Valentine's Day

I was in the middle of grocery shopping when I saw the massive display of chocolates and love hearts, how I could forget, it was almost Valentine ’s Day.  I slowly walked towards the display of chocolates. Today was the 12th which meant that it was two days away. I needed to buy some chocolate for my dad and brother. I sighed as I picked up a chocolate bar and examined what chocolate they would like better.  Buying chocolates for my family is a nice thing but just once I wish I was buying it for the guy I was dating. I was currently single and I don’t care what Natasha Beddingfeild said, that’s not how I want to be.
I could give my crush some chocolates and confess my feelings to him but I don’t have the courage. I took another deep breath and picked up two caramel chocolate blocks for my Dad and brother. 
“Buying chocolates instead of making your own?” said a voice from behind me and I froze. The voice was deep but sounded soft and kind. I turned around to see my crush, Jay, standing behind me.  He was taller than me because he was five foot 8 and I was only five foot 2, he had brown hair up to his shoulders that never looked brushed with the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen. He was still in the school uniform wearing long black trousers and a white cotton shirt with the school logo on the breast pocket.
“It’s just for my family,” I said and placed them in the trolley and avoiding eye contact.
“Come on,” he said and followed me as I walked away, “you’re sure you’re not buying anything for your boyfriend?”
“I’m positive,” I said and kept walking hoping he couldn’t hear the pounding in my heart.
“Then buy me some,” he said and walked in front of the trolley causing me to stop.
“What!?” I asked disbelieving my ears.
“Make me some chocolate for valentine’s day.”
“But you always get chocolate on Valentine’s Day,” I said, “You don’t need mine.”
“Who said that?” he said mock serious, “I’ll only except your chocolate so you better make me some otherwise I’ll go hungry.”
“That’s stupid you shouldn’t do that,” I said but he wasn’t listening.
He had begun walking towards the exit of the shop ignoring what I said he called over his shoulder, “I’ll be waiting for your chocolate.”
He couldn’t be serious, I thought watching him leave dumbfounded. I walked to the checkout feeling a little light headed. He couldn’t be serious; he was just making fun of me. Maybe he knew I liked him and was teasing me or maybe he was serious and he would wait for my chocolate. What if I didn’t make him any? Would he be mad? I had never talked to him that much before if I didn’t make him chocolate would he never talk to me again. I quickly pulled my trolley out from the queue and quickly brought the ingredients to make some homemade chocolate and some moulds.
I would make him some chocolate and decide on the day if I would give it to him or not.
Walking to school the next day I was hiding my hands in my jacket sleeves. I had attempted to make some chocolate and had cut quite a few of my fingers and burned them. I wasn’t the best cook but I had tried. Tonight I would make some more because I think I had mastered it and tonight the chocolate will be perfect or so I hoped.
“Hey Calie,” called a deep voice from behind me. I turned around to see Jay walking over to me and away from his group of friends. They were giving him odd looks and the looks of the girls were anything but friendly.
I kept walking and he quickly ran to catch up, “how come you didn’t stop?” he asked but I didn’t reply.
“Are you gonna make me chocolates?”
“I’m thinking about it,” I replied and pulled my hands further up my jacket sleeves, the action caught his attention but he didn’t say anything.
Jay followed me for the rest of the day pestering me about making him chocolates. It was annoying but nice, I had never been paid this much attention before and to be bothered by Jay was the best because it meant he noticed me.
I had finally managed to evade him as I was leaving school and I began to head home when I became surrounded by girls. They were all girls who caked on their make-up, wore the fanciest accessories in order to catch the boy’s attention. 
“Why is Jay hanging around you?” one asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied and shied away from them.
“You stay away from him,” another said and they pushed me to the ground and left. I watched them leave from the ground and then slowly stood back up. See he didn’t need any chocolates from me; all those girls would make him some.
“Hey Calie!” I heard Jay call from behind me and I quickly began walking towards the exit of the school, “Hey wait,” he said and he caught up, “What was that all about?” he said and gestured towards the group of girls walking about 15 meters away from me.   
“Nothing,” I replied.
“Really,” he asked sceptically but then shrugged, “anyway, I’ll walk you home.”
“That’s not necessary,” I replied and started to walk faster.
“Are you going to make me some chocolates?” he asked for the umpteenth time today.
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Until you say yes I won’t leave you alone,” and just like that we began heading home together.
We walked past the shops and I paused, I needed to buy more ingredients but with Jay next to me, I couldn’t.  I didn’t want to let him know I was making him chocolates because I didn’t know if I would give them to him or not.  I decided against it, I would run to the shops later tonight and get what I needed.
When we arrived at the street to my house we walked separate ways as Jay turned to where he lived, he has walked the long way home just so he could walk with me.
I felt my heart pound as I continued to walk towards my house. I really like Jay and with all the attention he had been giving me recently I couldn’t help but think maybe he liked me too. Unfortunately there was still a part of my head which told me it was a trick, he was just teasing me.

I walked to the school with the handmade chocolates in my bag, wrapped in clear cellophane and some ribbon. I had made them but I didn’t know if I would give them to him yet. I had gone back to the shops at 6:30 to get the ingredients and then it had taken about an hour to make them and then leave them in the mould overnight to harden in the fridge. I put a lot of effort into making them so I did really want to give them to him.
I walked into the school ground and looked for him but he was surrounded by girls giving him chocolates. Their chocolate looked so much better than my crappy homemade ones. I felt my smile fade and I continued to walk towards the entrance of the school.  I heard him call my name but when I turned around he was talking to another girl who was giving him chocolates.
All day I watched him surrounded by girls and receiving chocolate. I don’t know why he was pestering me to make him some, it seemed ridicules for me to make some when he so many admirers making it for him.

It was the end of the day and I still hadn’t given him my chocolates, every time I had seen him he had been surrounded by girls. It was the end of the day and I saw him walk out of his last class, I hid around the corner and built up my courage. I pulled the chocolates out my bag and turned around the corner he was walking away and I started to begin running when a group of girls suddenly appeared in front of me.
“We told you to stay away,” said the same girl from yesterday.
I froze, chocolates still held in my hands.
“What’s this?” another girl said pulling them out of my hand and giving them to the first girl.
“Chocolates?” she said, “You must be the reason why he won’t accept ours. You can’t give him these, they look like crap and they’re handmade too. Are you trying to put us to shame? It’s a rule; you can only buy him chocolate.”  With that said she threw my chocolates out the window and I ran to catch them but it was stupid to try. I reached the window just in time to see it hit the floor.
The girls walked away and I slowly made my way to the chocolates. I had tried so hard. I felt tears well up in my eyes as my hands which were bruised and burned from making them picked them up off the ground.
“Hey Calie,” said Jay’s voice from behind me, “I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to get away from them all day but I refused them all. I somehow knew you would make me some. Hey what’s that?” he said catching sight of the broken chocolates in my hands.
“Oh nothing,” I said and hid them behind my back.
He reached around my back and pulled them from my hands, “Chocolates, for me,” he said with mock surprise, “you shouldn’t have and handmade at that. Oh this will be a treat.” He pulled one out of the cellophane and I grabbed it from him.
“It’s been on the floor and it’s all broken, it probably tastes terrible as well so don’t eat them,” I said and pulled them back out his hand.
“But I want something sweet and irreplaceable like your handmade chocolates.”
“Sorry,” I said and looked at the floor.
“Its okay I thought of compensation,” he said and I looked up at him questioningly.
He slowly lowered his face to mine and kissed me. It was just a quick brush of lips but when he pulled away he whispered against my cheek, “I like you.”
I held my breath before I replied “I like you too,” but I couldn’t look into his eyes.
He kissed me again and once again whispered against my cheek, “This is so much sweeter than chocolates.”
I didn’t disagree with him.