"He's just doing his job." I sit at my table and nod at the chair next to me. "What are you doing here?"
He holds up his goods. "Isn't it obvious? I'm Tucker's little bitch tonight."
A snort pops out of me as I cover my mouth. He raises his eyebrow at me as I apologize. "Sorry, you're very sweet for helping out."
"Yeah, well, he sent me a shit ton of Little Debbie snacks so I'm indebted to him right now." He hands me the flowers and coffee and sets the bag on the table. "Did you like the room?"
"I love it. It's perfect. Thank you for working hard on it."
He waves me off. "Had a little help from Smalls. With the current job finished and Tucker away, we need to fill our days with something. No big deal. Tucker had everything laid out, and we just had to follow his blueprint. As he bought everything online, I just picked it up at the store."
"Wow." I take a sip of the coffee, letting the warm liquid stretch down my throat. "He really planned everything out, didn't he?"
"You have no idea. That dick face has it bad for you." Racer leans forward and whispers, "Make sure you make him sweat it out a bit. Don't give in too easily." He winks and then pulls away. He stands and pushes the bag toward me. "That's from Prince Charming. I've got to get going, early morning tomorrow. See ya, Emma."
"Bye. Thanks, Racer."
He salutes me and takes off, keeping an eye on Garrett the entire time.
I have a bouquet of peonies in hand, my favorite coffee in front of me, and a gift bag ready to be opened. I giggle from Racer's attempt to make it look pretty with tissue paper and open it. Another card.
Hey baby,
Fuck, I miss you. I miss your smile, your laugh, the way you can so easily make me feel at ease. I miss everything and can't wait to get home to hold you in my arms once again. Until then, here's a little care package to get you through these long nights of studying.
Get at it, babe, hit those books hard. I'm thinking of you . . . always.
Forever yours,
Tucker
If he's trying to get me to fall for him, he doesn't need to try any longer. I'm there. I am so freaking there.
When I reach into the bag, the first thing I pull out is a box of Swiss Cake Rolls with a note on them.
Snack it up, babe. And just because they're phallic shaped doesn't mean I'm alluding to anything. But am I picturing you eating these? Fuck yes. P.S. Don't give any to Racer.
I shake my head and reach into the bag again, pulling out a pack of pencils.
Do you use pencils? I don't know. But saw them and thought, my girl can't run out of pencils. So here you go.
My girl. Those two words ring happiness into my heart.
The next thing in the bag I pull out is a T-shirt. Tucker's T-shirt. I take a sniff of it before reading the note. It smells just like him and makes my heart ache.
In case you were missing me. I hope you are. Wear it to bed, dream of me, baby.
I'm missing him terribly.
The last thing is a gift card to Starbucks in a giant coffee mug with a picture of him smiling like a lunatic on the front. I laugh out loud, disrupting the silence in the library.
For your growing collection of mugs. Knowing you have to put your lips on my face every time you drink out of this mug makes these days a little easier. Also, get some coffee; you're going to need it for your late nights.
He's thought of everything. I so desperately want to wrap my arms around him and thank him, to show him that I miss him, that I want nothing more than to be curled up against his chest right now.
Needing to hear his voice, I call him, making sure to be quiet. When his voicemail picks up again, I sigh in frustration.
"Hey, you've reached Tucker. If this is Emma, keep hanging in there, baby. Take this time to study, get ready for the end of the year. When you get home, be sure to look under your pillow. There's a gift card to Macy's. Get yourself a gradation dress. You deserve it. If this is Racer, thanks for the help. Your second payment of Little Debbie Snacks is on its way. Stop bitching about it." The robot comes on again and I laugh, but this time, with a heavy heart. I want him home.
I want him home now.
***
Two days until graduation. No more clinical, no more classes, no more mind-numbing lectures. I should be happy. I should be overjoyed, excited, shouting from the rooftops like Adalyn and Logan who are still at the bar celebrating. But instead, I sit in the driveway of an empty house, aching for the one person I want to celebrate with. The one person who still isn't home.
I turn off my car and once again, walk into an empty house. When I step into the kitchen, a giant sign on a poster board greets me. In glitter paint-oh, Racer-it reads, Congratulations, Emma! You're done!
A soft smile plays over my lips from the gesture. Tucker hasn't missed a beat since he first switched our rooms around. Whether it was ordering pizza for me one night, leaving notes around the house just so I can be connected to him, or sending a gift card to take out Logan and Adalyn for dinner to celebrate. He's been there every step of the way, and yet, he hasn't. I understand he has to be gone for work, but I just want him back. This distance is really placing a toll on my aching heart.