Chapter 22

Chapter 22
The rest of Lauren’s semester seemed to drag on. She hated being away from Sidney, and was anxious to be done with school. Finally, it was the last week of classes. Sidney and the team were doing great in the playoffs, and it was looking like they would go all the way to the finals. On her way home from her last day of school, she called Sidney.
“Hey beautiful! I was just thinking about you. How was your last day?”
“It was good. The kids made me cards and we had a little party at the end of the day. I’m glad to be done, though. I can’t wait to just relax tonight.”
“About tonight, I have a surprise for you. Talk to Beth when you get home.”
“Sidney, what did you do?” She said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You’ll see. I’ll call you later tonight. I love you, Lauren.”
“I love you too, Sidney. Talk to you later – bye.”
When Lauren got home, she dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her heels, and ran into Beth’s room.
“Okay, spill it. What’s going on?”
“What are you talking about?” Beth asked innocently.
“Sidney told me to talk to you when I got home about some surprise. What’s he talking about?”
“Here.” Beth said, handing her an envelope.
Lauren pulled out a note and began to read.
Dear Lauren,
Congratulations! You’re finally done with student teaching! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you tonight, but hopefully you’ll have some fun with what I’ve got planned. Beth has all the details – hope you two have fun tonight! Call me when you get back home. I love you more than anything. Miss you. –Sid
Lauren looked up at Beth and Beth handed her another sheet of paper. It was a reservation confirmation for a spa nearby. Sidney had arranged for both of them to get massages, pedicures, and facials. Beth just grinned. “I think I like your boyfriend better than I like my own. At least today, anyways.”
“Me too.” Lauren beamed. “I love that man beyond words.”
After they had their massages and facials, Lauren and Beth were getting their pedicures when Lauren’s phone rang. She smiled when she saw the caller ID.
“Have I ever told you that I have the most amazing boyfriend in the whole world?” she said.
“He must be pretty lucky if he’s with a girl like you.” Sidney replied. “Do you like your surprise?”
“I love it! Thank you so much! Beth says thanks too. The only thing that would have made it better is if you were here with me.”
“Oh, trust me. Next time, I will be the one giving you the massage. A full body massage.” He said seductively, causing Lauren to blush.
“I think I like the sound of that, Mr. Crosby.”
Sidney chuckled. “I like it, too. Enjoy the rest of your night, babe. I love you!”
Lauren and Beth picked up a pizza on their way home from the spa and spent the rest of the night curled up in the living room watching movies, eating popcorn, talking about how great Sidney was (well, Lauren did most of the talking) and just relaxing. Around midnight, Lauren stood up and announced she was going to bed. “Oh, one more thing.” Beth said, reaching towards a stack of her books that were sitting on the coffee table. She retrieved a small envelope and handed it to Lauren.
“What now?” Lauren said smiling.
“I don’t know what this one’s about. He just said to give it to you when you were going to bed. Good night!”
Lauren walked down the hall to her room while the opened the envelope. She curled up in her bed and started to read.
Bet you weren’t expecting this note, huh? Hope you had a good day today – you deserve it. Sweet dreams, tonight. I wish I was there with you – I miss holding you in my arms. I love you, Lauren. I can’t tell you how much joy you have brought into my life. It might sound cheesy, but I really didn’t know what I was missing until you came along. You are my heart and soul. Love you always, Sidney
P.S. Don’t make plans for Wednesday night. I know your birthday isn’t until Thursday, but since your family is also coming up on your birthday, I wanted you all to myself for an evening. :-)
Lauren wore a content smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.