Like We Used To

"Are you sure they won't mind that we left?" I asked Savana, though I knew what her answer would be. "I think they'll know something is up if we come back with a couple mice..."

"Relax," she shrugged. "They won't even notice that we're gone!" She ran her fingers through her hair then grinned. "And while we're gone, we can start working on my April Fool’s Day prank! I'm going all out on this one, seeing as it’s my last year as an almost single lady." Her smile fell slightly, but was replaced with a smirk.

I was going to ask her what she meant when the cab halted and she tossed a twenty over the seat. We promptly got out and went into Petco. She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the small animal section to stare at the mice.

When we left Petco, along with two mice, a small cage, and anything else the mice would need, we went back to the hotel. "I think you should call," Savana said as she got her phone out. "They have a sweet spot for you in their microscopic hearts. They always say I've done something wrong when I call..." She quickly dialed a number and threw the phone at me.

The phone only rang once when I held it to my ears. “Savana, so help me if you set anything on fire,” John started in an annoyed tone. I couldn’t help but grin when he proved Savana right—on this matter, anyway.

“John, relax! It’s Merrick. We got kinda bored so we left.”

“Oh,” John mumbled. “She didn’t set anything on fire, though, right?”

“No,” I answered honestly. I looked over to see Savana putting the cage together and putting paper shreds in, followed by a bowl of food and their water bottle. “She hasn’t even suggested it.”

“Well, it’s going to be lunch time, soon, so you should come back because we already ordered food for you,” John chuckled.

“Yummy food?” I asked.

“Yup.”

“We’re on our way!” I hung up and tossed Savana her phone. “They have food! Let’s go!”

Savana ran in to find John, but I was slower. I counted each step as I stared down at the floor. “There you are!” I looked up to see Garrett smiling. “Come with me!” He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward once I’d gotten to his side.

I couldn’t help but smile when he was like this—so carefree and innocent.

We turned down a hallway and entered a small room. He closed the door and turned on the light. I was in the janitor’s closet for the second time that day. He gently placed his hands on my hips. “Merrick.” He pressed his lips together into a straight line as he thought. I was curious—what was he thinking? “I don’t care that you are with Nick. I need you in my life—I need to know that you’ll always be mine.”