***This excerpt does have some spoilers, so if you haven't read the Hex Hall Series, and/or don't want to know who Sophie ends up with, beware.***
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”So.”
“Yup.”
“This is Applebee’s.”
“It is indeed.”
Archer frowned as he turned the pages of his menu. “I didn’t expect so much of the food to come in skillets.”
Laughing, I stabbed at the lemon in my ice water with my straw. “I don’t think you properly prepared for the glamour that is Applebee’s, Cross.”
He was still puzzling over his menu. “They really like the word ‘sizzlin.’”
“It was your idea to come here,” I reminded him. “I told you we didn’t need to do Valentine’s Day-,”
“Oh, we are doing Valentine’s Day.” Archer laid down his menu and linked his fingers, studying me across the table. His dark hair was falling over his forehead and he was grinning, and ugh, it really was unfair for one guy to be that cute.
“Jenna said Valentine’s Day is a really big deal,” he continued, and I shook my head, taking his hand.
“Jenna said that so you’d give her an excuse to put even more pink in our dorm room.”
At that, Archer grimaced a little. “She did go kind of overboard with the decorating.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Kind of? Cross, I couldn’t even get into my room this afternoon because it was filled with roughly ninety bajillion pink balloons. And we’re not even going to get into the current Glitter Situation.”
It must have been a trick of the light, but I could’ve sworn a flush rose up Archer’s neck. “The balloons are actually my fault. Jenna said she’d get them, but then it didn’t look like there were quite enough, so I…,” Trailing off, he wiggled his fingers, and I gave a startled burst of laughter.
“You used magic to make balloons?”
“Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds dumb.”
“Because it is,” I giggled, and after a moment, he smiled back.
“You’re right. I mean, the least I could’ve done was use my powers to make them into especially romantic balloon animal shapes.”
I nodded somberly. “Nothing says love like a balloon giraffe, let me tell you.”
Archer gave a theatrical sigh and leaned back in his seat. “Alas, traditional human dating rituals clearly elude me.”
He looked at me again, and while he was still grinning, I could see…something move across his face. Just the littlest moment of uncertainty. “But you felt loved, right?” he asked. ”Adored and appreciated and all the other things the commercials say you’re supposed to feel?”
Squeezing his fingers, I nodded. “I did. And also a little claustrophobic.”
“A natural side effect of True Love.”
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For the rest of this Valentine's Day story, check out Rachel's tumblr, and if you're new to the Hex Hall series, I suggest you pick these up to read:
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