Valentine's Day

If anything were going to happen, Valentine’s Day would be it, right?

The perfect occasion came up when The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was scheduled to screen the day before Valentine's at the outdoor cinemas. I couldn't have asked for a better excuse to spend an evening with friends, and the guy that just kept growing on me, especially for the most romantic occasion of the year.

Again, after work, I picked him up, this time we went back to my folks’ house so I could change into something more appropriate. I remember my dad was home so I left them in each others company, hoping they’d play nice. We picked up pizza on the way to pick up E and set off to meet M at King’s Park.

Being Valentine’s Day, my friends and I had made each other little gifts, tokens of how much we love each other. Why should couples have all the fun right? Unfortunately, I messed up all but one. His. I changed tack and created something different for my friends but they weren’t quite as good.

We sat around and talked before the movie, stuffed ourselves with pizza and E’s divine cupcakes. When the movie started we got settled in. E was lying, head rested on my knee and M was leaning on the other. It felt like he was on the very other side of the rug.

He didn’t move much closer during the course of the movie, even after comments pointing it out were thrown his way. I’d look over and just check on him occasionally, he was so content just lying there on his own. Us girls on the other hand, were all huddled on the smallest patch of blanket. Towards the end of the movie he sat up, grass covering his back. I reached over to try getting it off, anything to get a little contact - you know how it is. At that point, I did notice that he shifted, in my general direction too mind you. Not that it was anything I could get too excited about.

I’m sure you know how us girls work; if you’re sitting next to the guy you like, both of you with your hands back propping you up, you might inch your hand over, in case you 'accidentally' graze his. Well, I tried that; I got damn close too, but no such luck. It wasn’t going to happen on Valentine’s Day, not for me at least.

On the way home we detoured to drop E home and stopped in for a bit. I recall comments being thrown around about how I felt about him, whether he heard them or not, and clued in I still don’t know. We left E's house a little after one in the morning I think. And, as always, I still went in for a drink, we still sat on the couch in our respective positions, we still chatted like we’d not spoken in forever and I still struggled to leave when it got to two in the morning.

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