"You can't be in here. This is girl space."
"I don't recall 'girl space' being outlined in the zoning regulations."
     "This," Christina stated manically as she outlined a square around her body with her hands, "is a girls-only establishment, hence girl space." She drew a square around Richard and said, "That is boy space. Boy space is not allowed in girl space. You have to go outside."

Being Christina Chase
Chapter 38 - Valentine's Day
by Admiral Krunch

        Christina stacked a bottle of dish soap into the grocery bag next to the paper towels and some replacement razor blades. All the time, she kept only a polite level of eye contact with the young man standing on the other side of the counter. As she filled a second bag with a roll of duct tape, a plug-in air freshener, a pair of nail clippers, and a tiny eye glass repair kit, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the obvious randomness of the young man's purchases.

        He'd entered the store over ten minutes ago, wandering around, and pretend to shop. All the while, he cast glances towards her, always retreating suddenly when she looked in his direction. Of course, this was not lost on Christina, who found something both comical and charming in the way the high school boy shyly spied on her.

        This is what had been happening ever since Christina had dumped Richard in Abby's store. Of all the places in Oak Grove, Christina wondered, why did she have to break up with Richard in Ariel Rose? Abby went right to work spreading the news that Christina Chase was on the market. But this was a new level, Christina realized as she finished ringing up the young man's purchases. Of course, it was Valentine's Day, and Christina Chase had all but barricaded herself in the family grocery store.

        As Christina handed her timid suitor his change, he stood there for a moment as his last chance to say something to the beautiful girl was slipping by. Sensing the oncoming awkward moment, Christina grinned and said, "Thanks for stopping by, Anthony. Tell your mom I said hi."

        The young man grinned, nodded nervously, went completely red, then fled through the front door, slapping himself on the forehead as he left.

        Once the store was empty, Christina couldn't stifle a giggle. She heard the sound of the bell on the door again and did her best to make a serious face. When she saw Nina come in and take her book bag off of her shoulder, Christina came out from behind the counter to greet her.

        "Hey Nina," Christina said. "How was school today?"

        "It was okay."

        Sensing that something was bothering Nina, Christina asked, "Did anyone pick on you?"

        "No," Nina laughed. "No one's picked on me since you beat David up."

        Christina slapped Nina playfully on the shoulder with the back of her hand and said, "I did no such thing. We just had a conversation."

        "If that's what you want to call it."

        "That's how I explained it to your mother," Christina added.

        "Oh, really?"

        "Yeah ... she saw it more as a 'beating-up', too. I got a lecture about that one."

        "Wow, a Mom lecture- I'm sorry."

        Christina raised her finger and mimicked her aunt's accent, "Tina, I know you only wish to look out for your cousin, but this is not the way a lady acts."

        Nina laughed again as she went behind the counter and grabbed the broom leaning against the wall. "How did she find out?"

        "Come on Nina, you know that nothing in this town stays a secret forever. I think Abby should just go on the radio and save everyone the trouble of going into her store."

        "What did Dad say?"

        Christina leaned back against the vegetable case as Nina began sweeping the floor. "He didn't say anything in front of your Mom, but I think he was actually proud of me. He kept smirking."

        "Yeah, that's what he does when Mom's trying to be serious and he thinks something is funny." Nina swept around the shelves and asked, "So does this mean you're not going to beat people up anymore?"

        "Why, did you have someone in mind?" Christina joked.

        "No," Nina giggled.

        "Well, if you do, you'll have to ask Andrei. I need to be more refined from here on out." Christina picked up the hem of her skirt and gave Nina an exaggerated curtsey.

        Nina placed the broom back against the wall, lifted an imaginary skirt and curtseyed back. "But of course ..." she joked. "Did you tell Mom about the you-know-what's yet?" Nina pointed to her bellybutton.

        "No," Christina said with a grin. "I think I should give it a little more time before I tell her I got you drunk and pierced, all in the same night. She's gonna kill me."

        Nina laughed again and said, "I didn't get drunk."

        Christina joked, "Next time, we're getting tattoos."

        Nina pulled up her shirt to look at her bellybutton ring. She admired the fairy that dangled over her tummy saying, "I know Mom's going to be mad, but it was worth it."

        "Completely," Christina agreed. "So," she continued incisively, "if things at school are okay, then what's bothering you?"

         Nina raised herself up and sat on the front counter, facing her cousin. She shrugged and said, "I don't know ..."

        "Come on, what is it?"

        "You know, it's Valentine's Day."

        "Oh, I know. I've been getting looks all day."

        "What kinda looks?"

        "Those trying-to-get-the-nerve-to-ask-you-out looks. I swear if I get one more of those, I think I'm gonna to hurl."

        "I think I could use a few of those looks."

        Christina walked across the room and leaned back against the counter so that she was resting next to her cousin. "Nina, I'm sure you'll meet someone new soon."

        "Yeah I guess so. You know, it's not like I'm sure I even want to date anyone right now, it's just that ..."

        "What?"

        Nina shrugged and said, "I just thought this was going to be the first Valentine's Day where I had a real boyfriend." Nina looked at Christina and asked, "I mean, don't you hate not being with someone on Valentine's Day?"

        Christina grimaced and admitted," ... yeah ... and on Christmas, and New Year's ... and Arbor day ... and all the other holidays that are made up to make you feel like you should be with someone." That last comment made Nina laugh. "Yeah, we all feel like that sometimes," Christina continued, "but love is nothing but trouble. It makes you crazy."

        "I know."

        "So ... what do you say we hang out tonight? Just you and me?"

        "Oh, that's very romantic," Nina laughed as she hopped off the counter.

        "What is romantic?" Alek asked as he emerged from the back room.

        Nina sighed, "Staying at home on another Valentine's Day."

        Alek gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and joked, "Do not be in such a rush, Nina. You are still my little girl."

        Nina rubbed the side of her cheek and complained, "Oh Daddy ... I'm going to be sixteen years old. Sixteen! In less than a month!"

        "Do not remind me," he acknowledged with a smirk.

        Christina shrugged and added, "I'm quite looking forward to a quiet night at home."

        Alek placed his hand on Christina's shoulder and said, "You see? There is nothing wrong with spending Valentine's Day at home with your father. We will play that game you always liked ... Monopoly."

        "As long as I get to be the thimble," Christina joked.

        Alek gave Christina a peck on the cheek and shot another smirk at his daughter before he returned to his work in the back of the store.

        "As long as I get to be the thimble?" Nina said incredulously.

        "What?" Christina laughed at the younger girl.

        "Oh my God, that is NOT helpful! We can't stay home and play Monopoly with Dad!"

        "What's so bad about that?"

        Nina stared at her older cousin in disbelief for a few moments. She asked, "Did your belly button ring get infected?"

        "No ... why?"

        "Because I think it's spreading to your brain! Staying at home with your father on Valentine's Day is pathetic!"

        Christina leaned over slightly, squinted her eyes a bit and said, "Oh I think you'll change your tune when I own all four railroads and the electric company."

        Nina started to laugh again as Christina's lips formed into a playful grin. "I can't talk to you right now," Nina complained. "Being cooped up in here with my Dad is making you crazy."

        "I dunno about that. It's better than my old job."

        "Being stuck in this tiny little store with my father is better than seeing the city every day? And making lots of money? And getting to do whatever you want, when you want to?"

        Christina pondered for a moment and smiled warmly. "Yeah," she said truthfully.

        "Well I want to see the city," Nina implored as thrust her hands dramatically outward. "I want to know what life is like other places. I want to GO other places. I want to see the Pacific Ocean. I want to know what the view from the Eiffel Tower is like. I want to see the Taj Mahal."

        "Nina ... someday you're going to do all those things. And by the way, when you get to the Taj Mahal, ask the janitor what it is. Andrei and I have been wondering."

        "I'm serious!"

        Christina went to her cousin and wrapped her long arm around her waist. "I know you're serious Nina. I know you want to do all sorts of things, and I know you will someday. When you're done with high school, with a brain like yours, you'll get into any college you want."

        Nina sighed, "Dad's never going to let me go away to school."

        "Nina, I don't think your father would stand in your way. He knows you're too smart to just stay here forever."

        Nina frowned. "He didn't want Anastasia to go to college. He wouldn't even let you live on your own."

        Christina grimaced and said, "... That was really kind of a mutual agreement ..." She looked down at her younger cousin who looked very unhappy. "Nina, you know what, let me worry about Uncle Alek. You are going to go to college, and he's just going to have to accept that."

        Nina nodded meekly.

        "And you know, I was reading that Math Olympics pamphlet ... I think maybe you should do it. God knows you're smart enough, and that sort of thing always looks good on transcripts. You might even get a scholarship out of it."

        "I know I can do it," Nina admitted, "but do you know how many guys asked me to be their Valentine? Zero. There's some math for you."

        "Nina-"

        "I don't need to find ways of making myself into a bigger geek than I already am."

        "Nina, guys actually like super smart girls. Don't you ever think have to pretend you're someone that you're not."

        "Yeah ... I guess."

        "Well, I know," Christina said decisively.

        "I'll think about it," Nina conceded as she went to stand behind the counter. As she rounded the corner of the cash register, she took a quick look at the clock on the wall, then to her cousin, and back again to the clock.

        Christina made no notice of that as she meticulously arranged boxes of cereal so that that they were aligned with the edges of the shelves.

        The phone on the wall rang once. Before it had an opportunity to ring again, Nina picked it up. "Christina, it's for you- It's Steph."

        Christina came out from the shelves and took the phone from her cousin. "Hey Steph," she sang into the phone.

        Steph said, "Christina, you have to come quick- it's Lisa," in an urgent voice.

        "Lisa? What's wrong?"

        "No time to talk. You have to come over RIGHT NOW."

        "Yeah, okay. I'll be right there."

        "What is it?" Nina asked as Christina hung up the phone.

        Christina put on her coat and said, "I'm not sure. Steph wants me over at the salon. Something about Lisa."

        "Okay," Nina said as she glanced up at the clock. "Tell me all about it when you get back."

        Christina rushed out into the cold and down the sidewalk as fast as she could without losing her footing on the ice. As she jogged down the street, she wove between bunches of people and children who, now that school was out for the day, crowded the middle of town.

        As Christina made her way past the florist's, a familiar young man abandoned the person he was helping and rushed out the front door. "Christina," he called as the girl rushed past.

        "Harold?" Christina stopped and faced the young man who was standing behind her, holding a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers. She looked at the flowers then into the young man's hopeful face and realized immediately what he was after.

        "I thought you might like these," Harold stuttered.

        Christina had to think of a way to shut Harold down quickly. While, on the surface, he seemed shy, he'd already had more nerve than most of the men who were seeking Christina out on Valentine's Day. "Those are for me?" Christina grinned. She took a step closer and eyed the flowers. "Those aren't lilies, are they?" she asked.

        "No, these are orchids," Harold said as though it was plainly obvious even to someone who didn't work in a flower shop.

        "Right, orchids! I'm allergic to orchids," Christina recovered as she manufactured a loud sneeze. She motioned with her hand for Harold to hold the bouquet further away. Covering her mouth as she feigned another sniffle, she apologized, "I can't get anywhere near them ... But the thought was just so sweet!" She flashed the young man a conciliatory smile as she continued down the sidewalk.

        Harold closed his eyes as he whispered to himself, "... allergic to orchids ... don't forget ..."

        She stared down at the icy sidewalk, both to help her concentrate on her footing and to avoid making eye contact with the people she passed. Not only did she not want to deal with men today, Christina was wondering what had Steph so worked up.

        She continued down the perilous sidewalk until she came in contact with a large, impassible object. Christina looked up and saw that the impassible object had a familiar face. It was Adam, one of the men she'd danced with on New Year's Eve.

        "Excuse me," Christina said as she blushed.

        Adam smiled and held Christina by the arm as she regained her footing. "I know that people say they bumped into someone on the street, but I didn't know it was literal," he joked.

        "I wasn't looking where I was going ..."

        "That's okay," Adam said as he straightened out his ski jacket, "I obviously wasn't paying attention either."

        Christina nodded, then started to walk around the man when he turned to face her again.

        "So," Adam started, "I heard that you and Richard Masters sort of broke up ..."

        "... I wouldn't say we were exactly together," Christina objected as she shook her head testily.

        "Really," Adam said as his grin increased tenfold, "... well, in that case, would you like to go out some time?"

        Realizing her mistake, Christina's eyes went wide and she said, "Oh no ... no ..." Seeing Adam's expression, she continued, "... Not because I wouldn't want to go out with you ... it's just that ..." Christina bit her lower lip as she searched for a polite way to turn the man down. "... because," Christina stalled, "... It's just too soon. Too soon after Richard. You know how it is."

        "I thought you said you weren't together ..."

        "Together?" Christina fumbled. " ... How do you describe it when you think you've found your soul mate? I mean, 'together' doesn't cut it. We were like the same person ... and then it just doesn't work out ... " She did her best to incite a few tears but could only produce an odd squinting in her eyes. "Too soon," she repeated.

        Adam nodded, reclaiming some of his male pride and said, "Yeah, I know how that can be." He smiled again and offered, "If you do ... you know, if you feel that someday ..."

        Christina touched Adam's hand and said, "You'll be the first person I'd call. But, for now ... " Christina bit hard into the inside of her cheek, enough to cause a half-tear to form in her eye, and insisted, "It's just too soon. Thank you for understanding." After giving Adam's hand a friendly squeeze, Christina continued to Steph's Salon, this time paying more heed to where she was going.

        Step by step, Christina inched closer to the door of Steph's Salon. She was sure that people were looking at her. It felt as though Valentine's Day was the official start of hunting season and she was the only deer in the forest. She slammed the door shut behind her and saw that the Salon was packed. Both Lisa and Steph were working on customers. There were four women sitting under hair dryers, and the waiting area was filled to capacity.

        Looking around for a fire, signs of an earthquake, or anything else that could be construed as a life or death emergency, Christina walked through the crowd to where Steph was working.

        "What took you so long?" Steph chirped as she worked on an older woman's hair.

        "It's like a minefield out there," Christina complained.

        "Whadya mean?" Steph asked.

        "Men," Christina complained. As she looked around, Christina realized that Steph's Salon was probably the only man-free zone in the whole town. It was like a giant girl's room, only without the toilets, and she was suddenly happy that Steph had called her. "So what's the emergency?" she asked.

        "That," Steph said as she pointed a pair of scissors towards the mirror.

        Christina looked at the mirror and saw that several magazine panels had been cut out and taped to the wall of mirrors; all of them of dresses. The one Steph was pointing at was an iridescent orange gown with spaghetti straps and a long draped bodice.

        "You called me over to look at a dress? That's the life or death situation?"

        "She's making a big deal out of nothing," Lisa chimed in.

        "That," Step continued as though the dress on the wall were in fact a life or death matter, "is what Lisa is thinking about for her bridesmaids. Also known as me."

        "Wow," Christina said softly. "Well ... it's ... "

        The woman in Lisa's chair very diplomatically said, "It's very ... orange ..."

        "Yes Mrs. Taylor. It's orange. It's very orange. It's visible-from-space orange," Steph complained.

        "It's not that bad," Lisa defended.

        Steph looked to Christina for back up, but all she could muster was, "It's a little orange ... It's not an awful dress."

        "Says the girl who's not going to be in it." Steph countered. "I said she should pick that one," Steph continued as she pointed at a picture of a powder blue dress further down the mirror wall. It was a simple yet elegant halter dress. It has a certain style that seemed to call back to another decade, though still managed to be contemporary, much like all of Steph's taste in clothing.

        "You know we can't pick that one," Lisa complained as she continued working.

        "I like the orange one better," the woman in Steph's chair proclaimed.

        "Don't cross a gal with scissors, Mrs. Coleman," Steph joked. She took her attention off her customer for a moment and explained to Christina, "It's a sickness. Whenever one of us gets married, we can pick out a cake, we can pick out a wedding dress, we can even pick out a hall, but when it comes to bridesmaids dresses, we all lose our minds and pick the most hideous thing on the face of the Earth."

        "Steph," Lisa complained.

        "And this week, the most hideous thing in the world is ORANGE. All women, and I don't know why this is, pick out the worst bridesmaids dresses, then force their friends to wear them."

        "Look," Christina said as she laughed, "if I ever get married, you can pick out my dresses, okay?"

        "Don't think I won't remember that," Steph said as she pointed her scissors at Christina.

        Lisa started setting curlers in Mrs. Taylor's hair and explained, "It's not that orange was my first choice, it's just that I have certain constraints I have to work with."

        "Her cousin Patty is the big 'P'" Steph interrupted.

        "The big 'P'?" Christina asked.

        "Preggers," Steph explained.

        "Patty is Preggers?" Christina repeated.

        "Not just Preggers. Megapreggers."

        "Come on," Lisa complained.

        "And Patty was never a small girl," Steph added.

        "I can't get every dress in certain sizes," said Lisa.

        "You only get married once," Steph insisted.

        "Not all of us," Mrs. Coleman joked.

        "Okay," Steph conceded, "you only get married for the first time, once, and you don't want your wedding pictures to look likes you and Ollie are standing in the middle of an orange grove in Florida!"

        "I already said if you can find another dress in her size ..." said Lisa.

        "It turns out, the only dresses you can find in meggapreggers, are the wedding dresses. Kind of a sad commentary on the state of the American family," Steph joked as she took the apron off of Mrs. Coleman.

        "It is very orange," Mrs. Taylor said again.

        "Well, this sounds very important," Christina laughed as she held her hands up, "but I should get back to the store. I don't want to leave Nina all alone up front."

        "You can't go yet," Lisa blurted as she shot a glance at the clock on the wall.

        "Why not?" Christina asked suspiciously.

        Steph looked at Lisa with a grimace and said, "'Cause we need to figure out this dress situation ..."

        Christina glanced at the clock as though the answer to what was going on was posted on the wall next to it. "DO we need to figure this out right now?"

        Realizing the jig was up, Steph comically said, "At least for five more minutes."

        "Okay, what is going on?" Christina asked, though neither Lisa nor Steph gave an answer. "You're both looking at the clock. What's going on? Nina was too ..."

        "I said it was a bad idea," Mrs. Coleman said, though no one was paying attention to her.

        "... Okay ... " Christina said as she backed away. "I'm heading back to the store, and when you pod people return Steph and Lisa to their bodies, have them give me a call."

        Lisa and Steph had guilty grins on their faces as Christina made her way to the front door. The way the women in the salon also met Christina's gaze with strange faces made her feel that everyone was in on whatever secret was being kept from her.

        After Christina had left the building, Mrs. Coleman said, "... And I still think the orange dress is perfectly fine."

        Lisa shot Steph a smirk as Steph exploded, "Just tell Patty to go on a diet!"

 

        Out on the sidewalk, Christina was again finding it difficult to both avoid people and keep her balance. When she was about halfway back to the grocery store, she caught sight of a familiar man in a long, expensive over coat. As she got closer, she recognized the man as Richard, who was holding a single red rose.

        "Not today," Christina groaned.

        Richard started walking beside her and held the rose out to her. "But today is-"

        "Valentine's Day," Christina snapped. "Yes. I know. I'm over it."

        Richard joked, "Have I ever mentioned how much I admire the hopeless romantic in you?"

        Christina shooed away Richard's rose and complained, "Didn't we already have this conversation? I don't need you on my case today. Everyone in town is after me. At least when they thought I was dating you, they left me alone."

        "You 'were' dating me, Princess," Richard said with his self-assured grin.

        Christina stopped and gritted her teeth as she stared at Richard. He held up his rose, and Christina snatched it from him with her right hand as she pressed the fingers of her left hand against her brow.

        "We have never been on a date," Christina said as she accented each word with a wave of the rose. "And we are never going out on a date."

        Richard, as usual, ignored the fuming girl and merely smiled at her.

        "And you need to get it through your head that ..." Christina trailed off as she realized that her protest was entertaining the older man immensely. "You know what? I don't have time for this today. I just don't have time," she complained as she started back towards the store.

        "So, will you have time for this later?" Richard joked. "Say around eight tonight?"

        "No," Christina moaned. "Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not even when the stars burn out, and the night goes permanently black, and the universe collapses in on itself." She started to open the door to the grocery, but Richard stopped her.

        "What you're trying to say is, you're booked for the week."

        Richard's playfulness was beginning to grate on Christina's nerves. She tapped Richard on his chest with the rose and complained, "Was this your big plan? Show up with your oh-so-annoying enthusiasm and a single rose?"

        "Actually, the plan was a little bigger than that." Richard held open the door to the grocery store, and Christina looked in. Every counter, every shelf, was covered by enormous bouquets of red roses. Nina looked from behind the counter with the widest grin Christina had ever seen. Alek stood behind his daughter with his arms crossed looking as though he were five seconds from setting fire to every flower in the entire town.

        Christina's arms fell to her side as she entered the store. She looked all around and was confronted by roses at every angle. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered to herself. "You were in on this?" she asked Nina.

        "Isn't it romantic?" the girl gushed.

        "No ..." Christina balked. "It's ... It's very... It's invadey." She turned to Richard and stuttered, "Why ... How ..."

        "Well, the how," Richard said, not losing an ounce of his playful energy. "That took some doing. I tried to order flowers through the store in town, but the kid there said they didn't sell flowers anymore."

        "Harold?"

        "You know, I think he's kind of sweet on you," Richard joked. "So I had these trucked in."

        "There really was a truck!" Nina giggled.

        "Nina!" Christina squealed as she went to the counter. "How could you do this to me? We're blood-sisters and everything! We're supposed to look out for each other when it comes to men."

        Nina shrugged and said, "We're supposed to point out the bad ones, and the good ones too."

        Alek rolled his eyes and complained, "I am going back to work. Let me know when I can throw all of this rubbish out." With that, the man went back to the storeroom, where he hoped he would find sanity.

        Richard wrapped his arm around Christina and crooned, "Now that I have the seal of approval, what do you say we talk about tonight?"

        "No-hoh way," Christina said as she shimmed out from Richard's grasp. "There is no Valentine's Day this year. I'm calling the whole thing off."

        "You can't call off the whole holiday," Nina laughed.

        "Oh yes I can," Christina said as she waved her rose around. She pointed the rose at Nina and said, "And I can't believe you were in on this." She looked back and forth between Richard and Nina as it sank in, "... And Steph and Lisa too! I ..." She continued waving her hands as though the conversation was continuing in her mind, but the words had stopped.

        She stopped moving her hands and took a moment to compose herself. She ran her hands through her long blonde hair, then calmly said, "If you will both excuse me, I have to go kill Steph now."

        Before Christina had made it to the door, Richard started after her. On the way out, he shot Nina a large grin and gave her an "OK" sign with his hand.

        Once they were on the street, Richard started walking next to Christina and said, "I would advise against killing your friend, but if I can't stop you from going through with it, I think I may be able suggest an excellent attorney to get you off after the fact."

        Christina rolled her eyes and ignored the man as she rounded the corner onto Main Street. She saw a familiar red haired boy coming down the sidewalk in her direction. It was James, and he appeared to be talking to himself. He stared at the ground as he approached, then stopped. Turning on his heels, he started back the other way and again abruptly stopped. This continued a few more times as Christina and Richard approached.

        "James?" Christina asked.

        "Hey," the boy said as he scratched behind his neck.

        "What are you doing?"

        "You know, just standing here ... I sometimes like to come here ... and stand ... "

        "Are you sure you weren't on your way to see Nina maybe?"

        James let out a large breath and his entire chest deflated. "I was thinking I would ... it's Valentine's Day, and ..."

        "Didn't you hear?" Richard joked, "Christina's called the whole day off."

        "Oh, wow," James said in shock, "are you serious?"

        Christina smacked Richard in the shoulder, "It's not called off!" She took James by the shoulders and asked, "Didn't we already have this conversation, James? Hiding in the background isn't going to get you anywhere."

        Richard removed Christina's hands from the boy and took over. "James," he started, "it is James, isn't it?" When James nodded, Richard continued. "James, there's no room for doubt. If you want to get the girl, you have to commit yourself fully to it. Take rejection and put it out of your mind. You need to know the outcome before you even start. A girl can see that in your eyes." He turned to Christina and peered deeply into her eyes. Taking the rose from her hand, Richard lifted it and tickled Christina's cheek with the petals. "March into that store," Richard explained to the boy, though he held Christina transfixed in his gaze, "and tell the girl that there's no one else in the world you want to be with today."

        For a moment, Christina lost herself in Richard's eyes, but she snapped out of it when James said, "That's really good advice."

        Christina turned to James and complained, "I told you the same thing!"

        "Yeah," James said as he pointed at Richard, "but he said it a lot better."

        Christina rolled her eyes as Richard handed James the single rose. "Give her this, and sweep her off her feet. That is of course, unless you like standing here on the sidewalk."

        James nodded a few times, took the rose, and said, "I'll do it." He started down the sidewalk with a newfound determination and disappeared around the corner.

        "You gave him my rose?" Christina complained.

        "Come on," Richard said with his smug grin, "it's not like you don't have a whole store full of them."

        Christina started to laugh manically as she started back down the sidewalk. "You just made the list. First, I'm gonna kill Steph, then I'm gonna kill you."

        "Do I least get to pick the method of my demise?"

        Christina ignored the man's innuendo as she stormed through town with Richard walking beside her. As she burst into the salon, and shouted, "How could you do this to me?" the crowd of women immediately took notice.

        "That's an odd way to say thanks," Steph joked from across the room.

        "Thanks? Thanks?" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Richard had followed her into the salon. She turned to him and sneered, "What are you doing in here?"

        "Excuse me?" he said with a smile.

        "You can't be in here. This is girl space."

        "I don't recall 'girl space' being outlined in the zoning regulations."

        "This," Christina stated manically as she outlined a square around her body with her hands, "is a girls-only establishment, hence girl space." She drew a square around Richard and said, "That is boy space. Boy space is not allowed in girl space. You have to go outside."

        Richard paused for a moment then flirted, "This psychotic break you're having is oddly appealing."

        Christina's left eyelid twitched a bit, then she turned her back on Richard and charged over to Steph. "You were in on this," she accused.

        "Of course I was," Steph laughed. "You set me up with Andrei, I was just returning the favor."

        "This," Christina complained as she pointed at Richard in the waiting area, "is not a favor. This is a catastrophe."

        Steph looked at Lisa and said, "And this is the thanks we get ..."

        "We ... " Christina muttered, "Right ... all of you were in on it. The whole town is in on it!"

        All eyes shifted to Richard as he walked confidently into the salon. He paused in front of Christina and flashed his trademark smile. He knelt in front of her and took her hand. Looking up into her eyes, he said, "Christina, you are the only one for me. And I stand here now, for all to see, and I ask you, will you be my Valentine?"

        Christina's cheeks flushed as she stared at the charming man who was kneeling in front of her.

        Steph whispered to Lisa, "Ol' Abby's gonna bust her gut when she finds out she was the last person to hear about this."

        At that moment, Christina realized that she was on display, in gossip epicenter of all of Oak Grove, and that fact made her smile at the man before her as she said, "Yes Richard. I would love to be your Valentine."

---

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
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