Well, I really don't think Drew has ever screwed up because he's the perfect, role model romantic. NOT. Not that he doesn't do some pretty awesome things for me-- like washing the bottles for me last night so I could be lazy (thanks Babe!), but when we were dating there were 2 things (they correspond together so you'll have to read the ENTIRE story to get the full effect) that were probably his biggest blunder romantically to date.
If you know me, you know I HATE surprises. I am a planner, and I like to have all my eggs in a row, so it makes sense that surprises tend to ruffle my feathers a bit. Drew on the other hand LOVES surprises. And we all know that when we first start dating we talk in our own love languages, not our love's. So for our 5 month dating anniversary (oh, quit snickering, you know you celebrated 'month' anniversaries when you were young too!) Drew thought he had the BEST idea EVER. I was a Sophomore in college at the time, and my biggest class was music lecture. It was taught by a big fat guy that was overly rambunctious and LOUD. When I got to class I noticed that Mr. Thomas had bouquet of flowers, but didn't think much about it. So imagine my surprise when at the beginning of class, Mr. Thomas (in a loud booming voice) asked if Lindsey **** (my last name, which is withheld, for obvious security reasons) was in class. I was MORTIFIED. Mortified may not even be the best word to describe what I felt at that moment. I slowly raised my hand and Mr. Thomas was like "come on down, these are yours!" Oh. My. Gosh. Seriously? I could barely believe this was happening to me. In front of 200 other people (students at that matter, who all talk about about you behind your back) I had to walk in front of the class to accept my flowers. And what does Mr. Thomas do when I get to the front? Ask me why I am getting them. I sheepishly explain that it's our 5 month anniversary, and his response was like the climax of my embarassment. "5 MONTHS?! Dude, this guy must love you and want to marry you if he's doing THIS for a 5 month anniversary!?!" (I should note that Drew didn't even say I love you until we'd been dating for almost a year, and it was close to a year and a half before he ever brought up the word 'marriage'). Thank you Mr. Thomas. I took my flowers, returned to my seat, and at that point I was seering with humiliation and anger. Drew's plan completely and utterly backfired on him, as after class I went to his dorm. He was SO excited, but soon realized that he might have made a mistake. I made it clear to not ever surprise me like that again. He agreed. For a little bit.
The following February I was in Sociology. During the week of Valentines day my teacher was focusing on love. Each day was a different theme regarding love (kind of like a Sociology Valentines Extravaganza) and on Friday was supposed to be the big shibang. Only on Friday our teacher was out sick, so we had a sub. When I walked into class I noticed a transparency up on the board, but didn't think much of it. As I was reading my student newspaper I realized that a lot of the girls were doing that "awwwww" thing that we girls do if we think something is cute. I put my paper down and started reading the transparency. As I continued to read the words, my heart sunk. I realized this was not some assignment from our teacher, but rather a letter, a love letter no less, to someone in our class. And as I neared the end, I realized that that someone was ME. "Oh my dear goodness, for the love of all that is good and holy can the boy remember what happened last fall?" I thought to myself. I remembered full well what happened last time this happened, and wasn't about to let myself go through the humiliation of being called out in front of class again. So what did I do? I packed my backpack, folded together my newspaper and hiked my butt out of the door. I'd rather skip class that have to endure the public spotlight. Little did I know that Drew was sitting in the back of class awaiting my reaction. When he saw me high tail it out of class, he scurried on after me. It was not a pretty confrontation outside, as his heart had been broken by seeing me walk out on what was (to him) deep heartfelt emotions on paper. I, on the other hand, was frustrated that he had told me he'd never surprise me like this again, and it was happening all over. We were able to iron it out, and since that time Drew has not surprised me (at least not in public). And if you've read this entire thing, I commend you. I thought about condensing it to just one surprise, but contextually it just doesn't do the entire story justice.
