Valentine’s Day Special Part 1

 

It was timely. The fourth day after they both admitted their feelings for each other was a special day for couples who were in love. It was the day to celebrate love. Romantic love.

 

Young was exceedingly nervous. He had never celebrated Valentine’s Day properly before. It had always been a night of wild partying and lots of fun in bed if he chose to bring the girl home that night. But this. This wasn’t the same. This would be his very first proper Valentine’s Day. It had to be magical. It had to be.

 

~~~~~
 

“Where are you going?” Jessica asked Krystal as the younger woman checked herself in the mirror before grabbing her bag.

 

“Out.”

 

“With Young?”

 

Krystal froze at top of the stairs and turned back to face her sister who was, at the moment, leaning casually against her bedroom door frame with a crooked smile on her face.

 

“I can recognize a woman in love when I see one. Is Young serious about you?”

 

“Yes,” she replied after a moment’s hesitation.

 

“And I suppose you’re serious about him too.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’ll just have you know that I’m keeping an eye on Young for you. And if he dares to upset you. He’s got me to answer to.”

 

“Unnie…please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want any pressure from other people on us. Young…I have some issues to resolve with him.”

 

“Issues? You’ve barely begun to date him and already you have issues with him?”

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

 

“It’s not a bad problem or anything, unnie. Don’t worry.”

 

“Well, I’m here for you, if you need someone to talk to. I’m quite…experienced…you know.”

 

“I know.”

 

“Alright. Have a good time.”

 

“I suppose you’re meeting Yul too.”

 

“Of course I am.”

 

Krystal couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “Have a good time, unnie.”

 

~~~~~
 

He looked devastatingly handsome in his well-pressed shirt and slacks. In his hand, a posy of three roses beckoned her. He presented the roses to her and she accepted them happily. Then she smiled and took out a little heart shaped box of chocolates.

 

“Happy Valentine’s, Young.”

 

He turned pink as he accepted the chocolates and took a step closer to her. He leaned towards her awkwardly and she stiffened when he cupped her face in his hand and kissed her forehead gently.

 

A kiss…on the forehead? What did that mean? Well, it was nice, to say the least, and it made her heart melt but why the forehead? She couldn’t help but wonder.

 

“I’ve requested for the chef’s best dishes. I hope you like them.”

 

“Young, you know that I can eat anything. Relax.”

 

He laughed nervously. “It’s that obvious, huh.”

 

She nodded and grinned. “It is.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Oh, please. You don’t have to apologize.”

 

Oh dear, things were a little awkward between them. Where was the spontaneity and fun that they had when they were just friends? Why was Young so nervous?

 

The dishes arrived and it tasted like Seventh Heaven’s chef had cooked his heart out in the kitchen. Every bit of the meal, down to the last strand of spaghetti was carefully cooked and she felt as though she were in food heaven.

 

“The food is fantastic, Young.”

 

“It is, isn’t it.”

 

And the conversation died again.

 

What was going on? This awkwardness had to end.

 

“Young?” she began.

 

He looked at her. She had his attention.

 

“You can be yourself. You don’t have to try so hard.”

 

“This dinner isn’t going very well, is it?”

 

“Young, the dinner is fine. The food is blowing my mind. But you don’t seem to be enjoying it as much because you’re so…tensed.”

 

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to mess things up again.”

 

“But you should be so good at this.”

 

“Good at this?”

 

She nodded. “Girls. Aren’t you the expert?”

 

Young blinked and hesitated for a while but he eventually opened his mouth and said, “Girls…are easy enough when you aren’t serious about them.”

 

She blinked and blinked and blinked. Oh dear, something about the look in his eyes and the words he said had touched her deeply. It was like she had swallowed warm honey and it was sliding down her gullet at a maddeningly slow speed all the way to her stomach.

 

“So we’re both newbies then,” she managed to say after a while.

 

“Newbies?”

 

“Newbies in love.”

 

Oh gosh. Did she just say newbies in love? In love? Her heart quickened as she experienced an adrenaline rush from her verbal admittance to being in love and she could only pray that she wasn’t blushing.

 

He grinned at her words. “Yes. I’m a newbie in love. This is my first time and it’s different from anything else. And I’m sorry if I screw up. I’m sorry if I make things seem awkward.”

 

“You can stop apologizing, Young. Really. I know that you’re trying really hard, so you don’t have to apologize for anything, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Great. Now, stop treating me like I’m made of glass.”

 

“But you’re Krystal.”

 

She paused before laughing out loud. “Young! That was so cheesy!”

 

His grin was shy as his eyes met hers and she couldn’t help falling for him all over again.

 

~~~~~
 

“Would you like to take a stroll down the street? We could do some window shopping. You like window shopping, right?”

 

She smiled and nodded.

 

“Let’s go then.”

 

He got up from his chair and went around to her, being the perfect gentleman and helping her out of her chair. She hooked her hand on his arm and left the club with him.

 

With her roses in one hand and her other hand hooked on his arm, they strolled down the street, looking at pretty Valentine’s Day displays put up by shops that were hoping to sell more gifts.

 

“How was dinner?”

 

“Very good, thank you.”

 

“I’ll let the chef know. He’ll be glad to hear it.”

 

“Do you know the chef or something?”

 

“Actually, I met him at Seventh Heaven. He’d gone there to get drunk one night, trying to drown his sorrows.”

 

“What happened to him?”

 

“He had been asked to leave his previous job.”

 

“Do you know why?”

 

Young shrugged. “I didn’t probe. But we got round to talking and I found out that he was a chef so I recommended him to the manager of the club. I happened to know that he was looking for a good chef at that time.”

 

“And he’s still here today.”

 

“Yes, he is. And thanks to him, Seventh Heaven is flourishing during dinner hours before the clubbing crowd comes in.”

 

“The manager must be happy.”

 

“Oh, he is. That’s why I can ask for anything and get it at the club.”

 

“Like tweezers and Epson salt water.”

 

“I’m still sorry that that was such a failed confession. I should have told you that I love you first.”

 

“Have you talked to your father yet?”

 

“He’s been busy. I’ll talk to him as soon as he has time for me.”

 

“Thanks Young.”

 

“Hmm? What did I do?”

 

“Thanks for treating me so well.”

 

“Krys.”

 

He paused suddenly and turned to her. She backed away from him, startled by his sudden movement but he closed the gap between them and she ended up with her back against the wall on the street. He was so close to her that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. Oh, her mind was in a whirl. Wanting him and being nervous at the same time.

 

His free hand cupped her face and he planted a tender kiss on her forehead. This time, the kiss lingered that much longer than before and it gave her the thrills. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted to taste him on her lips. So she tilted her head up and met his lips with hers.

 

It was a brief kiss. But it was enough to set her lips on fire. Oh gosh. That was her very first kiss! She opened her eyes to find his startled ones staring at her.

 

“You…kissed me.”

 

She ducked her head down and stared at his feet that flanked hers. His feet were bigger than hers and she had the crazy urge to stand on them.

 

“You gave me your very first kiss.”

 

At his words, she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Yes, she had given him her very first kiss. And she was glad that he was the one whom she had given it away to.

 

~~~~~
 

They had walked down and back up the street before deciding to call it a night, so they headed back to his car and got in.

 

He placed his box of chocolates on the dashboard and she placed the roses next to the chocolates. They looked at the presents, then at each other. There was a tiny smile on his face and she could feel her own lips curling up slightly as well. Oh gosh, even looking at their gifts was enough to make them feel all gooey inside. Was this what being in love for the first time was like? She had never experienced all these kinds of weird feelings before but she wasn’t about to complain. In fact, she hoped that these feelings would never go away.

 

It didn’t take him long to drive her back and she was sorry to see her house appearing in the distance. He stopped the car and she was just about to get out of it when he stopped her.

 

“Krys, do you know why I gave you only three roses?”

 

She shook her head. Was there a reason for it?

 

“Isn’t it just a random number that looks good?”

 

“No.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “I gave you three roses because the florist told me that it means ‘I love you’.”

 

Just how many times could he knock all the wind out of her just by saying something sweet? She could only blink and stare in response as he took her hand and kissed it gently.

 

“I’ll do my best for you. I promise.”

 

“Young…” she breathed.

 

“Goodnight, Krystal.”

 

She looked back at him just as she opened the door and caught a look in his eyes. His eyes were hoping. Hoping for a little something. Why, of course. She leaned towards him and he leaned towards her and their lips met somewhere in the middle. He was just about to pull away when she pressed forward and lingered a little while longer before pulling away. Yes, she wanted a little bit more. But that was enough for a first date and it was time to go.

 

She got off his car shakily and shut the door. Then she waved goodbye as he drove off. It was a good ten minutes before she managed to make her legs move again for he had touched her like nobody else ever had. And she felt like one lucky girl to have him. One. Lucky. Girl.

 

~~~~~
 

Young drove off but parked his car somewhere down the road. He got out, shut the door and looked around furtively. There was nobody around. The coast was clear.

 

“WE KISSED!!! WOOHOO!!!” he cheered as he jumped and punched the air with his fists. “WE KISSED!!!”

 

~~~~~
 

Jessica took her time. She painstakingly made up her face even though she knew that it would be removed sometime later that night. In fact, she was looking forward to getting rid of her makeup. If she guessed correctly, Yul would be planning to pull off her ‘red rose’ wish tonight. The thought made her very happy and she hummed a merry tune as she applied her makeup step by step.

 

Yul had promised to get off work on time so she had a couple of hours more than him since her work was a lot more flexible than his. That and the fact that she did not have a superior to please. So if she played her cards right, she’d be freshly made up and dressed for the occasion by the time he swung by to pick her up.

 

An hour later, she looked in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction. She looked positively drop-dead gorgeous. Her hair was perfection—the dream of shampoo models and her features were beautifully enhanced by simple touches of eyeliner and mascara of right amounts. A light blush made her appear to be rosy and her lips were a warm pink. Waiting to be kissed.

 

She had on a fabulous black dress that differentiated itself from other dresses by showcasing a few unique details along the hem and her neckline. The back of her dress was practically non-existent. She enjoyed feeling his hand on her , escorting her, hence her wardrobe choice.

 

To finish off her look, classic red heels that screamed for attention were donned. It was the heels that sent the signal that she was ready to be romanced tonight. And she was out to get some action as well. Killer red heels. y. Ready for…

 

Ding dong…

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a bell. But it was a welcomed interruption. That bell meant that Yul had arrived. Jessica went to her window and watched as the gates parted to allow his car into their estate. She shivered in anticipation as she waved to Yul from her bedroom window. This was going to be one of the best nights of her life. And she couldn’t wait to find out what she was in for.

 

~~~~~