Love Week

Valentine's

Kaylie takes one last glance in the mirror and finally says, "I'm ready." She catches my look and shrugs, "What? We're hanging out with some of the basketball players. Might as well look good. I mean, you look good, so I should too. Roommate things." We share a laugh and leave the room at 3:59. We make it to the lobby at exactly 4:00. The guys are sitting on a couch laughing about something. When Ian and Joshua see us, they stop and stare. Their two other friends and girlfriends smile at us.

I shake my head and smile. "They better not make a big deal out of this." I whisper to Kaylie. She shrugs. "I think Ian will. You do look amazing." I elbow her gently in the side and she laughs.

Ian introduces us to their other friends and we all make our way to the parking lot. Ian, Joshua, Kaylie and I are in one car and I notice Kay's fidgeting hands.

"Is it too soon, too much for you?" I whisper. She looks at me with a smile but I see the hesitance in her eyes. "I mean, he moved on. I just- I don't know. I guess it helps that we're all just friends. This isn't a double date, technically."

I know the guys hear our conversation and they stay silent. Good choice. Soft music plays through the car as we make our way to wherever we're going. The silence isn't awkward and I'm grateful for that.

In a few minutes, I see familiar fences and trees and gasp. "Are we going to the Farm?" I ask. Ian looks at me through the rearview mirror and smiles. I look at Kaylie who has a soft smile on her face. The first place she took me when I moved in was the Farm. It has a petting zoo, horseback riding, and a good restaurant.

The place is decorated with fairy lights, red, pink, and white hearts, and cute Valentine-themed paper animals. The guys helps us out of the car and we wait for their friends before heading inside. The farm smell is different from the basketball court, but it's welcoming.

"Do you mind if I borrow you for a while?" Ian asks me. I blink a couple times, trying to register what he's asking. "Uh, why?" He laughs softly. "I have something to show you." I look back at Kaylie who nods. "I'll be okay." I look at Ian and follow him through the barn. I say hi to the horses and gasp at the golden retriever puppies looking up at me with excitement. We finally make it through the barn and my eyes widen as I see the view on the other side of the barn.

A farm-style basketball court is empty and calling to me. Hay bales surround it and horses flicker their tales from behind a fence, their eyes waiting to see if anyone dares to play.

"It's all yours." I look up at Ian. "I rented it out so we could play, you could play, for a while before dinner. Or we can do other things if you want." I shake my head and look at the little court. "I'll play."

I take my boots off as he walks towards the court. He throws a basketball at me and I catch it,  running onto the court barefoot. We play some one on one and I find myself having too much fun again.

"My dad would've loved this," I decide to say, placing my hands on my waist as I take a breath. He doesn't say anything, looking at me with understanding eyes. "It was how we bonded and spent time together. We moved so much because of his job until last year." I pause and look down, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes. "It was after Valentine's day. We played our one on one and mom was cooking dinner. And then it happened. It was all too fast. All I knew was that the next day, my dad went to Heaven. In a few months, my mom had to find a job and we had to figure out where to move. This was supposed to be the last move but now that I'm graduating and need to find work, who knows where I'll be in a few months?"

Ian's gaze holds mine and the tears fall. "I know we just became friends, but if you need a hug-" I walk up to him and welcome his embrace. His arms wrap around me and I realize why I've felt comfortable around him. He reminds me of dad. He's about his height, has a similar bright smile, and is too caring for a basketball player. At least, that's how I thought dad was.

The tears fall as he holds me in his soft embrace. I don't know how long we stay this way, but I'm grateful.

I hear someone calling for us and recognize Kaylie's voice. I step back from Ian and wipe the tears off my face. He doesn't ask anything more. He just smiles at me. I smile back. "Thank you."

Kaylie looks from him to me and gives me a hug too. "Oh, Miranda." I hug her back, thankful for my roommate and friend who's become much like the sister I never had.

"Dinner's ready. If you're ready. You can take your time and- I don't know, play with the puppies. But just come when you're ready okay?" I nod and she gives me one last hug. Maybe that's something else we have in common. There's loss and pain embedded in our stories that people don't often see or know about.

I walk into the barn and feel Ian's presence behind me. I walk into the puppy pen and sit down. He sits down across from me and we play with the puppies, a smile coming back to my face. "You're really brave, Miranda." He says out of the blue.

I look up at him and hug the puppy closer to me. "Thanks. Thanks for listening."

After a few minutes, we join the rest of the group at the restaurant and enjoy a night of light hearted but fun conversations.

As we leave, I observe the way Joshua talks to and looks out for Kaylie. Ian mentioned something about it earlier but now I'm seeing it for myself. Joshua's had eyes only for Kaylie for a while now, but thought he never had a chance. And yet here they are, talking.

"I appreciate how he isn't making a move." I say quietly. "Yeah. He doesn't want to play around with her. He knows she's been through too much." Ian replies softly.

We head back to the car and I find myself staring at the tote bags in the back seat. "Uh, what are these?" I ask, eyeing them cautiously. "Tote bags?" Joshua replies with a smile. I roll my eyes. "Well, duh. But where did they come from and why are they here?"
He shrugs. "Maybe you should just open them?"

I sit inside the car and wait for Kaylie to settle in before we open them. Her eyes widen in recognition. "Are these the Valentine tote bag sets they had in the store earlier?" She asks excitedly. The guys don't reply, so we open the bags and gasp at the contents inside.

The tote bags are red with white hearts and inside are a notebook and pen, a bar of chocolate, and an encased dried flower. Beautiful. I smile at the gifts and think about this day last year. Dad was still here and his gift for me was time. In his busyness, he always made time for me, especially during the holidays when families should enjoy each other's presence.

I try to hold the tears back as the memories fill my mind. I look at Kaylie who has her own stories hidden in the tears of her eyes. We smile through our tears and relax into the seats.

"Thank you, guys." We say at the same time. The guys are smiling but don't say anything. Good choice.