Valentine's Day

Veronica Hale let out a soft sigh as she crossed her legs, trying to get comfortable on the same bed she had been occupying for the past few hours- okay, past few days. She wished she had some company, preferably a big tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream to help calm her frayed nerves but all she had was some stupid course textbook that went on and on about the Impressionists.

And to be honest, Renoir wasn't really helping at the moment. At all.

A soft knock came at the door to her dorm, followed by a muffled: "I'm coming in."

It didn't take long for the visitor to find Veronica in her room, and frowned when she was still sitting on her bed.

"Hey, Casey." Veronica tried to smile, but it probably came out looking more like a grimace.

Casey didn't even try. "How long's it been since you got up from that bed?"

"Not too long ago; made some tea."

Casey frowned again. "I mean up and out, like out of the house."

Veronica shifted her eyes. She recounted the days in her head. The break up had been two weeks ago, Eliza took her out a week exactly after.

Veronica thought she could handle it. She really did.

But then reality set in.

"Eliza took me out a couple days ago."

"How're you doing?"

Veronica bit her lip. She was doing the best she could be doing, considering she had just lost probably the best thing that ever happened to her.

She didn't say anything.

"Niall says that Lou's-"

"Please don't talk about it," Veronica said quickly.

Thankfully, Casey's pocket lit up and started buzzing, drawing her best friend's attention away for a few moments.

When she smiled Veronica knew it was Niall, speak of the devil.

"Has he finally asked you out yet?"

"Yes." Veronica's stomach dropped and her eyes widened. "I mean, maybe. I don't know. The boys have a show Valentine's day and he's asked me to come. Eliza said Harry was bringing her too."

Veronica didn't even hear anything past Valentine's day. It felt like all her insides were being twisted when Casey brought up that day in particular, as she thought back to last year.

It felt more like the middle of January when the brunette pushed open the cafe door to make a quick hustle back to class even though it was February. Casey had kept telling her that the temperature didn't have much difference between the two months, but Veronica swore up and down that it was supposed to be at least a degree warmer.

But on that particular day, Valentine's day no less, it felt like -40 Celsius.

She had just begun thinking of whether or not she wanted to pull out her phone for the time when she smacked into something- or someone- really hard.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry, mate," she gasped. Her scarf had fallen from her mouth and her teeth wasted no time to start chattering.

"It's perfectly alright, it was all my fault really. Wasn't looking where I was going."

When Veronica looked up, all she saw was Louis Tomlinson. Member of mega popular boy band One Direction. And he was studying her.

"Hey, do I know you?" He asked.

Veronica gulped, speechless. She wasn't necessarily a fan, but it wasn't everyday you ran into someone like him either.

"Uhm, no, sorry. I don't think so."

So she pushed around him and tried to be on her way.

"Really?" His voice followed, and then he was in her face again. "Cause I could swear you look awfully familiar."

Veronica shook her head. "Look, you must've got me-"

"School? X-Factor?"

The girl sighed, frustrated.

"Look, I know you're Louis Tomlinson. And I know you definitely don't know me. And now I'm probably late for class, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Can I walk you?"

"Excuse me?"

The boy grinned.

"Can I walk you? It's a bit chilly for someone to walk alone. Might get frostbite, freeze to death. You wouldn't want that happening to either of us, now would you?"

And for some reason, Veronica had found herself smiling, and let him walk her.

"V, Hell-o. You there?"

Veronica snapped around, looking back at Casey's worried expression.

"Yeah, sorry, just day dreaming."

"We really need to take you out, Eliza and I." Casey finally sighed. "She says Harry's always complaining now. Lou's been asking about you a lot lately."

"I thought we promised we weren't going to talk about him."

"I'm just saying V, what do I- we tell him? That you've been a desolate hermit ever since you two called it quits? He won't be happy. He does still care about you, you know. A lot."

"Just tell him I'm fine."

"We have. He's not buying it anymore. Maybe you should come with us- Eliza and I to the concert. It'll be good for you, and it'll give him some consolation."

Veronica frowned, biting her lip.

"Maybe."

If he would even look at her still.