“Shall we start getting ready for dinner?” Deana asked.  “I realized it’s getting towards that time.”

“I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun.  Or in our case, snuggling on the couch.”

“This place we’re going, fancy?  Or will my black dress be ok?  I have no idea if I’m ‘allowed’ to be seen in public in the same outfit more than once.  I feel like I never see any celebrities wear the same dress more than once.”

“You also see them at award shows, so not exactly something you can wear over and over.  Different designers will want you wearing this and that each time.”

“Would they want to dress someone like ME, going to things like that?  Not entirely sure how that works if you’re just a regular person.”

“They could.  They’ll ask me who I’m taking, if they need to be given something to wear.  I tell you one thing, designers will be beating down our door once we get engaged.  Not just anyone gets to dress my bride to be…” he smiled.

Is he talking like this because he plans to propose tonight? She wondered.  I meant, it IS around Valentine’s Day.  But we’ve only known each other a few months, not even 6 months yet.  Could he know so soon that this is really it? 

“You ok?” he asked.

She blinked back to reality.  “Yeah, fine, just got lost in my head for a bit.”

“To answer your first question, definitely fancy.  I love your black dress, but if you brought something else you think might work, wear that if you’re worried about being seen in the same dress.  No one posted pictures of us at dinner last week, so I doubt anyone but us would know or care.  I’m just glad I get to sit and have a wonderful meal with a wonderful woman.”

“So I packed my black dress, a semi fancy dress, and a sexy dress…”

“Mmm, save the sexy dress for tomorrow’s show.  It’ll be actual Valentine’s Day, and I can’t wait to get you back here after the show…”

“Save that energy for after dinner tonight,” she replied.

“Tonight, the theme is romance.  Tomorrow, after the show, mmm, you’re in trouble…” he laughed.

“Yeah?” she teased.

“You have NO idea…”

“What if I have something in mind for tomorrow?”

“Hey, whenever you wanna do something, or have me do something, you just let me know.  You haven’t had a bad idea yet…”

“In the bedroom.  Other areas, not so much…”

“He manipulated you.  I don’t fault you for what happened.  He knew what he was doing, the right things to say and do to get what he wanted.  You resisted as much as you could.  I have some exes that given a similar situation, I’d have given in based on the feelings I had.  Thankfully none of them are evil sociopaths, so we’ll never have that problem, but he’s gone forever.  

“I never want to say or hear his name ever again…”

“You realize that’s my stepdad’s name, so that will be difficult… I know what you mean though.  Eventually maybe you’ll make the switch to it being about my stepdad and not a terrible ex.”

“That would be nice.”

“I actually had a knee jerk reaction when my mom called him for breakfast on Christmas.  I had to remind myself of the situation, who was talking, to remember it was someone I’ve known and trusted for so much of my life.  HE got under my skin, too, that he was going to steal you away from me.  He did, for a night, but you fought against it.  Enough about him, he’s the past and WE are the future.”

“Start the night of romance off with a shower for two?” she suggested.

“See, you always have such great ideas…” he laughed.

It took all their willpower not to do anything beyond actually shower, washing each other gently, in ways that could have led to something more.  It was just the beginning of a long night for them.

Deana had her dress bag in hand, standing in the bathroom.  “Now that we’re cleaned up, can I dress and stuff in here alone, so you can see me all put together when I’m done, instead of little by little?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I’ll do the same tomorrow.  Probably wait until you have a sound check or something to get dressed for the show.”

“I’ll let you get to it then,” he said, grabbing his deodorant and a couple other things from the bathroom counter, closing the door behind him.  

She pinned part of her hair back out of her face, pinning it behind her ears, near the base of her head.  The rest fell in loose waves.  She did a neutral eye, various shades of tan, one with a little shimmer, black eyeliner and mascara.  She put on her dress, looked at herself in the mirror, and smiled.  I really haven’t felt THIS confident in years, she thought, and even then I had no idea what that meant back then.  I was happy, but I didn't know it was confidence.

She spritzed some of her perfume and was ready.  She opened the bathroom door a crack.  “You ready?” she called.

“Always,” he said softly.  

She slowly opened the door, peeking her head out first.  She saw him smiling at her.  She watched as his face changed slightly seeing her in the dress.  HIs eyes softened, his smile widened, and she could hear him suck in his breath.

“You look GORGEOUS, baby.  I LOVE the green on you.”  He walked over, taking her in his arms.  “I love you.  This is a perfect dress for a perfect night.”  Her dress was a deep emerald green, lace over the whole dress, with a short sleeve and a medium v neckline.  Nothing too revealing, classy and elegant.  It went down to just below her knees.  “Turn for me, I want to see it from all angles.”

She slowly turned, feeling the skirt of the dress flair out a bit.  She loved a dress that had a twirl factor, and by the look on his face, so did Justin.  “Penny for your thoughts,” she said.

“I’m just imagining dancing with you in this dress, the gentle flair of the dress as your turn before coming back to my arms…”

“Ever the romantic,” she sighed.  

He was in a grey suit with a white dress shirt, a grey bow tie, and black dress shoes.  “You’re not so bad yourself,” she smiled.

She put on her coat, stepped into her black kitten heels, and they headed to the garage.  He opened her door for her, closing it once she was fully seated.

They drove into the city, going towards the waterfront.  They parked in a garage, and he walked her into the restaurant.

“Good evening, table for two?” the hostess asked.  

Justin approached the hostess.  “We have a reservation,” he said quietly, “for Bruce.”

“Ah, yes, let me check that everything is ready.”

“Still using Bruce?” Deana laughed.

“I think I’ll use it forever now, my new pseudonym. It led me to you, it can’t be that bad…”

“Just pray that Bruce Willis never eats in the same restaurant and uses his own name.”

“Hey, if we get a table meant for Bruce Willis, I’m not gonna complain.  He might,” Justin laughed.

The hostess returned to the podium.  “Your table is ready, right this way.”  

They were led through the restaurant as quietly and discreetly as possible without going through the kitchen.  They went through a draped off section, a table for two with enough room around them for added privacy.  Deana’s jaw dropped as she saw the view from the floor to ceiling windows, seeing the ending of sunset against the water, the mountains in the distance, the lights of the other side of the harbour, where their cabin was.  

“Unless the paparazzi are on a boat, no one can get pictures of us tonight.  Even if they do, you are stunning and deserve to be photographed.  A breathtaking view for a breathtaking beauty.”

Deana blushed.  “This is all so wonderful.  Thank you, babe.”

“Part of a night to remember.”  He raised his water glass, Deana raising hers in kind, their glasses clinking together softly.  They ordered dinner, eating and enjoying the view.

“I thought about getting a private boat, doing dinner out on the water, but I wasn’t sure if you get seasick or anything.”

“I do, a little, but it depends.  When I’m out on a lake in a little speed boat type thing, I’m fine.  But when I’m out on a houseboat or even a cruise ship, I need Dramamine or something in advance.”

“You’ve been on a cruise?”

“To the Bahamas for my parents’ 25th anniversary.  We went to Nassau for a day, I still kick myself for not seeing where you guys sang in that aquarium at Atlantis.  No one else would have understood why I wanted to go.”

“Maybe we’ll have to take a trip, just the two of us.  You can cross that off your bucket list, and we can make some new memories together.”

They continued to eat, before Justin stopped to take a look at her, really looking at her.  “I thought about giving this to you earlier, when you came out of the bathroom.”  He pulled out a box from his jacket.  It was a small box, and Deana suddenly became nervous of what was inside.  

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Deana,” he said, opening the box.  Inside was a beautiful bracelet, white gold with emeralds spread throughout.  He took her hand, putting it on her wrist.  He pulled out a second, longer box.  Inside was a simple chain, holding a pendant of white gold, twisted into something like an inverted infinity symbol, with a pear shaped emerald in the bottom of the pendant.

“Justin, this is too much,” she said, realizing how expensive they must have been, how beautiful they were.

“You are worth every penny.  I’m sure it’s an adjustment from what you’re used to.  I can afford it, and I can’t think of anyone I would rather spend my money on.  You deserve all the beauty, kindness, and love in the world, and I want to be the one to give it to you.”  He leaned towards her, kissing her gently.

They had dessert, Deana looking out the window from time to time, enjoying being present with him. Phones had been off and away the whole night, and she found herself missing Dani a little less each day. 

“I made the right choice, taking this vacation, going on tour with you. I don’t miss everyone as much as I used to, but I know I’d be missing you more and more each day.”

“I’m glad you did. It let us reset a bit, like what happened before never happened at all. Life is how it should be right now.”

They walked to their car after dinner, heading back to the cabin. The night felt different, magical. They took off jackets, coats, and shoes in the mud room, Justin turning on the fire in the living room. He flicked a switch on the wall, but Deana didn’t notice anything change. Justin grabbed his phone, and soon she heard music playing through speakers. 

Justin pulled her close, one hand on the small of her back, the other holding her hand as they started to dance. “The Way You Look Tonight” was playing over the speakers, going through a playlist of romantic songs from years past.  

They danced, gazing into each other’s eyes, in front of the fire and windows showing a sky full of stars. There were no other lights on in the cabin, setting a romantic mood of dancing in the moonlight. 

He slowly spun her around the room, watching the twirl of her dress, the light catching in the pendant of her necklace, their eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He pulled her back to him, kissing her gently. After a few songs, the music stopped. He kissed her forehead softly. 

“I like this atmosphere right here,” he said softly in her ear. “No rush, just us, let’s finish tonight with that feeling.”  She nodded in agreement, her head on his chest. 

He pulled her chin up, kissing her softly, slowly, no sense of urgency. His hand went to her back, slowly unzipping her dress. She carefully unbuttoned his shirt, each letting things come off with no rush, being in the moment. Clothes slowly came off until they found themselves in a naked embrace, moving slowly to the rug in front of the fire. 

Kisses and touches so intimate and slow, and yet passionate, a night neither of them ever forgot. Of all of their years together, the places they went, this was the most romantic Valentine’s Day that they never tried to beat.