forever is the sweetest con

“What are your plans for the holiday, Linda? You and the husband got anything special in the works?” You overheard one of your coworkers, sounds like Sharon, ask someone as you walked into the teacher’s lounge. 

“Oh yes, the kids are going to his parents’ and we’ll be having a special dinner.” Linda says with a dreamy sigh before her attention is turned to you. “How about you, Y/N? You’re young, I’m sure you have a hot date lined up or something.”

You shook your head, plastering on a polite smile as you filled up your coffee mug. “Nope, no such plans for me. Probably just going to stay in and read, like I usually do.”

“Well that’s no fun.” Sharon says as she tsks. “You should be out and about, a pretty little thing like you. Do you need me to set you up with someone? I think my neighbor has a son around your age, I could—”

“No thanks.” You say quickly, while making sure to keep your tone light. “I’m not really in a dating mood, you know? I just want to enjoy some time to myself before attempting to settle down.” You explain as you pour some sugar into your coffee. 

Before you could be bothered with more comments from Linda and Sharon, another person came into the teacher’s lounge. Steve Harrington, the new baseball coach and health P.E. teacher here at the elementary school. “Morning, ladies.” He greets, giving each of you a gentle smile. 

“Morning, Steve.” Linda and Steve said in unison, poorly hiding their leering looks behind their cups of coffee. You rolled your eyes at that. The two of them acted like this every time he came over to the elementary school for something. 

Yes, he was cute, but that did not give them the right to ogle him like a piece of meat. Not that you cared, of course. 

“Principal Johnson said something about a faulty fridge in here?” He asks, hands on his hips in a way that should not be allowed in a public space. 

“Oh yes, the darn thing has been freezing on us! I swear, if—” You don’t stick around to hear the rest of Linda’s tirade, because you slip out as soon as she starts talking again. She was very passionate about the items in the teacher’s lounge working properly, and you couldn’t bear to listen to her speeches any longer.

Besides, the sooner you get away from Steve Harrington, the better. Because while yes, he was a very attractive man and your heart sped up a bit every time you made eye contact with him, you couldn’t afford to start swooning in your place of work. That would be downright unprofessional.

As you walk to your classroom, you stop for a bit when you notice that the door is slightly ajar. Which is odd, because you always made sure to close it when you left for the day. Had the janitors gone in for cleaning? They usually let everyone know when they needed to, so it was strange that you hadn’t been notified. 

You step inside anyways, figuring that there had just been some sort of miscommunication. And the kids would be here soon, so you had to get their morning work ready on their desks and write today’s tasks on the blackboard. 

Although, when you set your coffee and bag down at your desk, you notice that there’s a small tupperware container with a note attached. 

Just thought I’d make you a little breakfast since I noticed that you don’t usually eat in the morning. Totally cool if you don’t want to eat it, you can just forget this ever happened and leave it in the teacher’s lounge. - Your secret admirer :)

What the fuck? Since when did you have a secret admirer? 

You paused for a moment, trying to think for a moment about who this gift could possibly be from. There was no way to decipher who it was via handwriting, since it seemed to have been typed up on a typewriter. No one immediately came to mind, so you eventually gave up, shoving the note in one of the drawers of your desk. You could deal with it later. 

“Excuse me, Ms. L/N?” One of your students, Melissa said, well, more like yelled, as her hand shot up in the air.

“One second Melissa, I’m helping Ryan with something right now.” You say, giving the girl a smile. She could be quite eager, which could be amazing or a nuisance depending on the day. 

“But it’s really really really important!” She insists, nodding her head along for emphasis. 

“It’s okay, Ms. L/N, I think I’ve got it now.” Ryan says with confidence, attempting the next mat problem on his own. You give him a gentle pat on the back before making your way across the classroom to Melissa’s desk, expecting her to ask for help with her work.

“What is it, Melissa? What do you need help with?” You ask, crouching down so you could be eye level with her. 

“What’s that?” The little girl asks as she points at your desk.

You give her a confused look as you follow where her finger is pointing. “My desk? Melissa, you know what a desk is.” You say, a small chuckle leaving your lips.

She sighs and rolls her eyes, the action dramatic, as all of hers tend to be. “I know that, Ms. L/N. I’m talking about the container on it.”

Oh. That. You had gotten so distracted when all of the kids started coming in, you had forgotten about the food from your secret admirer. And now that you think about it, you were getting kind of hungry. 

“It’s just food. I haven’t gotten the chance to eat it yet.” You explain. 

“Okay.” She says with a shrug, clearly bored by your answer as she goes back to her work. She was truly something else.

You spent the remainder of the math block floating between students, helping them when needed, but your mind wasn’t really in it. It was quite a nice gesture, for someone to bring you food because they were worried about you eating properly. It meant that they were paying close attention to you, which was something that you weren’t used to. 

The logical side of your brain is screaming that you should be a lot more creeped out by this whole ordeal than you are, but the lovesick side is louder in its belief that this is a kind gesture. And besides, what’s the harm in taking one simple meal?

The timer on your desk went off, breaking off your train of thoughts. “Alright guys, time for P.E.!” You say, watching as the students all hurried to clean off their desks and line up beside the door. P.E. was their—and okay, maybe your— favorite part of the week, because it meant that they got to see Steve, or Coach Harrington as they called him. 

Once everyone was lined up and quiet, you walked them down to the gym, knocking on the door to get Steve’s attention. There was really no need, the doors to the gym were always open so he could see you coming, but you liked to be polite. And what’s the harm in a little attention or a small conversation with the man? 

Steve makes sure that all the students are settled in and won’t cause any harm to themselves or each other in the next few minutes before jogging over to you, a small smile on his face. “Hey, I didn’t really get to talk to you this morning before you left. How’s it going?”

Fighting down the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl, you return Steve’s smile as you answer. “It’s going pretty good, the kids are better behaved than they usually are today, so that’s a plus.”

“That’s great for me.” He says with a chuckle, sparing a glance to the gym full of screaming children. “Well, I’ll let you go. I know this is the only downtime you get during the school day.”

He’s just being nice, no need to melt into a puddle. You remind yourself, trying not to be too affected by Steve’s words. “Right, yes. I especially need that break today, I completely forgot to eat this morning.” 

A look passes over Steve’s face before he puts on his best teacher voice. “You know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You can’t skip it, Ms. L/N. What happened to leading by example?”

You snort at that, covering your mouth and clearing your throat. “You’re right, Coach Harrington. I’ll do better.” You say, mocking a serious tone before laughing and walking away. 

Days passed, and without fail there was a small gift and a note on your desk. Usually a food of some kind; if not a full meal, a granola bar or a piece of fruit that you could snack on between lessons. 

Today’s items, however, were not just food and a note. There was a small orchid alongside it, your favorite flower. How sweet, you thought to yourself as you took a seat at your desk, unaware of the smile on your face as you eagerly grabbed the note to see what it said today. 

Heard you liked orchids, so I asked a friend of mine if she had any in her garden and she did. Hope you like it ;) - Your secret admirer

P.S. These pancakes took me way too long this morning, but it was worth it!

Your brows furrowed in confusion, not understanding what could be so difficult about making pancakes. But as you opened today’s container—clear, with a lid that had orange and yellow flowers on it— you quickly understood why. 

There were the normal suspects, some eggs and a couple pieces of bacon, but there were a couple miniature pancakes, all of various shapes. One of them was a star, another a heart, and another what you think was an animal of some kind. You couldn’t really tell, but to be honest? You didn’t care, because this was the most adorable thing ever.

“What’s that?” A voice asked, causing you to scream and nearly drop the contents of the container. You looked up to see Ryan standing in front of your desk, eyes wide with childish curiosity. 

“Nothing.” You say quickly, clumsily slamming the lid back on and putting it off to the side. “When did you get here? And how long have you been standing there?”

Ryan shrugged, weighed down slightly by his backpack. “Dunno. Why’d you jump?”

“Because you scared me. Next time, announce yourself, okay?”

“Sorry miss.” Ryan said, although he didn’t actually seem all that apologetic. 

You sigh, rubbing your temples. “Just…just go sit in your seat, please.” 

As Ryan got settled in his desk and other students started filing in, you tried to think long and hard about who this secret admirer could be. There was a fleeting moment where you thought that it could’ve been Steve, but you quickly brushed it off. He didn’t seem like the type to send anonymous letters. No, if he wanted a girl, he probably just went after her.

You pretended not to notice the slight disappointment you felt at the thought as the bell rang, signaling that it was time for class to start.

The downside of being single and living alone was the fact that you had to do all your grocery shopping on the weekend instead of hanging out with friends. 

As you were debating on whether the name or generic brand of paper towels was worth it, you heard someone calling your name. 

“Y/N? Is that you?” Steve asked, his cart coming to a stop beside yours.

“Oh, hey! What’re you doing here?” You asked, trying to keep the nerves from your voice. Great, of all of your coworkers you had to run into Steve while you were grocery shopping. You’d never wished for Linda or Sharon to appear before, but hey, there’s a first time for everything. 

“Just doing some last minute grocery shopping. My roommate, Jonathan, is out of town this week visiting his parents and he’s usually the one who cooks, so I kind of have to fend for myself this week.” Steve explains. “I can make a mean breakfast, though, so that counts for something.”

“Well, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” You say jokingly, enjoying the smile that splits across Steve’s face. You could get drunk on being the cause of such a beautiful smile. 

“Wow, whoever told you that must be the smartest guy ever.” He says as he leans against his own cart. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say that he’s the brightest apple in the bunch, but he’s definitely far from stupid.”

“Hey, I’ll take what I can get.” Steve says as he holds his hands up. “I’ll let you get back to shopping now.” 

“Alright, nice seeing you.” You say with a nod. There’s a moment, where it almost seems like he’s about to say something else, but it passes with a polite smile and Steve walking away, noticeably in the opposite direction. 

As soon as he was out of sight you let out a sigh of relief, slumping against your cart. “God fucking damn it.” You mutter, earning yourself a judgemental look from an old lady not too far away from you. Whoops. 

Since Valentine’s Day was this week, you decided to incorporate some arts and crafts into your lesson. Each of the kids got to choose between making their parents a card or a bouquet of flowers from construction paper. 

Everything had been going relatively well, with no scissor cuts— at least not yet. 

While the kids were all occupied making keepsakes for their families, you sat at your desk, thinking about your secret admirer’s gifts today. There was the note, and the breakfast—they’d been shaped like hearts for the past couple days— but there were also some chocolates and some cute pens.

And sure, in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t anything too exciting or out of the ordinary, that’s what couples gave each other on Valentine’s Day. But then again, the two of you weren’t a couple. You didn’t even know his name, or what he looked and sounded like. This whole situation was far from normal, and it was honestly starting to get on your nerves. A knock on the door broke you from your momentary downward spiral. 

“Excuse me, Ms. L/N?” Linda says as she sticks her head in your door. “There’s a package for you in the teacher’s lounge.” She says in a sing-songy voice, a conspiratorial look on her face.

“A package? I didn’t order anything to the school.” The confusion on your face must be clear, because Linda waves you over to her.

“There was a note attached to it, but it didn’t say who it was from.” She whispers once you’ve gotten closer. A look of understanding passes over your face, causing her to raise an eyebrow. “Do you know who it’s from?”

“Yes. Well no, but also yes. It’s complicated.” You settle on, glancing back at your students. “Can you watch them for a second while I go grab it? I’ll handle car riders today in exchange.” 

“I would’ve done it for free, but since you’re offering.” She says, waltzing into your classroom with a smug smile. Damn it, you should’ve thought that through more. 

The walk to the teacher’s lounge has never felt more nerve wracking. You switched between walking fast because of your eagerness to see what this mysterious gift was, to going slow because what could this possibly be?

Thankfully when you finally do walk into the teacher’s lounge it’s empty, meaning that you don’t have to share this moment with anyone else. At least, not yet. 

The aforementioned package is just sitting on the counter by the microwave, relatively small and unassuming. Using a pair of scissors that were just lying around, you practically tear into the box, nearly losing the note in the process.

Oh right, the note. You grab it before it can fall to the floor, smiling softly as you read it.

Walked by your classroom last week and noticed you talking about these to one of your students, so I figured I’d get you some of your own. :)

P.S. Never really noticed how cute your classroom set up was until now.

Under no circumstances should such a simple note make you feel like a little girl with a crush, but you and your mystery man were well past what most people would consider “normal” by now. You neatly fold up the piece of paper and slip it in your back pocket, making a mental note to put it in the shoebox under your bed with all the others. They wouldn’t be there forever, but sometimes you just liked to pull them out and reread them, to get that fluttering sensation in your chest once more. Nothing wrong with that.

The question of what was in the box finally became too much for you to bear, your hands working faster than your brain as you opened the flaps. Inside was a tupperware set— the exact same set that your secret admirer used every morning to put your breakfast in. The actual containers were pretty basic; clear and made of glass, but of pretty good quality. The lids were really your favorite part, because of all the cute designs they had on them. There were some basic ones with flowers, and another set that had the moon and the stars on them. But there was another set that was put off to the side, wrapped up in paper. 

The sight of what hid behind the paper was nearly enough to bring tears to your eyes. 

“Y/N? Is everything okay?” Someone asked, nearly making you drop the container in your hands. Steve’s eyes met yours as you looked up, and you gave him a smile and a small nod.

“Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Just a really sweet gift.” You reply, waving the container slightly so he could see it. He seemed to relax at that, his shoulders sagging as he let out a soft breath.

“Oh, okay. Good.” He mumbles with a nod, his hand coming up to scratch the nape of his neck. “Cool.” He’s gone before you can even say anything else, a frown falling on your lips. That was weird. 

“God, I hate car rider duty so much.” You whine as you walk back from getting a kid into their parents car. “Especially when it’s cold out. Or too hot.”

“You say that all the time.” Sandra, one of the other younger teachers, says with a laugh as she watches you trek back.

“Well yes, because it’s true.” You scoff, leaning against one of the columns outside. The two of you just stand there for a moment, watching as kids run to their cars to go home. “Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Anything to distract me from the kid who threw up on me today.” She turns so her body is facing towards you. “Shoot.”

“First of all, I am so sorry that happened to you. Second of all, I’ve been getting these notes from a ‘secret admirer’, and I cannot for the life of me figure out who it is,” You started. “It has to be someone who works at the school, but everyone I’ve thought about is either married or in a relationship.” 

Sandra stares at you for a beat, processing everything that just came out of your mouth. “What?” She finally settles on, blinking at you as if you had 3 heads and 12 eyes.

“I have a secret admirer, someone in the school, who’s been leaving me notes and flowers and breakfast for the past, like, 2 weeks. I am asking you to help me figure out who it is.” You clarify, making sure to speak slower this time. 

“Right, that’s what I thought you said. Well first of all—hey, don’t eat that!— who all have you ruled out?” She asks. 

You begin to list off all the male faculty at the school, stopping when you get to Steve and see how a smirk crosses her face. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“If I had to guess which one of the men who worked here and was crazy enough to get up every morning, make breakfast for you and pack it up, type and print out notes, and then occasionally stop to get you flowers or chocolate, Steve Harrington would be my first guess.” 

“What makes you say that?” You ask, waving to one of your students as he gets in his mom’s car.

“Have you seen the way he looks at you?” Sandra asks with a raised eyebrow. “Anytime the two of you are in the teacher’s lounge together, he stares at you like nothing else matters. I thought you knew but just didn’t care.” 

Your mouth opens and closes, because in all honesty you’re not sure what to think. Could your secret admirer really be Steve? No, that would just be too perfect. And why wouldn’t he just ask you out? It’s not like you would’ve said no. You would’ve gladly said yes, actually. “Do you mind finishing up here? I’ll owe you one.”

“Of course. There’s only a few more students anyway. Go.” She insists, pushing you towards the entrance to the school. You spew out a ton of thank yous, rushing into the school and towards the gym. It was still pretty soon after dismissal, so there was still a chance that Steve could be in the building.

You’ve never moved faster in your life, determined to get answers to all the questions swimming in your head. You finally make it to the gym, throwing the doors open and looking around frantically. “Steve?” You call out, but there’s no answer.

You curse under your breath, turning and standing in the hallway for a second. How could he have been left so fast? The ticking clock on the wall draws your attention as you worry your lip between your teeth. There’s still a chance he’s in the teacher parking lot, and what’s the harm in checking? Worst case scenario he’s not there and you have to wait until tomorrow to confront him about everything. 

The sprint outside to the teacher’s parking lot is somehow more nerve wracking than the one to the gym, while also managing to be more calming. The doors of the school shut behind you with a click as you look through the scattered cars for Steve. You almost give up, slumping in defeat, until you see Steve putting his stuff in his trunk and walk around to the driver’s side. 

“Steve!” You yell, running across the parking lot at full speed. The look of alarm he gives at his name being shouted would be funnier under other circumstances, but you had other things to focus on at the moment.

“Y/N? What are you doing?” He asks as he looks at where you’re trying to catch your breath. Running around the school wasn’t your best idea.

Once you’ve gained your breath, you reach into your pocket and grab the note from earlier, holding it out for Steve. “Did you write this? Have you been writing all of them?” 

His face goes pale at that, glancing at the paper as if it had burned him. “Yeah. Yeah, I did.” He whispers, shame coloring his tone as he looks down at the ground. “Look, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, and you probably think that I’m some creep or something—”

His words are cut off by you grabbing him by the front of his shirt, pressing your lips together. The response is immediate, his hands resting on your hips so he can pull you closer. The kiss starts off slow, desperation and longing flooding in the longer the two of you are together.

When you finally pull away for air, there’s this sort of dreamy look in Steve’s eye, and you wouldn’t be surprised if you shared the dopey smile on his face. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much sometimes?” You whisper.

A snort escapes Steve’s mouth as he nods. “Yeah, I’ve been told that from time to time.” He says, his thumbs tracing absentminded patterns on your skin through your sweater. 

“I don’t mind it. It’s cute.” You muse as the two of you sway back and forth.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Steve says, turning back and throwing open the trunk of his car. “This wasn’t how I was originally planning to do this, but you know, plans change and all that.”

You giggle, wrapping your arms around yourself as you watch Steve rummage around in his car for something. He finds what he’s searching for, holding out a card from the grocery store and a box of expensive chocolates. “Will you be—” He starts, but you cut him off before he can finish the rest of his sentence. 

“Yes! Yes, I will be.” You blurt out, your cheeks heating up when you realize you may have responded a bit too quickly. “Sorry, probably should’ve let you finish.”

“I’m not complaining.” He says, tossing the items back into the trunk momentarily before pulling you in for another kiss. 

Looks like you would have plans for the holidays this time around.