"Come on, Sam, won't you at least give me a hint?" Rita teased.
Her partner, best friend, and the man she loved more than life itself just grinned back at her. Chris was having fun keeping this little secret from her, and he wasn't going to give anything away. "You're the one who said to surprise you for Valentine's Day," he finally said.
"Yes, but if we're going away somewhere, I need to at least know what to pack, what kind of clothes to bring," she insisted.
"Nice try, Sam, but it didn't work. Besides, you won't be needing that many clothes, anyway." He grinned again, letting his meaning sink in as his eyes slowly ran down her body.
Rita blushed as his words registered with her, then shook her head. "You're impossible," she said, laughing.
"I know, but you love me anyway."
Friday afternoon, they managed to get away from work early to start their special weekend. Chris had been slightly worried after hearing the latest news reports. He had made plans weeks ago to take Rita to the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee for a romantic Valentine's Day weekend, but the news from that area was not good. A crippling snowstorm had caught the area off guard, leaving roads impassable and many people without electricity. Would they be able to reach the mountain cabin he had rented for the weekend, or would they even be able to get into the area? He had found such a good deal on airline tickets, and had been looking forward to getting away with Rita for the weekend. He'd never felt like he was that good at this relationship thing; after all, his others had usually been short-lived, but Rita was different. She was his partner, his best friend, and meant more to him than anything in the world, and he desperately wanted to do something special for her on their first Valentine's Day as a couple. He was determined to break out of the stereotypical impression many women had of men, that they didn't know how to be romantic or how to be sensitive to women's needs. He had painstakingly planned this weekend down to the last detail, and he was hoping Rita would think it was as perfect as he did. This was one relationship he was determined not to mess up; Rita meant too much to him.
"Hey, Sammy, are you ready?" Chris called out as he opened the door to Rita's apartment.
Rita greeted him with a hug and a kiss. "I'd be a lot more ready if you'd tell me where we were going!"
Chris just grinned at her and said, "You'll find out when we get to the airport." He had called from his apartment and found that their flight from Palm Beach into Atlanta was still scheduled to leave on time, but he hadn't been able to get any definite information on the flight from Atlanta to Knoxville. And then they had to rent a car and drive from Knoxville into the mountains, which wasn't going to be easy, according to the news reports.
Rita saw the worried expression on his face. "What's wrong, Sam?" Then realizing how much pressure he was putting on himself about this weekend, she hugged him again and said, "Relax. You know I'll love getting away with you, no matter where we go or what we do! I love you, Sam, and being with you is all that matters."
Chris felt slightly better. He smiled and kissed her. "Thank you, Sammy. I love you, too, and that's why I want this weekend to be special!"
"It already is. We're together."
At the airport, Chris got the bad news. "I'm sorry, sir," the ticket agent at the desk told him, "but the snowstorm in the area has backed up air traffic in Atlanta, and there have been a lot of flight cancellations. There's no way we can get you to Atlanta tonight, and I doubt that you'll be able to get into Knoxville for several days. The airport there has had to close because of the weather."
Chris opened his mouth to protest, but realized it would do no good. Beside him, Rita saw his disappointment, and knew he would take this a lot harder than she would. "Chris," she said softly, and as he turned to face her, she continued, "it was so sweet of you to do this, and I hate it that we can't get there, too. We can't do anything about the weather, but we can still have a great weekend, right here at home! I know you have some reservations to cancel, so I'll get our bags while you do that. Then we can go home and start our Valentine's Day weekend!" She gave him a quick kiss before turning away to go retrieve their bags.
Watching her walk away from him across the airport, Chris just stared. He couldn't believe that all his carefully-made plans had been for nothing, but he also couldn't believe Rita was taking this so casually. She was acting like it was no big deal! What a woman, he thought, as she disappeared into the crowd. Other women would have been cursing him for being so stupid to make plans in an area that was likely to get hit with a snowstorm this time of year, but not Rita. All she cared about was being with him, no matter where they were. He knew how lucky he was to have her; still, he was crushed over the change in plans. He had been so determined to show her how much he loved her and to prove to her and to himself that he could for once in his life get this relationship thing right!
While Rita collected their bags, Chris called and cancelled the rental car, the cabin, and the dozen red roses he'd planned to have waiting there for Rita in the cabin when they arrived. He'd never felt so down in his life. He'd poured his heart and soul into making everything perfect for this first Valentine's Day together, but it just wasn't going to work. He glanced at the day-by-day calendar on one of the counters he passed. Friday the thirteenth, he thought. That figures.
They stopped at the grocery store on the way home so they wouldn't have to go out again. Chris wanted to try to salvage what he could of the weekend, so he planned to make a special dinner for Rita and already had a complete shopping list in mind. "Why don't you pick out some movies to rent," he suggested, "while I get the food?"
"Sam," she smiled at him teasingly, "are you sure you want me to pick out the movies? You might not be happy with my choices!"
Chris just looked at her standing there, grinning at him. He would be happy with anything she wanted to do, as long as it made her happy. "The movies are your choice, Sam. I'll watch whatever you choose."
Rita headed for the video department as Chris made his food selections. He picked out pasta, sauce, bread, and dessert, then headed for the flower shop across the store, still thinking longingly of the roses that would have been waiting for them at their cabin.
In the video department, Rita browsed through the large selection of movies. She picked out several of her favorites, those that Chris would no doubt think were too sappy and romantic for his taste, and then she thought of how disappointed he'd been at the change in their plans that couldn't be helped. It touched her deeply that he'd gone to so much trouble for her, and she hated seeing him so down. Thinking it might cheer him up, she also picked out a comedy that she knew he would like.
Chris looked at the nearly empty flower shop in disbelief. How stupid could he have been? Of course, the place would sell out of red roses quickly, with it being the night before Valentine's Day! He looked at the few remaining roses, all of which were either already wilting or hadn't opened yet and weren't that beautiful shade of red that he knew Rita loved. It wasn't much of a choice, but he at last decided on one that hadn't yet opened. Why was this whole weekend falling apart right in front of his eyes?
Meeting up with Rita at the checkout lanes, he sheepishly handed her the rose. "For you, Sammy," he said. "I wish there had been more of them...."
Rita smiled and hugged him. "Chris, you are so sweet! You didn't have to do that."
Her smile always did wonders for him. He instantly felt better. "I know I didn't, but I wanted to. There would have been a dozen of them for you in our cabin in the mountains."
Not caring who might be watching, Rita gave him a deep, lingering kiss. "What did I do to deserve you?"
Back at Rita's apartment, Chris insisted that she relax and leave dinner preparations to him, so Rita decided to take a long, relaxing bath. She came back downstairs as he was serving their plates. "That looks and smells great, Sam!" she told him.
Chris only hoped it was good. Surely something had to go right some time tonight! He watched Rita's smiling face as she tasted his cooking and realized just how much had gone right for him when he'd finally realized how much he loved her. She hadn't been the least bit upset over the change in their plans, and he'd been obsessing over everything that had gone wrong. Still, he'd wanted so badly to make this weekend special for her, for them.
They enjoyed a leisurely dinner and cleaned up the dishes together before settling in front of the TV to watch one of the movies Rita had chosen. Without a second thought, she picked up the comedy that had been her last choice in the store and popped it into the VCR before sitting down next to Chris. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled against him, ready to simply enjoy being with him, no matter what they watched. She hoped laughing at the movie they were about to watch would cheer him up.
Chris got into the movie almost immediately, laughing at some of the ridiculous scenes. Rita got more into watching Chris enjoy it than the movie itself. Her idea had worked, it seemed. He seemed to be relaxed and happy.
When the tape ended two hours later, Rita hit the rewind button on the remote and turned to look at Chris. "So, did I make a good choice, Sam?"
"You sure did. That was great. I don't know when I've laughed so hard. I can't believe you picked that one." He hugged her, then it dawned on him what she had done. He realized she had chosen that movie on purpose in a effort to lift his spirits, and it had worked. He hugged her tighter; she was the best!
Rita looked at the clock as the tape stopped. "It's midnight, Sam. Happy Valentine's Day. I love you."
Chris saw the love and light in her beautiful green eyes as she looked at him. He couldn't say anything at first, so he simply kissed her and held her tight. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sam. I love you too," he finally whispered. "I'm the luckiest man in the world to be spending Valentine's Day, and every day, for that matter, with you."
"That works both ways, Sam. I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you!"
"What do you say we start this Valentine's Day off right?" Chris asked, standing up and lifting Rita in his arms. He took two steps toward the stairs before stopping to kiss her.
"That sounds great to me," she murmured against his lips. She felt his hand slide under the edge of her sweatshirt.
"What do you have on under here?" he asked.
Playfully, she put her hand on his to stop him. "You'll have to wait till we get upstairs to find out," she teased.
Chris slowly came awake and turned to look at the clock beside Rita's bed. Eleven o'clock? He couldn't believe it, but then, they had actually spent very little time last night sleeping. Rita was still sound asleep next to him, her head half on his shoulder and half on his pillow. He grinned as he realized he must have worn her out last night. But who had worn whom out, he asked himself. She was beautiful, passionate, sexy, everything he could want, and she had gone out of her way yesterday to make it clear to him that their change in plans hadn't mattered to her. She had shown him without a doubt last night all that had mattered to her.
He quietly slipped out of bed, intending to surprise her with breakfast. At least the dinner he'd made for her last night had turned out well, so maybe he could manage to do as well with breakfast.
Downstairs, he saw that the rose he'd bought for her that she had put in a vase when they came home last night had opened. It wasn't completely open yet, but maybe there was hope for it yet. He thought again with regret of what would have been waiting for her in their cabin had they been able to get there. But he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on that now; he went about making coffee and finding something for breakfast.
Rita stirred slightly, the smell of coffee slowly wakening her. She opened her eyes to see Chris standing by the bed holding a tray, which he set on the night stand when he saw that she was awake.
"Morning, Sam, I brought you some coffee and breakfast," he said, leaning over to kiss her. As usual, one kiss wasn't enough, and he eventually snuggled back under the covers with her.
"Good morning to you, too, Sam," she finally responded, still breathless from his kisses.
Chris watched Rita as she sobbed, totally engrossed in the movie they were now watching, and wondered why she insisted on doing this to herself. She'd seen these sad, sappy movies hundreds of times, yet she would watch them again and again, and cry just as hard each time. But he wasn't about to complain. He had said for her to pick out whatever she wanted, so he simply sat there with her, holding and comforting her as she cried.
"Thank you for bearing with me, Sam," Rita said as the movie ended. "I know you don't like movies like this."
"It's not the movie I don't like, Sam. I hate to see you like this," Chris said, still hugging her as she wiped away the few remaining tears. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he had to admit. He liked anything that gave him an excuse to hold Rita, even if it was a silly old movie that always made her cry.
They watched another movie later on, this one not quite as sad, and then look a leisurely walk on the beach. Chris looked out over the ocean as they strolled along, not quite able to face Rita as he said, "I'm really sorry we didn't -"
Rita stopped and turned to face him, putting one finger over his lips. "I don't want to hear you apologize for anything," she said firmly. "You know as well as I do that we had no control over the weather, and I've been just as happy spending this weekend here with you as I would have been anywhere else. So don't start that."
"I know, Sammy. I know there was a lot here that we couldn't control, but maybe I should have thought about that before I made plans to go to the mountains. But I wanted our first Valentine's Day together to be special."
"It has been special, and still is. This has been the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, and you want to know why? It's because I'm with you. I used to get depressed if Valentine's Day came and I wasn't seeing anyone, but if I'd been with the wrong person, it wouldn't have made any difference. And I wasn't with the right person until you came along."
Chris saw the love and sincerity in her eyes and knew she was speaking from her heart. He had to agree with everything she was saying. They were together, and that was all that mattered.
Rita slowly came awake the next morning and found Chris still sleeping soundly beside her, his arms wrapped securely around her. She smiled as she watched him sleep, and hoped he was finally convinced after their talk yesterday afternoon that she had truly enjoyed the weekend. It meant the world to her to know what he had wanted and tried so hard to do for her, but she was every bit as happy here in her apartment with him. Since he had made breakfast for her yesterday, she wanted to do the same for him this morning. She quietly slipped out of bed and made her way downstairs. She saw that the rose Chris had given her in the grocery store Friday night had fully opened and was beautiful. She smiled as she remember his disappointment at not being able to find something he'd thought she would like better. Poor guy, she thought, shaking her head. Everything he did for her, he did out of love, and that was what mattered as far as she was concerned.
Their breakfast made, Rita carried it upstairs on a tray and set it on the night stand. She sat down on the bed beside Chris, wanting to wake him as gently as possible. She leaned over and slid her arms around him and softly kissed him. She pulled back slightly and watched him slowly open his eyes. Stroking his beard-roughened cheek, she said softly, "Good morning, Sam. And thank you for the best Valentine's Day I've ever had."
Chris captured her hand that was stroking his face and lightly brushed his lips against her palm. "No, Sam, thank you for the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, regardless of where we spent it." Turning toward the tray that held their food, he asked, "Breakfast?"
She nodded. "I promise, it's safe to eat!"
He grinned. "I'd rather have my dessert first," and pulled her down on the bed.
Laughing, Rita asked, "Since when do you have dessert with breakfast?"
Rolling around so that he could look down into her eyes, he responded, "Since I fell in love with you."
The End
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