***
Amber huffed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was past 11PM and she was technically supposed to be on her way home but paperwork had her sitting at the nurses’ station still filling things in. She heard the bell signalling someone needed assistance and waited a moment before another nurse went to answer the call.
Besides the quick steps of the other nurse and the whispering chatter of the two nurses behind her it was silent. A cough broke through the still air and Amber knew it was from an older gentleman who had terminal cancer. They could only make him comfortable until he finally passed. Amber only hoped it was not on the 14th, his ailing wife would never survive the implications of that.
Another cough broke through her thoughts and she rubbed her temples in slight aggravation. She thought back to Greg’s surprise gift of roses and allowed herself a small smile as she continued on her paperwork. The coughing stopped and Amber looked up for a moment, listening for the signal that the cougher was failing.
No insistent beeping came through the dead air and she nodded to herself. She peered down at her watch and noted it to be 11:30PM. She let out a little puff of air before going back to her paperwork.
She usually was not so behind on it but the afternoon had been full of demands and she could not do her work in between as she normally did. She was not complaining too much, there was no one waiting at home for her at the moment. This made her both sorrowful and content. Sorrowful because Greg wasn’t home and content because he would not be trying to stay up late even if he had to work early in the morning.
Finally Amber finished her paperwork, placed all the files in their appropriate places and waved her good-byes at the other two nurses. The brunette that had replied to the bell had not come back yet but Amber was not worried. The older woman in that room had problems understanding what they said. Her memory was failing and everything had to be re-explained to her multiple times before she understood. It was in vain since the woman would forget again a few hours later then demanded to know why she was in the hospital.
Amber left via the creaky elevator and was soon striding quickly towards her silver sedan. It was coated in a fresh but thin layer of snow. She started the engine to warm it before brushing off the whiteness covering her car.
The air was chilly and the night was silent. Nary a car passed on the street and the slowly cascading snow combined with the dull glow of street lights made her think she was in a dream. She took a moment to appreciate the scenery around her before locking herself into the car and pulling out of the parking lot.
Home was not far away and she walked most days. But Greg worried for her safety at night and insisted she take the car when she would be working late. Even with his absence, she obliged his suggestion. She pulled into the drive-way a few moments later and dragged her weary body from the car.
She noted that there was snow gathering in the driveway and on the sidewalk. Amber knew she would be shovelling it away the next day if it kept up. She did not expect the neighbours to do it every day since they were well past retirement age after all. Amber stepped through the snow wondering when she should get up to shovel and almost stepped on the package sitting on her front porch before she saw it.
She stared at the bright red box that had miraculously remained clear of snow and blinked a few times in wonder. It was her favorite brand of chocolate, a brand that she did not buy for herself because it was too expensive to indulge in every day. A folded white card sat tapped to the box, the same kind of card that had come with the roses from the day before.
Amber crouched down and gently lifted the box into her arms before opening the small card and seeing the same message of “To my sweet Valentine” written in the same flowing golden script. Amber smiled broadly and looked around for footprints besides her own. The snow had covered them and she wondered how Greg was getting her gifts delivered from 1,500 miles away.
She thought about this conundrum as she unlocked the front door and strode inside her warm home. She placed the box of chocolates on the table in the front entrance that was normally used for mail. The door was closed and locked and she was hanging up her coat when she realized that Greg must have arranged the deliveries with a friend before he left.
She chuckled lightly at the thought and pulled off her shoes. They were placed on the shoe rack by the door to dry while she untied her mid-back length curls. Amber lifted the box of chocolates into her arms before starting to make her way upstairs.
A sense of being watched came over her and Amber half-turned to look at the closed and locked front door. She half-expected to see that someone had snuck in behind her and was ready to grab her on the stairs. No one was there and Amber shuddered before hurrying up the stairs.
After changing the alarm was set to 8AM and she cuddled in bed. The feeling of being watched had left for the most part and she sighed, berating herself for being so easily frightened. The outer wrapping was peeled off the chocolates and she indulged in one before turning out her bedside lamp and going to sleep.
Valentine’s Day, 10 Years Prior:
Amber flicked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, happy that her hair had grown back swiftly. Unfortunately it had become curly rather than straight as it was prior to the major cut four years ago. She still had some resentment towards her friends over that since her hair had always been her biggest concern.
It was Wednesday, an awkward time to celebrate the day of love and Amber felt slightly frustrated. She had separated from her most recent boyfriend two months ago and would be alone for the fourth year in a row. She always seemed to fall out of love with whatever boy she was dating around winter time. She assured herself that four boys in four years was not a big deal. Other girls were all ready deep into the double digits now.
Amber shook her head to force the thoughts out and continued on her walk to the bus that would take her home. Disappointment ran through her veins like it was on some crazy marathon when she saw Greg’s rusted blue sedan sitting in the student parking lot.
He had been avoiding her all day and not being able to talk to her best guy friend about her problems was frustrating. Tina and Susan were great to rant to about relationships but as the only single one in the trio she could only go so far before they started talking about their Valentine’s Day plans with their beaus. Amber was happy for them but it got tedious when they mentioned that they would be going to dinner and getting gifts from their boyfriends. It was especially tiresome when all she could do was rant and rave about being single.
Amber looked away from the rusted blue sedan to find her bus. She did not notice that the owner of the sedan was trotting up behind her, trying to catch up to her lengthy, quick stride. As her bus came into view, Amber sighed and made her way towards the open maw of the yellow monstrosity.
“Amber, wait up,” came a shout from behind her.
She turned to see Greg bounding up to her. His shaggy dark hair was half-hidden under a backwards blue cap and his blue windbreaker was still open despite the snow blowing around him. She paused with a sense of relief. Maybe he would offer to drive her home so Russell would not try to stalk her again. He still had not taken the obvious hints that she was not interested and still bombarded her with gifts every Valentine’s Day since the rose-incident in grade nine.
“Where have you been all day?” Amber asked in an accusing tone.
“I’m sorry, but I was nervous,” Greg admitted.
He tucked his hands into his pockets and stared down at his shuffling feet. The pose looked awkward on his tall frame and Amber could not help but smile. Then his words hit her and she wondered what he would have to be nervous about.
“Nervous?” Amber questioned her thoughts.
“Yeah,” Greg affirmed.
Amber refrained from rolling her eyes at the comment that did nothing to answer her actual question. Greg swallowed hard and she saw that he was shifting his weight from foot to foot as his shoulders ducked down a bit. Nervous
was an understatement, he seemed out-right petrified.
“What are you nervous about?” Amber enquired with a curious tilt to her head.
“Well, you, actually,” Greg confessed with a blush.
“Me?” Amber questioned in awe.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you all day but every time I tried to I would get all sweaty and my stomach started to flip flop. Then I decided to heck with it and yeah,” Greg explained as he smiled lightly.
“Okay,” Amber tried with a confused blink.
“Do you want to go out to dinner tonight?” Greg finally burst out.
Amber noted that he looked relieved. She smiled at him and wondered why he would be so nervous about asking her out to dinner. They had dinner at each other’s houses all the time and just because it was Valentine’s Day did not make their friendly dinners any different.
“Of course, but we have dinner all the time together. There’s no need to be nervous. Is your mom making pork chops tonight?” Amber allowed herself a small giggle at his foolish behavior.
He stared at her for a long moment as if he just spotted a rare and new kind of animal that should be watched with caution. Amber blinked and frowned lightly.
“Um, I was thinking more of just the two of us. At a restaurant. Alone. On Valentine’s Day,” Greg managed to get out in stuttering sentences.
It finally clicked to Amber on why he was so nervous. He was asking her out on a date, not to dinner at his house with his family. She suddenly felt the fluttery feeling in her stomach that he must have been feeling all day.
“Oh,” Amber merely muttered in wonder.
“So, is that a yes or a no?” Greg tried to joke as he cleared his throat.
Amber felt her heart leap into her throat then start pattering uncontrollably. Her palms began to sweat and she hoped the books and notes she held against her chest would not be ruined because of the excess moisture. Heat rose to her cheeks and she burst into a sunny grin.
“That’s a yes,” Amber tittered and nodded.
“Good, I’ll pick you up at 6, okay?” Greg breathed out looking exceptionally happy.
“It’s a date,” Amber happily laughed and gave him a quick hug before boarding the bus.
Neither noticed Russell watching from his perch on the raised seats of the bus. When Amber virtually skipped inside he hunched down into his seat and watched her pass and sit with one of the girls she normally talked to. Happy squealing came next and Russell scowled. He glared at Greg as the other teen high-fived one of his friends and jogged towards his car with an elated grin on his face.
“Oh God what am I going to do about this mess?” Amber wailed to herself as she looked at her face in the mirror.
Her make-up was light: only mascara and a bit of lip gloss. The knee-length red dress had been saved from its wrinkles with quick ironing skills. Even her shoes seemed to be sparkling along with the simple heart shaped earrings and heart shaped pendant on its silver chain. The problem was her misbehaving hair.
“Mom, help!” Amber shouted miserably from the bathroom.
She heard shuffling in the hall and turned in time to see her mother pop her head into the bathroom door. The older blond burst into a happy grin and her blue eyes lit in mirth.
“Oh honey you look lovely,” mother exclaimed and wrapped her into a hug.
“My hair’s a mess,” Amber bemoaned again and pulled at a strand of mischievous locks.
Mother pulled back from the hug and stared at Amber with consideration. She frowned slightly then gestured for Amber to sit on the closed lid of the toilet. Amber felt the brush run through her hair a couple of times then mother set to work with the unruly blond locks with her hands.
“You never should have chopped it all off in one go,” mother sighed out.
“I know, I know, I’ll never listen to my friends again,” Amber moaned in frustration.
“This happened to me too, I chopped it all off at once and it curled just like yours did,” mother explained as she worked a bit of styling foam into the curls in front of her.
“You could have warned me,” Amber muttered with a scowl.
“Well I didn’t expect you to come back with two feet of hair missing. I was thinking a few inches,” mother sighed out as the curls began to tame under her hands.
“I know, I know, but this is a date with Greg, I can’t look all wild-nature-chick on him,” Amber groused.
Mother laughed at the thought and finally smoothed down the rest of the lengthy curls under her hands. They heard the baritones of two males talking downstairs and Amber gasped as mother released her hair.
“Oh God I’m late!” Amber exclaimed as she heard her father talking with none other than Greg.
“Sweetie, he’s only just arrived, you’re not late. Now hold still while I fix your eyes,” mother admonished.
“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Amber blinked owlishly at her.
“Honey, he sees you with only mascara and lip gloss every day. We have to add a bit of umph,” mother explained as she picked up an eyeliner pencil and some glittery eye shadow.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Amber fretted and followed her mother’s instructions as eyeliner was lightly placed on her lids.
“Experience dear,” mother chuckled and lightly fanned out the liner before gently applying a thin coat of eye shadow.
When she was finished, Amber stared at herself in the mirror. The effect was stunning, a light touch of extra make-up and she felt like a super model. Then a curl bounced out of place and she groaned again as mother chuckled.
Greg nervously laughed as he glanced down the hallway where he could vaguely hear Amber and her mother talking in hushed voices. He was used to talking to Amber’s father but this was different. This was the night he was approaching him as a suitor, not a friend of his only daughter. Mike and Steve, Amber’s older brothers were standing nearby, looking at him with a mixture of amusement and suspicion.
Mike was 19 to Amber’s 17, Steve was 21. Both were tall and brawny as most football players were which made Greg a bit self-conscious about his lean runner’s frame. He had always wanted to add more muscle but that would slow him down on the soccer field and on the track. It would be better for hockey but he all ready had a delicate balance of speed and strength as it was.
Finally the clacking of high heels could be heard and Greg swivelled his head to see Amber come out of the bathroom door. He felt his heart skip a beat and refrained from wiping his moist palms on his pressed black slacks. He could not believe this was the same Amber he saw every day at school and on the weekend with friends.
“Hi,” he said sheepishly and tried not to kick himself over the lame greeting.
“Hi,” she repeated back and Greg was happy to note that she blushed.
“It’s a school night so have her back by 10PM,” Amber’s father suddenly broke in.
Greg jumped and Mike snickered. Steve smirked and Amber merely nodded.
“Sure, yes,” Greg sputtered out.
“If you don’t, we’ll coming looking for you. Remember, we know where you live,” Steve mentioned with a wink as he crossed his bulging arms over his broad chest.
“Right,” Greg mumbled as Steve chuckled.
“Steve, don’t be so mean,” Amber chided with a scowl.
“It’s okay, I’m used to it. You ready to go?” Greg questioned with a smile as he offered her his hand.
He hoped it was too sweaty. He hoped she wouldn’t draw back from the dampness of his palm with a disgusted look on her face. Then he remembered that her nose crinkled up cutely when she was disgusted and wondered why he would even think of that. The sudden placement of her hand into his own jolted him back to the present and he stared at her.
Her eyes were glowing in happiness and he noticed the eye shadow on her lids. She never wore eye shadow to school. In fact, the only time he could remember her wearing any extra make-up was when she went on important social outings. He gulped and returned
her grin. With a nod to her parents, he walked her outside to his waiting car, his stomach curling itself into knots.
Amber seemed completely oblivious to his plight and he was grateful for that. He had meant nothing by rescuing her from that creep back in their first year of high school. But when she had finally turned to him he was struck by how pretty she actually was. He had a girlfriend at the time and was happy to be friends with Amber but the other girl dumped him. Amber began to replace his thoughts of rejection and he realized how much he actually liked her a few weeks ago when they were at the movies with their groups of friends.
He had peered over during a humours part in the movie and her bouncing curls and twinkling laugh made his heart flutter and his breathing stop. Luckily the theater was dark and no one had seen the dopey grin he knew he had on his face. He realized then that he was always happier with her and made the leap of faith to take their relationship to the next level. He could only hope that he didn’t screw things up and she would be by his side for the rest of his life.