Lily
OMG, I made a huge mistake after the party last night!
Lily
You mean WHO did I do…
Claire
What?! Give me some deets!
Claire
But you two are always at each other’s throats during our meetings for the campus paper!
Claire
And how many times have you told me he’s a cocky jerk?
Claire
I KNEW you always had it bad for him!!!
Lily
He just looked so good in that t-shirt. His muscles were lean and wiry under it…
Lily
And his hair was SO cute, all tousled and thick 😍
Lily
Okay, I might have a little crush.
Lily
But in my defense, he was surprisingly funny and charming, too.
Claire
But you hate the snarky articles he writes about nerd culture.
Claire
YOU ARE THE NERD HE WRITES ABOUT!
Lily
Yes, and also I’m the nerd who rebuts his articles.
Lily
So if it weren’t for his pieces, I wouldn’t have a reason to write my own.
Claire
Pardon me while I vomit.
Lily
Haha, I know! It’s ridiculous how it worked out…
Lily
But somehow, we forgot about our differences last night 😉
Claire
I’d say! So now what?
Lily
Now it’s over. It’ll never happen again.
Lily
Even though it ROCKED.
Claire
🤦 Are you at his dorm?
Lily
No, I already snuck back to my suite.
Lily
I don’t want anyone to know we were together!
Claire
And what happens at the next meeting, ya goofball?
Claire
Are you just going to pretend the hookup never happened?
Claire
OMG. Are you also going to pretend that your feelings disappeared?
Lily
It’s just a crush. It was only hormonal.
Lily
I can’t actually date Rob Coulter.
Lily
I sense that you’re doubting me.
Claire
Well, you’re lucky you escaped his room without anyone noticing.
Claire
Good luck keeping this on the down low.
Lily
I don’t want to be known as Rob Coulter’s Conquest…
Heart pounding, Lily reaches up to fidget with the necklace she always wears.
It’s been a soothing habit for years.
But…the necklace isn’t there.
Lily
My necklace is gone.
Claire
The necklace your mom gave you?
Lily
Yeah. I’ve worn it every day since…
Claire
Since she died when you were a kid. I know.
A lump forms in Lily’s throat.
Lily
CRAP. I think it’s in Rob’s dorm room.
Lily
The cocky jerk will probably think I purposely left it there so I can go back for more of him!
Claire
Sounds like fate is giving you a second chance to me.
Claire
Find his number in the online directory.
Claire
Face your feelings, Lil 💁 💁
But Lily doesn’t ACTUALLY have feelings for the guy.
Okay, maybe she thought she did last night.
But her necklace is what matters right now.
After looking up his number, she takes the plunge.
Lily
Hey, I think I left something there.
Rob
Yeah, and you left ME wondering where you went.
Rob
You got scared off by your overwhelming passion for me 😏
Lily sighs. Obviously last night was a joke for him.
Lily
This is a dream come true for you, isn’t it?
Lily
You finally got your nemesis just where you want her.
Rob
As I recall, I got her there a few times…
Her pulse hammers as she remembers his hot kisses…
But she shakes it off and continues texting.
Lily
Do you see a necklace with a golden heart locket anywhere?
Rob
Does it have a picture of me inside?
Lily
Jeez. Please just look!
Rob
You could always come back here and search for it yourself…
Rob
You know I already miss you, baby.
Rob
You seemed to like it when I called you baby last night.
Rob
And when you called ME the same pet name 😏
Lily
Are you looking for that necklace or what?
Rob
How about I give it back to you over coffee this morning?
Rob is STILL messing with her.
Lily
Please. I know what you’re up to, Rob.
Lily
You just want everyone to know that I gave it up to you.
Lily
I mean, nothing changes the fact that we’re still adversaries.
The longer it takes for Rob to respond, the surer Lily becomes.
He definitely WAS just fooling with her.
A twinge of something unidentifiable gets to her.
Lily
Listen, could you just bring the necklace to the meeting on Monday?
Rob
You know, the locket was open.
Rob
I couldn’t help noticing that the woman in the picture looks like you.
Lily
That’s because she’s my mom.
Rob
And the date on the back of the locket?
Rob
Well, I didn’t know what the necklace means to you.
Rob
I’ll send a friend over to your dorm with it now.
A warm feeling spreads in Lily’s chest.
Rob
And you can relax, Lily.
Rob
After this, we can pretend like nothing ever happened.
Rob
That you never hooked up with the enemy.
Confused by this turn of events, Lily sends Rob her address.
Over the next half hour, she slowly puts herself together and waits for his friend.
She had no idea Rob could be…decent.
There’s a knock on her door, and she opens up, only to gasp.
Rob holds the necklace out to her.
Rob
I changed my mind about sending over a friend.
Rob
Let’s stop dancing around what’s happening here, Lily.
Rob takes her hand and gently puts the necklace in her palm.
He closes her fingers over the locket.
The feel of his warm skin sends wild shivers through her.
Rob
What’s happening is that I’m going to ask you to coffee again.
Rob
I’m going to ask you to dinner or a movie or whatever you want to do.
Rob
And maybe you can tell me about your mom and everything else that’s important to you.
Rob
Maybe we can start being more than just adversaries.
Lily’s suite mates have moved into the common room. They’re watching now.
They’re obviously expecting her and Rob to start squabbling.
But something bursts open in Lily, and she melts for him.
Lily
I thought you didn’t like nerds.
Rob
I just like poking fun at one in particular to get her attention.
Rob
It was a lot of work but…damn. So worth all the effort.
Rob
You always have been, Lily.
He smiles, and she holds her breath.
When he sweeps her into a dizzying kiss, everyone hoots.
Lily wraps her arms around him, losing herself…
Totally, giddily, FINALLY embracing the enemy.
