And you can tell me this is all part of the plan if you want, but you want my opinion, I’m happy for you. If you told me a few weeks ago that Harry Fucking Hadley’d be sending some bird flowers, I’d’ve laughed in your face. But not now.”
I’m about to snap at him and tell him that itispart of the plan. But Nick has known me for too long and can see through my bullshit better than anybody.
“All right, mate,” I say. “Cheers.”
I stroll across the room and pick up the tennis ball, tossing it from hand to hand. I hope that Nick has enough time to get the sunflowers and put them outside Grace’s room.
It had to be sunflowers, too.
Because I remember how endearing her voice became when she told me why she loves them so much.
We were lying in bed in my bedroom, my arm wrapped around her chest and our bodies so close together it was like they were going to just sink into each other.
She wriggled around in my embrace, her hair spilling over her shoulder and partly obscuring her eyes. I moved forward, nuzzling it out of the way, kissing her cool skin all the way down to her lips.
“Harry,” she whispered a moment later. “I want you to know, I’m really angry with you.”
Outside, a football made a slapping noise as it hit against the concrete wall of the dorm building. A few voices were raised in a friendly argument, two of my football mates discussing the rightful punishment if one of them lost the game. Beyond that, a car alarm was tearing through the sultry evening air.
But that all seemed far away and insignificant compared with the scent of my girl’s hair.
“Angry about what?” I said.
“We’re supposed to be this head-over-heels couple, right?”
I chuckled banteringly. “I don’t know if I’d go that far …”
“Hey.” She jabbed me in the side. “Weareand you know it.”
“I know,” I assured her, trailing my hand up her side. “I was only messing with you, sweetheart.”
