Valentine's day 2025 contest
A Different Kind of Valentine
A/N: While this is not my first story it is my first posting to Literotica. I hope you enjoy it.
Despite the category, this is not strictly speaking a lesbian story. It's just the place that it best fits given it's content.
If you like it. I'd love to read your comments. If you didn't like it, I'd still like to read your comments as long as they are insightful or thoughtful. Since this is for a contest, I'd love to get your vote. Thank you.
Happy Valentine's Day
I rolled over and started jabbing my finger down on my phone trying to blindly find the snooze button. Somewhere around the 5th or 6th stab I got it right and the damn thing shut up. My head hurt like hell and my mouth was dry. I pulled the blankets back over my head to block the light stabbing through the window. The problem was that I was awake now and that meant that I was done sleeping. Some days I hate that about my brain, but most days it was useful.
I pulled the blanket aside and stumbled to the bathroom. It felt like I was pissing forever, then I remembered why. I had probably drank a dozen beers last night, which is way more than I normally drink. However, yesterday was Friday the 13th and that meant that Odin, Scott, and Thomas had come over for a slasher marathon. It had become a tradition that started in college. We'd all managed to land fairly close to each other after graduation and it was the one thing we kept going. This was the first year it hadn't been a stag party: Odin was married now, Scott was engaged and getting married this summer. Thomas wasn't technically tied down, but he was part of a non-exclusive polycule. I didn't get it, you loved one girl, she loved you, you took on the world. Thomas wasn't wired like that though, and it didn't keep him from being the kind of friend you could call at 3 am if you needed to move out of a place in the middle of the night.
I pulled on something that looked like clothes and headed downstairs. As I stepped off the stairs I heard a moan and a giggle from the air mattress in the middle of the room. I didn't say anything, just headed to the kitchen and found a clean pint glass I could fill with ice and water to wash down some aspirin. That done, a coffee pod went into the Kuerig and I breathed in the heavenly aroma of Columbian roast. I was shocked at the amount of beer bottles stacked up on the counter. I didn't know we could still drink like that. There had to be 30 or 40 bottles scattered around the kitchen, and I was sure there were more in the living room. Although it would help explain why I felt so shitty this morning.
It took about 15 minutes to get them all gathered and stacked back into the 12-pack holders so they could go into the recycling. That done, the dishwasher was next. I was just finishing that up when I felt arms wrap around my middle.
"Thanks for hosting," a younger female voice said. "Sorry it didn't work out."
"Work out?" I asked as I turned around and saw Susan standing there in the button down that Thomas had been wearing last night. He was 6'3" and a former lacrosse player. She was a 5'3" gymnastics scholarship athlete. She was practically swimming in the damn shirt and it was just as hot as all those ads and shots from Hollywood made it seem.
"Jenny was hoping you and I would hit it off." She was cute, but I had kind of pawned her off on Thomas when there were only 3 girls and 4 guys.
"It's probably for the best. I'm in no shape to be good company for a woman as pretty as you." She blushed. It was nice to know that compliments still worked occasionally.
"Odin told me a little bit about your ex. She sounds like a bitch."
"Not really. I just got tired of the constant accusations. I understand she's had some shitty boyfriends, but she seriously needs to fix her shit before she tries finding another relationship. Any time I mentioned that to her, she just went off on me about maybe I just needed to man up."
"Maybe she just needed a good spanking." Her eyes glittered.
"Was that what that sound was last night?" Her pale skin turned apple red as she giggled. "Then I'm not the guy for you, anyway."
"Maybe not, but you seem like a good guy. The right girl will show up sooner or later. If it doesn't happen sooner, maybe I'll send a couple of my friends your way."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I knew a girl that was pretty much what I wanted in a woman. The problem was that she was married to my sister. I shook my head, I did not need to go down that road today.
"Doing anything for Valentine's Day?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah, that's today, isn't it." I definitely did not have plans for tonight. "No, I think I'll sit home and read a good book. I just picked up Name of the Wind, been meaning to read it for a couple of years now."
She shrugged, and then got a far away look in her eyes. "One year I was bitching about not having anything to do on Valentine's Day and my dad told me I should do something for someone that needed a helping hand. My grandfather was really ill at the time, so I went over to his house and helped grandma with her chores. She taught me how to make Beef Bourguignon, which was grandpa's favorite. That night I acted as a waitress for them so they could have a candlelight dinner at home." There was a wistful smile on her lips. "It was the first time I ever saw my grandparents as people that were in love. It was their last Valentine's Day together, and grandma told me later it was the most special one they'd had since before my dad was born."
It made me want to hug her, but she wasn't sad, just remembering. We continued to visit while her coffee brewed. Thomas borrowed a t-shirt from me, since he said his shirt looked way better on Susan than it did on him. I gave her a bandana so she could belt it around the middle. I wiped out the last of the bacon and eggs making breakfast for everyone. Susan made toast. Odin ran to the liquor store for Bloody Mary mix and Vodka, fortunately they also had orange juice.
Susan offered to stay and help cleanup, but she and Thomas had been making eyes at each other all through breakfast, so I told her to go with him. He gave me a fist bump on the way out the door and told me he knew a couple of girls that might be into a guy like me. I told him if I ever got desperate enough for his sloppy seconds I'd give him a call. He laughed and led Susan to his car. Odin and Jenny thanked me for hosting and the use of the guest room. She threw the sheets and some towels in the washing machine while Odin helped me gather up the last of the trash from last night and haul it out.
Once I had my place back to myself I sat down to enjoy another cup of coffee and thought about what Susan had said. I got up and wandered back into the kitchen and inventoried what I had on hand. An idea began to form as I pulled out ingredients and stacked them on the counter. Once I'd verified I had everything I needed, I headed upstairs and looked over the two rooms. The guest room was crowded with a bed, a desk, and my exercise bike, but my room was open and mostly clean. A plan decided on, I called my sister.
"What's up, Jake?" She sounded stressed.
"Everything okay?"
"No. I've got to work until six tonight, Carol still isn't sleeping well, Steph is at her wit's end with the colic, and I can't figure out if it's the lack of sleep or if the hormones aren't fully treating her post-partum depression. On top of all that today is fucking Valentine's Day."
"Jesus, sis. Why didn't you tell me? I've told you I'll help out where I can. And Valentine's Day is exactly why I called."
"Ha ha, very funny. I don't have time or money to do anything for V-day, and I think Steph is starting to think I don't love her anymore." I could hear tears in her voice, but then she coughed as though trying to clear them.
"I'm assuming Steph is at home with Carol?"
"She was when I left this morning." I laid out the plan for her. She cried and I apologized for making her cry at work. She's a shipping manager for a local window and door manufacturer. The guys in her office would probably give her shit for crying, she tries to be 'one of the guys' and they have mostly accepted her. She said the guys all got a lot nicer after they met her wife. She was still a woman, she was never going to be fully accepted by a group of Hispanic men, but they could appreciate that she did a good job and never tried to undercut their machismo.
I spent the rest of the morning and the early afternoon cooking and cleaning. I convinced the neighbor to run to the store and get me a dozen roses and a chocolate cake. When I explained what I was doing she was only too happy to help. She even loaned me a glass pedestal cake plate. My work done, I grabbed a shower, wiped down the bathroom, and headed to my sister's apartment after slipping into some comfortable clothes.
I heard Carol before the door unlocked. She did not sound happy. The door opened and Stephanie stood there with the baby on her left hip. She was a wreck. Her hair was up in a messy bun, strands of greasy hair sticking out every which way. Her golden-brown skin was pale and sallow. She had bags under her eyes, which were sunken and dull. The sweatshirt she was wearing had stains on it, some of them looked to be 2 or 3 days old.
"Sorry about the mess," was all she said as she turned around and shuffled toward the hall. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. I felt her flinch slightly. I knew why, and it made me feel like shit. Falling in love with her was not part of the plan when they asked me if I'd be the father of their child. It was a great idea: both of them would have a genetic connection to the baby, they'd know the health and family history of the father, I could be around to provide a male role-model. If I'd just had to jack off into a cup it would have been perfect. Unfortunately, Stephanie couldn't seem to catch when it was artificial.
She'd prayed about it, she was still a good Catholic girl at heart, at least as much as she could be. She gave her confessions at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and did penance as provided by the priest. She believed that God wanted her to know a man that she might conceive. She talked to her priest, she did penance for adultery, but she caught in the first month that we tried it. Unfortunately for me, a baby wasn't the only thing that caught.
I'd tried to keep it to myself, but Mickey knew. Stephanie suspected, and I'm sure that Mickey told her. Things were awkward between us for a while. Then they introduced me to Janet and things got better between Steph and I. This was the first time I'd seen Steph since Janet and I broke up on New Year's Eve. I wasn't looking to rebound, and I sure as hell wasn't rebounding with my sister's wife.
