Authors Note: This story is for the Valentine's day contest. I hope you enjoy. Thank you to MrsWolf for coming on board as a beta/proof reader for me. ~ellie

*

Kristy groaned, true to what the weatherman had predicted the last week of January had been hot enough to melt a person caught in the sun leaving them in a puddle on the sidewalk. She struggled to come to terms with the fact that, going by what had happened in recent years, the heat wave would last at least until Valentine's Day. Two more weeks she grumbled. She didn't care really all that much; she would rather be too hot than too cold; she reminded herself of the news last night where she had seen extreme blizzards closing down towns in Canada and the States. She had always wanted to visit Canada, but not at this time of the year she grimaced.

It was too hot to stay in bed even though it was Saturday so she got up and had breakfast before tackling some of the usual weekend cleaning that couldn't wait, like her laundry. Once the main things were done, she showered thinking that it might be nice to take up the offer of lunch and a movie her friend had made earlier in the week. She knew it was a mercy invite, but the thought of sitting in air conditioned comfort rather than cleaning her apartment in the stifling heat held a lot of appeal. Her friends tried consistently to get her out of her small apartment and back into some sort of normal social life, but she hadn't felt ready to face the world until recently.

She had been single for six months and had only, started going out again with her friends since New Year's Eve when they dragged her out to party and despite herself she had a good time and no one mentioned the disastrous end of her engagement to Damian. It was her resolution so-to-speak, to start accepting social offers from that night on.

She had taken the break up with her long term boyfriend badly and after three years why shouldn't she have been devastated when his pregnant 'other girlfriend' appeared on her doorstep asking Kristy to leave her man alone. The horror of the moment still haunted her dreams at times. The girl had not been pregnant, and Damien had claimed it was nothing more than a drunken one night stand, so she had tried to work it out with him and save all the work she had put into planning their wedding. In the end, though, she no longer trusted the man she had planned to marry and broke off their engagement moving out of the house they shared in favour of a small apartment and a fresh start. Here she was months later finally making that fresh start, she chided herself.

She picked up her phone and called her friend, Tabitha, and asked if the invitation to lunch and a movie was still open. Tabitha was thrilled to hear from her and told her where to meet the group of girls who were also going. Tabitha would come and pick Kristy up, so she didn't have the chance to back out at the last minute as she did so often. Kristy laughed and agreed. Hanging up she went to get dressed. She wasn't known to be a trend setter, but she had always been seen as having a sense of style. She took pride in having a versatile wardrobe that to others seemed bigger than it actually was because of her ability to mix and match and accessorise well. She enjoyed dressing up and lately it seemed It was only for work that she bothered to put on make-up anymore.

She had just finished putting the final touches to the barely discernable make-up she favoured when there was a knock at her door. Checking her watch she found it hard to believe Tabitha had arrived so quickly, so she hurried to the door to find out who it was.

Kristy found no one there, but a small box sat before her door. She picked it up reading the label, she hadn't ordered anything recently that she could remember, and she looked at the box curiously as she went back inside her apartment. Sitting on the sofa she tore at the packaging eager to find what it held. She must have ordered something, but this was like getting a surprise present she grinned happily. The plain white box was about the size of a cigar box, and she frowned looking for a label of some sort to show where it had come from.

Sliding the lid off the box, she found a card and a sheet of glow in the dark stickers in the shape of stars. She remembered having some when she was a little girl. Her father had fashioned them into constellations for her that told of her favourite fairy tales. She had been trying to find another set for years and thought they didn't make them anymore. She smiled at the precious memory of special times spent with her father in her childhood as she looked at the card. It was a print of Van Gogh's Starry Night and gave no indication why it had been sent to her. She opened the card scanning to the bottom but rather than a signature she found only the line. "From your Valentine."

Going back to the top she read the short message carefully:

"Two Weeks Notice. February 1st Star light Star Bright First star I see tonight I wish I may I wish I might Have the wish I wish tonight I wish you would be my Valentine."

Kristy burst out laughing, just as Tabitha walked through her still open doorway. "It was you wasn't it," Kristy accused.

"Of course it was," Tabitha said blithely, "So what exactly have I done now?"

Still laughing Kristy handed her the box and card, "I am just gonna grab my bag, and I'll be ready to go." She walked into her bedroom leaving her friend with the stars and the short note.

"Ooooh," Tabitha called from the living room, "You have a secret admirer. I am so jealous!"

"Pfffft," Kristy made a derisive sound, "If it's not you then it's probably someone playing a joke on me for becoming a hermit.

"I dunno, it looks like a man's writing to me. Big strong hand, pressing too hard on the pen," Tabitha teased her.

"Let's go," Kristy said rolling her eyes at her friend.

The lunch carried on through the afternoon as the small pub they went to slowly filled with friends and acquaintances of the small group of girls. It had started with Tabitha wanting an extra glass of wine that she worried would put her over the limit, and she called her brother to see if he would come and drive her car home.

Darren, or Jumpy as they all called Tabitha's brother, wasn't a drinker. Having been a binge drinker in his younger days, he had since sworn off all alcohol claiming he had developed an allergy. He arrived with his mates and the place filled up from there. They gave up on the idea of a movie and stayed at the pub right through dinner time. Surprising herself, Kristy had a great time, and it was after midnight when Darren helped her up the stairs to her apartment and made sure she was okay.

"You're such a sweetie, Jumpy. I don't know why some lucky girl hasn't taken you off the market already," Kristy slurred.

"I'm fussy," he shrugged. "I like what I like, most girls aren't what I like."

Kristy frowned at him, "Hey, speaking of like. Who was that hunky dude Tab left with?"

"Greg, they have this on again off again thing when they get drunk. Convenience of proximity I think," he grinned helping her to get into bed. "Where is your spare key so I can let myself out and lock the door.

"Margie has it, number three," she mumbled waving her hand around, "just close it, it will lock itself," she added before rolling over and falling asleep.

He left a large glass of water and two headache tablets he had found in the bathroom beside her bed before he left, locking the door on his way out.

*****

Kristy was the type of girl Darren liked. She was smart, independent and easy to look at but still needing someone to look after her now and then, she wasn't fierce like his sister and he often wondered about their friendship. He had secretly been happy that Tabitha had called him and told him she had managed to get Kristy out of her apartment to party. He had seen her slowly come back to life at the new year's eve party they had all attended, once she realised no one cared about what happened with her ex.

Darren had been waiting wondering how long he should wait before asking her out, having seen her shoot so many others down in their attempts over the last couple of weeks. As he drove back to the house, he shared with Tabitha he considered that she also thought of him as an older brother and that could create problems in itself. They had grown up together ; their parents had been friends, and they had all gone to the same school and he had looked out for her as an extension of Tabitha. While he could see her for the grown up beauty she was, he worried that she wouldn't see him as more than just an adopted big brother who would take her home and put her to bed when she was drunk without trying anything with her.

He considered asking her out for Valentine's Day. "What's the worse that could happen?" he asked himself. "She could freak out and give you the brother for life kiss of death, that's what" he gave himself the answer. He called himself a chicken and gave himself more advice as he arrived home and stalked through the house to his room.

*****

The following morning Kristy awoke to the insistent ringing of her phone. Pulling a face, she swung her legs from her bed and looked around for the source of the noise. He eyes landed on the glass of water and headache tablets silently thanking Jumpy as she gulped them down and finally stood when her phone began to ring again.

Finding her bag where she had dumped it the night before, she grabbed up her phone and answered it with a croaky, "Hello mum."

"Yes I am alive.... No, I am quite well. I just went out with the girls last night and didn't get home til late... Just some girlfriends nothing exciting... No, I don't want to come over, I will be fine without air conditioning... Yes, I will call if I change my mind... I still have some laundry to do and a movie I want to watch.... Yeah, I will still come for dinner Wednesday night... Okay... See you then."

Kristy threw the phone to the coffee table without checking her messages and curled up on the lounge closing her eyes once again. When she woke again, the sun was high in the sky and her apartment felt like a sauna making her feel sticky with sweat. In an effort to cool down, she went and stood under a cold shower before slipping on a light cotton dress and sitting in front of a small fan as she watched an old movie she had bought some time ago and never got around to watching.

As the afternoon turned to evening, Kristy finished her laundry and after eating a light snack checked the messages on her phone. Jumpy had called. He really was a sweetie Kristy thought to herself. He is probably just checking on my hangover, she sent him a text to say she felt dreadful and was going to bed early. Laughing as the return message just said, "good". He probably meant that it was good that she felt dreadful, and she poked her tongue at her phone. She went to bed early with her book promising herself never to drink so much again.

Kristy's week started off like any other week. She ran the front office and show room of a small firm that imported marble and stone from Italy. There was a small workshop behind the building where artisans and masons would shape and polish the blocks for use in kitchens or bathrooms and on some occasions, though not often enough for Kristy's liking, sculptures and fountains. She loved the cold feel of the marble and granite blocks even in their raw state but more than anything she loved the myriad of colours and patterns they held. The guys in the workshop would often polish up small pieces from the off-cuts to create pebbles for her and Kristy had amassed quite a collection both at work and home.

On Wednesday, she had been inspecting several blocks of rose-coloured granite with the owner when the buzzer sounded letting her know someone was in the show room. She hurried back in to find a courier who handed her a parcel and just as quickly left. Kristy took the box to her desk and sat down. Opening it, she found a smaller object wrapped in bubble wrap within the cushion of packing beads. Opening this second layer she stared at the glass orb within it lay a beautifully crafted glass bird. The hand blown bird was predominantly white with shades of grey swirled into it, and she set it carefully on her desk rummaging in the box for some kind of note to say who it was from. Eventually coming up with a card, she looked at the front; it was an Asian style ink and brush illustration of a bird soaring like you might see on Chinese porcelain or the like. Opening the card she read.

"5th February. Day 10 Following signs from birds is a practice made from ancient times, probably since Greek and Roman times. But according to the myth, the sight of the first bird by an unmarried woman on Valentine's Day decides the character of her husband to be. This means that if a young girl saw a particular bird on Valentine's Day, then she would marry a particular type of man! This idea most likely generated in the middle ages, when it was believed that birds chose their mates on Valentine's Day leading to the idea that boys and girls would do the same.

Be my Valentine"

Unable to stop herself Kristy pulled up Google and did a search. She laughed as she read some of the information she had found. Finding a seemingly credible folklore site in the UK she read through a few of the bird definitions: Bluebirds were men of laughter; Blackbirds denoted men of the cloth, robins meant a man of the sea. She looked again at the white and grey glass bird wondering if it would translate to the birdlife in Australia. A gull meant the man would travel a great deal for work; a dove equaled a man of kindness; a pigeon was a man who would return to his childhood home. It was so hard to tell what the little glass bird actually represented but going by colour it did not look all bad to her. It wasn't a goldfinch denoting wealth, but she could live with the definitions she had found of white and grey birds. She liked the final words of the webpage, "Another myth, related to this one is that if a young girl sees a hen and a cockerel together on Valentine's Day then she will marry soon. No wonder farms were popular places amongst young girls on this day!!."

"No trips to the country on Valentine's day for me," Kristy thought. She laughed at herself puzzling over the mystery gift rather than the actual sender. As she worked through the afternoon she realised she had been so long in self-imposed exile she had no clue who it might be. Packing the globe carefully at the end of the day Kristy went as planned to her mother's for dinner. As usual the dinner conversation went onto Kristy's lack of a love life and her mother's despair that she would never settle down again.

"Did you hear Daniel has come back home?" she said with the hint of a smile. "I ran into him up at the shops the other day, he asked about you..."

"Wow, I didn't think he would ever come back," Kristy said. Daniel had been her high school boyfriend. A true athlete, his family's contacts in the States had enabled him to attend university there and follow his dream of playing baseball. It wasn't a very well recognised sport here and to play it with any skill meant moving, so he left breaking her teenage heart. "Does he have an American accent now?" Kristy giggled.

"A little," her mother laughed, "He hurt his knee or some such and can't play anymore. So sad, he was doing so well by all accounts. Still very handsome though," her mother encouraged, "Even with a limp."

"Oh, mum! That was high school, puppy love. I am sure we are both quite different people now," Kristy continued to laugh, this time at her mother clumsy attempts at matchmaking.

"Well I invited him and his family over for a barbeque Sunday afternoon. I expect you to be here and to play nice. He doesn't know many people in the area anymore since most of you kids moved away," her mother said.

"Sure that would be fabulous. I would love to catch up with him but don't hold your breath on rekindling any fires," Kristy warned, "Memories tend to colour things the way we would have liked them to be rather than the reality." She turned to her father, "Speaking of memories, I was given a packet of those stars that used to decorate my ceiling, you remember the one's Dad..." Kristy's father smiled and nodded, star gazing has been their special time together. "I was wondering of you would come and help me put them up one day."

"Sure I will come over after work tomorrow afternoon, and we can have pizza," he grinned at his wife who threw her hands up.

"I knew you would find an excuse not to come to see my mother with me," she scolded her husband who looked quite pleased with himself.

Kristy had been on the verge of putting it off until next week when her mother spoke but decided to let her father have his escape. Assuring her mother once again that she would be there on Sunday afternoon Kristy finally went home laden down with leftovers and her mother's baking. Once home she put everything away and found a place to put the beautiful bird placing the two cards and packet of stars close to it still wondering over the gifts and not sure anymore if it was a friend playing a joke or if she really did have a secret admirer.

*****

Darren tried to talk to Tabitha as he cooked dinner for them. He liked to cook so they did the trade-off of his doing the grocery shopping and cook, and she would do the laundry for them both. He tentatively asked a question that he hoped would lead into a broader conversation where he could find out more information about what was going on with Kristy. "Kristy seemed to have a good time on Saturday. How'd you convince her to go out again?"

"It's her resolution, so I am holding her to it," Tabitha smiled. "She realised at the New Year's party that facing all our friends again wasn't so scary 'cause they all think Damien is a douche bag now and in the division of friends she won the bigger share by far."

"She thought people wouldn't like her for leaving him?" Darren asked incredulously.

"Something like that," Tabitha nodded. "yeah, I know, but he messed with her mind a lot when it was ending and he realised it. Didn't wanna lose her I suppose, made her feel like shit and said some really nasty stuff. I guess that's why we all just let her be until this year; she needed some time to feel herself again."

"Probably explains why she is shooting down any guy that comes near her faster than a gunslinger," Darren smirked.

"Yeah," Tabitha laughed, "But you know maybe this secret Valentine of hers will change her mind." Darren felt inexplicably jealous and said nothing rather than too much letting Tabitha run with what she was saying. "He sent her some stickers for her ceiling, you know those glow in the dark stars?" She waited until he nodded before continuing, "Cute note too, something about two weeks' notice and then that poem when you wish upon a star. It was cute. Well I thought so anyway," she laughed, "I dunno what Kristy thinks I haven't spoken to her since she got it."

*****

The next day was bright and clear, and work had been a steady stream of inquiries about sculpture rather than building supplies, this in addition to it being Thursday, had put Kristy into a great mood. On Thursday afternoons the owner's wife came into the showroom ostensibly to check over the book work and do any banking necessary but Kristy often thought it was more to check up on her husband and sons who were part of the crew in the workshop behind the showroom.

In a rush to meet an old school friend for coffee, Kristy had made it to her car before one of the guys from the workshop called her name and ran after her out onto the street. He had another man with him, and he grinned as the other man handed her a single red rose that had been tied to a large wooden spoon with a flourish.
"Umm, thanks..." Kristy laughed at the strange bouquet as the men turned back and walked away from her. Looking at her watch and realising she was going to be late she put the rose carefully into the top of her handbag careful not to crush it and placed the bag on the passenger's seat before heading off.

Grabbing her bag she walked into the small café greeting her friend, Gabrielle, and apologising for keeping her waiting.

"Don't sweat it babe," Gabrielle smiled, "Oh, you got a rose! Tell me all, tell me all!" She said excitedly clapping her hands.

"Actually I got it as I left work, I haven't even read the card yet," Kristy grinned and pulled it out of her bag.

"A wooden spoon? Someone wants to spank you?" Gabrielle looked at her dubiously. "Far be it from me to judge but I didn't have you pegged as the kinky type."

"Hah! I hope not," she grimaced.

The waitress picked that moment to arrive and take their order. The summer heat wave was still in full swing, so the girls ordered icy frappe's and a mixed plate of the bite sized high tea type treats they loved at this café. Once the waitress had gone Kristy opened the card that had come with the odd bouquet.

"February 6th Day 9 Flowers are very commonly used as gifts for our beloved valentines. But you will be surprised to know that, at one time, spoons were used and known to be the most desired gift. This dates back to a time in Wales, where wooden spoons, known as 'love spoons', were specially carved by young men and given as gifts to sweethearts on Valentine's Day. The more special ones even had love messages engraved on them. In those times, a young man would spend hours carving the spoon with his own hands, in the hope that the girl would accept it. If the girl accepted the spoon, she would reveal her heart to him, which is the origin of the word 'spooning'. With time, gifts advanced to hearts carved with keys and keyholes. These key and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The adornment meant, "You unlock my heart!" From your Valentine."

Both of the women peered at the spoon then and could faintly make out the etching in the bowl of the wood. As they thought about the message in the card and allowed the waitress to put the plate of treats on the table, they made guesses at what it might be. "Oh, this is no good. Don't hate me for this but..." Gabrielle said as she took a swipe of chocolate ganache from a small piece of cake and smeared it into the bowl of the spoon. An intricately designed heart shaped lock appeared surrounded by roses and thorny vines. As the ganache, covered finger followed the pattern down the handle of the spoon, they found an intricately detailed key.

"Wow," Kristy breathed. "I mean, it's lovely for a spoon. Isn't it?"

"Who is it then? Go on you can tell me," Gabrielle lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I don't know," Kristy shrugged, "I wish I did, but all three gifts have told me nothing about the sender."

"You have had three of these?" Gabrielle was wide eyed.

"Well, not these," she admitted pointing to the rose and spoon. "But yesterday I got a sweet little glass ball with a bird inside it and a few days before that some of those glow in the dark stars, you know like we had as kids?"

Gabrielle picked up the card again, "The date, no clue there. Day nine, nine days since you got the first one, nine days since you met? Nine days of what?"

"Yesterdays was ten days, so I am assuming a countdown maybe, until Valentine's Day..." Kristy furrowed her brow in thought.

"What did the first one say? When did you get it?" Gabrielle was firing questions faster than Kristy could answer them.

"I got it Saturday, and I am not sure exactly what it said but it didn't have a number, I don't think" she shook her head.

"This is so exciting. Leo doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. He makes up for it in other ways though," she waggled her eyebrows at Kristy and winked sending them both into peals of laughter. As they drank the cool drinks and ate way too much sugar than was good for them they went onto other subjects relevant to their lives.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you Daniel is back from the States. Mum ran into him at the shops and invited him and his family for a barbeque this weekend," Kristy laughed as Gabrielle's jaw dropped open.

"The Daniel? The Daniel who went overseas to a famous ball player and crushed your teenage heart? That Daniel?" She was clearly astonished.

"Yeah, he hurt his leg before he made it to the pro's mum said, so he's back," Kristy nodded.

"Well that solves that mystery then. He's the secret Valentine. A man who could never forget you came back to his hometown after all these years to stake his claim," she looked smug as she declared the case closed.

"From what I have seen of college life over there, I doubt very much he was pining away for a typical Aussie girl like me. Plus he never wrote; he never called. You're wrong," Kristy shook her head. "I don't live in a rom-com, real life is never as good as the movies."

Getting ready to leave Gabrielle smiled, "My bet is still on Daniel but I will ring you tonight and you can read me the other cards, okay?"

"Make it a late call then, my Dads coming over for pizza and helping me put the stars up on my ceiling," Kristy laughed at the raised eyebrow she received from Gabrielle. "What? I love them!"

"Sounds like your admirer is someone who knows you really well then because I never knew that," she raised an eyebrow, "and I am one of your oldest friends."

"Probably just a lucky guess," Kristy consoled her.

*****

The idea that Kristy had a secret admirer bothered Darren more than he would have thought it would and he realised just how much she had been in his future plans as he dwelt on the idea of her dating someone else before he had had the opportunity to ask her out properly. It was with this in mind (a stern talking to himself) when he berated himself for being a gutless wonder that he arrived at Kristy's apartment on Wednesday night.

He was surprised to find Kristy's Dad there and made up an on the spot excuse for his presence of wanting to borrow a movie he knew she had. As he was a tall man though, he was immediately conscripted into helping align the galaxies that would live on Kristy's ceiling. Darren struck up an immediate friendship with Neil, Kristy's father, and they laughed and ate pizza as they drew up a plan and stuck the tiny stars in their rightful places.

They waited an hour after they had finished leaving the light on in her room to charge the glow in the dark properties of the stickers before the three of them went in and lay on the bed side by side and turned off the light.

"This is so good!" Kristy exclaimed rolling between them to hug her father first and then Darren. He found himself reluctant to let her go once his arms had found their way around her, and he breathed in the scent of her but knew now was not the time to start something that could go pear shaped very quickly.

"I better get home," he said suddenly, "I'll leave you to tell her a bedtime story Neil, because if I lie here much longer I will fall asleep," he chuckled as he got up.

"Good to see you Darren," Neil got up and shook his hand and Kristy walked him to the door hugging him.

"Here don't forget the movie you came for," she handed him a small case.

"Thanks, I probably won't watch it tonight though," he said , "I'll bring it back on the weekend."

*****

The Friday workday came and went with no surprises from Kristy's secret Valentine which disappointed Gabrielle more than Kristy when she rang warning her that Tabitha was a bit miffed that Kristy hadn't told her about the two new gifts, since she had seen the one on Saturday. She packed up her desk ready to head home when her phone rang again.

"Yes, I am heading home now... fine but there's nothing to tell... No, I really don't want to go out tonight... sure we will order Thai food or something.... Okay... Yep... No, nothing today... I promise... see you at my place then." Kristy hung up the phone; she loved Tabitha, but wow, she could be bossy at times. She was glad that Gabrielle had forewarned her.

As much as she had been in a funk and a type of self-imposed exile for the last six months, her large group of friends that she had retained since high school had never truly let her be alone. They had seized on her seeming willingness to go out again in recent weeks and bombarded her constantly, so it shouldn't have surprised her that when she arrived home, Tabitha waited with two other friends. Leading them up to her apartment they all chatted noisily drawing one of her neighbours out to see who it was.

"Kristy," the neighbour called, "Could you be a dear and help me with something?"

"Sure thing, Margie," Kristy handed her keys to Tabitha and told her friends to make themselves at home. Her friends disappeared inside her apartment and the older woman beckoned her closer.

"A big box came for you today and I didn't like to leave it outside your apartment, so I brought it in here," she whispered as if telling a secret.

"Thank you so much Margie. I really appreciate it. I wasn't expecting anything are you sure it's for me?" Kristy asked.

"Oh yes dear, I had a good look at it to make sure it wasn't a bomb or anything nasty," she indicated the box on the table.

"My goodness it's heavy," Kristy said as she lifted the box. "Come over tomorrow morning, and I will show you what was in it," she smiled, "I better not leave my friends alone too long right now though."

"Of course, dear, I will see you tomorrow," Margie said and walked her to the door opening it wide for her.

As soon as Kristy entered her apartment the girls descended on her babbling about valentines and how they wished they had a secret valentine, although one of them was married already.

"Wait!" Tabitha yelled above the din. "Let's start from the beginning, what came first and when?"

Kristy gathered the cards walking the three girls through the gifts she received and the messages that came with them. Each was studied intricately and discussed at length. Having washed the spoon the etching in it was once again difficult to see. Nisha, the most creative of the friends, called for make-up, preferably blush. She then painted the spoon carefully the fine granules falling into the carved lines as well as painting the spoon a pale pink colour. When she was done, the design was apparent in every exquisite detail. It was when she held it up again into the light, and her blush covered fingers smoothed over the back that Kelly exclaimed, "Wait, there's more!"

Surprised but trying to act nonchalantly as if she had always known there was more on the back Kristy watched as the second pattern emerged in the same rose and thorny vine design the letters "D & K" emerged. "So there was a big clue, and you weren't going to tell us!" Tabitha accused and she had to admit she had not known it was there.

"Let's see, D, I can think of half a dozen right off the top of my head, it's a pretty common initial for guys," Nisha grimaced.

"I hear Daniel is back from the States," Tabitha said with a knowing smile.

"The Daniel!" The girls said almost in unison and Tabitha nodded causing them to squeal in delight and bombard Kristy with questions.

"I haven't even seen him yet, mum ran into him at the shops. That's it, end of story. I haven't spoken to him in close to eight years for goodness sakes! Can I open my box now? It's probably just some books I ordered." Despite herself, she was enjoying the excitement of her friends.

Taking a Stanley knife she carefully sliced through the tape holding the box firmly closed and opened the top. Peering inside she could see the edge of what looked like a dark slab of polished granite. Turning the box on its side she pulled it free. About thirty centimetres in length it was a lovely piece of stone. It was when she turned it over that she gasped and blushed.

In stark contrast to the dark stone were carved white figures in relief of men dressed as wolves and maidens in varying states of undress cavorting between finely detailed trees. As her friends exclaimed about porn and laughed riotously Kristy searched for a card eventually finding it stuck to the pieces of the stand that was also in the box.

With some trepidation, she opened it as her friends watched on giggling and waiting to be allowed to see it. The front had a wolf howling at the moon and she opened it to read:

"February 7th Day 8 LUPERCALIA The most likely predecessor to the modern Valentine's Day holiday, Lupercalia was celebrated in Ancient Rome, to run evil spirits from the city as to allow fertility and prosperity to flourish. Lupercus was the Roman equivalent to Pan, a shepherd god named for the cave in which Romulus and Remus were raised by wolves before growing up and founding the city. It was pretty much a street orgy, with men wearing goat or wolf skins and women offering themselves for mating. Sounds like they knew how to party throw a party back then. From your Valentine, D." Tabitha took it from her and read it out loud, and the girls went into even more fits of giggles as they teased her. "So are you going to offer yourself for mating on Valentine's Day?" Kelly winked at her.

"I don't even know who it is!" Kristy complained. "But I am sure getting an education about Valentine's Day traditions, there can't be very many more, can there?"

"I bet if we googled it there would be hundreds," Nisha laughed. "I wouldn't complain about getting presents every day. Since we got married I think, Paul lost any interest in romance. The most romance I get is when he comes out of the shower and flashes me and says something like; How 'bout it, babe, while shaking his man bits at me."

"All right girls let's organise some food and then we have some work to do here," Tabitha grinned.

They were arguing over who would go pick up a takeout as nowhere local delivered aside of pizza places when Tabitha's phone rang. She picked it up with a cheery "Hello." Then they listened in as they realised she spoke to her brother, "Oh yeah, I meant to bring that with me, I was so busy this morning... Oh, would you? That would be awesome... You're the best big brother ever... well now that you mention it there is a teeny weeny favour you could do for me, for us really..." Tabitha gave him the order they would like from the local Thai restaurant and hung up. "Food sorted now let's get down to business, who do we know, who is single and has a name starting with D," she grinned at her friends and pulled a notebook out of the small basket beside Kristy's phone and took a pen before sitting down on the couch.

By the time, Jumpy arrived with the food they had six names including the newly returned Daniel, David. S, Dave. B, Dylan, Duncan and Declan. The girls hailed Jumpy as a hero for feeding the starving masses as they grabbed out plates and invited him to stay for a little while and eat with them. He agreed with the proviso that the conversation would revolve around manly things as he could feel the testosterone leeching out of his body already. Tabitha went to hit him with the notepad she had been writing on, but he was too fast and grabbed it from her hand.

"What do we have here?" he raised an eyebrow at the women. "Hot men whose names begin with D and I don't even rate! I am wounded to the core," he shook his head at his sister.

"You, my muscle bound friend, come under cute hunky-dunky's with J names, show me your six pack and I could get you a five star rating," Kelly grinned at him flirting outrageously because it always made him blush.

"I'm not packing six of anything these days," he laughed, "To much easy living since I don't have to worry about being deployed again." He had been in the army for the last ten years and had returned from a tour in Afghanistan injured and was still receiving rehab for the wound to his leg. He worked now on the base in his hometown as a technician of some description. "I'll just take the four star rating you were going to give me anyway. He wrote his name on the list and drew four stars.

"Jumpy could you give me a hand for a minute?" Kristy asked interrupting the good-natured banter.

"Sure, what do you need?" He turned to look at her.

"Could you put this," she indicated the granite frieze sitting on its stand, "Up there?" She pointed to the top of a corner unit on her living room. "It's too beautiful to pack away but I don't want my parents looking at it too closely." She blushed.

"Whoa, that's a bit wild," he stood studying the figures for long moments before lifting it to where she indicated. "It's beautiful, huh?" he waggled his eyebrows at her, despite her blush Kristy rolled her eyes at him and laughed at his expression.

They ate and joked and laughed for some time until Jumpy finally stood, "Well thanks for the fun ladies, but I have a date," he went to leave stopping at the door, "Oh Tab, Greg asked if you were going to the pub tomorrow," he smirked.

"I haven't decided yet," she shrugged.

"I'll tell him it's a definite maybe then," he laughed as he left the apartment.

"We should totally go," Kelly said, "How many of these guys will be there? We could do a little undercover work," she tapped the notebook and grinned.

"And you could hit on Jumpy some more," Tab laughed. She knew that Kelly's sexual advances that bordered on aggressiveness were a turn off for her brother; he liked quieter more shy girls like Kristy. She frowned at the thought and looked down at the notepad he had written his own name on, 'Darren' with four stars. She shook her head dispelling the thought. Kristy was like a sister to her brother they had known each other that long. He couldn't be the secret admirer could he?

***** The next morning as usual Kristy went down to the garage to do her laundry. She had her own washer and dryer stacked beside the small laundry tub there but there really wasn't enough room to manoeuvre unless she backed her car up a little, so she opened the garage door and only noticing the small gift wrapped parcel when she turned back to her car.

"This was getting creepy," she thought. Whoever it was had been in her garage last night. She put on a load of washing making sure everything was where it should be and took the gift up to her apartment. Opening it, she found a glass sphere much like the one that held the glass bird. This one though held a carved sculpture of a muscled angel holding a blindfolded woman in his arms. She smiled seeing a card with cupid smiling cherubically on the front.

"February 8th Day 7 The Myth of Cupid and Psyche The story of Cupid is rooted in literature. The tales come from Greek mythology and involved Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and her son Eros. The Romans took over the stories and changed Eros to Cupid and Aphrodite to Venus. Anyway, Cupid was so handsome and charming that he could make anyone fall in love. He thought that was fun, so he went around shooting his arrows of love to cause mischief. He fell in love with the beautiful Psyche and consented to marry her as long as she never looked upon his godly form. While she was not happy she agreed, and she lived a rich wonderful life full of nights of pleasure in the darkness with her husband. As it usually happens with the jealous, mean spirited gods, they were pulled apart, and Psyche was forced to endure trials to prove her love, finally falling into the sleep of death within Hades. Zeus took pity of the girl and her husband and granted Psyche immortality so that she may look upon her husband's form without harm and, as they say, they lived happily ever after.

It wasn't until the Renaissance that Cupid was depicted with more childlike features; he then evolved into the mischievous baby with angel wings and a bow and arrow that we know today.
Everybody goes through trials before finding their own happy ending. Do you think we could have a happily ever after?

D."

The truth was Kristy didn't know how to feel. The gifts were beautiful and were things she probably would have picked out herself if she had seen them when shopping, but the whole anonymous thing was getting a little strange and without being buoyed up by the excitement of her friends she wasn't sure if she liked that fact that someone was possibly stalking her. They knew where she lived and worked, they knew she liked stone and seemed to know her routine. It was a little unsettling to her, and she wished she had some clue as to who it might be aside of the initial D.

To distract herself from the dark thoughts, Kristy began cleaning her apartment properly for the first time in weeks. The heat wave still persisted and by the early afternoon with her laundry done and her apartment cleaner than she thought possible she went to have a cold shower and settled in to relax and read her book for a while. She was exhausted, and she dozed a little her book falling to the floor as she rolled scaring her awake again.

Laughing at herself she turned on the television and looked at her watch. She was supposed to be meeting her friends at the pub tonight, but she now felt so lethargic that the thought of getting up and getting dressed was just too much to deal with. She rang Tabitha explaining that she had had company the last three nights and with her parent's barbeque tomorrow she just wanted a night on her own. There was the usual sighing complaints, and Kristy could see the rolling of Tabitha's eyes in her mind's eye as she spoke, so she told her about the new gift to distract her and read her the card.

She stopped herself from telling Tabitha that she felt a bit put off by the anonymous attention wondering if she had a stalker instead promising to ring her tomorrow when she got home and tell her all about seeing Daniel again. Finally able to end the call Kristy made herself a light dinner form the leftovers of last night's Thai food and settled in to watch a movie. Getting her second wind Kristy then stayed up later than she planned and when she did go to bed her sleep was very restless.

*****

Darren was disappointed that Kirsty had not gone out as she had said she would, but as he chatted and joked with his mates at the pub, he could not come up with a plausible excuse to go over to her apartment and see her. Instead, he listened into Tabitha's conversation to Greg, who was standing beside him. She was telling him about Kristy's secret admirer and that she was now getting a gift each day leading up to Valentine's Day.

Tabitha hinted strongly at the romance of it and suggested to the group at large that they should have a Valentine's Day party next Friday and asking if she hosted who would come? Darren got dragged into the conversation, but he was not happy about how his Valentine's Day was shaping up at all.

*****

"Hey stranger," Kristy smiled as she approached Daniel. She had been stuck in the kitchen helping her mother prepare the food when he had arrived. Seeing him sitting comfortably, chatting with her Dad; her mother had shooed her outside to renew the old acquaintance.

"Wow, Kristy, you look even better than I remember," he smiled in return.

"So you're back?" she laughed, "And you have nothing better to do than a barbeque with the oldies?" Kristy indicated both sets of parents.

"It seemed a good way to catch up with you and see what you are doing these days," Daniel chuckled quietly with her.

"Well, things can't be going too well if my mother is trying to set me up with my old high school crush," she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I found out about your break up," he said softly, "It was a bastard of a thing to do."

"All history now," Kristy forced a smile to her face. "You have me at an unfair advantage. I don't know anything about what you got up to in the States."

"You know those college movies? It was pretty much like that," he shrugged, "Lots of parties, lots of training, lots of baseball. It was great, got drafted to the minors and got in a few good games. They live baseball over there though, just seemed I was never in the same league no matter how hard I tried. I was more of an oddity with my accent and different way of doing things, compared to the guys over there."

"Got ya the girls though right?" she grinned genuinely then.

"It didn't hurt to have a wildly exotic accent," he said with a laugh. "I dunno, the women over there or at least the ones I met are so... ballsy. That's the wrong word, but you know... different, sort of," he searched for the word he wanted and shook his head. He saw her confused expression and tried to explain, "It's like they all have to prove they are strong and independent and don't need a man in their lives while desperately trying to have one in their lives. I didn't know from one minute to the next whether to be all chivalrous and gallant or challenge them to arm wrestle."

"Oh, come on, it can't have been that different, you were there for such a long time," she laughed at him.

"I may be exaggerating slightly, but I dunno, it's just a different culture," He shrugged.

"Remind me to re-introduce you to my friend Tabitha. Do you remember her from school? Tall, red hair?" Kristy could see that Tabitha could be described as being ballsy.

"Yeah, she had a brother my age, joined the army after graduating, Hoppy or something," Daniel frowned trying to remember.

"Jumpy," Kristy corrected him, "We all still hang out, you'll have to come down the pub one night and revisit the old school memories."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" he said with a smirk teasing her.

"I think I can fit you into my calendar, right between, Duncan and Dave," she shot back. "It is short notice after all."

Having been left alone to talk for a while the parents finally called them over to eat and make polite small talk with the whole group. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, with both mothers telling them that had had made such a cute couple as kids but now they looked beautiful together.

"Daniel was saying he hadn't caught up with anyone else from school, I thought I might take him to catch up with the mob down at O'Rielly's this afternoon if you don't mind our shooting off early," Kristy smiled innocently trying to hide her eagerness to leave.

"That's an excellent idea! You two kids go off and play with your friends; we'll stay a bit longer and catch up," Daniel's mother said indulgently.

"Oh Kristy! A parcel arrived for you yesterday afternoon. I almost forgot; we haven't had mail for you in such a long time. It's on the table in the living room, just let me get it before you go," her mother went to stand up.

"It's fine mum," Kristy halted her progress, "I need to call Tabitha anyway so I can get it. It's probably just some junk mail."

Looking at the small padded envelope Kristy recognised the writing she had been staring at for the last few days. "This is getting ridiculous," she thought. "How could he have known I would be here if he weren't stalking me!" She decided to open it at home rather than here and picking it up she weighed it in her hand. It was light really and after calling Tabitha to arrange a meeting at O'Reilly's she let her curiosity get the better of her and she opened the envelope peering inside.

A small book and a delicately carved thin slice of marble for a bookmark greeted her. She picked up the card looking at the front which seemed to depict a priest in a cell, with lions seen through the window behind him. Opening it she read:

"February 9th Day 6 The Myth of Saint Valentine

Technically, there are three saints named Valentine. The most popular—and best frontman for the holiday—was a priest who defied the law of Roman Emperor Claudius II, who had decided to make it illegal for young men to marry their girlfriends because he would prefer the men went to war for him. The priest Valentine would secretly marry young couples because he loved love and disagreed with Claudius. He was eventually caught. During his time in prison, he was tended to by a blind girl whom he fell desperately in love with and is said to have healed her sight as he was led away to his death.

The story goes that Valentine was martyred on February 14 in the year 269 B.C. In 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius made Valentine a saint and declared February 14 the day of his feast. This may also have been a good way of Christianizing the Romans' pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which was an orgy coupled with bloodlust and took place at the exact same time. The Catholic church later officially removed the February 14 St. Valentine's Day feast from its holy calendar due to the fact that nobody actually knew what the real story of St. Valentine was or why he was sainted. Perhaps the story only serves to tell us that often we are blind to love until we have our eyes opened. Hoping to open your eyes, to new possibilities. D."

Kristy packed it back inside the envelope and went back out onto the deck where the rest of the people sat relaxing after lunch. She smiled brightly, "Let's go, I'll drive then you can have a few drinks with your old school mates."

"Sure," Daniel agreed easily, "We walked over here anyway. It was only a block or so."

It seemed Tabitha had alerted the masses and within an hour the pub was full of old friends who wanted to catch up with Daniel and what he had been doing. Kristy moved away from the noisy crowd for a few minutes and stood at the bar nursing a tall glass of iced water and watching the people she had grown up with all enjoying the return of a long lost friend. Daniel seemed to be lapping up the attention. He seemed so different now from her memories of the eighteen year old Daniel, who had left to move to the United States. Her memories were that of a love-struck sixteen year old whose heart was breaking at his departure.

"What are you doing all the way over here by yourself?" Jumpy asked, drawing Kristy back from her reverie making her jump in surprise.

"And that is why we still call you Jumpy," she punched his arm.

"Ow," he cradled his arm in mock pain. "There goes my big strong reputation. Beaten up by a girl and a pipsqueak at that." He grinned at her, "Come back to the party; you instigated it after all."

"Fine," she sighed, "But I don't think I will stay much longer."

"Why's that?" he tilted his head.

"Just some weird stuff happening lately that is starting to unnerve me a little," she gave a lop-sided grin.

"Like what?" Concern showed in his voice.

Kristy looked at her friend; he was almost as much a big brother to her as he was to Tabitha. Unlike Tabitha though, he didn't tend to get all bossy and know-it-all on her and he as much as anyone had been a rock steady shoulder to cry on during her break-up. Tabitha had roped him into helping out with the move to a new apartment, and he had driven them both home when they had been drunk and unruly more times than she could count.

"Actually, you could give me the guys stand-point on this," she said quietly and he pulled up a bar stool beside her as she explained about the anonymous valentine messages and gifts and how she was getting a little spooked that he seemed to know her routine and movements. "Do you think I have a stalker?" Kristy asked.

Jumpy frowned at her, "Well what I think is someone has been waiting for you to be ready and open to start dating again but is either scared of rejection or just too shy to come right out and ask you out." He seemed to consider her for a long moment. "It can't be easy to try and get a gift to you on the weekends without getting help from one of your friends and maybe they don't want your friends to know who he is yet either." He reasoned.

"I guess," she still sounded dubious.

"If it will make you feel any better I will drive you home and have a look around, make sure everything is okay," he offered.

"Oh, no!" Kristy put her hand to the side of her cheek.

"Geez, I have had girls turn me down before, but I have never got that reaction from such an innocent offer," he gave a half laugh.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just remembered I drove Daniel here; I will have to take him home," she laughed as he put on the pretence of being wounded by her exclamation.

"Leave it to me," he smiled and called out to one of the other guys, "Hey, Azza!"

"Dazza!" Came a shout in return, "What's up?" The tall lanky Arron (Azza) McBride asked as he drew closer.

"Can you give Daniel a lift home when you're going? Kristy's got a few things to do tonight and she didn't expect such a big turnout when she brought him," Jumpy explained.

"Can do, got an early flight in the morning, so I'm laying off the sauce for tonight," he grinned. "Shame ya going early though Kristy, I haven't seen ya in yonks."

"Yeah, it's been a while, we'll have to catch up one day soon," she smiled.

"It's a date! I'll call ya when I get back from Canberra," he said eagerly. "Ya snooze ya lose bro," he smirked good-naturedly at Darren and turned back towards the crowded tables their friends sat at.

It took Kristy almost another hour to say goodbye to everyone and make sure Daniel was fine with Aaron giving him a lift home. She finally stood out in the car park looking around and noticing Darren already in his car and waiting for her. The drive home was swift, and she sat in her car as Darren parked and ran ahead to open her garage door for her. He did a quick look around and shrugged as she drove in.

"You know," he said as they walked up stairs, "The guy probably thinks you would enjoy the mystery rather than be freaked out by it."

"I know I am probably being silly. I don't know why I can't enjoy it like the fun it's meant to be. I guess I still have some baggage from..." she shrugged and closed her eyes and remembering the repeated confrontations she had with a woman who had stalked her and finally broke up her last relationship.

"Maybe it's time to let go, properly. He was a true bastard Kristy; you deserve better than that. Even if it was only a one night stand and the woman was as psycho as he claimed. It was still his fault you were put in that situation time and time again," he drew her into a tight hug. "Not all of us are bastards, some of us are actually quite nice guys. I am sure this guy is just trying to show you that before you reject him like everyone else who has approached you for a date, recently."

"No one asks me out," she laughed.

"I think Azza might disagree with that statement," he grinned. "Though he will probably be telling everyone you asked him."

"Oh dear," Kristy laughed at the memory of Azza excitedly saying, "It's a date!"

"Everything here looks fine, but I can stay for a while if you want the company," he still held her in a gentle hug.

"I'm just being dumb," she said softly, "I am fine really."

"As long as you're sure," he stepped back and looked into her face as she nodded.

"Yeah, I am just gonna have a quick shower and read for a bit before bed. I got a new book today that I haven't even looked at the cover of yet. It might be a nice change to the tome I am wading through right now." She sighed and pointed to a thick dog-eared book.

"Okay," he said releasing her. "I better go make sure Tab is making wise decisions then," he chuckled.

"Is Greg one of those unwise decisions?" Kristy grinned.

"Possibly," he smirked and grabbed his keys from the table. "Call if anything spooks you again, but I think it's just more of a shy guy letting you get used to the idea that someone likes you again, so that you can't hit the reject button when he finally asks you out."

"I am not that bad," she complained as he made his way to the door.

"You're like the red baron, you shoot 'em down before they barely get the last word out of their mouths." He laughed loudly and ducked out of the door as she went to throw a cushion at him. Still smiling Kristy went to have a shower.

As he got to the bottom of the stairs he cursed himself for not insisting on staying a little longer to make sure she was alright. He also cursed himself for reassuring her about the Valentine, but he didn't want her to be anxious and worried about something that was possibly benign regardless of the fact he didn't want her to have a valentine at all unless it was him.

*****

By the end of Monday, Kristy felt disappointed she hadn't received anything from her secret admirer. She had mulled over everything that Darren had said to her the night before and she wondered how much she was like the red baron he called her. She laughed, maybe she was, she certainly hadn't been on a normal date in the last six months. Disastrous blind dates sure, group dates where her friends just happened to have someone dying to meet her or that they had to introduce her to, happened all too often.

The thought of having a one on one intimate date with her secret admirer scared the shit out of her and maybe that's why she had been so spooked by the constant gifts and cards from an anonymous Valentine. She wished she could talk to Darren again and feeling brave called him just before she was ready to leave work.

"Hey Jumpy," she said brightly as he answered his phone. "Are you doing anything tonight?... Oh, well I wondered if you wanted to maybe umm, grab some dinner?... Well I saw this new Mexican place had opened, and I remembered you liked Mexican... Sure... I am leaving work now so I should be home in thirty or so... that'd be great. See you then."

When she hung up the phone she noticed her hands were shaking. She shook her head at herself, it was Jumpy, he was like a brother, she had known him almost her whole life but the hug that he had given her last night somehow felt not quite than brotherly.

Kristy raced home to change, only being half ready when Darren showed up to pick her up. She opened the door and promised to only be a few more minutes. Finally walking out to his car they passed her mailbox and she looked briefly realising she had mail. "Remind me to grab that when we get back," she said leaving the mail where it was.

As they drove he spoke into the silence, "Can you do me a favour?"

"I guess, I mean you help me out so much," she said easily.

"Can you not call me Jumpy tonight?" he said quietly taking her by surprise. "Darren is good but I will put up with Daz if you really need a nickname."

"No problem, I never knew it bothered you or I would have stopped," she said quietly.

"It's all good but its only really Tab and her friends that still call me that. Since I am all grown up now being reminded of being a scared little kid seems a bit..." he began to explain.

"Is that how you got the nickname? I never knew," she giggled. "You have just always been Jumpy."

"Well, see now you go with Darren, if you slip back to Jumpy I call your mother and find out your childhood nickname and start calling you that." Kristy gave him a horrified look, and he burst out laughing, "I'm kidding, I am kidding, geez."

"Point taken," she blushed knowing that if he thought about it he could probably come up with her childhood nickname on his own.

They had a comfortable dinner and laughed about the things they remembered from their childhood including nicknames of mutual friends. It wasn't until they were on the way home that Kristy smiled and turned to Darren to thank him.

"I thought about what you said last night about me shooting down guys because I was scared," She said softly, "but I can do this. It wasn't so hard to go out with a guy and eat something."

"This was a date?" Darren looked at her with astonishment.

"Well a test run, sort of. I was concerned that I would have to face this secret admirer at the end of the week to find out who it was, and I wasn't sure I could or would," she looked at him, "Then I felt bad because he seems to be going to a lot of trouble if it is the way you explained it last night and he is just shy or worried about being shot down if he approached me and just asked me out. I guess you might have been right about that."
"I see, so asking if you put-out on the first date is probably inappropriate then?" He couldn't hide the smirk on his face as she smacked his thigh.

"It's was nice having a guy to talk to about what's going on with the valentine stuff. You made me think about it differently," she said as they pulled up in front of her apartment building. Darren started getting out of the car but she stopped him. "I am fine now really, I was just letting it get to me yesterday. The whole idea of having a stalker again," she shivered involuntarily.

"Well as this is a date, I'll walk you up anyway," he said teasing her. "Plus I have to remind you about this," he said grabbing her mail as they walked past the box.

Kristy willed herself not to look at the mail to see if there was anything from her valentine as they walked up the two flights of stairs.

"I won't come in, I don't want you to think I am an easy date," he grinned. "Thanks for asking me out though it was a lot of fun, we should do it more often."

"We should," she agreed unlocking her door and turning to him, "Thanks for being my friend, you've always been so good to me." She leant up to kiss his cheek and felt his arms circle her in a soft hug.

"What you don't even kiss on the first date?" he said and taking her by surprise brushed his lips lightly over hers before releasing her.

Shocked speechless she watched as he walked back down the stairs before entering her apartment. She had always considered Darren as a safe guy, a brother type where she didn't have to worry about sending mixed messages or inadvertently flirting but he had kissed her and he had not smiled or joked about it after. She felt confused and weird about it as she played it back in her mind.

Considering the anonymous person in comparison to Darren the person she knew and liked, Darren won hands down. She threw the mail on the table with her bag and was distracted momentarily by a bright red envelope. Opening it she read:

"February 10th Day 5 The Legend of the First Valentine

The legend of the first valentine sent out of love is sometimes attributed to the very same St. Valentine who was caught marrying young couples and sometimes attributed to another Valentine altogether. Either way, this Valentine was thrown in prison, and while he awaited his execution—presumably on February 14—the jailer's blind daughter would come to visit him. Her presence cheered him up, and he appreciated the time she spent with him so much that on the day he was executed, he sent her a note to thank her for her kindness and express his love for her. The loving note ended with the phrase "From your Valentine." And that's how that got started.

The Legend of the First Valentine's Day Love Letter

Valentine may have sent the first valentine, but someone else has the honor of being the legendary sender of the first St. Valentine's Day love letter. Even though Father of English Literature, Geoffrey Chaucer, tried to give St. Valentine's Day a reboot at the end of the 14th century, it wasn't until the 15th century that someone sent a letter of love to a sweetheart on February 14. In the British Library in London, there is preserved a love poem from Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife, Bonne of Armagnac, who may have only been 15 or 16 years old at the time. Following the romantic Valentine tradition, the duke was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time he wrote the poem and sent it to his wife on that day to express his love. The poem included verses like "I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine." Bonne died before the duke was ever released from prison.

For Kristy I have tried so many times In pretty prose and rhymes To make you see what I see And change the way you view me And the feelings I hold for you

Words unwritten unshared Feelings of how much I truly cared Open your heart to new possibilities Trust again in your own capabilities To judge a heart that's true

Be my Valentine, kind and sweet On the day that we must meet I am not a poet in anyone's book But I wish you would open your eyes and look To see me as I see you

D."

Kristy shook her head, he was right about one thing, he certainly wasn't a poet. She went to return the letter to the envelope but found it wouldn't just slide in. Tipping the envelope up a small blindfold fell out and she looked at it oddly. Placing it back in the envelope and putting it up on the shelf next to the frieze he had also sent her.

She took a few minutes looking at all the gifts he had sent and she smiled. It was obviously someone who knew her well, which means she was blind because she still had no idea who it could be. She got ready for bed still puzzling it over in her mind but as she fell asleep it was Darren and the strange almost kiss he had given her at the end of the pseudo-date she was thinking about. It was just a brushing of lips that was barely felt but it left a lasting impression.

Darren drove home also thinking about the kiss; he had changed his mind half way through not wanting to come across as too aggressive he had ended up giving her a half kiss, and he found he liked it. The tantalising brush of her lips had teased at his desire and made him smile. She hadn't pulled away or pushed him away she had been silent, a little unsure but not in a bad way. He began to hope he might just have a chance of flying under her radar and not being shot down. *****

Kristy had spent another restless night and was sluggishly getting through her work day until a bunch of red helium-filled balloons were delivered to her about mid-morning with a small note.

" February 11th Day 4 Red rose is a symbol of love and fidelity. And on Valentine's Day, giving cut roses as gifts adhere to a time-honoured principle that takes into account rose colour meanings. Valentine's Day is primarily a lovers' holiday, and red is traditionally reserved for lovers. Red Valentine roses, dresses, sweets and all such gifts enjoy an iconic status, even though other colours too have their place on the holiday. Red colour has been a symbol of love through histories. In older times, people even used their blood to write letters to their loved ones to show the depth and intensity of their love. It was previously supposed that the gifting of a heart indicated the noble act of giving everything to your love. Most probably the ancients never actually knew that the heart was responsible for pumping blood through the entire physical system, but they definitely knew that the heart was the centre of all feelings. This ancient belief has literally travelled through the ages. Don't we prefer giving different colour flowers to our friends or close family, than 'red' ones to avoid any misunderstandings? Red rose is dedicated to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Red color carries a largely positive connotation in China, being associated with courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune, fertility, happiness, passion, and summer.

Balloons are red But I'll be blue If your don't say yes To dinner for two Pick you up at six Don't be late We'll have a Ball On our official date

This is your official corny invitation to dinner on Valentine's Day night. D."

The message made her laugh. How could she say no she didn't know who to say no to? Throughout her lunch break, Kristy had fielded phone calls from several friends who wanted updates on the mysterious valentine. She thought it was odd that she hadn't heard from Tabitha and believing she probably had a hangover waited until the afternoon to ring her.

Tabitha was very short on the phone and not quite herself and Kristy worried as she hung up that something was wrong. She was her best friend, and she needed her right now, so Kristy decided to call around after work and find out what was up. Maybe she had a falling out with Greg or problems at work though that was unlikely Tabitha loved her job. Kristy also wanted to go over to see Tabitha because Darren would be there. He had been on her mind more often than not since last night, and she wanted to see him again but with all the Valentine's Day stuff going on she didn't want him to get the wrong impression by calling him again so soon. Although she admitted to herself, she wasn't really sure what the right impression was anymore.

She pulled up in front of their house and saw that the lights were on, so she got out and went up to knock on the door of the house the siblings shared. She heard raised voices inside and considered walking away and letting them fight it out when Tabitha reefed the door open in an obvious bad mood.

"Shit! Kirsty! What are you doing here?" Tabitha was surprised to find her friend standing there.

"You sounded so strange on the phone. I thought something might be wrong, so I came by to make sure you're okay..." she let her voice trail off as Darren appeared behind her. "You check on me all the time, I assumed it was my turn."

"Oh, it's nothing that trading in my dumbass brother wouldn't fix. Come in hun, we're just arguing over what a stupid male he can be sometimes," Tabitha said in a friendlier tone.

"You two don't fight, what on earth is going on," Kristy asked confused.

"He thinks I have a big mouth and can't keep secrets," she jerked her thumb at her brother.

"Well you do have sort of a reputation for not being able to keep exciting news from the masses," Kirsty laughed, "But I don't think you have blabbed any of my big secrets. If it's important, you can keep a secret."

"See, so just tell me already," Tabitha poked her tongue at Darren. "He went on a date last night and came home all happy and he won't tell me who with."

"Really?" Kristy said, "I would have thought he would have been out on dates all the time; I mean he isn't exactly ugly, look at the way Kelly fawns all over him all the time. It was probably her," Kristy laughed, "and that's why he won't tell you." Kristy teased thinking he must have gone out after dropping her home which really disappointed her though she tried not to let it show.

Darren had frowned at Kristy as she spoke, "Kelly is so not my type."

"Okay fine, I will just ring all my friends and work it out. You know I will find out; I always do," she warned him. "If you mess up my friends," she threatened, "there will be hell to pay."

"Oh but its fine for you to sleep with Greg whenever you have an itch," he rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't think I won't use what I know against you if I have to," their voices began to increase in volume again until Kristy broke in.

"It was me Tab. I asked him to have dinner with me because I was a little spooked about the anonymous valentine stuff and wanted a guy's perspective. I don't know why he wouldn't tell you, nothing happened. Honestly, it was just dinner and a lot of laughing about old times." She finally ran out of steam and looked at Darren, "Just tell her, unless, of course, you went out on a real date afterwards, with someone else," she put in fishing for information without actually asking the question.

"I did tell her, she didn't believe me. Apparently you need to run these things past your social secretary in the future," he shrugged not looking happy.

Tabitha looked sceptically at them both before giving in, "Fine, I believe Kristy but you," she pointed to Darren, "Have some explaining to do."

"About what?" he scowled at her.

"Stuff," she threw up her hands in mock exasperation. "Now what did you get from the anonymous Valentine today," she grinned at Kristy.

"Go have a look at my car you can't miss it," Kristy laughed.

"My God! It's a clown car," Tabitha called out from the front footpath. She came back in and put out her hand for the card that came with the balloons. Then sat on the couch beside Kristy as she read it, "That would have to be the worst poetry I have ever read!"

"Oh, I don't know. I think it's kinda sweet," Kristy laughed at herself.

"Bleah," Tabitha mimicked throwing up. Darren had retreated to the kitchen and had begun dishing up big bowls of the pasta he had cooked.

"Thanks, Darren. I am starving," Kristy smiled as he passed her a plate.

"Since when do you call him Darren?" Tabitha eyed her suspiciously.

"Since he threatened to revisit the long forgotten nickname that used to haunt me," Kristy admitted.

"Oh yeah, no girl really wants to be called Kanga," she chuckled.

"That was it," Darren smacked his head, "Why couldn't I remember that last night?"

"Because you're more of a gentleman than that," Tabitha warned him. Kristy laughed; there were times when having a bossy best friend came in handy. The three friends laughed and joked throughout the meal, and Kristy and Tabitha did the dishes. At the risk of bringing up a touchy subject, Kristy began a softly spoken conversation as they cleaned the kitchen.

"Judging by your reaction, Darren doesn't date very often huh?" Kristy asked in an offhand way.

"Not that he would tell me if he did, since we have lived together he has never brought a girl home for the night. He says he is fussy; he has an imaginary list of standards," she laughed softly. "What really happened last night?"

"Nothing honestly, it's just he's such a nice guy you know, I always wondered why he was still single. For a while there I wondered if he was in the closet, you know, being in the army and all," Kirsty said sending Tabitha into peals of laughter and bringing Darren to the kitchen.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Girl stuff," Tabitha said before snorting and laughing again. "Don't worry we aren't talking about you." Then she began to belt out a rendition of You're So Vain, until he picked up a dish towel and began to flick her with it. Kristy laughed getting out of the line of fire as the siblings began to play fight.

"I really should head home," Kristy said with a smile, "Thanks for dinner," she leant up to kiss Darren's cheek but he turned his head slightly and their lips brushed once more. She blushed and turned to where Tabitha had been standing finding her gone.

"She had gone to the bathroom before you started to leave, silly," he smirked, "Does this count as a second date because you know what they say about third dates." He laughed hard at her startled expression and dipped his head to kiss her chastely, meeting her lips with his fully this time.

"I umm," Kristy stammered.

"What have you done to my friend," Tabitha eyed her brother suspiciously again.

"Nothing we were just saying goodnight," Darren pleaded his innocence and Kristy blinked trying to regain her composure.

The drive home was full of self-talk and ludicrous scenario's so that when she got up to her apartment with all the balloons and let them go she called Tabitha.

"Look," she said without preamble, "I think I have a crush on your brother and if you tell me right now that you hate the idea I promise I will do my best never to look at him again as anything but a big brother." The words had come out in such a rush there was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"Well that's great, I mean you would eventually become my sister just like we always said we wanted to be. The problem would be that if it didn't work out you would both have to continue dealing each other because I couldn't give either of you up. You couldn't just wipe him off the face of the earth like that shithead ex-fiancé of yours." Tabitha sounded as if she had given the idea quite a bit of thought.

"But you don't hate the idea?" Kristy asked tentatively.

"No! Not at all, in fact, I like it, but what if things don't work out or what if your secret Valentine is I dunno, some Hollywood hunk millionaire. I mean I wouldn't want you to hurt him or him you. Maybe just wait until after Valentine's Day. See who the anonymous is and then see how you feel." Tabitha counselled her and once again Kristy got the impression it was not the first time Tabitha had thought about it.

"Thanks Tab, you're the best. Sleep well," Kristy hung up the phone smiling. She wondered if Tabitha would tell her brother but after the kiss tonight she realised she didn't care if she did or not.

*****

"All right, you, start explaining!" Tabitha had barged into her brother's room. She held up her phone still showing Kristy's picture.

"I like her; I have for a while, but you know after Damo messed her up, and then she barely went out, I didn't know if she liked me just as a sort of brother..." He tried to explain.

"You're the secret admirer aren't you?" Tabitha accused. "I knew it from that night when we wrote the list, and you added your name."

"Sadly, no. Although I wouldn't mind knowing who it is because she told me it's freaking her out and making her feel like she is being stalked again," Darren's voice held concern.

"Shit, I was sure it was you," Tabitha frowned at him and climbed onto the bed beside him. "Look I think you would make a great couple but like I said to her if it doesn't work out you will still have to deal with each other because I won't give either of you up, okay?"

"Wait! You said that to her?" He asked puzzled.

"Yeah, she just rang to inform me that she thinks she has a crush on you and that if I didn't like it she would only ever look at you like a brother again," she smiled. "There is one other thing though," she frowned before continuing, "You have to let her see this valentine's thing out. Whoever it is has gone to a lot of trouble and she will regret it if she doesn't find out who it is. If she is still open to seeing you after that then I am okay with it."

"She's got a crush on me," Darren grinned like a goofy teenager and crushed his sister in a bear hug.

"If you mess her up I will make you pay" she mumbled in the hug.

*****

As usual, on Wednesdays, Kristy went to have dinner with her parents after work. It was while they were eating that her mother continued on with her usual topic of most interest, Kristy's love life, that her father cleared his throat and interrupted.

"Perhaps there is something you should tell us about this?" he chuckled and put a pink envelope decorated in white lace hearts on the table.

"Dad, I didn't want to say anything because I think I might be starting to get interested in someone else and this secret valentine's stuff just complicates things," Kristy looked at her father willing him to understand but her mother cut into her thoughts.

"Why limit yourself? You can still be interested in one man and meet the other on Valentine's Day. It's not like your engaged or have a commitment to anyone or we would have met them surely!" her mother said excitedly. "Just open the card, please."

"You're not fooling me mother," Kristy scowled at her and picked up the card and searched it for signs of tampering.

"I took it off her and held it for you sweetie," her father smiled. Opening it Kristy read:

" February 12th Day 3 The Legend of Esther A. Howland

If you aren't a fan of the pre-printed cards you feel forced to buy for Valentine's Day, you finally have someone to blame: the legendary Esther A. Howland is credited with creating the first mass-printed Valentine's Day cards. After the Duke of Orleans started the whole love-letter thing on February 14, it got kind of popular in England. By the 1700s, people in Great Britain and America were exchanging handmade cards for the holiday. At some point in the 1840s, Esther Howland received a valentine from a friend in Great Britain and liked the idea so much that she used her father's printing press to mass-produce beautiful cards of her own. She started selling them and is now known as the "Mother of the Valentine." So the next time you have to buy one, you can think of her before you curse the greeting card companies of today.

Be my Valentine,

D."

She looked again at the front of the card and the sweet cartoon like Kangaroo drawn there, holding up a heart as it bounded around. She smiled opening the card again to look at the tiny kangaroo shaped charm held within an equally tiny box taped to the inside.
"See my little Kanga, that wasn't so hard was it," her Dad smiled trying to swallow his chuckle, "It's a great card for you."

Disgusted with her parents seeming approval of this anonymous Valentine, Kristy left shortly after, once again weighed down with leftovers and her mother's baking. With the amount she had been out in the last week she still had a freezer full from her last dinner here.

She had been home for about fifteen minutes and was beginning to get ready for bed when there was a knock at her door. Throwing on a robe she went to answer it.

"For someone with a stalker you are pretty trusting about opening your door at this time of night," Darren grinned at her.

"Are you the one stalking me?" she asked.

"Of course, why else would I be here knocking on your door at this time of night," He said with a chuckle.

"Don't stalkers usually just watch from the bushes?" She laughed as he walked into her apartment.

"Usually but you have your curtains closed, not so much fun for a stalker like me," he said sadly. "Plus I sort of liked kissing you good night the last two nights thought I might make it a hat trick," he moved toward her. Surprised when she stepped back, he asked, "Don't you like my kisses?"

"Oh, I do, I really do," she said with feeling, "It's just that, with this whole Valentine's thing, I just don't see how I can start something else until after the week is over."

"It's just a goodnight kiss, Kristy. It's not like I am going to take you to bed or anything. Although if that is on the table," he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"It's most definitely is not," she laughed.

"So then, there's no problem is there," he closed the distance between then and gathered her in his arms kissing her properly for the first time and she felt herself melt under the intensity of it.

"You better go," she said breathless pushing him away, "Before I change my mind about what is and isn't on the table."

"Tabitha might have mentioned that you were open to suggestions," he grinned as he let her go watching her blush. "But if it makes you feel better I will go, Tabitha also told me not to bother you until after Friday but I just couldn't help it. A good night kiss from you has been the best part of my day lately."

She couldn't be sure if he was teasing her or not, so she whispered, "Mine too."

"Look I know you feel you have to see this Valentine's Day thing through but book me in for Saturday okay? We'll do something fun, have a proper date," he said unconcernedly that she had a date with an unknown person on the Friday. "We'll have our own Valentine's day. If we go by having dinner together that will be our third date this week," again he waggled his eyebrows lightening the mood, "You know what that means."

Kristy laughed and pushed him towards the door, but he stopped before it and turned to look at her, "You're worth the wait," he kissed her again, and she felt herself melt even more. Then he opened the door and was gone.

*****

Kristy spent the night tossing and turning worrying about the valentine and how she truly felt about Darren. It was with bleary eyes that she got up for work the next day and remembered happily that it was Thursday, and she could come home early.

The owner's wife noticed her withdrawn manner and the dark circles under her eyes when she arrived and asked if she felt unwell.

"I have a few personal issues to deal with, and I haven't been sleeping well," Kristy admitted.

"Man trouble I bet," the woman harrumphed, "Such is the price of being young and beautiful."

"Come with me," she led Kristy into the workshop. "Gino, can't you see this girl is not well?"

"She is at work isn't she?" He looked at Kristy as if confused.

"Men!" the woman threw up her arms in a gesture of exasperation, "I am sending her home and giving her tomorrow off work, I will come in for her." Gino started to complain about it being the busy season, but she had silenced him before he started. "You think I cannot run this office on my own?" She drew herself up as if daring him to say otherwise.

"Bah, do what you want, you always do," he turned back to his work grumbling that he didn't know why she bothered to tell him anything when she had already decided what would happen.

Kristy gathered her bag and went straight home, collapsing onto her bed and curling up. Her phone rang fairly insistently, but she chose to ignore it as she sailed in and out of a light doze. She was exhausted, after months of being a virtual recluse the last two weeks had been bedlam and had truly worn her out.

Her room was dimly lit by afternoon sun when she finally heard the loud banging on her door and got up to answer it in her now rumpled work clothes.

"Oh, my god, what's wrong with you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Shit I forgot I was going to meet you again this week, I have just been so busy, and then I haven't been sleeping well," she threw up her hands, "I forgot I am sorry."

"Go back to bed, hun I will let everyone know you are okay," Gabrielle said gently putting an arm around her waist to support her because she looked so fragile at that moment.

"Everyone?" Kristy blinked.

"Well yeah, you haven't been answering your phone Miss Popular," Gabrielle gave a half laugh as she settled Kristy into bed.

"Give me your phone, I will fend off everyone for a while," she smiled as Kristy mumbled a thanks and rolled over her eyes feeling so heavy that all she wanted to do was sleep.

When she woke again there were voices talking quietly in her living room, and she got out of bed to go and investigate. Darren had obviously just arrived with Greg and Tabitha was telling them to leave.

"I'm fine," Kristy said from the doorway. "You can all go home now; I was just over tired that's all. A little nana nap and I'm all better," she said but wobbled on her feet a little unsteadily.

"You don't seem all better," Tabitha raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at her.

"I just need something in my tummy I missed lunch," she looked around at the clock, "and I guess dinner," she smiled, "Thank goodness I have a fridge full of leftovers from my mother. Have you all eaten there's plenty," she tried to sound upbeat.

"We can still make the late screening," Greg said to Tabitha.

"Go Tab, I will be good I promise," Darren said.

"Kristy, I am going to leave you with Jumpy but if you need me, you call me," she looked at her friend seriously. "You gave Gabrielle a big scare when you answered the door looking like death warmed up."

"The old nightmares are back again, probably because of all the attention you know, and the stalker like Valentine's, I will be glad when tomorrow's over," Kristy grimaced.

"Surprises are supposed to be fun not scary," Tabitha said loudly, "Just kick Jumpy out when you've had something to eat and go back to bed," She smiled. "Got any alcohol? Have a good belt of scotch or something before you go to bed it will help you sleep through any bad dreams."

"Go say goodbye, I can heat stuff up," Darren said squeezing into the small kitchen with her.

"Really I'm fine, and I have the day off tomorrow, the boss insisted. So I can relax over a long weekend," she smiled at Tabitha. "Go have fun. It will be different for you two to have a proper date."

"That's what I have been trying to tell her, so this is just a dress rehearsal, for the real one tomorrow," Greg winked.

The girls embraced, and Kristy shut the door turning back into her small apartment noticing for the first time the huge bouquet of roses on the table. She walked over to smell them knowing without looking that there would be a card. She picked it up and read it quickly:

" February 13th Day 2 The gift of flowers on Valentine's Day probably dates to the early 1700s when Charles II of Sweden brought the Persian poetical art called "the language of flowers" to Europe. Throughout the 18th century, floral lexicons were published, allowing secrets to be exchanged with a lily or lilac, and entire conversations to take place in a bouquet of flowers. The more popular the flower, the more traditions and meanings have been associated with it. The rose, representing love, is probably the only flower with a meaning that is universally understood. The red rose remains the most popular flower bought by men for their sweethearts. I am looking forward to tomorrow evening very much and hope you are too. From your Valentine, D."

Darren was strangely quiet as they ate leftover shepherd's pie. He seemed to be watching her carefully as if waiting for her to wilt or something.

"You know you don't have to go through with this tomorrow if you're not feeling well," Darren said softly.

"I will sleep better once I know the person who seems to be watching everything I do is. Then I can either accept his valentine or guard against him," she gave a half smile knowing that accepting the valentine overtures was probably a slim possibility now.

"I see," Darren murmured trying not to push her to accept his own advances until she was ready. "Want to watch a movie before you kick me out?" He asked.

"Sure you choose I will just take these into the kitchen and grab some of mum's caramel slice she made when I was there last," she laughed seeing him nod enthusiastically. Surprisingly he chose an old movie she had just watched recently but she didn't mind, it was worth watching again.

Putting a plate of small pieces of the caramel slice between them she sat back on the lounge beside him and encouraged by the arm that wrapped around her shoulder leaned into him as the movie began.

The movie had barely started when she felt her eyes start to droop again. She was startled awake by yet another dream of being stalked and chased to find Darren holding her close and stroking her hair. She blinked awake and smiled up at him.

"Bad dream?" he asked softly and she nodded. He leaned down and kissed her lightly whispering, "Sleep, I'm not going anywhere, you're safe with me."

*****

Kristy woke up the next morning in her own bed. She could smell cooking and hear someone in her kitchen. Wondering if Darren had stayed all night she went to investigate.

"Happy Valentine's Day, beautiful, I am glad I didn't have to wake you," Tabitha said brightly and moved from the kitchen to the table with plates, "Come on, or it will go cold!"

"You don't cook!" Kristy stood dumbfounded.

"I can cook but why would I when Darren is happy to do it," she laughed, "Plus he made the batter for the pancakes and organised everything before he left. He gave me very explicit instructions about greeting you by saying, Happy Valentine's Day Beautiful," she continued to laugh.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Kristy asked.

"I have an RDO since we decided to have a party at our place tonight," she smiled. Darren couldn't get the whole day off, but I think he is leaving work early this afternoon, so for now, it's up to you and me.."

"Oh okay, sure I can help, what do you need?" Kristy laughed with her friend who was in a take charge mood.

"First eat a good breakfast, so I don't have to lie to Darren when he checks up that I did everything he asked this morning, then we go shopping," Tabitha grinned.

The girls spent the morning visiting party shops for decorations, grocery shopping for snacks and finger food and finally heading to the pub for drinks and ice for the eskies. Hot and sweaty they finally started getting things together at the house starting with decorations when Darren finally came home in the early afternoon. He laughed at their choices of small cherubs that hung from the ceiling with signs saying "kiss me" and the variety of pink and white balloons.

"As much as it pains me to ask, shouldn't you be getting ready for your big date?" Darren asked.

"You mean I don't look pretty enough now?" Kristy pretended disappointment.

"No, you don't!" Tabitha laughed as Darren stammered for the right words. "I'll take you home and leave Darren to sort out the rest of this fiasco."

"Don't forget tomorrow," Darren grumbled.

"I won't," Kristy said happily and followed Tabitha out of the door.

"Wait!" he called and jogged out after her. "Just so you don't forget," he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

Tabitha shook her head and put her finger in her mouth motioning being sick as they finally broke apart and Kristy got into the car making her laugh.

"Tab, I am not sure about going out with some anonymous guy," Kristy confessed.

"You probably already know him and don't realise. I mean look at how well he knows you, from all the gifts and cards," Tabitha said reasonably.

"I guess, but the whole blind date thing is just creepy, I can't get into the mystery of it, truthfully I'm scared shitless," Kristy admitted.

"If he turns out to be someone hideous text me for help and I will send Jumpy to pick you up," she smiled. "Believe me I doubt he will mind." Tabitha grinned.

"Promise you will keep your phone on you? Stick it in your bra or something?" Kristy asked.

"Sure I will even give it to Jumpy when I shower or better yet just call him directly," Tab suggested. "Like I said he won't mind one bit."

Kristy got out of the car farewelling Tabitha and walked up to her apartment.

She smiled as she stepped into the shower; Tabitha was right she could just call Darren to come and pick her up as soon as she found out who it was that had been sending her all the gifts. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for the thoughtfulness of the gifts and cards, but if they knew anything about what she had been through during the break up with her ex they would have known how freaked out she had become during the last ten days.

It was with the thought of seeing Darren later in the evening that Kristy dressed for the mystery date. By quarter to six, Kristy was ready and standing in her living room looking at all the gifts she had received, whoever it was really did know her well, she reasoned trying to calm her nerves. At six a knock on her door sounded and taking a large breath she opened her door.

A man in a suit she had never seen before stood there. He handed her a box and said, "I am driving your pumpkin tonight Cinderella. I will wait downstairs in the limousine for when you are ready to go to the ball," then he turned and left.

Confused she took the package into her apartment and opened it. A beautiful red Valentino dress was wrapped carefully in tissue paper, and an envelope rested on top. It was an invitation to the annual Valentine's charity ball.

She changed into the dress unable to resist a real Valentino and looked at herself in the mirror. There was no way a guy could know her exact size like this without the help of one of her friends could he? A shiver ran down her spine, and she felt all her anxiousness ball in her stomach. She wished one of her friends was here with their usual excitement to buoy her up and not let the bad vibe she had get out of hand.

Kristy called Tabitha and explained about the driver and the dress and the ticket to the ball as well as the fact that she still didn't know who the secret Valentine was. Tabitha wanted all the details, where the ball was, what the theme was, and reminding Kristy to make sure she kept her phone close.

With great trepidation, Kristy made her way down to the car, knowing she wouldn't sleep well until she could put a name and face with the person who had done all this for her. The driver saw her as she emerged from the building and opened the door for her.

Nervously she fidgeted on the short drive to the riverside venue and as she entered she could barely speak her mouth was so dry from nervousness. With the dining room not open yet she browsed the gallery of the silent auction sipping the glass of champagne she had been handed on arrival.

"I wasn't sure you would come?" Kristy froze as a familiar voice spoke behind her. She turned slowly feeling sudden sick and looked at Damien.

"You're the guy who has been sending me anonymous Valentine's?" Kristy was appalled, and her voice rose in her anxiety.

"I gave you enough hints in the cards," he said moving closer, "Let's not make a scene in front of all these people, this is a charity event and you could show me some and at least have dinner with me and listen to what I have to say."

"I think we said everything we need to say to each other months ago," Kristy looked around wildly, her head spinning that it was Damien and he stood close with an arm around her talking to her as if she was the one who had caused the break up. She felt trapped and horrified by the situation she had found herself in.

"I miss you Kristy, I never realised what a good thing I had when I had it. I'm a changed man," he forced her to look at him, "I am at my best when I am with you, just give me time to prove it to you."

"I gave you so much time, so many chances, you made me a basket case, I can't go down that road again," she said quietly seeing the flare of anger that scared her in his eyes.

"Then just give me tonight, no strings," he said in a calm voice that belied his body language. "I just want to catch up really I have missed talking to you so much and what would you be doing tonight but sitting at home alone watching old movies if you weren't here with me."

Kristy opened her mouth to say she would be with someone else, but he obviously knew she had been very reclusive since their break up, and she wasn't about to tell him about her growing feelings for Darren. She felt a shiver run up her spine as she realised he knew far too much about her life since she left him.

The doors to the dining room opened, and he lead her inside with a strong hand in the small of her back, giving her no choice but to walk with him or make a scene. She waited until they had found their table, and she had orientated herself to the room and the people they were dining with before attempting to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. Damien put this hand on her bag in an attempt to make her leave it at the table.

"Where would a girl be without her lipstick," she smiled pulling it from under his hand and walking from the table. She walked to the Ladies room finding Damien's sister, Layla, who they were sitting with, right behind her as she walked through the door.

"I'll look after your bag for you while you go in if you like, then you can look after mine," she said with a smile.

"Oh I am fine, thanks anyway," Kristy said lightly waving her away and entering a cubicle, quickly pulling her phone from her bag and forcing it into her cleavage she called, "Oh its gruesome in here on second thoughts you can hold it."

Handing her bag to Layla, Kristy quickly shut the door and grabbed her phone sending the quickest message ever, "Damien, trapped, help!" pressing send she hoped Tabitha had her phone on her as promised. She really didn't want to have to text Darren. Right now she didn't want anything to do with any man, she just felt ill. She put the phone on silent and wedged it into her bar thanking fate that she had worn a well-padded push-up bra under the fitting red dress.

*****

"Shit!" Darren exploded into the noise of the party making those directly around him stop what they were doing and look at him. He had taken possession of Tabitha's phone after she told him of the conversation with Kristy and stalking through the party to find her he shoved it her and declared, "I'm going to get her."

He began to walk away, but Tabitha yelled, "Wait! You can't just waltz into an invitation only event and demand to see her. You'll be thrown out in the mood you're in, if not thrown in jail for assault if you see Damien." Her mind was working fast as she spoke trying to calm her brother down.

"Well unless you have a better idea," Darren said through clenched teeth trying to reign in his anger, jealousy, concern and a thousand other emotions that ran through him at that moment.
She turned to the small group that had followed their progress through the house. "Nisha, you and Paul are in charge, don't let things get out of hand before we get back. How much have you had to drink?" she asked Greg.

"Just the one, I was pacing myself," he seemed confused.

"Good you drive, he's not thinking straight at the moment. Let's go I will give you directions," Tabitha said taking control of the situation.

*****

She returned to the table and made small talk with the others who were seated with them, who consisted of Damien's sister and her husband as well as several of his work colleagues and their partners. They each took every opportunity to point out how well Damien was doing at work and how he hadn't had a girlfriend since Kristy left him.

Kristy seethed inside with each passing comment; she hadn't just left him. She had put herself through hell trying to fix their broken relationship before she finally moved out and severed contact with him. Unable to take it anymore Kristy stood after the dessert claiming to need fresh air but she found Damien had grabbed her wrist in a tight hold, "I'll come with you," Damien smiled but it did not reach his eyes.

Kristy went to walk towards the building entrance but Damien steered her to the back deck almost strong arming her and murmuring, "You at least owe me tonight, after all the trouble I went through."

"I owe you nothing," Kristy said quietly. "Why couldn't you have just left me alone, did you think I would still have feelings for you after all that happened?" She felt her indignation at what his friends had been saying rise in her. "You told them all I left you as if I had no reason!"

"You will stay for the rest of the auction announcements and dessert," he said menacingly. Still holding her wrist tightly Damien dragged her back toward the banquet hall, stopping in his tracks as he neared the door.

"Let go of my daughter now!" Neil's voice was barely above a whisper but the threat it held could not be mistaken.

"Daddy!" Kristy gasped and wrenched her hand free of Damien's hold, and all but running to her father. It was only then that she noticed the two large gentlemen that had escorted her father through the venue to find her.

"Nobody is supposed to be permitted entry without an invitation," Damien accused the two men.

"These gentlemen were kind enough to help me find my daughter after I explained that there was a family emergency and showed them my ID," Neil took great pleasure in the look of chagrin on Damien's face and could not help but press his point. "This was a very real emergency." He stepped close to Damien and lowered his voice, "We will be filing a restraining order against you, if you come near my daughter again, you will regret it."

Neil linked his arm through Kristy's and walked back through the room followed by the two men who had escorted him and Damien. "That dress is amazing; I feel like the luckiest man in the room right now having you on my arm," he smiled at her, and she moved closer feeling the safety of him being so close.

"I thought so too before I realised who sent it to me," Kristy shuddered.

"Ah, I see, seems a shame to send it back but there will be other red dresses," Neil consoled her as they made it into the reception area where Tabitha waited, relief flowing into her face as she saw then appear in the doorway.

Kristy ran and hugged her, "Thank you! I knew you wouldn't leave me trapped here."

"I should have known," Damien sneered from behind them, "the busy-body friend who can't keep her nose out of everyone's business."

"You are lucky it's me standing here and not my brother, or you wouldn't be so smug right now, haven't you hurt her enough? Had to come back and take everything from her all over again," Tabitha gave him a level stare.

"I have given her nothing but the best, that dress alone cost me a fortune," Damien snarled.

"Give him the dress Kristy," Tabitha said calmly, "You don't want anything to remind you of this nightmare."

Caught up in the moment Kristy reached back and undid her zip. As she lowered the dress her father took off his suit jacket and held it in front of her so she could slip it on as the dress fell to the floor. Tabitha picked up the dress and threw it at Damien, "Enjoy your date," she laughed and taking Kristy's hand walked out of the door followed by Neil.

Darren stalked near the car they had parked illegally in front of the building. Relief flowed into his features as the trio emerged and he opened the car door for them. Tabitha took the front seat letting Darren sit beside Kristy and her father.

"If there is a dress under that coat, it's not exactly long enough to be a ball gown is it?" Darren smiled looking at her legs as she sat between himself and her father.

"I gave it back to him," Kristy blushed and covered her face, "Tab made me do it."

"I'm not complaining," Darren said. "It's only the fact that your father is sitting beside you that is making me try and ignore your cleavage." He laughed with genuine humour as did Neil.

"I am really sorry you had to come and save me Dad, did I ruin any plans you and Mum had?" Kristy looked up at her father in the dark car.

"Of course not. Actually I was more than happy when Tabitha showed up and demanded I get dressed in a suit," he laughed.

"She can be a bit bossy," Kristy nodded her head.

"You should have called me though, I miss being super Dad who can fix anything," he hugged her to him.

"You go to the party with your friends where you should have gone tonight instead of the ball and Darren said he would bring you over for lunch tomorrow," Neil said as they pulled up in front of Kristy's childhood home, and she prepared to get out and face her mother with him. "I'll fill your mum in on all the gory details, they told me what happened this week on the way to get you," he kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Dad," Kristy smiled and held his hand for a moment.

"Make sure you have some fun, don't let him pull you back into the slump you were in," he cautioned.

"No chance of that now, I have no intention of letting her be a recluse again," Darren laughed form behind her.

"Good man," Neil grinned and turned walking to the house and his waiting wife.

"I would say we could stop and get you something to wear to the party, but I am quite liking this look on you," Darren lifted the lapel of the jacket and peaked at her breasts chuckling as he did.

"Don't worry I will find you something to wear," Tabitha laughed and reached back to smack her brother narrowly missing.

The short drive to the party only took minutes, and as they all got out of the car, Kristy took the opportunity to hug Greg, "Thank you so much for coming with them to get me, I know you would rather have stayed and partied."

"Are you kidding? I think you under-estimate how much all your friends care for you Kristy," he returned her hug, "Plus it's pretty cool to watch Tab be all in control and take charge, don't you think?"

"It's one of her many charms," Kristy admitted, "She is good in a crisis."

"I'll have my boyfriend back now, thanks," Tabitha said with mock jealousy, "Bad enough my brother can't think straight around you."

"Indeed, especially in that ball gown," Greg teased.

"I'm gonna go raid your closet, Tab," Kristy grimaced.

"As much as I like it too, maybe it would be better if you changed, then I would have some chance at getting some time alone with you tonight." Darren laughed and picked her up carrying her through the party as people called out to him to stop for a minute.

Tabitha was taller and broader than Kristy, and she had difficulty finding something that fit her without gaping in the chest or being so long she tripped over it. She settled for a flowing halter neck dress which would have been short on Tabitha but on Kristy it fell to her knees. Darren had sat back on the bed watching the whole process and enjoying himself immensely. When she was finally dressed, he stood up and caught her in his arms.

"No more excuses," he said softly and kissed her, "We are going to start dating properly, seriously even. I have wanted to be more than your friend for so long now that I can't let you go out there without knowing exactly how I feel and what I want."

"It sort of crept up on me slowly," she said softly, "but I would like that very much," and for the first time she tangled her arms around his neck and kissed him back pressing her body up against his feeling happier than she had in some time.

"Another kiss like that and we won't make it out to the party at all," he murmured and leaving one hand wrapped round her opened the door and led her out into the crowd of their friends.

The night was great; Kristy had to admit. She and Darren had not been more than an arm's length apart at any time and even then the gap closed quickly. Even when talking to different groups of friends they had stood back to back their hands finding each other's.

People started to leave shortly after midnight and with just a few last people hanging around sitting, chatting quietly, Darren swooped Kristy up in his arms and carried her to his room with a smile, murmuring, "Third date rules, and all," grinning wider as she didn't argue or try to correct him.

Instead, Kristy wrapped her arms about his shoulders wanting what she knew was about to happen as much as he did but unable to bring herself to say it out loud. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned her, so she straddled his lap facing him, and pulled off his shirt. She wrapped her arms about his neck once more and leaned into his kiss staying within his strong embrace for what seemed an eternity her lips locked to his. His hands moved up and down her back as if soothing a skittish kitten before pulling away slightly to look at her face making sure this was what she wanted, as much as he did. He began leaning back his eyes locked to hers as he rolled slightly positioning her on her side kissing her again.

"I have dreamed of you and this moment," he whispered and she smiled nodding, her eyes bright, her arms reaching toward him once more wanting the closeness of his body. He smiled dipping his head to her neck and kissing below her ear before working his way up her jawline to kiss her fully again, rolling her to her back and hovering partially over her.

Darren moaned into the kiss, his hands slowly exploring her body as a blind man might read braille. The dress slowly sliding up her thighs as his hand moved up her body, his mouth devouring hers in a long passionate kiss.

He stopped reluctantly to catch his breath pulling the knot of the halter-neck dress free and exposing the silk and lace strapless bra she wore and watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest. Kristy shivered as he stared at her taking a finger and running it from her neck down between her breasts, making her sigh in pleasure and arch slightly toward him. She felt his hands move beneath her and undo the small garment leaving it in place before looking up at her hesitantly despite his obvious arousal and need.

Feeling his reluctance to do anything she wasn't ready for she lifted her hand to take his, smiling she covered her breast with it and pulled the bra away. She felt his fingers enclose around the soft mound of flesh as he rolled on top of her, his chest to her tummy as his head lowered to capture the tightening pink bud of her nipple between his lips. She felt his lips teeth and tongue tease at one breast as his fingers rolled and tweaked at the other and she lowered her hands to run her nails lightly over his back as she murmured husky sounds of appreciation.

"Do you know how beautiful you are to me," He raised his head and whispered moving back up to kiss her as his hands covered both breasts fanning out to capture the mounds and pull them up until only the nipple was between his fingers. At her appreciative murmur he kissed her again unable to get enough as if he had been starving for the last month, and finally she was here to feed him.

Unable to hold herself back any longer Kristy reached for his belt, pushing her hands between them to undo the large buckle and pull it free. Darren propped himself up on his arms watching her with a smile as the belt slid away loop by loop. She threw it to the floor and tugged at the button and zipper of his jeans, leaning down he kissed her as she struggled to undo the fastenings and push down on the denim. Growling he lifted back up again and kicked the jeans away kneeling up between her legs. His hands stroked slowly up her legs brushing over the lace tops of her thigh high's making him smile and murmur, "very nice," as he continued to push the dress up her body finally pulling it free.

"Very, very, nice," he breathed his eyes taking her in as he knelt over her. His hands moved from her shoulders down over her breasts and tummy finally hooking into the tiny triangle of silk that was her thong. She stared up at him as his eyes fixated on the spot between her legs, he slowly lowered the scrap of material down her legs, depositing it beside the bed with the other clothes. Breathing deeply, he brought his hand back up to her pussy, finally looking up at the face of the girl he had dreamt of having just like this, determined not to rush it.

Kristy was so hot and horny by this stage, the feel of his finger stroking into her wet pussy made her whimper in pleasure and raise her hips to him, showing how much she desired his touch. She felt his finger slide easily into her and become coated with the evidence of her arousal, the second finger moved in slower, inch by inch as her hips rocked to his movements. He smiled as her body begged without words for him, and she let out a large breath followed by a whimper as her muscles contracted around his moving fingers.

He watched as she moved below him enjoying the quickness of her breath and the sounds she made as she rose in pleasure to his teasing hands, moving back on the bed he lowered his head to her and flicked his tongue over her clit making her arch up and cry out. He placed his free hand on her belly and continued the assault until he heard her whimpering cry and the gush of fluid over his hand. Unable to hold himself back any longer he crawled up her body, kissing her deeply as he drove into her open pussy with a hard thrust, taking her and possessing her. His arms wrapped around her tightly as he pounded in and out, satiating his long held need.

Kristy wrapped her legs up around his hips and raked her nails over his back, cooing into his ear, "Oh yes, more, yes." She rocked her hips to meet his every thrust and sailed on wave after wave of pure pleasure as her initial orgasm continued to roll through her body. She tightened the muscles surrounding him meeting his thrusts with more resistance and enjoying the low groans and growls he let out as he took her hard and deep. This first time was all about him staking his claim on her body. There would be time for more another time and he buried himself deeply into her and came hard. His cock pulsing for what seemed to him an eternity as she held him tightly to her body.

He didn't pull out of her but rather rolled to his side still embedded deeply within her and held her gently kissing her breathlessly and murmuring, "You are amazing."

"I was going to say the same thing about you," she smiled and kissed him happy in his arms, "Thank you for making this disaster the best Valentine's Day ever."

He grinned at her then, "The nights not over, give me a few minutes, and I can maybe improve on it even more." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she giggled. Neither could stop smiling such was their happiness at being together.

"A few minutes, huh? I think I can probably speed up that process a little for you," she kissed him and then slid down his body enjoying his deep groan as she took his cock between her lips.

*****