NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

74. Excerpt from Valentine's Day 2019 ficlet

Mostly inspired from Becky's book, but with lots of wiggle room. Subject to editing, etc.

"Too much?" Seth's plans for Valentine's Day week hadn't seemed like a lot at the time, but then when he realized he was planning for a week and not a day, he knew it might come off as a bit much.

Marek glanced down at his scribbles. "I mean, maybe? You guys aren't even dating yet, are you?"

"Not officially or anything, no." Seth scratched at his beard. It was hard to tell what stage he and Becky were at. They had flirted on and off for months with no real movement, and then went from having their first kiss one morning and having sex for the first time that same night. Becky would say it was a bad idea, and then they would hang out anyway and hook up again. It probably wasn't going to amount to anything, but all Seth knew was that the way he felt when he was with her—whether they were working out or hooking up or anything in between—was better than he had felt in months. "But things are different now...."

"Different. Sure. Let's call it that." Marek tapped the concert listing. "Well, this one's not too bad. You both like music, and Josh is taking his girlfriend too, right? So that could either be a friend thing or a date thing."

"Yeah, I guess." Seth was definitely hoping Becky wouldn't categorize it as a friend thing—or at least that the night would have a more-than-friends ending—but he supposed it was good that it could be interpreted in more than one way. He hadn't booked a hotel at any rate, though that was something that could easily change if the night went sour.

"And a Valentine's Day dinner is pretty typical, I'm guessing," Marek continued, making his way down Seth's list. "Friends do that too."

I don't WANT to be 'just friends'! Seth was screaming it so loud on the inside he was sure some of it must have spilled out, but Marek was still looking at the list. "Sure. And, I mean, I'll get her some flowers, but I'm not getting those until closer to the day. They're ordered and everything—I'm not stupid; I know there's a lot of demand now—and I'm getting her some dark chocolate because it's her favourite and... what?"

Marek was looking at him now, his smile somewhere between smug and delighted. "You like her," he said simply. "You really like her." When Seth started to reply, Marek shook his head. "I know you guys are friends. I know you've known each other for years. But I don't remember you putting this much thought into Valentine's Day with other girls you dated."

Seth frowned. "It's not like I just went to the grocery store and got them whatever bouquet was left," he replied. "I did nice stuff for them too."

"You did, you did—but you didn't put this much consideration into it," Marek insisted. "So you're either really trying to impress her or... I don't know. But it just seems like you're really into it. You're trying to focus on what she likes rather than just buying something because it's expected."

Seth squirmed a bit, spinning his chair back and forth. "Well, I mean, technically speaking, it's a surprise—all of it—so she's not expecting it, but if there was something I knew she wanted...."

"I can text her and ask." Marek pointed to his phone on the desk, clearly revelling in Seth's anxiety. "Calm down, calm down. I won't ruin your surprises. I think you've done a great job. It's a nice mix of stuff and you clearly know what she likes. I don't know if springing it all as a surprise is the wisest thing. I mean, what if she already has plans?"

Plans? Seth's heart plummeted. He knew they weren't exclusive or anything—that was another conversation they needed to have, but every time they got together, it didn't take long for them to start fucking. But of course he should have considered she might have other plans. She had a lot of friends in Los Angeles that she didn't get to see often, so they could have planned some single girls' nights or something. "Yeah," he answered, enthusiasm deflated, "I guess."

"Hey, I'm not trying to discourage you!" Marek stood and patted Seth's shoulder. "I'm just saying that unless she knows you've got something planned, you can't get mad if she has plans and can't go, you know? You weren't just planning to show up at her apartment with flowers and chocolate and say Hey, I have concert tickets!, were you?"

In all honestly, Seth hadn't thought that far ahead. He had been more focussed on finding things to do and see that he knew Becky would like. He had introduced her to Bring Me the Horizon with the song 'Mother Tongue', hoping she would read into the lyrics and realize that his flirting wasn't just casual, at least not anymore. The restaurant he had chosen was one they had eaten at together before as friends, sometimes with other friends or co-workers and sometimes not. The chocolate was her favourite brand, one he had spotted stashed away in her apartment and in her gear bag. "No...."