Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I am having far too much fun writing this fic. Is that bad?
"Hey, what's that?" the question brought Zoey out of her reverie at breakfast, and she found that not only had she brought the flower with her, but was twirling one of the leaves around her index finger.
"Hmmm? What?" she shook her head and looked at the rest of the table.
"You have a rose," Logan said.
"And why do you have a rose?" Michael prompted.
"Oh," she said. "I actually don't know. It just showed up on my nightstand this morning with a note."
"Really?" Michael asked, shooting a hidden glance towards Chase, who had remained quiet through out the conversation, but found his cereal bowl incredibly fascinating. "Any idea who sent it?"
"No," Zoey sighed. A loud ringing sound eminated from the school building. Zoey picked up her bag. "I'll have to figure it out later. Right now, I have to take a really nasty math test I'm not ready for."
"Good luck," Chase managed say, half of it said in a loud squeak he tried to cover by clearing his throat.
"Thanks," she called over her shoulder, hurrying towards her classroom.
The rose was still sitting there while she waited for the rest of the class to finish the test. It stared at her from it's place in her backpack, almost mocking her, as if to say
You don't know who it is? I do! Zoey propped her head on her hand and stared out the window. The letter hadn't given anything away that would allude to the writer's identity, and it had been typed, so handwriting was out. Just the mystery of it was killing her, and her fingers tapped in irritation.
It was still bugging her at lunch, at dinner, and as she turned off the light to go to bed, both the rose and the note tucked away in the small table's drawer. She awoke the next morning to both her roommates almost sitting on top of her.
"There's another one!" Lola shouted, yanking it off the table and handing it to her. Sure enough, there was another note, accompanied by yet another rose, this one a light shade of purple. Zoey groaned before giving a small smile and taking it from Lola's outstretched hand.
"You guys are scarily excited about this," Zoey muttered, breaking the seal.
"Oh, come on…it's the most romantic thing to hit this dorm room ever," Lola said, rolling her eyes. "Now come on, read, we're dying to know what it says!"
"Alright, alright!" Zoey said, as Quinn flopped down on one side and Lola on the other, each leaning excitedly over her shoulder to read the words.
Dearest Zoey,
I've always seen that greeting in old letters, and had to try it. If I'm going to be doing this, I might as well jump in with both feet.
I miss you, as I always do when I'm away from you. It's another sleepless night for me, and so I write you this letter. I'm sure I'll drift off in the wee hours of the morning and dream of you, as I did last night. Memories of the dream have brought a smile to my face all day.
You were at the beach, in a beautiful white dress, skipping rocks. The sun was just beginning to set, and your splendor made me gasp for breath. For a moment, I wasn't sure I was going to have the strength to make it to where you were. But, after a moment, my feet began to take me down the sand. When I'm right next to you, you turn to look at me, and flash me that winning smile. It was then I noticed a crowd had gathered. One of them asked me in a jealous tone if I knew you. I simply replied "Better than I know myself." The person gives us a nod and walks away, to join the rest of the group gathered.
For a few moments, all I can is look at you. Then, I manage to gather enough wits to take you in my arms, and wrap around you like a blanket. All that can be heard is the rhythmic crash of the waves on the rocks and our heartbeats, in tune with each other. The world is at peace, and my mind is at rest. I earnestly pray it never ends. I pull back, and reach in to kiss you. At this point, I always wake up, and curse myself for only needing eight hours of sleep.
I am reminded of a quote from the movie Pride and Prejudice, which I had the opportunity to watch over the summer with my mother. "You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, and I love, and I love you." My ears immediately picked up on the quote, and it comes to mind almost every time I see you. My mind, my heart, my soul, all are yours, and always have been.
I love you,
Your Secret Admirer (I really need to find a better ending…)
P.S. The rose is purple because purple roses signify love at first sight.
"Woah," Lola just looked, open mouthed, from the letter to Zoey and back. Zoey herself could hardly believe it, and stared at the paper in disbelief. Her cheeks burned a bright red, and she really wished her roommates would stop staring at her.
"You can say that again," Quinn said, taking the letter from Zoey and scanning it again.
"This is….wow…" Lola seemed to be at a loss for words. The fact that a second letter had come was extraordinary. The fact that it was ten times more intimate and romantic than the first was something none of the girls could comprehend. Zoey for different reasons than Quinn and Lola, who were simply amazed that their soft-spoken, sometimes spastic, friend who always hid away his feelings would be so open on paper. Zoey was flattered and confused. Who was this person? Why were they so in love with her?
"I-I'm going to go take a shower," she said suddenly, throwing the covers off and marching out the door, nearly forgetting a towel and change of clothes as she went. This was definitely unnerving her, and not completely in a bad way.