It’s a week before Valentine's day. I feel like I see couples everywhere I go, maybe they’ve always been around and I’m just noticing them now that I’m dating. I sort of envy them, as they walk by holding hands openly and kissing on campus, but I do know it’s for the best that Wyatt and I keep it private. 

I’m walking across campus alone, when suddenly Becca joins me, I didn’t see her coming. 

“You startled me!”, I say and dramatically put my hand over my heart. 

“Sorry, I thought you saw me coming”, Becca says hastily, “although… you have been quite distracted lately…”, it’s like she’s trying to hint at something. 

“Have I? You know me, I’ve never been very aware of my surroundings…”, I say as we keep walking, Becca falls into step with me quickly. 

“So Valentine’s day is coming up…have any plans now that you and Henry broke up?”, Becca asks, “Everyone’s wondering why you aren’t dating anyone, by the way, including me.”, she looks at me curiously.

“Why is everyone so obsessed with me?”, I laugh, “I think I’m just going to chill this year. I don’t really care about Valentine’s day, anyway.”, I tell Becca with a shrug. 

“Really? I think it’s such a romantic day!”, Becca exclaims, “It’s such a waste to stay home on a day like that. Really, though, why are you not seeing anyone Audrey? You could have literally anyone you wanted.”, Becca won’t let it go, she seems determined to get an answer out of me. Usually, if I avoid her questions she’ll let it go but not this time it seems. 

“Just haven’t found any good ones, I guess.”, I say vaguely, but it feels wrong to even say it, because I have found a good one. Wyatt. I know we’re keeping it secret, but I didn’t expect to feel so bad about denying that I’m seeing anyone. 

“I’ll set you up! I know a ton of guys who would love to have a chance with you!”, Becca seems too eager, I need to put a stop to this. 

“No, no, please don’t, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine, Becca. I’ll handle my own dating life, thanks.”, I retort quickly. Thankfully, we’ve reached the classroom, so she can’t keep pushing me on the subject. I wave her a quick goodbye at the door, before I escape into the lecture hall. I’m on time for once, I must have subconsciously walked faster than usual, to get away from Becca. 

If I thought I was in the clear, I was wrong. I can’t escape, everyone seems curious about my Valentine’s day plans, or lack thereof. They gossip about it, speculating who I’m going to spend Valentine’s day with. The consensus seems to be that I will have a date, they’re just not sure who it’s going to be with. Some seem to think Henry and I have gotten back together, some don’t even seem to know that we broke up in the first place. Others wish I would go out with them or their friends, or nominate eligible candidates based on popularity. And others yet wonder if I’m seeing someone secretly. That last one makes me a little nervous, but my concerns are quickly squashed because they seem to think that the only reason I would keep a relationship secret is if I was dating a celebrity. Then the celebrity guesses commences. I hear all of this as I pass by people on campus, in the classrooms and the library. Some of it is also messaged to me by Becca - who really doesn’t want to let the subject go- and Camilla. It’s getting a bit annoying, but what really bothers me is that if I’m hearing all this gossip about me, then Wyatt must be hearing it as well… 

The worst part is that people don’t only speculate about who I could or should be dating, they’re also naming people who they think I definitely wouldn’t date. Wyatt somehow ends up on that list of people. Although, some seem to think he’s not so bad, after all he is super smart, kind and has a nice build, they just think that he and I aren’t in the same league. But others are being unnecessarily mean towards the people they deem unworthy to date me. In the past I probably would have agreed with them on some of those mean things, but for some reason I’m feeling a bit bad for them now. Maybe because they could easily be saying those mean things about Wyatt, which some of them do, and it really disgusts me to hear them. They don’t even know him! 

Wyatt already doesn’t seem to think very highly of himself, so I really hope he isn’t listening to all this gossip as well…