There, I said it. Now he was left to deal with it, like it or lump it. Granted, perhaps I could have chosen a more opportune moment to announce it.

He grabbed me roughly, led me away from the group at the lunch table, “Todd, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh grow up,” I shot back, not being in the mood for any of his namby-pamby skirting of the issue, “Hello, 1987 calling. It wants its closet o’ repression back!” That may have been going to far. It probably was.

Darnell was fuming mad, though it was still kind of cute, in a brooding male model sort of way. Geez, I could kick myself. I’m so weak. This isn’t how I meant for it to go. What was I thinking? Not thinking, more like it.

His words ripped me back to the present, “So, what do you want me to do? Profess my undying love you here in the quad?! Is that what you want? Would that make it all better in your fairy tale world?”

My lip quivered; all I could manage was, “Dunno.”

He spun away, yelling to the quad, “I have something to say!”