“So where do you want to eat our sandwiches? We could go over to my place, or the park, or I’ll even let you eat in my car, if you want to,” Justin said as they walked out of Subway.
“The park sounds great, as long as you have a picnic blanket we can eat on.”
“Well, it just so happens that I do have a blanket in my trunk.”
“You’re so prepared, Einstein! I don’t know what I would do without you,” Mallory laughed.
“And that’s what I’m here for,” he said, as he opened the passenger door for her. She climbed in and set the sandwiches on her lap.
Once they were both buckled in and on the road, Mallory began scanning through the radio stations.
“Ooh, I love this song!” she said. Then she started singing along with the radio.
Justin glanced at her and wondered what it was about her that just cut right through him and left his heart defenseless. He could still remember the day he first saw her, like it was yesterday. He and his younger sister had watched the moving van pull up to the recently vacated house across the street from his own. The silver minivan followed close behind. They watched as the family clambered out of their car and ran to the front door of their new home. His heart sunk with each blonde-haired girl that appeared. One, two, three, four, five girls, and no boys–so much for a new buddy to play video games with. And then he saw her. She looked about his age, thirteen. It was love at first sight, he had no doubt. But he decided to keep his affection for her hidden behind the pretense of friends, hoping that one day she would love him back. Over the next nine years, their friendship grew. They knew each other better than anyone else. But, there were two things that Justin never told Mallory about: his hidden talent for writing poetry, and his undying love for her.
As Justin sat there, listening to Mallory sing with the radio, he made a mental list of some of the things he loved about her. I love her confidence and her sense of adventure. I love her passion for music, and her dream of someday being on Broadway. I even love her obsession with shoes and the little dimple on her right cheek.
Then Justin realized that Mallory had stopped singing. He glanced over at her again, and saw that she had been watching him.
“What’s gotten you all smiley all of a sudden?” He hadn’t even realized he was smiling.
“Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about the first time I saw you.”
“Hmm…and what about that day makes you smile?”
“Seeing all your little sisters emerge from your car, and wondering how many more were in there.”
This made Mallory laugh. “I used to wonder how we all fit in that tiny minivan. It must have been a miracle!” Justin laughed with her, not because of what she said, but mostly because whenever she laughed, he felt like laughing too.

Later that afternoon, Justin drove over to Parker’s Lobsters, where he worked part time. In truth, Justin hated seafood, but he kept his job because most of the restaurant’s customers tipped well. But no one tipped well that day. Justin’s mind was on Mallory all through his shift. He messed up orders right and left, and even overcooked an order of shrimp. When his shift finally ended, Justin had come to a decision: he was tired of waiting for Mallory to make the first move. He was going to take action and win over her heart before someone else did.
But, the question was, how should he go about it? And then it came to him: poetry. Mallory had a great weakness for poetry, and he had a talent for writing it. So, when he put two and two together, he had a plan.
As soon as Justin got home, he sought out a pen and paper. Then he sat down at his desk and let the words flow from his brain, through his body, and out through the pen.

Heaven’s Angel
Blue like a tropical sea
they sparkle.
Framed by long, thick lashes,
dark and elegant.
Her eyes…
Angel’s eyes.

In the sun’s embrace
it glows.
A soft, silky cascade,
glittering like gold.
Her hair…
Angel’s hair.
She’s an angel sent from Heaven.
Perfect.
But she’s no man’s angel, no–
not even mine.
That angel…
Heaven’s Angel.

Then he grabbed the black velvet box that he always kept on his desk. In it, lay a stunningly beautiful blue flower hairclip. The hairclip had an opal-like shine and it was set with shimmering white pearls. He had happened upon the hairclip in a souvenir shop in Hawaii when his parents had surprised him and his sister with a cruise to the Hawaiian islands. As soon as he saw it, he thought of Mallory. So he had bought it for her. That trip to Hawaii was five years ago. He had wanted to give the clip to her, but he was afraid that she wouldn’t accept it, or even worse, that she would see the meaning behind the gift. He hadn’t been ready for her to know yet. But now he was ready, and determined more than ever to prove to Mallory how much he cared about her. Better late than never, I guess.
Justin copied his poem onto a clean piece of paper, using great care to make sure it was in his best handwriting. And then, acting on an impulse, he left the poem unsigned. He folded the paper into a neat square, wrote her name on it, and slipped the poem into the box.

The next morning, before the sun had even risen, Justin was wide awake, wearing his workout clothes and running shoes. He was scared to death; nervous about the giant step he was taking in his relationship with Mallory. But he was determined to win her heart, so he didn’t run away as he walked up the porch steps to Mallory’s house and carefully placed the black box on her welcome mat, where he knew she would find it. He smiled when he read the message on her mat: Home is where there’s music. And then he turned away and finished his early morning run.

Justin was walking across campus to his eight o’clock class when he felt his iPhone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out immediately to read the text message. His heart rate quickened–it was from Mallory.
Hey, Einstein! How’d you sleep? Anyway…I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place for lunch today. I was thinking around 1:00.
He quickly tapped out a reply.
I slept just fine, Mal. How about yourself? Sure, I’d love to come over for lunch! What are you planning on cooking up for me? Nevermind, it doesn’t matter because I know it’ll be delicious no matter what!
His stomach growled, just thinking about lunchtime. Mallory was an exceptional cook; she had yet to make something that didn’t make his mouth water. His phone vibrated again.
Haha! I slept well, thanks. You’re such a goof ball! Of course it will taste delicious!!! I was thinking of trying a new soup recipe I found. And your stomach’s growling right now, isn’t it?
Justin laughed out loud. His stomach growled again. Mallory knew him alright! He ran up the steps and opened the front door of the building his class was in.
Sounds great. See you then. Gotta go…class. Hope my growling stomach doesn’t interrupt the professor during his lecture!

At half past noon, Justin knocked on Mallory’s door. He knew he was half an hour early, but his stomach couldn’t stand to wait any longer, and he knew she wouldn’t mind if he was early.
“Come in!” she called.
He opened the door and made his way straight to the kitchen. He sniffed the air. “Mmmm…that smells amazing, Mal!”
“Always stating the obvious, Einstein, but thanks anyway.” Mallory turned off the burner that was cooking her soup and covered the pot with a lid. “You’re early,” she said.
“Now who’s stating the obvious?” Justin asked.
Mallory ignored his comment. “Of course, I expected you to be early, based on what I know about your stomach. So I made sure lunch would be ready earlier.”
“Ha-ha,” said Justin, sarcastically. “But thanks for giving my stomach the consideration it deserves.”
“No problem.” Mallory opened a cupboard and started to reach for some bowls, but Justin stopped her.
“No, let me. Since you made the meal, I get to set the table.”
“Be my guest!” she laughed.
Mallory’s creamy tomato tortellini soup exceeded Justin’s expectations, as usual. He thoroughly enjoyed the meal, but it was made twice as nice because Mallory was there, as well as the laughter and light-hearted teasing that always accompanied her presence.
As soon as the two of them finished eating and had cleaned up, Mallory led Justin to her couch.
“Okay, so there’s something that I’ve been just dying to show you! But I knew you wouldn’t be any good until after you’d eaten…so now that that’s done…well, here.” She thrust something into his hands. It was soft and velvety…he looked down. It was the black box. His heart sped up. Keep it together, Justin. She doesn’t know it was you, just stay cool.
“What’s this?”
“Just open it, you’ll see.”
He opened the box. “Who is this from?”
Mallory gently took the box from his hands. She withdrew the small white square and put the box down on the couch next to her. “Here, read this.”
He took the piece of paper from her and read it. But he really didn’t have to, because he had it memorized, burned in his memory forever.
“So you have a secret admirer who wrote you a love poem?”
“Yes! Isn’t that romantic? I think it is; I mean what girl doesn’t want a secret admirer? And one who writes love poems too!”
Justin delicately took the hairclip from the box. He ran his thumb along its surface–the feel of it so familiar to him. Then he carefully pushed some of Mallory’s hair back and held it in place with the clip. He saw a flicker of something in her eyes, something he’d never seen before, but he couldn’t quite place it. And then after a split-second it was gone.
“So…what do you think?” Mallory asked quietly.
He wanted to say I think you’re the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, but he held his tongue, and instead said, “I think your secret admirer has a very good eye for beauty.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because this hairclip brings out your blue eyes quite nicely.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
There was a sweet feeling in the air and Justin savored it. Then Mallory stood up and the moment ended.
“So, what do you think about this secret admirer character?”
Justin scrunched his eyebrows together, something he often did while he was thinking. “Well…I think he knows exactly how to capture your heart.” He looked up at her and snuck in a smile. “And he obviously has a thing for you,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Mallory smiled for a second and opened up her mouth like she was about to say something. Then she frowned. “Well, if he has a thing for me, then why is he keeping his identity a secret?”
“Maybe it’s because he’s afraid of being rejected. Or maybe he’s testing the waters before he jumps in. Maybe he’s trying to win your heart before he reveals himself.”
“Well, then his plan’s not going to work, because I’d like to know what kind of guy he is before I fall for him.”
Justin smirked, “Yeah, like that’s going to happen. You’ve already started to fall for him.”
“I–”
“No, don’t even try to deny it! You know it’s true, don’t you? I can see it in your face. Believe it or not, Mal, I know you just as well as you know me.”
She huffed and said, “Well, what I meant is I’d at least like to know more about his personality before I start a relationship him.”
Justin raised his eyebrows and Mallory quickly got defensive.
“Not that I’m planning on that or anything, I mean I haven’t even considered it.”
Justin gave her a knowing smile. “Uh-huh. Like I said, I know you, Mal.” Then he looked down at his watch and stood up. “Hey, I’d really love to sit and chat with you more, but I have to go.” He gave her a quick hug. “Bye, Mal. Have fun with your secret admirer.” And he let himself out the door.
On his way home, Justin felt like doing a victory punch. His plan was working! Mallory was falling for the secret poet!

Justin woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of a chainsaw cutting down trees. He rolled over to look at the digital clock by his bed. 7:03. He groaned. What was that insane person doing, chopping down trees at seven in the morning? Well, there goes my sleep-in morning I’ve been looking forward to. Justin groaned again, knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep now. That was how his body worked; once he was up, he was up for the day, like it or not. Maybe if I just lie here for a while, my body will fall back asleep… But just then, his phone buzzed over where it lay next to the clock. He reached over and picked it up. There was a text from Mallory.
URGENT!!! Please come over ASAP! I’ll explain when you get here.
Justin sat up immediately. What could Mallory need this early on a Saturday morning? It was obviously something important. He quickly replied,
I’ll be there in 5.
Then he jumped out of bed, threw on some clothes, brushed his teeth in record time, and ran out to his car. A few minutes later he parked in front of Mallory’s house and rushed to the door. He threw it open and ran straight into Mallory, who was leaning against the wall holding a stopwatch. She clicked the stop button.
“Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I’d say that’s pretty good, Einstein. What do you think?”
“What?” Justin asked, confused. Wasn’t she supposed to need him urgently for something? Rather than looking stressed or worried, Mallory looked completely calm, even amused.
“You know, you should really look into submitting your resume at the fire station; I think you’d have a pretty good chance at getting a job. I mean, your response to an emergency is perfect.” Then she laughed. “Although…next time, you might want to make it a little less obvious that you just got out of bed.”
“So you don’t even need me, you were just playing with me?” Justin felt anger rising.
“Oh, I need you alright, I just thought I’d have some fun and mess with you a little bit first.”
“Mallory, you do realize that you practically robbed me of an extra few hours of sleep, right? And right now, every hour counts.”
“Oh, you’re mad at me, aren’t you?” Mallory said, putting an obviously fake pout on her face. “I’m sorry you’re mad,” she added, clearly not even the slightest bit apologetic.
Justin’s anger was already dissipating– he could never stay angry with her for very long. He exhaled slowly. “No, I’m not mad, Mal. What did you need my help with?”
She flashed him a huge smile, and every last trace of anger fled. Sometimes he wondered if she knew just how much power she had over him.
“See, I knew you’d come around, Einstein!” she laughed. “But, seriously, I am in desperate need of your help,” Mallory said pleadingly. “I told one of my friends that I’d have 150 cupcakes ready for her Valentine’s Day party…which is today at three.”
Justin laughed out loud. “Mallory, I know your intentions are usually good, but you really should think these things through before you go handing out promises like candy.”
“I know, I know, it’s just…I…I…”
“You just can’t say no to helping someone?”
She nodded. In all truthfulness, Justin loved that about her– the way she was always so generous and willing to serve others.
He laughed again.
“Einstein, I’m serious! I really need your help.” And all of a sudden, Justin knew exactly why Mallory never could say no. There was no possible way he could ever say no to her pleading eyes.
He sighed. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Great! Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
They spent the next five hours baking and decorating cupcakes. Much of that time, though, was spent goofing around and making a mess with the icing. Somehow, they ended up with 150 satisfactory cupcakes. Any cupcakes that hadn’t met their expectations were, of course, consumed. By the time they had finished, both Mallory and Justin had stomachaches from all the cupcakes they had eaten.
Justin thoroughly enjoyed his time making cupcakes with Mallory…well he mostly just enjoyed spending time with her. He loved how it was so easy to make her laugh, and he loved listening to her laugh– it was nearly impossible for him to not be happy too. But there was one thing in particular that made him feel so ecstatic inside: she had been wearing the hairclip.

When She Laughs
When she laughs,
She laughs with her whole being.
Her eyes light up,
Her face brightens,
Her lips smile.
When she laughs,
You can’t help but laugh with her.
It’s a contagious,
Infectious sort of laugh;
One that shuns all sorrow.
When she laughs,
There’s a little dimple on the right–
And when you see it,
If you see it,
You know her laugh is true.

The poem came to him, one line at a time, on his way home from Mallory’s house. He wrote it down the minute he got home, while it was still fresh in his memory. As for the little gift to accompany the poem…he knew he wanted it to be something that would make her smile, a smile worthy of the dimple. But the question was, what would coax that dimple into coming out from hiding?
He knew it would do the trick the minute he saw it. Sitting all alone on a shelf at Wal-mart was a small white teddy bear. He picked it up and rubbed the soft, fluffy fur. There were words stitched on to the bear’s tummy. Press here. He pressed the tummy, which made the bear laugh. It was a cheesy little laugh, but Justin knew that it would make Mallory smile. So he bought the bear and brought it home.

Justin didn’t get around to dropping off his next poem until early Monday morning, two days later. Later that day, after one of his easier classes, Mallory ran up to him, breathless, as he was on his way back to his car.
“Hang on…just give me a sec…to catch my breath…” she panted, grabbing onto his arm for support.
“Whoa! What’ve you been doing? Running a marathon?”
“Ha-ha, very funny,” she said sarcastically. “I just saw you walking out of your class and I ran to catch up with you.” Mallory let go of Justin’s arm. “And you sure were  in a hurry to get out of class, because I had to sprint to get to you in time!”
He chuckled. “So now that you’re no longer panting like a dog, what was so important that caused you to run after me?”
“I just wanted to inform you that my secret admirer has left me another package on my doorstep.”
“Oh he did, did he?”
She nodded, but then stopped and grabbed his arm. “What if my secret admirer’s not a he?”
“I think you’re safe,” Justin assured her, laughing.
“Well, in today’s world, you never know…”
“Really, Mal, I’m pretty sure this admirer of yours is a guy.”
“You’re probably right,” she said, relieved.
“Yep! I’m always right, aren’t I?”
Mallory punched his arm playfully. “Do you even want to know what he left me?”
“Let me guess…a poem?”
“But–”
“But there’s also a little gift that goes with the poem?”
“And–”
“And the poem’s about you?”
She shook her head. “You’re hopeless…”
Justin smiled. “I know.”
Mallory laughed. “Just meet me at my place for dinner tonight, because you and I both know how desperately you need my cooking!”
“What time?”
“Same as always.”
“Six o’clock, then?”
Mallory nodded and started walking in the other direction, to where her car was parked. “And don’t be late, Einstein!” she called with her back still turned towards him.

When six o’clock rolled around the corner, Justin was already knocking on Mallory’s door. He always seemed to be on time, early even, when there was food involved. After receiving no answer, he knocked a second time. Again, no answer. Justin tried the door; it was unlocked. He opened it and walked inside. The moment he stepped inside, he was assaulted with a delicious smell coming from the kitchen. But Mallory wasn’t in the kitchen, or even the front room.
“Mallory!” he called. “Anybody home?” Hearing no answer, he walked upstairs where the bedrooms were. He opened her bedroom door and peeked inside. She wasn’t there. By this point, he was beginning to worry. He pulled out his phone and was about to call her when he heard something. Music… He ran back downstairs. Of course! She’s in her music room. I should have thought of that before. Mallory had a special room dubbed “The Music Room” where she practiced her guitar and piano. It was also where she recorded songs. The walls were soundproof, so no outside noise would interfere with her music. But that also meant she wouldn’t have heard him knocking on the door…or even calling her name.
Justin pressed his ear against the red door with “The Music Room” painted on it in fancy lettering. Sure enough, she was in there, singing along with her guitar. He was about to knock, but he hesitated. She sounded so wonderful, and he didn’t want to interrupt her if she was recording. He sat there, with his ear pressed against the door, listening. When she finished the song, he reluctantly knocked. He wished he could have kept sitting there, listening to her incredible voice. The door opened, and Mallory stood there, holding her guitar, looking a little bit surprised to see him there. 
“Einstein…what are you doing in my house?”
“You told me to be here at six for dinner.”
She looked at the watch on her wrist and smacked her forehead. “Oh, gosh! Is it 6:15 already? I’m sorry Einstein, I know how much your stomach hates waiting for meals.”
His heart sunk, and his stomach growled. “You forgot…didn’t you?”
“Oh! No! Thank goodness I didn’t forget!” Mallory laughed “No, there’s poppy-seed chicken casserole in the oven, I just lost track of time while I was…practicing.”
Justin’s stomach growled even louder. So that’s what that amazing smell was! “Don’t worry about it Mal.” He turned towards the kitchen. “But I am very curious about how this poppy-seed chicken casserole of yours is going to taste!”
Mallory laughed. “Come on, Einstein. It should be done cooking by now.”
She pushed past him into the kitchen and took a bowl of steamed green beans from the microwave. Then she opened the fridge and pulled out a dish holding something bright green. Upon closer inspection, he found out that it was Jell-O with chunks of fruit in it.
“Hey, Einstein! Here’s an idea for you: instead of breathing your germs all over my fruit salad, why don’t you bring it over here to the table.” She placed the bowl of green beans carefully on a potholder in the middle of the table.
Justin chuckled and brought the Jell-O over, setting it down next to the green beans. Just then the oven timer beeped, signaling to them that the casserole was done. Mallory put oven mitts over her hands, opened the oven, and pulled out the casserole. Then she took it over to the table, where she placed it next to the beans and Jell-O. Justin walked over to the cupboard and grabbed two plates and glasses. He set them down on the table while Mallory found some silverware and serving spoons. Then they both sat down across from each other at the small rectangular table.
“This looks delicious, Mal!” Justin said, breathing in the appetizing aromas.
She smiled and held her hand out for his plate. He eagerly gave it to her and watched as she loaded it up with steaming food. Then she made herself a plate and they dug in.
  Justin enjoyed his dinner very much; it tasted even better than it smelled! After asking for seconds and even thirds, he sat back in his chair and declared himself stuffed.
“Good,” said Mallory, as she stood up and grabbed their plates. “Now you can help me do the dishes.”
“No,” said Justin, taking the plates from her, “now I get to do the dishes while you keep me company.”
Mallory laughed. “That’s fine by me! I’ve never said no to someone offering to do my dishes, and I’m not going to start now.”

Once the dishes had all been dried and put away, Justin looked at Mallory and said, “You know, you have a beautiful voice.”
She brushed the comment off. “Glad you noticed, Einstein.”
Justin put his hand over hers. “No, Mal, I really do mean that. You have an exceptional voice.”
Mallory blushed and mumbled thanks. They were both silent for a minute, gazing into each other’s eyes. Then Justin broke the silence.
“Now, earlier, you had said something about your secret admirer leaving you another poem, right?”
She blinked and hit her forehead with her hand again. “Oh! Right! I almost forgot about that with all the…” She trailed off, like she had changed her mind about saying something… halfway through the comment. “I’ll go get it, just give me a sec.” She ran up to her bedroom and came back down holding the poem and bear, along with a pen and small notebook.
“Here,” she said, holding the poem out to him, “you can go ahead and read it.”
He looked at the familiar handwriting on the paper and smiled to himself, picturing in his mind what Mallory looked like when she laughed.
“And look at this,” she added. She squeezed the bear’s tummy, and the two of them smiled at its ridiculous laugh. I knew the bear would do the trick, Justin thought to himself while they smiled. There was the dimple, right there on her cheek, to prove it. They sat back down at the table.
“So…what do you think about this poem?” she prompted.
“I think your secret admirer knows how much you love to laugh, and I also think he likes it when you smile.”
“Well, A+ to you for stating the obvious!” she said. “I’ll write it down anyways.”
She opened up the little notebook and printed a few lines in it with the pen.
“What’s that?” questioned Justin.
“Oh, this?” she asked, holding up the notebook. “It’s just something I like to write in.”
Then after a look from him that said something like “No, really, you know what I meant,” she continued, “I’ve just been writing down my observations about this secret admirer guy. I really want to figure out who he is.”
“Why? So you can pronounce your undying love to him and ask him to be your boyfriend?”
Mallory playfully shoved him. “No! I would just like to know who he is so I can thank him for the poems.”
“And there wouldn’t happen to be a kiss involved in that thank you, would there?”
“Um…NO!”
“Are you sure about that? I mean, he’s probably an exceptional kisser.”
“Yes, I’m very sure– stop winking at me, Einstein, I’m serious! Besides, how would you know if he’s a good kisser or not? You don’t even know who he is.”
“Don’t you know, Mal? The definition of a poet is ‘one who writes poems and has phenomenal kissing skills.’ I read it once in the Merriam-Webster.”
“In that case, then, what’s the definition of an engineer? ‘One who engineers things and can’t seem to stop teasing his best friend.’?”
“Actually, an engineer is ‘one who is insanely good at math and exceptionally witty.’”
“You’re impossible…” she said in an exasperated tone.
“Why thanks, Mal, I take that as a compliment.”
Then she said in perfect honesty and innocence, “Really, Einstein, I just want to know who he is.”
“Fine,” he conceded, “What have you got so far?”
“Well, I’ve come to the conclusion that he must know me pretty well, or at least enough, to the point that I would know him too.”
“Unless he’s a stalker,” Justin said in mock seriousness.
“Wow…talk about negativity!” she laughed. “I refuse to even consider that possibility!”
“But you admit that it is a possibility?”
“Justin!” she exclaimed, laughing. “Let’s get real here, okay?”
Then Justin started smiling.
“What?”
He kept smiling.
“What!?”
“Nothing, just ignore me.”
“Justin! Come on, please tell me! It’s rude to leave people hanging like this.”
He just laughed and said, “You did it again.”
“Did what again? Please, Justin, you’re driving me nuts.” There it was again. Justin. Not Einstein, Justin. In all the years Mallory had been calling him Einstein, she had only called him by his real name twice. The first time was when the two of them were playing baseball and the ball hit his head. He had faked unconsciousness when she ran to his side and started freaking out, shouting his name, Justin, thinking he really was unconscious. The second time she had called him Justin was when he went to her for comfort after his grandfather’s death. He and his grandfather had been really close, so it was quite a blow when he had died, three years prior. Mallory had held him while he held back tears, stroking his hair and speaking soft words of comfort to him. All the while, she had used his real name rather than his nickname. Both of those experiences had been times when Mallory had acted like she really cared about him…maybe as more than just a friend. This time, though, the circumstances were a little different, but still…
“You called me Justin.”
Mallory laughed. “You’re a knucklehead! You know that, right?”
“Pretty sure you’ve told me once or twice,” he said, smiling.
Mallory shook her head and smiled.
“You should probably make a list then,” Justin said, changing the subject.
“I already did, Einstein; that’s what this is.” She held up the notebook.
Einstein again. Not Justin anymore. Hearing her call him Einstein again stung him in a way that it never had before. Almost as if she really had been calling him Justin because she cared about him as more than a friend, but when he made notice of it, she backed away…
“No, I meant a list of all the guys you know, so you can at least know which guys you’re looking at.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. That’s actually a good idea.”
“Like I said…always right,” Justin said, winking at her.
Mallory laughed again. “Whatever, Einstein.” Then she started writing. Together they came up with a pretty substantial list of men that Mallory had been in contact with more than once or twice.
When they were both satisfied with the list, Justin asked, “What about me?”
“What about you?”
“Am I on the list too?”
“Oh. You? No, you’re not.”
Justin locked eyes with her. “Why not?”
“Well, because you don’t strike me as the kind of guy that writes love poems, I guess…”
“Yeah, that’s true,” he said out loud. But inside, he was thinking, Is this good or bad that she doesn’t suspect it’s me writing the poems? She won’t come to the conclusion on her own that I’ve been writing them, but when she finds out…if she finds out, will she be offended that I didn’t tell her? Will she be angry with me?
“Besides, we’re just friends, I mean, friends don’t write each other love poems, right?” Justin hesitated slightly, and she went on. “We are just friends, aren’t we? Nothing more?”
He nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically and said, “Oh, yeah, definitely. Just friends, nothing more.” He smiled reassuringly. But was that a trace of disappointment in her eyes? What kind of answer had she wanted…or expected?
“Great! That’s all settled, then. I was just making sure, because we’ve been such good friends for so long, and I don’t want to lose that because of some silly misunderstanding.” How true are her words? Is that what she really thinks?
If there had been any disappointment in her eyes, it was long gone by now.

On his drive home, Justin felt like his heart was cracking. Not breaking, but cracking. Tears threatened to pour out of his eyes, but he forced them back. No! I won’t give up! I’m not letting her go yet…not without a fight! And as he made up his mind, another poem came to him:

Just Friends
I’ve tried to suppress
the feelings I know
must burst.
You say “just friends,”
I say “don’t you see?
I can’t.”
I was doomed from the start.
You came in like a bomb and stole
my heart.
I love Your laugh.
I love Your smile,
even the dimple.
You are so beautiful to me,
even more than heaven. You are
Heaven’s angel.
And when You sing,
Your sweet, smooth voice makes
my heart flutter.
What more can I say?
I love You deeply, endlessly,
unconditionally.
So You say friends,
and I say Please.
Please don’t take away
the one thing, everyday,
I live for.

Justin knew it would be a big risk to give Mallory this poem. She would undoubtedly figure out it was him who wrote it. And then he would find out what she really wanted in him… Just a friend or more than that?
This time, there was no gift to go with the poem, only a note that read,
Meet me underneath the giant oak tree on the hill at 3:00.
He knew she would know the place because they went there often to study, or eat lunch, or even just to talk.

The next morning, on his run, Justin dropped off the poem at Mallory’s house. His heart was heavy and the anxiety gnawed at him until he couldn’t stand it anymore. The fate of their future together, the culmination to all their years as “Just Friends,” lay there on her doorstep, in one small piece of paper.
When three o’clock finally came around, Justin was to the point of near-insanity. He was so worried about what her reaction would be, and it was driving him crazy. He couldn’t help pacing back and forth as he stood underneath the massive tree, waiting for Mallory to show up. He looked at his watch practically every thirty seconds. At ten past three, he was about ready to bag the whole thing and leave, when he saw her. Mallory. The sun was glinting off her hair, making it shimmer like golden silk. She looked so beautiful, it hurt. He searched her eyes, her face, looking for some sort of sign as to what she was feeling. Nothing, not even surprise.
“You wrote this?” she asked, holding up his poem.
He nodded.
“And the others, you wrote them too? What about the hairclip? And the bear? That was all you?”
“Yes Mal, that was all me.”
She nodded. “I see.”
Justin was panicking! He could usually read her so well, but now she was a closed book. He had no idea what was going through her head.
Mallory looked at her watch and said, “Look, I’ve got a class in fifteen minutes. I really need to go. Bye, Justin.” And then she turned around and walked away.
He stood there, dumbfounded, and crushed by her reaction. “Mallory! Wait!” he called. She started running, and he let her go. But not before he felt that crack in his heart widen…and then break in half.
So he started running too. Not in the direction Mallory ran, but the opposite. He was running away. Away from people; more specifically, away from people who wanted to be “Just Friends.” He ran until his legs went numb, and then some. Eventually, it started raining, almost as if the weather knew his mood and was rubbing it in his face. In a way, the rain was a good thing, because it camouflaged the tears that were streaming down his face. Somehow he found himself back at his house. He let himself inside and wandered into his room. Then he crashed on his bed from exhaustion–both physical and emotional–wet clothes and all.
  A few days later, Justin still felt empty. His life wasn’t worth living if Mallory wasn’t a part of it. He was flipping through channels on his flat screen, trying and failing to find something that didn’t remind him of Mallory, when someone rang the doorbell. Grudgingly, he went over and opened it, dreading the prospect of having to talk to someone and act normal, despite the state he was in.
“Hi, Justin.”
His broken heart did a double back-flip. Nothing could have prepared him to see Mallory standing there on his porch, clutching her guitar case.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, almost accusingly.
“May I come in?”
He nodded and let her in. Immediately, she wrinkled her nose up.
“Justin, when was the last time you cleaned this place? It smells like you’ve been living with barn animals!”
“What do you need, Mallory?” he asked quietly.
“Oh! I just wanted to show you the new song that I finished yesterday.”
How dare she come in here and act like everything was perfectly normal, when she had practically ripped his heart out three days before!? But there was one thing that wasn’t normal about her: she was a closed book again; Justin couldn’t tell what she was thinking or how she was feeling.
Mallory set her guitar case down on the floor, took out her guitar and sat down on his couch. She started playing, and then…she began to sing.

You’ve tried to suppress
the feelings you know
must burst.
I say “Just friends,”
you say “Don’t you see?”
I do see.
It was his poem! She had changed the words slightly and put it to music.
You were doomed from the start.
I came in like a bomb and stole
your heart.
You say:
I love your laugh,
I love your smile,
Even the dimple.
She smiled, and there was that dimple, prominent as ever.
I am so beautiful to you,
even more than heaven. I am
Heaven’s angel.
Then you say:
When you sing,
Your sweet, smooth voice makes
My heart flutter.
What more can I say?
You love me deeply, endlessly,
Unconditionally.
Her voice was smooth and flowing like melted chocolate. Goose bumps rose on his arms.
So I say friends,
And you say please.
I won’t take away
The one thing, everyday,
You live for.
I say friends,
But I mean more.
What more can I say?
I love you deeply, endlessly,
Unconditionally.
Then she set her guitar down and looked at Justin, into his eyes.
“I love you, Justin. And I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to realize this, but I have loved you since the first day I met you.”
“Me too,” he choked out. He opened his arms, and Mallory ran into them. He buried his face in her neck and hair, breathing in her beauty, never wanting to let go.
But she pulled away, just barely, only enough to look up into his eyes and murmur, “Do you know what day it is today?”
With all the drama going on, Justin had quite forgotten what day it was. But then, with a sudden rush of emotion, he remembered. “Valentine’s Day,” he whispered back, a smile creeping onto his face.
“Yes.”
And then she went up on her tiptoes, moving her lips closer to his. He moved in too, and when their lips were almost touching, she closed the gap. After a little while, their lips parted slightly.
“Just like a poet,” Mallory said softly. Then Justin kissed her again. And neither of them ever wanted to let go.