Love 101: Box Set (Love 101 #1-4)

by J. Nichole

  “Of course.”

  “I need to get out of here to hit this road before it gets too late. Before I go, let me get a hug. Get out real quick.”

  He meets me on my side of the car and embraces me in the warmest hug. I reach up and give him a kiss. Before I walk away, he turns me around. He whispers in my ear as he places a necklace around my neck. “A little something for my Valentine.”

  I touch the necklace and look down. It’s a beautiful silver cable necklace with a heart pendant. I spin around and give him another kiss. “It’s beautiful. Thank you! Have a safe trip.”

  My smile spreads from ear to ear. I hardly notice anyone in front of the dorm or in the halls as I make my way back to my room.

  “How’d he like his gift?”

  “He liked it. He said that Valentine’s Day is a woman’s holiday, though.” I laugh at the thought. “And he gave me this necklace.”

  Monica gets off her bed and walks over to me. “Girl! You should have went with him to Tennessee. Maybe he has a distant, younger cousin or someone you can hook me up with.”

  “These damn exams. I wish I could have gone. I’ll have to ask him about his other family though. I’ll keep you posted.” I wink at Monica.

  “Now you are here with us single girls.” She links her arm around mine. “Are we still going out to dinner tomorrow night?”

  “I’m not sure where we’ll go because I’m sure most of the restaurants will be packed.”

  “I would say we should make reservations but that just sounds bad. Four chicks eating out on Valentine’s Day is cool, but making reservations, as if we planned to go out on Valentine’s Day, seems lame.”

  As much as I want to relax for the rest of the night, I force myself to get some studying done. I’m determined to keep up with classes this semester and take the time out to study when I need to.

  After studying for each of my exams, I can’t read another single word. I take a shower and curl up under the covers.

  Before I drift off to sleep I’m tempted to text Chris, but I don’t want him to text and drive. Hopefully, I will hear from him when he makes it to Tennessee in a few hours.

  Monica wakes me up around 9 a.m. to ask me if I’m ready to walk to the cafe for breakfast. I love Monica, but sleeping in would be much better on a Saturday.

  I peep at her from under the covers and say, “Monica, don’t you wake up early enough during the week? You don’t want to sleep in?”

  “As much as I want to sleep in, I’m hungry.”

  I groan. “Okay, give me about five minutes.”

  Chris hasn’t called or texted yet. I decide to give him a call on our way to the cafe. Voicemail picks up after several rings. Maybe he is still asleep. After that long drive, I’m sure he passed out.

  I couldn’t really concentrate at breakfast, as my mind was on Chris and hoping he made it home safely. Luckily, Monica ate quickly. I made her stock her bag with some snacks. We picked up bags of chips, fruit, and trail mix.

  On our way back to the room, we pass the dorm mother, who stops me. “Laila, come here sweetheart.”

  I’m still amazed at her memory. I think she knows all the names of the girls in Harris Hall. “Yes ma’am?”

  “You had a delivery early this morning.”

  I didn’t even see all the flower arrangements sitting in her office. She pointed to a vase full of red and pink roses. “Oh wow, they are beautiful!”

  “Looks like someone loves you.”

  I think about her statement for a minute. “We love you, Ms. Turner.” I hand her one of the pink roses, then leave out of her office.

  “Look at those. They are beautiful!” Monica says smiling.

  I take the card from the vase, Happy Valentine’s Day, xoxo Chris.

  “It’s a wrap. That smile tells it all! Have you told him you love him yet?”

  I pause. “Ugh, no.”

  “What are you waiting for?”

  The question of the day. What am I waiting for? Do I love Chris? This feels nothing like the feelings I had for Travis. With Travis, I wanted to give him my all, but he only gave me half of what I gave him. With Chris, I have given him my all and he has actually given me more.

  “I don’t want to say it prematurely. We’ve only been official since December. But I do think I love him.”

  “We’ve only known each other for a short time, but anyone who makes a girl smile like he has you smiling right now must be doing something right.” Monica winks.

  “You’re right. He does know how to treat a girl. Now I need a nap. You have me up too early on a Saturday.”

  As soon as I can get comfortable, my phone vibrates with a text from Chris.

  Am I trippin’ or did you call early this morning?

  I sure did. Were you sleep?

  No, been up for a while helping my pops set up for my mom’s party. You don’t usually get up this early on Saturday. What’s up?

  Monica wanted breakfast.

  Gotta love roommates.

  Indeed. I’m about to take a nap. Call you when I wake up. And thank you for the lovely flowers!

  Anytime.

  After ten minutes of tossing and turning, I decide sleep is not in my near future. Probably best, a nap right now would mess up my study plans for the day.

  Monica, the child genius, is dancing around the room. It must be nice not to need to study. I’m sure she is probably the only pre-med major on campus who isn’t lost in her books right now.

  I tune Monica out for a few hours before taking my first break. I walk over to Jennifer and Nicole’s room with Monica.

  Jennifer answers the door, when we walk in, Nicole looks up from her books with a sleepy look. “Thank God, I was just about to pass out from all this reading.”

  “We came down to get our plans situated for tonight.” I flop down beside Jennifer on her bed.

  Jennifer looks at me and says, “There’s that little pizza place in the mall. Should be empty.”

  Monica shrugs her shoulders. “I doubt too many people will be on a date in a pizza place. Should work.”

  I walk over to Monica by the door. “We’ll meet you guys at five to head out.”

  Nicole falls back on her pillow. “Ugh, back to studying.”

  Getting dressed for dinner I can’t help but think about how Valentine’s Day with Chris would have been perfect. This time last year, I was with Travis, who hardly made any plans. A teddy bear and a box of chocolates from Walmart seemed like a beautiful gift, until now.

  “Why the hell are there so many people at the damn pizza place? On Valentine’s Day at that. I feel like I need to walk around and tell all the females in here that the men they are with tried their lives,” Nicole says as we wait at the hostess stand.

  “I’m sure they will look at you and say, ‘At least I have a man.’”

  “Damn, Monica! That’s pretty harsh.” Nicole shoves Monica.

  Jennifer and I laugh at Monica and Nicole.

  When we finally sit down, we’ve talked about at least half of the couples in the restaurant. We tagged each couple for the way they interacted; first-time date, fuck buddies, or boyfriend-girlfriend. Thankfully, there was only one couple we tagged as boyfriend-girlfriend. The girl looked like she loved pizza, probably ate it too often from the looks of her thighs. But hey, if they like it, I love it.

  Chapter 28

  I’ve been anticipating Saturday all week long. I can’t wait to see Chris so we can finally celebrate Valentine’s Day. Because of exams this week, we didn’t really see each other much.

  My dress is laid out. The pink goes perfectly with my tan heels. I have no clue about where we are going, but after not spending much time with Chris, I need him to see my sexy side. Monica is watching me as I get dressed for the night.

  “You can do so much with your hair. After I’m finished, you’ll be wanting to hire me as your personal hair stylist.”

  “Monica, you are a jack of all trades aren’t you? A genius, a
nd a hair stylist. If school doesn’t work out I’m sure you can find a job at a salon.”

  She tugs my hair and we both laugh. Curling my hair doesn’t take long. Once she’s finished, she sweeps my hair into an updo. I have to admit, my hair looks sexy.

  Chris should have been here ten minutes ago. He isn’t usually late. Millions of reasons why he could be late start to race through my mind. The reason that stands out the most is that Courtney finally got her wish.

  Before the other reasons can formulate, my phone rings.

  “Hey babe.”

  “Chris, are you outside?”

  “No, Laila. I’m so sorry. Something came up with the frat and I won’t be able to make it tonight.”

  Suddenly deflated, I try hard not to let the tears start rolling. “Oh. Will you be out all night? Or will I see you?”

  “You’ll see me if you come out to the lawn around 10:11. But I’m not sure after that. We have a few things we will be doing tonight.”

  “10:11? Not 10:00 and not 10:15? But 10:11?”

  The smile spreading across Chris’ face can be heard over the phone. “Yes, 10:11 babe. Exactly 10:11. Bring your girls.”

  “All right.” I pout and look over at Monica.

  “I know tonight was supposed to be make-up from last weekend, but I promise we will make it up soon. I don’t want to give a date or time because I don’t want to let you down again. Do you forgive me?”

  Not like I have a choice. “Of course. But I want a make-up date sooner than later. I’ll try to come out and support you. See you at 10:11.”

  Monica overheard my conversation and has already started getting dressed. She looks at me with a half-smile. “Sorry you won’t be going on a date tonight. But whatever is happening must be big. Let’s go.”

  “This sexy hair isn’t for everyone. Let’s take a picture then I’ll take it down and we’ll redo it for my make-up date.” I text Jennifer to tell her to come out with us.

  The girls and I make it to the lawn around 10:10. A crowd has already started to form. The message must have spread that the Ques were about to be out here tonight. Girls have flocked from the dorms. They look willing and ready to support in any way necessary.

  The sound of dogs barking is approaching. Before the Ques appear, I see Chris walking down the length of the lawn with a few of his line brothers. He looks over at me, winks, and smiles. I return his smile.

  Seven hooded men approach the crowd in a straight line. They sing out a few chants before being escorted from the lawn. From the chatter of the crowd we learn that this was the informal appearance of the spring line of Omega Psi Phi. A make-up date would have been better.

  Hopefully, the line will cross soon. The semester is coming to an end and I’d like to spend as much time as possible with Chris before summer break.

  Jennifer breaks me from my thoughts and says, “Laila, remember that guy Sean, who you talked to for a quick minute at the beginning of last semester?”

  “Yeah. That ass hole. How could I forget?”

  “I know we can hardly see the faces of the guys on line, but I swear I just saw him.”

  “You remember what he looks like? You’ve only seen him briefly on campus, right?”

  “I don’t forget faces. Even if I only see them for a minute.”

  “Maybe that is him. Wouldn’t that be crazy?”

  Monica and Nicole look at the two of us with curiosity. We promise them we’ll explain later.

  Freshman guys are walking around, trying to talk to the girls who are outside to witness the Que line. Most of the girls are too excited about the new line and hardly give the freshman guys any attention.

  On a quest to find a guy for Monica, we ask her if she is interested in any of the guys walking past. She shakes her head to most of the guys, then tells us her type.

  “I like big, husky, dark skinned guys. If I had to pick, I’d choose the linebacker over the quarterback. But I’d rather the nerd over the athlete.”

  We exchange looks. Nicole bursts out laughing. “Monica, you are joking right? I know you are tall, but what are you going to do with a man that big?”

  “Honestly, the guy least likely to have every chick falling for him is more prone to be faithful.”

  “There may be some logic behind that, but I’m sure even the lame guy still cheats. I wouldn’t put it past any man,” I say, as a matter of fact.

  Nicole and Jennifer nod their heads in agreement with me. We continue to search for Monica’s Mandingo man, with hardly any luck. We’ve surveyed majority of the crowd and Monica still hasn’t seen any potential guys.

  Just as we turn to walk into the dorm, a group of guys approaches us. Three guys, three different shades and sizes. None of them were the guy Monica had just described, but they grabbed our attention.

  “Hello ladies, we hope you aren’t about to leave the lawn. We’ve been watching you and trying to decide who would approach you first. Could we talk to you for a minute?” The shortest guy spoke up for the group.

  Nicole responds, “We aren’t in a rush. We’ll give you a minute.”

  Before any of the guys try to approach me, I bow to the back of the group. Jennifer tries to make her escape, but one of the guys catches her.

  “Y’all stay here in the dorms?”

  “Yeah, we stay in Harris Hall. Do you guys stay on campus?” Jennifer replies.

  “No, actually, we stay off campus. We’re sophomores.”

  Nicole perks up. “Oh, must be nice. My name is Nicole by the way. These are my girls Jennifer, Monica, and Laila.”

  The short guy hits one of the other guys. “Damn dude, we are rude. I apologize. I started talking before I introduced myself. I’m Deac, these fools here are Malcolm and Boris.”

  “Deac?” Jennifer responds with a raised brow.

  “Yeah. My name is actually Jay, but I’m a preacher’s son and they call me Deac.”

  “Preacher’s son? Okay. Amen!” Monica says.

  Monica towers over Deac, but Malcolm seems to be closest to the guy she would be attracted to.

  Deac leans on the nearby rail. “Did you ladies enjoy the peep show tonight?”

  Nicole, looking interested, smiles and says, “It was cool.” She looks over at me. “Her boyfriend is a Que.” That was unnecessary, guess she didn’t want them to make a pass at me.

  Malcolm looks down at me. “He snapped you up quick, didn’t he?” He laughs, then steps closer to Monica. “Do you mind if I walk you up the steps?”

  Monica blushes. “Sure.”

  Jennifer and I leave Deac with Nicole and head into the dorm. I wink at Monica as we pass her. We head towards Jennifer’s room. “Can you believe this year is almost over,” I say.

  She shakes her head. “I’m glad we met at orientation. I don’t know what this year would have been like without you.”

  “Aw, don’t get sentimental on me. The year isn’t over yet.” I nudge her elbow. “How’s Mark doing?”

  “We still kick it, but just taking our time. Won’t be like you, with a boyfriend, anytime soon. Still have to learn to trust him.”

  “Have you talked to him about Jody and the incident at the club?”

  “Girl! I told Mark about that jerk and we laughed so hard. Mark said Jody has a problem with running in the same circle of friends. Apparently, he has talked to a set of friends before and got caught up.”

  “As if there aren’t enough females on campus to avoid that problem.”

  “All this reminiscing has me a little sad. Summer will be here soon. I need to find a job or an internship, something.”

  “I’m sad too. I’ll really miss Chris. I’m sure Tanya and the baby will keep me plenty busy though.”

  “Until then, we need to start planning for spring break.”

  “I can’t imagine we will do much, considering none of us has a car to get anywhere.”

  “Who needs a car? We get around here fine. We just need to find someone to hitch a ride with.” />
  “Hitching a ride to the club is totally different from hitching a ride out of town.”

  “True. You live the closest. Maybe your folks will let us come home with you and we can at least hit the beach.”

  “That sounds more like a plan. I’ll be sure to ask them. Although I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

  Finally, Nicole and Monica come walking in the door.

  “Damn. The Deac must have delivered a sermon. Y’all were out there for a while,” Jennifer says with a smirk.

  Nicole rolls her eyes. “Don’t hate. It was this one here who hit it off with her non-linebacker man, Malcolm.”

  Monica pops her collar and smiles coyly. “Malcolm is definitely not the guy I just described. But he is interesting.”

  “And what about you, Ms. Thang? What do you think about the Deac?” I say looking at Nicole.

  “He’s cute. Definitely has a big personality. I think I like that best about him.”

  It’s late. Monica and I decide to head back to our room. Guess I’ll catch up with Chris another day. Visions of Courtney pop in my head as I lie down and try to fall asleep. I really need to talk to Chris about her, or it’s going to drive me nuts. I send him a text.

  Chris I need to talk to you.

  Call me when you get a chance.

  Tossing and turning, trying to get Courtney out of my head isn’t working. Chris needs to call me soon.

  “Laila, are you okay?” I sit up and look over at Monica. “You are moving around too much. I can hear you every time you flip over.”

  “Monica, I’m sorry. I can’t sleep, I keep thinking about Courtney.”

  “You need to talk to Chris ASAP. I’m sure he’ll tell you it’s nothing to worry about.”

  My phone rings. “Speak of the devil. He’s finally calling.”

  “Hey, Chris. I’m glad you called.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something and haven’t had the time. But now I can’t sleep.” He doesn’t respond.

  “It’s about Courtney.”

  “Courtney? What about her?”