Paris Adler and Sydney Blake have been college classmates for a while. Paris is captivated by Sydney's beauty and talent in fashion, while Sydney is drawn to Paris's gentle nature, photography and poetic skills. Their story is one of budding romance...
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Four weeks later. Today is Valentine's Day, obviously February 14.
The chilly weather in Detroit remains as biting as ever. Despite the cold, I see a few people around carrying flowers and chocolates, reminders of the day's romantic significance. I have a vacant period at noon, so I'm sitting on a bench inside Palmer Field, bundled up against the chill. I'm on a video call with Harper, catching up on how we're both doing.
"Hey, man, how's it going?" I ask as Harper's face appears on my screen, trying to ignore the icy wind cutting through my coat.
"I'm good, Paris. Just trying to figure out my plans for tonight," he replies. "What about you? Got any special plans?"
"Nothing too fancy, you know me," I say with a chuckle. "I can't quite stand the relentless cold here in U of M. Did you watch for the groundhog last week?"
Harper chuckles. "Hannah and Ashley did. They were all excited, but when they found out that spring is far from coming, they were a bit bummed. Looks like we'll have to endure this freezing February—the Valentine's month," he adds with a teasing grin.
I laugh, shaking my head. "Yeah, I guess we're stuck with this cold for a while."
"Well, I see. it's obvious that you'd be dating Sydney later on. I had a hunch, am I right?" Harper grins knowingly.
I laugh again. "Yeah, we're keeping it simple. Just a stroll in Felch Park and then I may visit her dormitory to spend some time together."
"Sounds nice," Harper says with a nod.
"Besides that, our student council is throwing a Valentine's Day party at HopCat, near campus. We might drop by for a bit," I add. "What about you? What's on your agenda for tonight?"
Harper's expression turns mischievous. "Guess what? I'm going on a date with Ashley tonight."
His response takes me by surprise. "Wait, Ashley? Hannah's BFF?"
"Yep," he says, nodding enthusiastically.
"How did that happen?" I ask, genuinely curious.
Harper laughs. "Well, you know how Robinson and Hannah are always hanging out together. Ashley and I ended up supervising them more often than not. At some point, I found myself drawn to her. She always wears this lavender-colored hoodie jacket, and it's just... cute."
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. "So, you've been crushing on her for a while, huh?"
"Yeah, something like that," Harper admits. "I finally worked up the courage to ask her out, and she said yes."
"That's awesome, man," I say, genuinely happy for him. "When did you ask her?"
"Just a few days ago," he replies. "I figured Valentine's Day was as good a time as any to make it official."
We share a few more laughs and stories before I show him the simple Valentine's gift I prepared for Sydney—a pack of M&M's chocolates and a single rose. Harper nods in approval.
