I looked down at the little box in my hand. I had debated on whether or not I should wrap the gift. Nobody had ever wrapped a Valentine's gift for me before, but then again, I'd never really received many gifts on Valentine's Day to begin with. It almost felt silly, but in the end, I decided it was better than just handing it over as it was. The book was in my hand now, carefully wrapped in gold paper. It had taken a few tries to get the folds even, and there was still room for improvement, but this would have to do. There wasn't time for a redo.
One final check over the apartment and I was satisfied the place was clean enough for the occasion. Gwen had been my girlfriend for seven months now. She had seen my place in pretty much every state imaginable, but this would be our first Valentine's together, and I wanted things to be in order. Especially since my roommate was rarely in the cleaning mood. Lucky for me, he had left this morning to go see his boyfriend, and would probably be gone for the rest of the day. Gwen and I would have the place totally to ourselves, complete privacy.
I quickly wiped the grin from my face. As someone with a modest amount of sexual experience under my belt it was easy to get carried away in fantasies, especially with a girl as lovely as my Gwen. She was short and slender, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, and a smile that would melt hearts like butter. She had the look and figure of a girl right out of the swimsuit catalogs, but Gwen was sweeter than any girl I'd ever known my whole life.
She was also a virgin, and somewhat new to the world of sexuality, which was why my fantasy inspired grin was short lived. For most of her teenage life, Gwen and her siblings had endured a conservative lifestyle. Raised as a devout Catholic, she spent less time worrying about sex and alcohol and more time worrying about her grades and future. It wasn't until she finally left her parent's roof and entered the new and exciting world of college that Gwen decided to explore the naughtier side of adulthood.
You could probably say I was a huge part of that "corruption," as she called it, but I saw no reason to feel guilty. I never pressured Gwen to do anything, usually letting her take the lead and make her own suggestions. It started slowly at first, with the simple act of sleeping in the same bed together. That graduated to second base, with her allowing me to feel her chest while making out, and eventually Gwen found the courage to give me a blowjob, her first ever. It was wonderful, and I'd been eager to return the favor. She conceded a few days later, letting me slide my hand into her panties to deliver the first orgasm she'd ever had that wasn't her own doing.
It was slow progress, and at times it was hard to be patient. After all, I wasn't a virgin myself, and it was difficult to ignore the urges every time she came to visit, always wearing those form-fitting jeans and dresses. But, as strong as those desires were, she was still too shy, and nervous, to go all the way. I didn't blame her. She'd only had one boyfriend before I came along, and that had ended in disaster when he realized he wouldn't be getting in her pants for a while. Naturally, that made a girl cautious, but I was determined to prove that I was worth the risk, no matter how long that might take.
Because despite the lack of sex, there were an infinite number of reasons why I loved this girl. Beauty was one thing, of course, but I'd been lucky enough to find a girl with the whole package. She didn't flinch at my unusual sense of humor, and would always laugh at my stupid jokes, no matter how terrible. She was smarter than I could ever hope to be on my own, studying to become an architect and learning Japanese on the side, just for the challenge. And holy fuck could she cook! Years of growing up in a strict household meant learning to help in the kitchen from an early age, and lucky for me, her mother knew all kinds of amazing recipes. I'd almost worry about gaining weight, if it weren't for her constant insistence that we go on runs together whenever possible. She was good for me, heart and body.
All of this, and more, made Gwen the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Even if it took another seven months to take the next step in the bedroom, I would gladly wait for her. Women like this were worth a little patience.
Besides, she had an unnatural talent when it came to oral sex, and more often than not she would be the one to initiate, which meant I never had to ask for the favor. Who could possibly argue with that?
Thoughts like these came with certain images, conjuring in my mind from memory, and soon I was growing hard beneath my boxers. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I instinctively checked my watch to see if I had enough time for a quick solo session.
4:54 PM. Gwen would be knocking on the door any minute now, her final class for the afternoon now dismissed. No, definitely not enough time to masturbate, but I figured it wouldn't matter. I'd be too distracted trying to make Gwen happy once she'd arrived, and if my needs were still a problem this evening, she would probably take care of them one way or another. Our nights together usually ended with orgasms.
I shook my head, pushing away the naughty images. Today was supposed to be about romance, right? Gwen would disagree, arguing that this was a holiday commercialized by the industries that profited the most this time of year. She wasn't a materialistic girl, something else I loved about her, but she certainly hadn't complained when I offered to make our dinner for tonight.
The stiffness was gone by the time I heard knocking at the door. I answered to find Gwen smiling up at me, her flowery dress and sandy hair blowing gently in the February breeze. It was impossible not to smile back. Opening the door for her was always like meeting again for the first time.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong apartment," I said, feigning confusion.
Gwen rolled her eyes at me, expecting some sort of joke. "Oh, I do?"
I nodded and pointed up. "Heaven is on the top floor. Right next to the Starbucks."
She giggled, and my heart melted just a little bit more. "Well, you'll have to excuse me for the mistake. I thought it might be somewhere close by, since your head is always in the clouds."
It was my turn to laugh, and I leaned in for a quick kiss, the kind you give your girlfriend in public when other people are watching. I stepped aside and let her in, wondering if any of her lipstick had transferred to my lips as I closed the door. As soon as I turned back to her, however, Gwen threw her arms around me, leaning up on her tiptoes as my arms wrapped around her, pulling her up to my lips for a kiss that wouldn't have been acceptable in most public situations. By the time she finally let me go, I would have been disappointed if her lipstick hadn't left its mark.
"Been holding on to that for a while, haven't you?" I asked, touching a finger to my lip, checking for a stain of red.
Gwen winked at me in reply. "I got your flowers earlier. It's had me feeling good since this morning, I'll admit."
I nodded. "Glad you liked them. Feel free to kiss me like that whenever you want."