Page 24 of Julia.

Just as we settle into our seats in the lecture, a delivery guy walks in, causing my heart to race and a knot to form in my stomach. It’s like the second I lay eyes on him, I know that he’s here for me, and embarrassment is already starting to brew inside me as every single student and even the professor turns to the door to look at him. The delivery guy clears his throat and speaks up. “Excuse me, is Julia Van Dieren here?” he asks, holding up a massive bouquet of red roses.

I can feel my face turning red as everyone starts to chatter, their eyes wide, while some students point their fingers at me. The delivery man makes a beeline for my seat, and I can feel the eyes of everyone in the room shift from him to me. Oh gosh, I wish I could disappear.

Beside me, Gabi has her knuckles pressed against her mouth, her eyes shining with everything that she wants to say but is holding in. I know I’m never going to hear the end of this from her. My mind races as I try to come up with an excuse for why I’m receiving flowers in the middle of class, of all places, but I’m drawing a total blank.

As he approaches, I try to make myself as small as possible, hiding behind my textbook. A high-pitched giggle escapes Gabi at my attempt, but it's no use, and I find myself holding the bouquet with shaking hands.

I sign for the delivery, trying to balance the enormous flower arrangement with one arm and the pen in my free hand, and then take the small card from the middle. My eyes scan the message written on it:Thank you for yesterday. I look forward to seeing you again on Thursday. S.

My heart skips a beat as I read the note. I can’t believe this is happening! How the hell did Sebastian figure out my class schedule, and what in the world is he thinking for interrupting my school time like this? In front of dozens of my classmates! Surely he has to know that it’s mortifying. I wonder if that was his intention.

Others in the class snicker as I carefully sit the bouquet of roses on the floor next to me, the scent of the flowers floating around me as a constant reminder that they are there even when I’m not looking at them.

“Looks like someone has a secret admirer.” My professor teases, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at me. His words break the obvious tension in the class, and everyone laughs, including me, at how bizarre the situation is.

“Would you like me to put those on my desk? As beautiful as they are, I don’t want yet another distraction if you accidentally knock them over,” he offers, and I gratefully accept. Once the roses are away from me for the moment, I try to focus on the lecture, but my mind keeps drifting back to the audacity of Sebastian. Maybe this delivery was some sort of revenge for me forcing myself into the car with him the other day. If so, then he has definitely one-upped me, and I’ll have to stay on my toes if I want to regain the upper hand in our burgeoning relationship.

Once the roses are on the teacher’s desk, class resumes as usual, besides Gabi occasionally catching my eye and waggling her eyebrows, trying to get me embarrassed again. As the lecture comes to an end, I gather my roses from the teacher, blushing and averting my eyes as I do so. Gabi waits for me while I grab the rest of my things and make my way out of the auditorium. I briefly consider distracting her and leaving on my own so she can’t immediately bombard me with questions and comments about the roses, but I know she would catch up with me before I could escape.

As soon as Gabi has me alone, she elbows me to get my full attention. “Alright, you have my blessing, you can marry him.”

I roll my eyes and shush my friend. “Don’t be stupid, Gabi,” I whisper back, trying to ignore the amused glances from the students around us in the hall. It’s not like I can hide what she’s talking about, considering my arms are literally full of roses.

I can’t deny that the gesture is sweet, but getting the flowers right when class was about to start is borderline inappropriate. Luckily, the professor was a good sport, but if he had been one of my more stoic teachers, it could have gone much worse for me.

Gabi continues just as giddy, though. “So how does it feel to be the most popular girl in school?”

I sigh heavily and laugh at her indirect question. “You know they’re from Sebastian,” I say, unable to keep the grin off my face.

Gabi feigns surprise. “What a shocker. I never would have guessed that your broody friend from the other day would also be the flower sender!”

I give her a playful shove, and we both giggle as we continue walking down the concourse.

“I have to admit,” Gabi continues as we walk beside each other. “I didn’t think any man that you met at a high society ball would have had it in him to be so romantic.”

I shrug, feeling a little defensive. “He’s not just some wealthy stick in the mud, you know. He’s got a sensitive side, it seems.”

Gabi laughs. “I know, I know. I’m just teasing. I think it’s sweet that he’s making an effort.”

I feel a sense of warmth spread through me as Gabi talks about Sebastian in a positive light. It’s not often that I open up to people about my private life, but with Gabi, it feels natural. With Mom being so ridiculously negative about anything to do with Sebastian, it’s nice to have someone on my side encouraging me to follow my heart, even if he is still a bit of a mystery to Gabi and I both.

Afterward, I hurry home to put the bouquet in my apartment while Gabi goes to her next class. I’m thankful for the gap in my schedule because there is a lot on my mind that I need to settle. Alone in my living room, I can’t resist the urge to call Van den Bosch Industries, knowing that Sebastian will be there. We haven’t exchanged numbers yet, so I know of no other way to reach him. Normally, I would never dream of calling a potential suitor at work, but considering that he already crossed the line of politeness by embarrassing me in front of my entire class and professor, I figure that a phone call is perfectly acceptable.

The secretary picks up on the first ring, and I ask to speak to Sebastian. She asks who is calling, but once I tell her my name, she connects me immediately. This gives me pause, though…has Sebastian added me to a list of people that he will always be available for? If so, he’s thinking way further ahead than I am. It means that he already considers me someone special enough in his life to always have access to him, and the thought of it leaves my mind swimming.

Once he picks up, he wastes no time in speaking first. “Julia, what a surprise!”

The corners of my mouth twitch into a grin at his warm voice. It’s good to hear from him again. But I take a deep breath and keep myself focused on my next set of words. “Well, not as big of a surprise as you sending me flowers during one of my lectures, I suppose.”

“Ah, yes, I’m glad you received my gift.” He sounds quite proud of himself and I wonder if he knows how wrong the timing was. “Did you like them?”

I consider telling him that no, his timing of delivery ruined them for me, but as I glance at the ruby-red bouquet on my table, I know it’s not the right move to tell him such a blatant lie. “I did, even though there was no need for such a big public display.”

“Well, there was no need for you to follow me when I was going back to my car and yet here we are.” I drag my hand over my face, hearing the confirmation that his little flower stunt was a direct reaction from me forcing him to take me to the park. “You made quite an impression on me yesterday, and I wanted you to know that,” he continues.

How can he be so casual when saying such things?! Hearing him say that makes my cheeks flush immediately, but I try to play it cool. “Well, that’s, um, very kind of you. I guess that I will see you Thursday, then?”

“Wait,” he asks, stopping me. “Can I ask you for your mobile number so that I can call you once I arrive?”

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