the Secret Life of Damien Carmichael

25. Valentine's Interrupted (part II)

Very early on the morning of Valentine's Day, Damien awoke to find a note beside his head. Damien sat up with a yawn, looking around the still darkened room picking up the note. Grabbing his phone off of his nightstand, Damien shined a light on the note. There emblazoned on the front was his name, written in familiar handwriting. Damien grinned, opening the letter excitedly:

My Dearest Damien,

Good morning my love. This year, for our first Valentine's Day I wanted to do something rather special. So I've created a series of clues for you to discover throughout your day. If you should succeed, I will see you for dinner at eight.

All my love,

Oliver.

Damien beamed as he re-read the letter, once more. Clues, he thought excitedly. He's sending me on a scavenger hunt. It was Friday, fortunately, which meant that Damien only had one class he was expected to go to for the day, giving him the rest of the day in which to figure out the clues and meet Oliver for dinner. Hopping out of bed, Damien made his way over to the armoire and began picking through his clothes trying to decide on an appropriate outfit. Only, he didn't know where Oliver planned to have their dinner as of yet, and the venue would ultimately matter. Damien went back to his bed, picking up the note and flipped it over to find the first clue:

Clue #1 -

Go to the place where storage is aplenty, there you will find your second clue.

Damien considered this for a moment, the place where storage is aplenty. It was decidedly vague enough that several places sprung to mind, and Damien had to admit he was rather impressed. Slipping on a pair of shoes, Damien made his way out of the dorm and down the stairs. Knowing Oliver, Damien suspected the places would all be somewhere that was important to them. Which suggested it was rather unlikely that he would have hidden a note down in the basement, which left... their lockers? Damien sprinted down the stairs as fast as he could, making his way toward the first-floor lockers. Oliver hadn't specified one, and Damien didn't know his locker combination, so he suspected Oliver would have left the note in his own locker. Opening the door, Damien found two notes with his name on them this time. He hoped Oliver's notes wouldn't grow exponentially as the clues went on or he could end up with several dozen before the day was out.

Damien opened the first one quickly. The handwriting was different, he realized, and the writing was, odd:

Watching you from afar.

Like a flaxen-haired angel.

Will you ever notice me?

-Your Secret Admirer

Damien eyed the note and flipped it over, half wondering if it would have some sort of clue as to who had written it. Shaking his head, Damien stuffed the first note into his pocket, and pulled the second one out of his locker and began to read:

Clue #2 -

In the hall of numbers, you will find me. Hiding in plain sight. Only if you know where to spot me, much to your delight.

Damien blinked, reading over the clue once more, suddenly confused, where the first clue had been rather simple, this one felt like more of a riddle. It was clever, if a bit confusing, he had to admit. The hall of numbers, he thought first. That was obviously the math department. A place he dreaded to go any time he could avoid it. He and Oliver shared a class with Mrs. Craft, that had been, Damien realized, where they had technically first met. He smiled at the memory. Hidden in plain sight, this was where things got a touch more tricky. The idea that Oliver would hide a note in view of just anyone seemed rather unbelievable, though he supposed it was possible. Damien eyed his phone, it was barely six, which meant he still had a few hours before class. He was tempted to try and make his way up to the math department to try and figure out where the next clue was before breakfast, but his stomach gave a particularly loud rumble, and Damien decided it was better to get in the breakfast queue now. It was fifteen minutes before they would open, but at least he would be in the front of the line, he thought.