It's been a week with a lot of stuff going on. At the start of the week, Nick texted me, telling me that he has someone he wants to prepare an unforgettable Valentine's Day for, but doesn't really know what he's doing. And then he asked me, of all people, for help. I was, to be frank, a bit puzzled—sure, Nick's never had a girlfriend before, even though he's got the looks to walk into a bar and have at least two girls trying desperately to get in his pants—but my experience with women is, like, three relationships, only one of which was even active during Valentine's Day, and even that was on the way out at the time. But I couldn't say no to Nick. He's my dear childhood friend, and he's always been there for me when I needed it, so god damn it, I was going to give it my best shot so he can give his girl the best Valentine's Day ever.
In the end, it turned into some sort of Valentine's Day crash course for the both of us, getting together every day after work to study up on the regular customs and such. One day, we would study the language of flowers, trying to put together the ideal bouquet of flowers, and another, we would go clothes shopping, which was incredibly weird for two guys to do, but we still made it work. We also went shopping for chocolates, spent a lot of time picking out the perfect restaurant for a romantic evening, and went over pointers for writing a greeting card for two hours. However, all the while, Nick was very coy about just who the lucky recipient of all this attention would be. All he said was that he's held feelings towards her for a very long time now, and that he was holding them back for quite a while, but is now ready to admit them. I could only suppose that his awkwardness around girls kept him from being open about his feelings. He'd never told me about this girl, but then again, it's not like the topic ever really came up.
And the evening before Valentine's Day, we went through everything again and again. As far as it seemed to me, he was as ready as he was ever going to be to win the heart of his beloved. He had it all: The outfit, the gifts, the plan, everything. He seemed so eager, like this was something that had been building up in him for years now, and I was very happy to be able to help him with this.
Of course, Valentine's Day started terribly for me, but it wasn't unexpected. I work in retail, and as such, right from the start, the store was flooded with people that had waited until the very last moment to get something for their significant other. Thankfully, I was spared having to break up fights over chocolates, and there was no brawling over greeting cards. Still, people were terse, in a hurry, and abrasive. And when they felt wronged, be it justified or not, they let it out on people like me. Their temporary servants, made to answer their every beck and call under threat of firing with the ever present specter of the manager hanging over us like a sword of Damocles. The general undercurrent of misery amplified by the juxtaposition of it being on a day ostensibly about love. But then again, I've gotten used to this.
So went the day, and so, as usual, it led to me now being slumped on the couch, mindlessly consuming some re-run of a mindless entertainment program late in the day. At least the work day is over, and it's also the weekend coming up. Things are looking up for two days at the very least, which is pretty good, honestly. For a moment, my thoughts drift to Nick. I wonder what he's doing now. Is he currently at his beloved's place, having confessed and now chatting over a cup of coffee? Or maybe they're already at the restaurant, having a great time. I do hope it's something like that. While I might not have ever had anybody to share a Valentine's Day with, like I said, I've gotten used to this sort of thing. And if Nick can have a great time, that makes me happy, as well.
But as I sit there, I'm thrown out of my thoughts by a knock at the door. Who could possibly want to talk with me at this time? I step up to the front door, open it, and... it's Nick? For a moment, I just stand there and stare, because it's something I hadn't even considered as a possibility. There he stands, holding the bouquet of flowers in one hand, the card and chocolates in another, dressed to the nines.
"I... Nick, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your Valentine right now?" I ask, confused.
His reply comes quickly and simply. "I am," is all he says, holding the chocolate and card out to me.
There is another moment of silence where he simply smiles at me and the gears in my head turn. Slowly, ever so slowly, the puzzle pieces start fitting together. The coyness Nick showed when talking about just who his Valentine would be. The way he only said that it was someone he'd 'held feelings for for a long time', and he never actually confirmed the gender of his crush, and of course him never having a girlfriend... oh God. Nick is gay. And when it came to picking the one he was going to reveal this deepest secret of his to, the one he would confess his most utmost desires to...
"It's... me?" I stammer, the corners of my mouth involuntarily dragging themselves up into a smile as the situation really sinks in. Taking the gift he's so eagerly holding out for me, I open the card and read the words that he probably has been carrying around with him for a long time: