Chapter 16 Dave
DAVE
I stare at the red heart circled on my rotation schedule on the fridge.
Saturday, February Fourteenth.
Valentine’s Day.
Two days since I left her house in shame.
I’m surprised Sue hasn’t called the neighborhood watch on me for the number of times I’ve walked back and forth in front of Sara’s house.
I messed everything up. If only I had told her the first time I delivered… but then, would she have talked to me like she had been, or would she have put me in the neighbor box, and we never would have connected the same way? At least, that’s what I’m telling myself to ease the guilt.
The vibration of my phone on the kitchen counter snaps me out of my self-pity fest. It’s a DoorDash order request… from Sara. I rub my eyes, trying to convince myself that it’s not playing tricks on me.
At first, I focus on the order request: flowers, chocolate, and one of those ridiculously huge stuffed animals you win at the state fair. My stomach twists. She’s buying herself flowers? And chocolate? On Valentine’s Day?
No. Absolutely not. And then I spot the note: “This is Sydney, fix it!”
Without a second thought, I accept the order. Sydney is throwing me a lifeline, and I intend to take it.
I head to the local florist first, grabbing a small vase of fresh peonies, carefully choosing the brightest reds and pinks I can find.
Then I stop by the chocolate shop and pick up the largest heart-shaped box I can carry without knocking someone over.
The stuffed bear sitting in my passenger seat almost looks like a person.
The closer I get to her house, my nerves get the better of me, and instead of pulling up to her place, I park at my own house.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves—what’s the worst that can happen?
She slams her door in my face and I make a second walk of shame back to my house.
This time—with a giant stuffed bear. Definitely not embarrassing at all.
My phone buzzes in my jacket and I pull it out to see it’s a FaceTime call from my sister.
I click accept to find that instead of seeing my sister’s face, I’m looking at what appears to be a cheek.
I hope it’s a face cheek and not an ass cheek.
The phone shakes for a few seconds before the culprit’s face comes into view.
“Uncle Da!” my nephew shrieks from the other end of the line.
“Hey, Bubba,” I say, smiling despite myself. “Does your mom know you have her phone?”
“Cry?”
“What? No, Bubba. I’m not crying.”
“Cry! Cry!” he yells, and I hear the thudding of tiny feet as he takes off running. I’m hoping—praying—he’s heading straight for his mom. Luca is only two; his vocabulary is… limited.
“Luca, did you take my phone?” my sister’s voice comes through the speaker, followed by a gentle scolding. “You know you’re not supposed to take my phone.” She pauses. “Wait—what do you have there?”
A second later, her face appears on the screen, squinting as she tries to get a better look at me.
“Oh hey, Dave,” my sister greets me at the same time Luca yells, “Cry!”
Eliana sighs, brushing toddler hair out of her son's face. “Sorry about that. He just learned that when someone is sad, they cry. He hasn’t quite figured out the difference yet. So if he thinks you’re sad, he just says, ‘cry.’”
She studies me again. “So… are you sad?”
I hesitate, then let out a heavy sigh as I push open my front door and collapse onto the couch.
“Yeah. I messed things up with a girl I was… kind of seeing.”
Her expression softens immediately. “The neighbor? Sara?”
I nod. “Yeah. The cute one I told you about. We were talking a lot, and I didn’t exactly tell her the whole truth.” I scrub a hand over my face. “It kind of blew up in my face.”
“Oof.” She cringes slightly, but her face is lined with empathy. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. But—” she gives me the look “—you know better than to lie to a woman.”
“I didn’t think it was a lie,” I mumble. “More like… an omission.”
She arches a brow. “Men always think that.”
“I apologized,” I add quickly. “She didn’t want to talk to me.”
“When did you try?”
“The same day she kicked me out of her house.”
My sister winces. “Okay, yeah. That was probably too soon.”
“So I should just… leave it alone?” I ask, even though I hate the idea.
“No,” she chides. “You should try again. You gave her space, but now it’s time to be honest. Fully honest. And don’t do it because you want forgiveness. Do it because she deserves the truth.”
I exhale slowly. “I’m just scared of what she’ll say.”
She smiles, soft but firm. “Life’s scary, little bro. But the best things usually are. If she still says no, at least you’ll know you did the right thing.”
Luca suddenly pops into view, pressing his face against the screen. “Uncle Da… no cry?”
I chuckle, the ache in my chest fading a bit. “Yeah, Bubba. Uncle Da’s okay.”
Luca grins widely at my sister, before toddling off again.
Eliana laughs. “See? Even a two-year-old knows—you’ll be fine. You should come by tomorrow for dinner. It’ll be good for you.”
“Yeah, I will. Thanks for the pep talk, Lana.” I give her a small smile.
“Anytime.” She replies before hanging up.
I give myself one last moment before I open my door, grabbing everything I purchased, and force my feet across the street.
My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it’s trying to escape my chest. I’m sure Sue is watching from her window, wondering what the hell I’m doing, but I don’t care.
I don’t know what Sara will say or do, but I have to try.
I ring the doorbell, hiding behind the bear like it might give me courage.
“Dave?” Sara’s voice is soft, surprised.
I peek around the bear and meet her gaze—those dark eyes filled with confusion, warmth, and something that looks dangerously close to forgiveness.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” I say sheepishly. “I don’t know if you have plans, or if you’re still mad… but I didn’t want you to have to buy your own Valentine’s Day gift.” I swallow. “And I meant what I said the other night. You should be worshiped.”
She blinks at me, clearly stunned. “Sydney…” she mutters under her breath.
“Yeah,” I admit with a nervous laugh. “She told me to fix it. So… here I am. Trying to fix it.”
Her smile wavers, and I know it’s now or never.
“I’m so sorry I lied to you,” I blurt, finally finding the courage to meet her eyes fully.
“I’ve had a crush on you since the day you moved in.
” I let out a quiet chuckle. “Maybe more than a crush. I was a coward—I didn’t ask you out when I should have.
You completely blew me away. And I convinced myself there was no way a woman like you would want a guy like me, so I chickened out. I’ve regretted it ever since.”
I take a breath and keep going. “When I realized you were the one I was delivering to, I took the opportunity to talk to you.” I shake my head at myself.
“It’s a pretty far-fetched story—using a delivery app as a dating app—but it gave me access to you when you were unguarded, and I took the chance.
I’m sorry if that made you feel manipulated. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“It’s a weird How I Met Your Father story,” she jokes, fidgeting with the sleeves of her sweater. Then she adds quickly, words tumbling out, “Not that I’m saying you’re the future father of my children.”
I don’t say it out loud, but I want to be.
“I think… I understand why you did it,” she continues, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Truth is, I’ve been pretty reclusive since I found out my ex cheated on me and moved out.
Opening myself up to someone again hasn’t been easy.
” She looks up at me, hopeful but cautious. “But I’m hoping we could try?”
“I’d like that,” I answer without a single second of hesitation. “More than anything.”
Her smile brightens. “Me too.”
“So,” I start, nerves flaring again, “will you be my Valentine?”
“She would love to!” Sydney yells from the couch.
Sara laughs, shaking her head. “She’s right. I would love to.”
And just like that, for the first time in years, I have a Valentine.