A Strange Arrangement

I laid in bed late in the morning hours of Monday like I had been doing all night. I had possibly gotten a cumulative total of 90 minutes of rest, but mainly I had been too excited to sleep. Today was it. Today was the day. Today was Valentine's Day.

I heard a knock at my door and Kris call my name on the other side, so I immediately closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. He opened the door and came in. The smell of maple syrup hit me right away as he set something down at the edge of my bed and tried waking me up.

“Lexi? Lex? Wake up, kid.” he said gently shaking me. My eyes fluttered open to see his gorgeous grinning face. “Hey. Happy Valentine's Day. Check it out. I made you a little breakfast in bed.”

I sat up, trying to maintain my groggy face, and watched him pick up the tray and set it in front of me. He walked around to the other side and sat next to me in bed. He had really outdone himself. Four pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and a glass of orange juice. It was a pretty well balanced meal.

“You don't eat bacon so that's really for me,” he said reaching over and grabbing the bacon strips. I laughed. “And that orange juice is Sunny D because I know you won't drink any other kind. Picky.”

He knew me too well. This was one of the most thoughtful things anyone had done for me in a long time. It made me even more nervous and excited for what the rest of the night held.

“Thanks. This is really sweet.” I told him trying not to sound too sappy.

“Yeah, I know.” he said with mock arrogance as he ate his bacon. “I've been doing sweet things for you for years.”

“Yeah, like what else?” I said already recalling a few off the top of my head.

“Like when we were in 11th grade and that douchebag blew you off a week before the fall dance. Who faked their grandmother's death so they could ditch their own date and watch a horror movie marathon with you?”

“You did.” I laughed. He hadn't mentioned to me what his intentions were at all beforehand. He just showed up at my door on the night of the dance with cake and said “Are you going to let me in?” when I stared at him bewildered.

“I'm always going to be there for you, Lex.” he declared. “And I'm going to continue the tradition tonight. I'm pretty sure you're going to love me.”

“I already do though.” I said out loud before I could stop myself.

“Shit.”

“I love you too, King.” he said leaning over and kissing the top of my head.

“Don't blush. Don't you dare do it. Just stuff your face with food and try to keep your composure.”

“So, hurry up, eat, and then get dressed. You've got a spa appointment in an hour and a half.” he said getting out of my bed.

“What?!” I asked wondering if I had heard him correctly.

“Don't argue. Just get up and go.” he said as he left the room.

-x-

A considerable time later I was stepping back into the apartment. I had had the afternoon of my life complete with a facial, manicure, pedicure, and massage. I came back excited to thank Kris for everything, but he was nowhere to be found. I found a note on the counter with my name on it. I picked it up and began reading.

“Hey King,
I had to go take care of a few last minute things. Hopefully that whole spa deal took as long as I expected it to. Feel free to start getting ready if you want. A car's coming to pick you up at 7 and it'll take you to your big surprise of the day! I'll see you in a bit. Can't wait!

Love,
Kris”

It was close to 5:30 which I assumed seemed like an appropriate time to get ready. In reality, I was just too excited to sit down and try to kill time watching TV or something. My hair alone would take 45 minutes anyway.

I stood in front of the mirror an hour later, still wrapped in a towel, putting the finishing touches on my makeup. I took a step back and looked at myself. My soft brown waves were perfect. The soft, smokey eye I had attempted looked great. Now all that was left was to put on my dress. I walked to my closet and pulled it off it's hanger. I walked out into my room, faced away from my full length mirror next to my bed, and slipped it on. I turned around and stared at myself all done up. My appearance surprised even me.

“I look...pretty good. Aw, yeah.” I thought, winking at my reflection and giggling at my new found surge of confidence.

I put on the black heels that Sara and Niki had helped me pick out and grabbed my red clutch.

Whatever Versteeg had planned, and whatever this night had to offer, I was ready for it.

-x-

The car pulled up to Sali's, like I knew it would, around 8. The driver helped me out and wished me a happy Valentine's Day as he walked back around to drive off.

The restaurant was bustling with people both inside and outside. Many boyfriends and husbands who had failed to make reservations could be heard being verbally assaulted by their significant others as they waited for a table.

I walked into the restaurant and approached the hostess.

“Hello. Do you have a reservation secured?” she asked me.

“Uh, yes. It should be under Versteeg, I believe.” I told her having this odd feeling she was going to tell me she couldn't find it.

“Ms. King. Yes. If you'll follow me to our private guest area.”

“He really outdid himself, didn't he?” I thought as I followed her towards a secluded back room.

My heart beat raced as we got closer to the door. Was I really ready for this? Whatever this was...

She opened the door and stepped to the side so I could walk in. I stopped in my tracks before I made it into the room. I didn't understand what I saw.

“What the hell is this?”

“Lexi!” Kris stood up, walked over, gave me a hug, and pushed me further inside. Across from where he had been sitting, Claude Giroux, all dressed nicely in his suit, gave me a shy half smile. “You already know Giroux. He's your date for the night.” I could sense Kris smiling at me as Claude stood and handed me a rose. I was more focused on the familiar looking, stunning blonde seated next to Kris, though. That's when he gestured to her. “And this is my girlfriend, Cassidy.”

My knees felt like they were about to buckle. In an instant, I realized I was not as ready for this as I thought I was.