Remembering Valentine's Day

It was Thursday night before another lonely Valentine's Day for me. I figured this year, I wouldn't stay home and mope and I didn't want to go to any singles dances either. I'd met and dated several women, but I'd never met the one girl that I truly wanted to live forever with. No, this year I decided to zip off to go skiing.

I made a reservation for a cabin, all for myself. The desk clerk was a little surprised that I was renting a cabin that slept six all for myself, but the money was the same for him regardless and he let me have it. I drove in on Thursday afternoon during a heavy snow, checked in, and found my way down the winding road to the small village of cabins. There were three in this particular cluster, and I parked in front of mine and brought my gear inside.

It was a nice little place with three bedrooms, each with a small gas fireplace, a kitchen, a living room and a dining room. The living room had a small television and connections for videos and games, but I knew I wouldn't be using them. This adventure was about getting away, not being connected to the rest of society. I needed time for myself.

It was too late to go skiing tonight, so I grabbed some space on the couch and started reading a little and enjoying the music on my phone.

At about 10pm, the phone rang, disturbing the quiet. It was the desk clerk. It seemed that one of the other cabins was overbooked with a party and he wanted to know if I would let two of them use one of the spare rooms. I knew my weekend of solitude was going to be a bust, but I couldn't say no and ruin their weekend. Besides, I figured if they were with a group, then they wouldn't be around much anyways.

The couple arrived fifteen minutes later, pulling up in a nice BMW. I saw them through the window as they got out and gathered their luggage, finally coming up to the door. I held it open for them as they came in, arms full of suitcases and ski gear.

Brian held his hand out to me and introduced himself and his fiancé Jennifer. They both seemed well off, and were definitely a handsome couple. She was a subdued stunner, to say the least. When she took off her coat and hat, shaking the snow from her, I was amazed by her beauty. Her hair was light brown and her eyes a beautiful hazel.

When I shook hands with her, there seemed to be a spark between us. It took a second for me to speak and even longer for me to let go. From the look in her eyes, she seemed to feel it too, as if we had met before, as if we had been close before.

I shook my head and laughed it off, allowing them to put their stuff away and disappear into their room for the evening. I slowly packed up my stuff and slipped into my room. As I lay on the bed, images of her kept rolling through my mind, trying to place where I might have seen her before. There were also images of us being intimate, images which fueled my soft, quiet masturbation, until I fell asleep.

*****

I woke up Friday and the sky was still dark and overcast, the snow falling. We were probably going to get another five or six inches today. But the powder was perfect for skiing. I got cleaned up and grabbed my bibs and gear and headed out. The group from the other cabins was meeting together in front of their cabin, Brian and Jennifer among them, as I walked to the back hill.

I latched my skis on and hit the hill. It was rather thrilling, skiing with the wind whipping by, the snow falling all over. The only sound was the wind and the swish of the skis. No one else even appeared to be around. When I finally reached the bottom, I took the near empty lift back up and saw the other group coming down behind me finally.

I skied most of the day completely on my own until late afternoon. A group of the guys arrived at the lift at the same time I did and we lined up. Brian got paired with me and we rode up together. Just after leaving the station, he hit me on the arm and indicated a girl on the ground.

"Damn, she's hot," he said. "That body is incredible, don't you think?"

"Yeah, she is," I agreed.

"I think I'll have to get a piece of that today... Oh yeah!" He was smiling broadly as his plan unfolded in his head.

I was puzzled that he was seriously considering it, being engaged, but figured he was just being a guy, talking big and not meaning it. I didn't think much else of it and rode the rest of the way up in peace.

After being by myself for the next hour I grew tired and headed over to the lodge. When I got inside, I saw the girl hanging on Brian, one arm around his neck. Her bibs were pulled down to her waist and she was wearing a tight ski shirt beneath. One of his arms was around her waist, holding her to him, the other was slowly stroking her chest, over her shirt as he talked to her and smiled.

She squirmed in his grasp, enjoying what he was doing to her, and pushed her thigh into his crotch, stroking him seductively.

I shook my head and went about my way, knowing that some guys were just jerks. I went to the counter and got some food and drink and headed back to the cabin. Jennifer was there ahead of me, in the kitchen preparing some food. We exchanged brief pleasantries, but didn't say much. I slipped onto the couch in the living room and ate while I read my book.

I could hear Brian and Jennifer, muffled, through the walls that night as I lay in bed. It was obvious they were getting intimate but Jennifer didn't sound happy, yelling at him for unknown reasons several times. The bed banged against the wall shortly before I finally heard them both climax with loud grunting. I shook my head in wonder, knowing that life was unfair.

My hand slid beneath the covers and I imagined Jennifer's cries of passion, her moans as I touched myself. I could almost feel her body shudder in climax as my orgasm overtook me.

*****

When I finally rolled out of bed on Saturday, it looked as if it was never going to stop snowing. I cleaned up and went into the living room and grabbed something to eat. I was just heading out to go skiing when I saw Brian and the new girl, Abigail, coming up to the cabins, hand in hand. They passed me, with Brian eyeing me carefully, then he called to me, asking me to wait a minute.

"God she's hot," he whispered. "Told you I'd get a piece of her... three times," he bragged. "So far." He laughed as he hit me on the shoulder.

"Aren't you engaged?" I asked. I really couldn't believe that he'd treat his fiancé this poorly... especially Jennifer.

"Fuck dude!" he said harshly. "I'm not married to her. It's not like I'm cheating on her." I shook my head as he jogged back to Abigail and watched them disappear into a nearby cabin.

I rolled my eyes and continued to the slopes. Every run I made, I wondered if I'd run into Jennifer. I wondered if I'd be able to say anything, be able to warn her about him. In the end, I knew I couldn't. It made the day seem to drag on and on and my heart just wasn't in it.

When I finally made it back to the cabin that night, Jennifer was there and Brian was out with his friends. It was the first time I was alone with her. We both sat on the couch eating and talking.

"So what do you do when you're not skiing?" she asked between mouthfuls.

"Well," I began, looking serious. "You know in the movies where the lead male has to get naked and the camera angle changes to be behind him, showing naked ass? Well, that's me. I'm an ass model."

She looked at me like a deer in the headlights and I waited a moment with a serious face, then laughed, shaking my head.

"Oh yeah, my ass is that good," I chuckled. "You'll have to check it out sometime. I'll give you a few movie titles."

She punched me in the arm. "Oh, you.... you had me going there for a minute."

Even though our time alone together lasted a couple hours, I have no idea what else we talked about. All I knew was that I was smiling, I was happy, and so was she. We hit it off so well that it seemed like we were best friends. But as always, Brian showed up and stole her away, smirking as he led her, hand in hand, into the bedroom.

"Goodnight," was the last thing Jennifer said, turning back over her shoulder and smiling.

*****

I woke up Sunday morning with the sun shining brightly through the window. It looked like it was going to be a gorgeous Valentine's Day. I was feeling a pain of regret because I was going to spend the day alone, again, instead of with someone like Jennifer. Even in the short period of time that I'd known her, I'd become very attached to her. I think she felt it, too, but there wasn't much we could do about it. She was engaged to be married.

And even though I knew Brian was not only the worst person for her, he was also an idiot for even thinking of cheating on her, let alone doing it. I would have given anything to knock some sense into him. But I couldn't bring myself to say anything... it wasn't really my place.

I ate a quick breakfast and slipped on my bibs and boots and headed out for the slope again. With the blue sky, nearly no wind, and bright sunshine, it was the perfect day. I saw Brian and Jennifer only from a distance most of the day, and finally came back in just before 5pm. Jennifer was in her room, bustling about, getting ready for some kind of big Valentine's celebration.

I peeked my head in. "Hi."

"Hi," she said back with a big smile.

"Getting ready for tonight, eh?"

"Yeah. We're going to have a little quiet, alone time tonight. I'm stoked." She was radiant with joy. It was a big night for her and she had a lot of hopes and plans for it.

"I'm sure it'll be awesome," I smiled back, truly hoping it would be. I slipped back out into the living room and grabbed my book again. I grabbed my phone and disappeared into my own little world. Every time Jennifer came out, though, I was distracted, watching her, unbelievably caught up in her presence. Every time she walked by, she smiled at me, sending shivers through me.

It was several more hours before Brian came in. Jennifer had been waiting in their room the whole time, obviously expecting him sooner. He stumbled in the front door a bit drunk and overly happy about it. I closed my eyes and shook my head, knowing this wasn't going to go over well.

Brian saw me look at him disapprovingly. "What's your f... fucking problem, gay boy? Don't like to have a lil fun?" He stumbled a little, almost falling as he took off his boots and bibs.

I just looked away and shoved my nose back into my book. When Jennifer heard him, she peeked her head out the door but didn't come out. It was obvious she was wearing something she only wanted him to see.

"Brian... come here... I have something to show you," she said, giggling.

He walked past the couch, smirking at me, obviously smug that he had the girl and I didn't.

He walked into the door and held it open a little, his eyes scanning Jennifer up and down approvingly. "Damn babe, you look nice." He seemed to do it for my benefit and smiled broadly as he closed the door. I heard muffled sounds from behind the door and looked at it for a moment before shaking my head and going back to my book. Life just never seemed fair.

It was only a half hour later when the door opened and Jennifer came out in tears. I looked up and put my book and phone aside when I saw her. I knew she would need help. She sat on the other end of the couch, her knees in her chest, with her arms wrapped around them. She put her head on her knees and cried a little.

"I'm sorry," I said sympathetically.

"It's just that I planned for this for days... and he just doesn't care. He's in there sleeping for Christ's sake. He just had to drink all day."

I moved over and sat beside her. "I can imagine that would piss you off."

Jennifer sat there sniffling when a thought came to me. "Wait here a second," I said, dashing off into my room. I figured that this was a special enough day that it didn't matter if she was engaged... I could still make sure it didn't go to waste.

I rushed through my preparations, not having the supplies nor the time needed to do it right. But I figured we could pretend if nothing else and still have an awesome night. In less than 20 minutes, I was done, and walked back out into the living room.

"I have a surprise."

Jennifer looked up, surprised, with a little smile on her face. "A surprise?"

"Mmm hmm... take a look." I opened the door wide as she stood and came over.

The room was dimly lit by the bedside lamp along with a dozen or so candles placed about. A fire was twinkling in the fireplace, too, adding to the romantic ambiance. I had connected my phone to a speaker system and some music lightly played... not exactly the most romantic music, but it seemed appropriate enough on such short notice.

I'd moved the small table and chair to the end of the bed and threw a sheet over it for a tablecloth. A couple candles on the table provided some additional ambiance as well as a bottle, some glasses, and some plates.

"Mademoiselle..." I said, sweeping my hand in a gesture to invite her inside.

Jennifer had a huge smile on her face as she curtsied to me and then moved inside. That was the first time I noticed her outfit. She'd put on a red, slinky negligee for Brian and, although it didn't show anything directly, it left little to the imagination. The neck swept down revealing glorious cleavage with small spaghetti straps holding it on her shoulders. The bottoms were very loose shorts that could easily be dismissed and thrown aside, or better yet, so lose we could make love all night with them still on. I shivered when I envisioned her slowly, teasingly disrobing in front of me.

"Oh my God," she whispered, shaking me from my daydream. "I can't believe you did all this." Her face was beaming with a smile and completely changed my outlook on life. Life could be fair, after all. At least I got to witness this.

I laughed a little. "I thought it was the least I could do. Neither one of us needs to spend Valentine's Day alone."

I moved to the chair and pulled it out for her to sit down. After she sat, I pulled a washcloth from the table and opened it with a flourish, just like a cloth napkin, and lay it in her lap.

I sat on the end of the bed, on the other side of the table and grabbed the bottle, opening it. "No champagne, but I do have some sparkling water... it was such a wonderful year. And... uh... sorry about the flutes. I... uh... could only find Dixie cups," I laughed, pulling the small cup up and filling it with the bubbling water.

Jennifer shook her head, laughing at me as she took her glass. I filled mine and then set the bottle aside. I raised my glass up, ready to propose a toast. She raised hers with me as I cleared my throat.

"I never thought I'd ever want to be so close to another human being that I would care more about them than I do myself. May we hold this moment forever."

Jennifer's smile faded to something akin to befuddled attraction, as if she now doubted Brian was the right person for her, as if she wondered how a near-perfect stranger could practically become her soul mate within a couple days. We softly thudded our cups together and drank.

"I don't have much in the way of food, but I did find these in the lodge today." I picked up a small box of chocolate-covered strawberries and opened it, offering them to her. Jennifer picked up two and laid them on her paper plate, smiling.

"The best meal ever," she whispered.

It was a short meal, but the music was wonderful as was the company. When we finished, an incredible song came on the radio and I stood, offering a dance.

"Mademoiselle? If you'd give me the pleasure." I asked, holding out my hand.

Jennifer took it and stood, moving just a little to the side, towards the fireplace. I put my right arm around her and held her hand with my left. The song was perfect as I began moving. Slowly, I started dancing a waltz, wondering if she'd pick it up, and she did, readily.

"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked smiling, surprised.

"Uh... I'm embarrassed to say... but... my mom. She liked to dance and needed a partner to practice on. I promise not to break your toes like I did hers. We call her stubby now." Jennifer laughed, her whole face lighting up.

"I'd appreciate it if I got out of this unscathed."

We couldn't move far, but we danced and danced and danced, smiling, and laughing. When the music changed and became slower, I pulled her in closer, her cheek on my chest, my mouth above her ear. I could smell her perfume and feel the heat from her body. Slowly we turned and when I pulled away a little, I noticed the strap of her top had fallen and her breast was bare.

My eyes were transfixed by the sight and then I saw her looking at me, unafraid and not the least bit embarrassed. It was as if she was giving herself to me, wondering if I'd take her. I licked my lips and softly sighed as I admired her body. My fingertip ran circles over the hardened nipple before I pulled the strap back up, then pulled her close to me once more. My right hand pulled her tighter to me, our bodies melding into one.

I didn't know how long we danced, but we finally stopped and pulled apart.

"I need to sit down," Jennifer said, fanning herself. She was indeed glistening a little from the exertion and moved to the bed, crawling up onto it and laying down.

Jennifer was a picture of perfection to me, lying there, her head on one arm, the other casually draped in front of her, across her breasts.

She patted the bed in front of her. "Come here," she said softly.

I smiled, a little puzzled, a little hopeful and crawled up beside her, laying down. She brought her hand up and stroked my arm a moment, before bringing it to my cheek and stroking softly.

"Thank you," she said softly. "That was very sweet."

I smiled and was just about ready to reply when she leaned forward and lightly kissed me. My body burst with joy at the touch of her lips but I held my calm, softly kissing her back. My hand moved to her side, stroking her softly and she pulled away for a moment. I thought that she'd immediately come to her senses and realized that this was wrong, that she was engaged, that I was nearly a perfect stranger. But she didn't. She lay there a moment and we both came together again, kissing softly, our bodies melding together.

We fell asleep just like that, our lips still in mid kiss.

I felt Jennifer leave after several hours, but didn't worry. I was happy.

*****

I woke up fairly early Monday, the sun was streaming in the window. I was underneath the covers and still in my clothes from last night. I could hear the sounds of Jennifer and Brian packing through the walls as I got out of bed and moved into the living room.

I don't know exactly what I was expecting to find this morning. I knew Jennifer was still engaged. I knew she was mad at Brian for last night, but I didn't think it went further than that. I didn't think she had enough of a reason to throw away her future for me... and I wasn't sure I wanted her to.

Jennifer was just about out the door with a load of luggage when I came out. Brian was already at the car, putting a couple suitcases in the trunk. She looked up when I came out and smiled, a little embarrassed.

"I.... don't know what to say," she whispered.

"No need to say anything. I had an incredible weekend." I smiled to reassure her, not sure if I felt reassured myself.

"Thank you," she said, pulling the suitcase out into the cold and closing the door behind her. I stood in the quiet cabin, watching her through the window. They both got into the car and backed out, moving towards the road.

The car suddenly stopped when someone came walking up. Abigail quickly made her way to the driver's side, and started talking to Brian. The car became animated with movement and I knew there was a fight. The passenger door burst open and Jennifer got out, turned, and dropped something on the seat. She seemed almost calm and relaxed for some reason.