Lights, Camera, Action

Valentine

FIFTEEN - VALENTINE

Alyssa’s POV

I hadn’t had a really cute Valentine’s Day in a while. Not with a guy, anyways. My last few February 14ths were spent with Aubrey - we watched cute romantic comedies and had chocolate and baked cupcakes, and it was fun. However, I had missed being taken out on dates and being given chocolates and whatnot. Needless to say, I was excited as the holiday neared. Together, Aubrey and I decorated our apartment (again) with red and pink. We also went out shopping for candy, and I made sure to pick out all of Mark’s favorites. I made a bouquet arrangement out of cake pops and I put the bouquet as well as all his candy into a cute little pail. I also put together a small scrapbook that consisted of pictures of the two of us. There were a lot, even though we hadn’t known each other for all that long. That was all I had for him - I told him to take it easy with whatever he got me, since I didn’t get him all that much. I didn’t expect a lot for such a small holiday that most people hated anyways.

I suspected that he was going to ignore my request, though. He wouldn’t tell me what our plans for the day were, exactly. He just told me to dress nice and come over at around seven. I didn’t know if he was taking me somewhere, or what. I tried to get details out of him, but he wouldn’t even give me a hint. I didn’t mind all that much, of course - I liked surprises - but I was also extremely curious.

“Did you ever find out what you’re doing tonight?” Aubrey asked as I stepped into a pair of red heels to go with my red dress. I had at least asked how fancy I should dress, and he had answered that question.

“No, I still have no idea. I guess I’m about to find out, though!” I decided. I kneeled down to pet Webster one last time before I put a slipped into a black cardigan and headed out the door.

“Bye, Valentine. Have fun and be safe!” Aubrey hollered.

I arrived at Mark’s apartment within ten minutes. I went up to his floor and knocked on the door, holding a bag containing his gifts. The door opened a moment later, and I felt my lips immediately curl up into a smile. Mark was dressed nice in black pants, a red dress shirt, and a black bow tie. I didn’t know what his plans for us were, but I was excited to find out.

“Hey, you copied my color scheme!” he joked.

“It’s Valentine’s Day, red and black makes sense!” I told him.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come in. You look amazing, by the way.” I walked in and he shut the door behind me.

“You look pretty good too,” I said. As soon as I got inside, I saw the table set nicely for the two of us. A few candles were lit, and there was a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates on the counter, as well as a small, rectangular box.

“I thought instead of going out to a busy restaurant, we could stay in and have a nice dinner,” Mark announced, running his fingers through his hair. “I made your favorite meal.”

“Alfredo?” I asked, and he nodded. 

“With chicken and broccoli. There’s also bread with oil, cheese and seasoning to dip it in, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert,” he added.

“That sounds amazing,” I admitted, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. After a minute or two he pulled out a chair for me to sit down. He filled our plates and poured some wine and then  joined me at the table to eat. I was impressed. Everything was perfect so far. As fun as going out to eat could be, why not stay in? You don’t have to go somewhere to have an excuse to get dressed up. And besides, a nice meal cooked by your boyfriend is a lot more meaningful than something from a restaurant.