Sticky Notes, Roses, and...Promises?

Authors Note: I know it has been a while since I have posted anything, and I promise I will be getting back to my stories, I still plan on finishing my story Venting, but I wanted to give ya'll a little something to read in the meantime. This was meant to be up by Valentine's Day, but as you can see its a bit on the late side, but it is now up, and as the other story, there again will be three chapters. Hope you guys like it! oh and none of the characters belong to me, they belong to Kelly Armstrong! and I will add that the characters may be a little OOC, but they have grown up some and it isn't taking place during the Darkest Powers trilogy, in this story, they are in their first year of college.

Chapter Two

When I got to the cafe I noticed Derek right away. He was sitting at our usual table, near the rear of the restaurant, where the doors opened up onto a beautiful little patio surrounded by a little garden. As soon as I walked through the door I saw his head glance up from the book he was reading and his bright green eyes fell on me. He smiled that wonderful smile he always reserved just for me and my heart melted. Just seeing him made my knees weak.

I placed my hand in my pocket and quickly slipped one of the little rocks from the bag and pressed it into the palm of my hand. This was going to be hard. Derek always noticed everything, so I was going to have to do this when he wasn't looking, or well... I don't know. This was going to be hard...I sighed to myself as I walked over to the table.

"Morning." Derek smiled as I reached the table. He got up and pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping around me. I looked up into his eyes and smiled again, "Morning." He leaned down and laid a light kiss across my lips. It was small gestures like this that made my heart flutter, and when he grinned down at me, I knew he could tell.

When we sat down I glanced down into the palm of my hand and remembered the little stone I was still clutching. Etched on the stone was "I Love you because... of your smile."

"Chloe?" Derek called my name and I looked up. "Sorry." I smiled.

"Everything okay?" Derek asked.

I was puzzled... "Of course I am." I smiled. "Why?"

"Well I had just been asking you about what you wanted to do tonight..." Derek sighed.

I felt my heart stop. Okay breathe. Just because he asked you what you wanted to do, doesn't mean anything. He may still have something planned. Who was I kidding? How lucky, no how spoiled am I? Did I really expect something huge this year like last year? Our budgets were tight this year, Kit and Lauren had pulled together to get us all into this college, tuition was expensive! And none of us had jobs at this time to pay for our own things... Kit and Lauren said to think of school as our job, plus they didn't want us getting involved in too much, just incase we were forced to leave again...

"Chloe?" Derek called my name again, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked stupidly.

His eyes narrowed. He was trying to figure me out, but well, he's Derek. He can figure out any math or science problem you hand him, but when it comes to me, well he kind of tends to get confused. His brows furrowed and I knew he had reached that same conclusion.

"Whats wrong Chloe?" He asked, this time a little more forceful, knowing I wouldn't tell him unless he did so.

I Sighed. "Nothing, I'm just thinking about tonight."

Derek sat straight in his chair, his arms resting on the little table. He looked so out of place here. I had never noticed it before. Oh Derek, he was just so much larger than this tiny table. I giggled.

"Why are you laughing now? A minute ago you looked like you might cry, and now your laughing?" His bright green eyes were lit up with confusion.

"I'm sorry Derek, I'm just kind of stuck in my head right now. I guess I didn't sleep very well..." I smiled, trying to settle things down a bit.

Derek shook his head and smiled. "Alright well I am going to go get the food, I'll be right back." He kissed the top of my head and headed up to the front to get a couple pastries and some orange juice. (Our usuals).

I knew that now was my moment and I looked around his seat. Where do I put it? I want him to find it easy but I don't want it to be too easy. My head was spinning. I had to do this fast before he got back. I quickly peeked around the corner to see him putting the food onto a tray so i quickly slipped the first rock I had been holding into his jacket pocket he had left hanging over the chair. I grabbed two more from the little bag in my pocket and placed one in the front pocket of his backpack where his pens and pencils were. He'd definitely find that one, and just for fun, I placed a third one in another compartment of his bag, inside his chemistry book.

I zipped up the bag and stood planning on just sliding back into my seat but my sneaker slipped on the tile floor and I landed flat on my back with an "Oof."

"Ow..." I sighed, rolling over to my side. That definitely didn't feel good...

"Chloe? Why are you on the floor?" Derek asked. He was standing above me, the tray with our breakfast in his arms.

"Um...I...slipped..." Wow Chloe. Really? Like that wasn't completely obvious...

Derek set the tray down on the table, and reached down to help me up. "Are you alright?" He asked, worry clouding his face, and I nodded. "Yeah I'm fine." I sighed... only I could screw this up, I thought to myself and almost laughed but just smiled.

"Well lets eat." Derek smiled and helped me into my chair and then took the chair across from me.

DEREK'S POV

Breakfast went great, but Chloe was acting so odd. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on with her. I Love Chloe, but sometimes she just confused the hell out of me. I sighed and put my hands into my jacket pockets, and then paused in my tracks. There was something small and round in my right jacket pocket. I pulled it out. A stone? What was this... I paused. There were words etched into it.

"I Love you because... Of your smile."

A smile spread across my face. So thats what she was doing while I was getting the food... But that shouldn't have taken her very long... I pulled off my backpack there on the sidewalk and looked at it. She hid more of them... They have to be in here...

I opened one of the first compartments, and there it was. Sitting among my pens and pencils was another stone.

"I Love you because... Of your honesty."

I held it in my hand and smiled. I wasn't smiling so much for the stones. Honestly, I thought they were kind of corny, but the fact that Chloe did this...Just thinking about her made me smile.

I know theres got to be another one. She was probably rummaging in my bag when she slipped...now where would it be. I pulled out all of my books, and the rest of the bag was empty. Huh. I put the books back in and looked back in the front compartment...nothing...maybe there was just the two... I sighed and closed my bag and headed off to class. I'll look later. Right now I'm going to be late to chemistry.

CHLOE'S POV

After my classes I headed back to my dorm. Derek and I never really settled on anything particular for tonight so I needed to get home and give him a call and figure out what we were doing. But it seems I didn't need to call him. When I got back to the dorm, I found him lounging on my bed.

"Hey." I smiled. I tossed my bag to the floor and crawled up on the bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"I love you." He whispered, his lips running along my temple down to my jaw and finally landing on my lips. His lips moved against mine for a few moments, but when he pulled away he placed his forehead against mine.

"So...about tonight..." He smiled and brushed some of my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. "I am picking you up at 7:30...I was going to leave you a little note, but after all of my little stones today, I really wanted to give you my message in person." He smiled and picked up a rose that was sitting on the bedside table and handed it to me. "And give you this." He smiled.

"You found them all?" I asked, a triumphant smile on my face, as I took the rose from his hand and brought it up to my nose.

"Oh yeah... it was pretty easy. It was like a trail of breadcrumbs." He laughed.

"Hey now, its hard trying to surprise you!" I laughed. "You catch everything!"

"Well, finding some of them sitting at my desk when I got to class, or better yet, the one that was randomly chunked at me while walking back to the dorm...which by the way, how did you do that? I didn't see you, and I could barely smell you..." He looked at me quizzically.

"Well see that one was more of a spur of the moment..." I laughed. "I was going to the bathroom between classes and I happened to look out the window and saw you walking on the sidewalk below, so I chunked it out the window at you as you went by." I laughed. "It was kind of fun." I smiled and he shook his head.

"Only you." He smiled as he took the rose from my hands, placing it on the table and turned back towards me.

"Okay, so before I kiss you, you need to know to be ready by 7:30. The rest is a surprise, but I promise you will love it." He smiled, and my heart fluttered. I snuggled up close to him, taking a deep breath of his scent. He always smelled the same, and I loved it. It was a woodsy, comforting scent, and I'd know it anywhere.

"I think I can manage that." I smiled as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine once again.