Chapter 1: Phone Calls
"Can I FaceTime you again later tonight?" Peter asks. We have been talking on the phone for 15 minutes during my break between classes.
"Of course. My study group ends at 8. I'll be waiting for your call, " I say cheerfully, ending the phone call with an almost singing-like tone.
Peter and I are in a long distance relationship and I gotta say it is not as bad as how we thought it would be. But maybe because it has only been happening for a little over 2 weeks.
"Lara Jean, what do you think?" Aaron pulls me back to the present. We are discussing our assignment along with 3 other classmates.
"Yeah, it's a great idea. I think we can totally pull it off!" Honestly, I don't exactly listen to what they are talking about, but the others show signs of agreement on their faces. So, whatever it is, it shouldn't be bad.
We finish earlier than expected. I check my phone, it is 7.25. I decide to take a walk around the campus for a little bit and buy myself Caesar salad for dinner in one of the snack booths.
It is the end of August and the weather is still warm. The campus area is bustling with activities and events such as music concerts, art exhibitions or students just lying on the grass eating free shaved ice and so on. I love how vibrant and lively the atmosphere is.
There are always parties to attend to on weekends. I attended one last week because my roommate/best friend in campus, Emily, insisted that I went with her. I'm glad I did. It was a good opportunity to meet new friends outside classes. Margot would be super proud of me. She always reminds me to spread my wings and be fearless and all that.
It is almost 8 by the time I arrive in my room. The room is empty. Emily is not back yet. On the first day I met her, I was really nervous since she was very different with me. For starters, she looks like a runway model. She has blonde loose curly hair and blue-green eyes. Her height is 5'8". All thanks to her Dutch-Palestinian-American genes. Besides being very attractive, she is a really friendly, charming and witty girl. I love her outgoing and laid back personality. I guess opposites do attract, huh? She majors in fashion photography. She asks me to model for her several times, but I always say no to the request. I mean, I don't think I'm a model material, you know? And how should I pose? It's gonna be really awkward.
My phone rings at exactly 8. "He must be really excited to call me, huh?" I think to myself. The thought of it warms my heart.
"Hey, look who's on time!" I tease him as soon as I pick up his call. I set my phone on my desk along with my dinner.
"Covey, I can't see your face. Where are you?"
"Hang on a sec, I need to put my books and grab my mug." I pour lemon tea from our mini fridge and walk back to my desk.
"There you are! My beautiful girlfriend," Peter smirks. I feel my cheeks blush at his compliment. I've been dating Peter Kavinsky for 2 years now and I still can't get used to his compliments about my appearance. "Why are you in your room already? I thought you finished at 8. I planned to call you while you were walking back so you wouldn't have to walk alone."
Oh, Peter, always so thoughtful. "We finished off earlier than planned. So, I took a walk to clear my head and bought myself dinner. It's been a long day. Thanks for the sweet gesture though." I give him a wide sincere smile. I get butterflies in my stomach when he smiles back at me with his most gorgeous smile that gives him cute wrinkle lines on his nose bridge.
"Is there anything wrong, Lara Jean?"
"No, everything's fine. It's just that I have lots of assignments to be submitted before Labor Day. Apart from that, I'm all good. Don't worry."
"Well, let's look at the bright side, you'll get to really enjoy your holiday. Speaking of which, what's your plan for next week? Are you planning to come home?" Peter is eager to know.
"Hmm... I haven't decided on anything yet, " I say as I take a forkful of lettuces, chicken and croutons into my mouth. "What do you have in mind?"
"I'm not sure yet. It depends on where you wanna spend your holiday at. If you're coming home, then we'll just do what we used to do back when we were still in high school. If you plan to stay in UNC, I will come over and stay there with you. Or..." I can see his eyes looking up as he's thinking.
"Or?" I encourage him. "Do you want to go somewhere else just the two of us?"
"Do you want to? Are you OK with not coming home?" Peter hesitates. He knows how much my family means to me. One of the reasons I wanted to go to UVA so much is because of how close it is from home. I can easily drive home everyday and stay with my family.
"Well, I miss my family. But it's not even been a month yet since I left home. I think Daddy is going to let me decide how I want to spend the holiday. Kitty, on the other hand, is gonna be jealous if we have fun without her," I let out a laugh as I imagine Kitty's angry face.
Peter laughs too, joining me. Both of us know Kitty all too well. I don't think she would mind me not coming home. But the idea that I'm going to travel somewhere with Peter, her best friend, without her is killing her. Suddenly, the door swings open as Emily enters the room.
"Hello, you two!" She greets us. Peter greets back.
"Em, why are you home so late?" I ask. She looks like she has been running back to our room, hair strands are coming out of her messy bun. My eyes are now following her movement around the room. She hasn't answered my question yet. She quickly takes out her books from inside her bag and stuffs in her camera gears. She comes to my desk, eats some of my salad and takes a sip of my lemon tea.
Then, she answers, "Ugh! There's a problem with one of the models for a photoshoot. She cancelled last minute so I had to search for a replacement. I'm exhausted and hungry. But I still need to go out and take photos for my project. I just come back to take these babies." She points at her camera gears. "You two lovebirds have fun! Don't forget to lock the door, Lara Jean. I already bring my key."
"Wait! I have a pack of cookies around here somewhere," I try to search inside my drawer and find what I'm looking for within a few seconds. "Here, take this. At least you won't be taking pictures on an empty stomach."
"Thank you so much! How can I survive college without you, Lara Jean?" She hugs me and gives me a peck on my left cheek. I roll my eyes at the her. Emily is very expressive. She's basically an open book. You can tell how she feels towards you just by looking at her facial expression and body language. That's one of the reason why I like her, she's far from complicated. "Kavinsky, if you ever hurt my girl, I'll hunt you down myself!" She threatens Peter playfully.
I can't help but let out a little giggle when I see Peter's expression. He looks annoyed even though he knows she is only joking. Peter hates it when someone doubts his devotion for me. "First of all, she's MY girl. And, of course I will never hurt Lara Jean. She's the love of my life. Now, go finish that project you mentioned earlier. You're interrupting my date with my girlfriend."
Emily lets out gleeful chuckles and waves at the both of us as she walks out through the door.
"How could she say that to me?" Peter retorts in annoyance.
"She's just being protective, Peter. Besides, she's only joking. I'm sure you know that, " I give him a warm smile to calm him down, taking another bite of salad.
"Yes, of course I know she's just kidding. It's just that I don't like it when someone questions my love for you, Lara Jean. So anyway, do you want to go on a trip with me?" He looks at me with hopeful eyes. He looks just like a little boy asking his parents to buy him a toy car for Christmas. How can I say no to that face?
I smile at him. "I would love to, Peter. But, I need to ask for Daddy's permission first. I'll ask him about it first thing tomorrow morning and let you know right away"
"Alright cool. I'm so excited for our very first trip alone as a couple."
"I can see that." I can't help but to laugh seeing his excitement. "Do you think Daddy will be fine with us spending nights together in a hotel room?" I playfully ask him. To be honest, I don't know how my dad is going to react to this sudden escalation in our relationship. Daddy loves Peter, the whole family does, even Margot. Let's be fair, what's not to like about him? There are so many positive sides to him that even my dad was grieving when I broke up with him before the wedding.
Peter's pretty taken aback by my question, obviously not expecting it at the slightest. I can see him thinking hard, calculating every scenario in his head. Even though he knows Daddy loves him, he wants to stay in my dad's good graces for as long as possible. The way his eyebrows furrowed is really funny to look at that I can't hold it anymore and burst out laughing.
"Hey, it's not funny at all, Lara Jean. You should be helping me thinking for a good way to drop the bomb, " Peter snaps at me with a serious stare.
"Relax, Peter. I think he's going to be OK with it. We are college students now. We are pretty much adults."
"Are you sure?" He asks me with nervous eyes. "I think even if he has given his approval, I'm still going to ask him in person whether or not it's fine with him if we stay together."
"Sure. I think Daddy will really appreciate that. Ugh, I miss you. How I wish I can hug you right now," I say, suddenly feeling melancholic.
"Hey, you know that I miss you a lot too, don't you, Covey? Come on, cheer up! We'll be able to spend a few days together this weekend. So that's definitely something to look forward to," Peter tries to comfort me. "Besides, my letter should arrive any time soon. I sent it yesterday morning."
I sighed. I know I just said that long distance relationship is not so bad. But on days like today, when I have had a long day, I wish Peter is physically here next to me so I can just bury myself inside his hug and let him make all my worries disappear as he gently strokes my hair.
Peter notices my mind has drifted off. He softly calls my name and says, "Covey, quickly finish your dinner. Then, take a hot shower and go to bed. I'm gonna wait for you to fall asleep tonight."
I only need 3 minutes to finish my salad. Then I go straight to the bathroom and take a shower. I wash my hair with my favorite coconut shampoo which Peter adores so much and try my new cocoa body scrub that I bought in Korea last summer. I always enjoy my time in the shower. A private time you have to yourself, as though you have all the time in the world to unwind and calm down under the running water, very relaxing.
It is already 9.30 by the time I get out of the shower. I use hair dryer to dry my long hair. Before we started college, I told Peter that I wanted to chop my hair off until a bit below the shoulder. He disapproved, "Hell no! I like your long hair. It's smooth and pretty, why do you have to cut it? Besides, I like to play with it." It's not like I have to cut it so badly. I just think that my hair is getting too long and it is time-consuming to dry it and it's going to get out of hand without having Kitty to help me style or braid my hair. Also, I think medium length hair is a lot more sophisticated and gives a professional look. But, I gave up the idea because he was pleading for me not to get a haircut. He even asked me to swear by it.
As soon as I put on my cute animal face sheet mask, I lock the door and head over to my bed. I check my Instagram feed for a while to see what my friends are up to before calling Peter. He picks up on the second dial tone. He asks me to wait for a bit since he's having a conversation with his roommate and two other guys who are his lacrosse teammates. I hear them talking about their lacrosse practice this morning.
I scroll through my Instagram feed again and look at a picture Chris posted an hour ago. She is lying on the beach wearing a cute red floral-print high-waisted bikini set in her photo. Her skin looks tan. She looks incredible. I'm so happy to see her grinning from ear to ear. I double tap the photo.
Ten seconds later, I get a DM from her, "What are you up to, LJ?"
I take a selfie and write back to her, "I'm waiting for Peter to finish talking with his friends."
Then, she replies to me with a video, "I am on a dinner date with a cute stranger I met at the beach earlier today. He's walking back from the toilet now. I'll catch up with you soon. Have a good night, LJ. I miss you."
I text back, "I miss you too" with a winky emoji.
Peter is still having a heated discussion about lacrosse. I sense something serious happened during practice. I will ask him about it later. I remove my face mask and gently pat the remaining serum with my fingertips.
I come across a picture Peter posted earlier this afternoon. It is a screenshot picture of our phone call a few nights ago. I didn't even know he was taking a picture. He looks handsome as usual and I don't look bad either. I was laughing at a joke he told me about one of his teammates. My stomach flutters when I read his caption: I just can't get you off my mind, but then again why would I even try?
Some of our friends commented on the picture.
gaberivera: LARGE, MARRY ME! You're a lucky guy, Kavinsky! I'm f-ing jealous!
peterkavinsky: gaberivera f off! go find yourself a gf and stop asking mine to marry you!
chrisnotchrissy: ugh, you're hopeless peterkavinsky! looking good girl, larajeansongcovey
pammy_subkoff: aw, you guys are the cutest. missing you both 3
heyimlucas: this is so precious
thatdarrell: pammy_subkoff we're just as cute, bb!
thatdarrell: I really miss your chocolate chip cookie, Large!
thatdarrell: Also, your rice balls.
I smile reading all these heartwarming comments. Then, I reply.
larajeansongcovey: i miss hanging out with all of you!
larajeansongcovey: peterkavinsky never ever take a pict of me without asking me first! you've been warned. i love you my cheesy bf xx
All of a sudden I realize how much I miss everyone and it's been less than a month that I don't get to hang out with them. Peter's voice brings me back to reality.
"Covey? Are you OK? Are you going to cry?" He panics.
I don't realize that my eyes glisten as I try to hold back tears from the overwhelming emotion I just felt. I can still hear Peter's friends at the background.
"I'm fine. I just saw the picture that you posted and read the comments from all our friends. I kinda miss them," I explain.
"Hey, Lara Jean," Peter's friends are now taking his phone and saying hello to me. They are used to seeing us FaceTime-ing each other every night before bed. "We can no longer cope with having to listen to Peter saying how much he misses you every few hours." All of them laugh. They like to playfully tease us. Peter says they are jealous because none of them are in a relationship right now. In fact, his roommate, Eddie, broke up with his girlfriend just before they started college.
The boys tell me that they are going to a party. They ask Peter if he changes his mind just before they close the door which he replies with, "You guys go have fun!"
Peter grabs his phone and moves to his bed. He rests his head at the headboard and shifts a few times searching for a comfortable position. He finally faces to the phone and gives me his full attention. His tired eyes suddenly light up and his face breaks into a huge grin.
"Hmm, is there anything funny on my face?" I ask with a tone of uncertainty.
"Nope, you look perfect. If there's one thing Gabe is right about is the fact that I am indeed the luckiest guy on the planet," he replies, still with a huge smile on his face.
"Stop, you're making me blush!"
"You better get used to it. We are together for more than 2 years now. What are you still so embarrassed about? Besides, all I ever do is stating facts that you should already know."
"Come on, let's talk about something else," I try to change the subject. The fact that he says all he ever does is stating facts makes my stomach jitters. "Peter, is there anything wrong with your lacrosse practice?"
"One of my teammates injured his ankles and probably he's going to need surgery. Our coach wasn't sure if he could recover in time for our first game next month," he explains.
"I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope nothing bad will ever happen to you. Now I'm a bit worried. I never thought about how brutal that game can be."
"Don't worry, Lara Jean. I'll always be careful and I can take care of myself," he assures me along with a smirk and a wink.
I blush. It's not fair how handsome he is. "Ok, good. So, tell me about your day," I try to ask something else to save myself from another embarrassment.
"Hmm, nothing much. I got up really early today for practice. We finished around 9. Then, I showered and attended all my classes. I am not really busy yet. But, I will be after Labor Day cause it's getting closer to our first game."
I see Peter rubs his eyes. Then, both of us yawn and we laugh at this coincidence.
"Sleep, Lara Jean. You look tired."
"No, you look tired. You have stayed up since like what? 5? 6? Do you have morning practice tomorrow?"
"Nah, I have practice after class tomorrow."
"Good, you need the extra time to sleep. By the way, is there any specific place that you like to visit next week? And will your mom be fine with you spending your time with me?" Peter's mom is not really fond of me. She invited me for dinner a couple of times after the break up incident that she caused. She always smiled when she saw me, but I could see that she faked it. Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm not sure yet. Maybe we should search for a destination within 4-5 hours drive from Chapel Hill. Let's talk about it tomorrow. And, yes, my mom already approved. I mentioned the idea to her two days ago and she said it was alright if we wanted to go on a trip."
"Awesome. Goodnight, Peter. I love you."
"Goodnight, Covey. I love you more."
I smile. We don't hang up, I put my phone on my nightstand, placing it carefully against the books so Peter can still see me. I rest my head on the pillow and look at my phone. Peter is staring at me.
"Peter?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing? Stop staring at me."
"I still wanna see your face. I'll hang up the phone when you're asleep."
I close my eyes. But I can feel Peter's gaze upon me. So I open them again.
"Peter, I can feel your eyes on my face."
"I guess you just have to get used to it, Covey. Whenever we are together, I'm always going to wait for you to fall asleep before me."
I shrug, "Sure, but you don't need to keep looking at me." I yawn.
"Ssshh... try to sleep. I am allowed to look at you whenever I want. You're mine."
His answer makes me blush again. Thankfully my room is dark, so he can't see my cheeks turn red. I close my eyes and ignore his eyes on me. It's not so hard for me to fall asleep as all my energy is drained from my classes and catching up on the overwhelming amount of assignments. In less than 5 minutes, I drift off away from reality.
Peter knows Lara Jean is asleep now. He whispers softly with a slight hint of sadness, "Sleep tight, Covey. I can't wait to see you next week, you know, without a screen between us. I love you." Then, he hangs up the phone.
Lara Jean's phone lights up 5 minutes after the call ended. An instagram notification appears.
peterkavinsky: you know i love you larajeansongcover always and forever xx