✽ Mandy ✽
Valentine’s Day crept closer like a countdown I couldn’t turn off. Everywhere I went, it showed up. Heart-shaped bakery specials in the college cafeteria. Pink posters in shop windows. Couples planning too loudly in line for coffee. Even Clover & Steel put a little sign by the register advertising a ‘Sweetheart Slice’ for the upcoming week, and Ben rolled his eyes every time someone pointed at it. I tried to pretend it didn’t matter. But the truth was that it did matter. Because my stupid crush on Jason refused to fade. If anything, it sharpened the more time we spent in the new apartment. I noticed him in small ways now. The way he set his keys in the tray like he was following a rule. The way he checked the locks without realizing I saw him. The way he listened when I talked,
