She volunteered for the decorating duty at the bakery, taking on the job with enthusiasm. Having a holiday dedicated to giving and receiving treats suited her personality perfectly and Valerie had always loved Valentine's Day. To her, it wasn't so much about the love and coupledom of the day, but more about sharing sweetness with people.
She hung the decorative heart garland around the edge of the counter, securing it discretely with small pieces of tape. Stepping back to admire her own work, she accidentally bumped into a customer.
"I'm so sorry," she blurted out immediately, turning to see one of their regulars, Gerald, smiling down at her.
"That's alright," he assured her with a touch of the peak of his tweed flat cap. The way his eyes crinkled at the edges always made Val feel at ease, as if it were a sign of Gerald's kindness. "Decorating for Valentine's Day already?" he asked her.
"Oh yes, I like to get into a festive mood as early as possible, to prolong the jolliness of Christmas all through January and into February," Valerie explained securing the garland with another piece of tape.
"Well, it sure looks merry," the customer agreed with a chuckle.
"Thank you!" She told him before heading back to the box of decorations to grab another strand of hearts that she intended to put up around the freezer case.
Gerald got his usual - a coffee and a buttered roll, and headed back out the door with another tip of his hat.
He wasn't just a regular at the bakery though, Gerald was also Valerie's neighbor. They both lived in the building a couple of doors down from the bakery, the only two apartments on the third floor. So when she returned from work that day and found a little heart-shaped ornament hanging from her doorknob, she knew it must have been him.
She smiled at the decorative touch feeling warmth rush through her. She'd make sure to thank her neighbor for it the next time she saw him. Inside her apartment, she found a small adhesive hook and placed it on her door just beneath the peephole. This would be a great place to display the lovely heart that Gerald had gifted her - this way, they could both enjoy its festiveness.
Two days later, Valerie came home from her shift to a garland of paper hearts attached above her door. It made her smile as she wondered whether Gerald made it himself and whether he needed a step stool to reach up there or whether, being over six feet tall, he did it with ease without one.
"You are really getting into the spirit too this year, huh?" She asked Gerald as he emerged from his apartment with a garbage bag. He smiled at her, his grey eyes sparkling.
"You've inspired me with your theory of prolonging the jolliness," he admitted to her. "And it's rather cheery, opening my door and seeing yours."
"So what you're saying is..." Valerie touched a finger to her chin as if she were considering something. "I should also decorate your door so that I feel cheered up when I open mine."
"Go for it!" Gerald chuckled. "We can make the third floor the most festive in the building."
"Challenge accepted!" Valerie announced, extending her hand out to Gerald to shake. When their hands connected, she felt the warmth from his travel up her body and into her chest. Suddenly, she wished they had hugged on it instead.
Back inside her apartment, Valerie considered whether her feelings for Gerald could be anything more than just neighborly. Surely, they could be downright friendly, but could there be something more there too?
He was a handsome man and in rather good shape, not just for his age. But his age... At twenty-six, Valerie had never imagined herself with a man in his forties, which is how old she assumed Gerald was. Possibly even fifty. He was almost twice her age and she had never dated anyone more than a couple of years older than her. What would it be like, she wondered.
The next day, she affixed a paper chain made out of pink and red construction paper hearts around Gerald's door as she left before dawn to get to work. He thanked her for the touch of color when he stopped in for his usual coffee and roll and when she returned home at the end of the day, she found that he left a heart-shaped mylar balloon next to her door, with a paperweight keeping it in place. They went back and forth for a few more days, Valentine's Day-themed decorations spilling out onto the walls surrounding their apartment doors before Gerald left a note taped to her doorknob.
"Would you consider having dinner with me tonight? Seven?"
Valerie didn't have to think about it long. She pulled a pen out of her purse and scribbled a quick "yes" inside the card before carefully taping it onto Gerald's doorknob.
She had no idea that the decision to go out with Gerald would be so easy. Would she have been quite so quick to agree a few days earlier, before their decorating spree? She wasn't certain. But now she looked forward to the date, flinging her closet open to figure out what she would wear.
Valerie met him on their landing, between their doors, at seven sharp. She couldn't wipe the wide grin off her face because of how festive their floor looked. No one else in the building did anything like this, not even close. And when Gerald appeared in his doorway, she suddenly choked up. How was it that she'd never seen in quite the same way before?! He had on the same tweed cap he'd been wearing all winter and his grey eyes sparkled at her from beneath the brim, with those laugh lines of kindness that spread on either side. But looking at them now, she felt a nervousness that she had never felt at seeing him before. And deep, buzzing desire at her center that felt entirely foreign.
"Ready to go?" He asked her. Valerie nodded, feeling momentarily overwhelmed by how hard seeing him had hit her just now.
They walked to a restaurant a couple of blocks away from their building that Valerie had only been to a couple of times before. Gerald asked her if this would be ok before he opened the door for her and gestured her in. She remembered coming here with her parents on one of her recent birthdays and remembering that suddenly felt a little bit weird, like he was more in their generation than in hers. But his easy smile and funny comments about the items on the menu put her at ease again.
The time seemed to get away from them completely. Valerie couldn't believe she never took the time to get to know this man! She'd had this job for over two years now, the same amount of time that she'd lived in that apartment across the hall from Gerald. Why did they always just make small talk and never get to know each other before? The more she learned about him the more time she wanted to spend with him.
"Would it be too forward of me to ask you to come in? For a drink?" Gerald asked once they were back on their third-floor landing, standing between their two doors.
That was probably the most polite way any man had ever invited her back to his place at the end of a date. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to shake her head no, saying that it's not too forward, or nod, to accept his invitation.
"I'd like to come in," she announced, her cheeks growing flushed with anticipation as they warmed up from the cold outside.
Gerald's eyes sparkled in that kind, approachable way that he had, and he reached to unlock his door. Inside, his apartment was a mirror image of hers, but very differently decorated. There was a strange sense of newness that she was surprised by. Shelves were loaded down with books and there were some photos on the TV console, but the walls were bare and the kitchen looked pristine.
He put both of their coats in his entryway closet before leading the way into the kitchen to pour drinks.
"I have to be honest with you about something," Gerald began as they stood on opposite sides of the kitchen counter. "I've never had a date end up here, in this apartment before."
"Really?" Valerie frowned, feeling confused.
"I know it's not really good etiquette to talk about one's love life on the first date, but... if I seem awkward or unsure of myself, it's because I am." That statement made Val smile. "I moved in here when my ex and I had separated and for a long time, I still had hope that this would just be temporary, that I shouldn't put roots down here. But now it's been over a year since the divorce became final and here I am, still."
"Well, then this is an important step in moving on," she said, lifting her glass up towards his. "Let's toast it."
"To moving on," he agreed, clinking his glass against hers gently.
They talked on the sofa for a long while, their interactions comfortable and warm once again. She didn't want to leave, but she was worried that anything more might be moving too fast for Gerald, who'd been out of the game for some time.
She did lean in to give him a quick kiss before they parted for the night and she returned to her apartment across the hall. He watched her go, leaning in his doorway, and she heard him close his own door after she had locked hers. It was cute, Val thought, the way he saw her back to her place.
She decided to invite him over for dinner the next night. She'd make some pasta, she told Gerald, nothing too fancy. He immediately agreed, without hesitation. Of course, Valerie had some ulterior motives too - to make a move on her own turf.
She wanted him in a way that surprised her. Just a few days ago, she was still unsure about what to do with this new crush, with the way she found her feelings for Gerland changing. But now, she caught herself thinking about him in new ways. In much more sexual ways. The way his lips had felt on hers was electrifying and she wanted more of that.
Val got the perfect opportunity when she got up to rinse her hands off at the kitchen sink. She hadn't noticed that Gerald had followed her, his socked feet nearly silent. When she had turned away from the sink, he was right there, behind her, and her breath caught. But she wasn't caught off guard for long. Her hands gripped the flannel that Gerald wore and pulled him in for a kiss.
