Valentine Days

Valentine's Day, Third Grade

Our class was decorating our mailboxes

Paste and tissue paper littered the room, and everywhere were those little heart stickers that are never quite sticky enough

Some of the boys were eating the paste

But you and I, we were working hard

Making matching boxes, each with half a heart on it

A pink heart, the color of strawberry ice cream

In the heart, I wrote "Be Fri For"

You wrote "st ends ever"

Together, they said "Best friends forever"

And we certainly were

Valentine's Day, Fifth Grade

We were sitting in the blanket fort we'd built in your basement

We shared a box of candy hearts

They turned your tongue blue

I liked it

I wasn't sure why

Valentine's Day, Seventh Grade

You made a Valentine for a girl you liked, and had slipped it into her locker during lunch

When she found it, she made fun of it for the rest of the day

You told me you were glad you hadn't signed it

But I could tell that wasn't what hurt you

So we asked your mom if you could come over

And we ate strawberry ice cream until you smiled again

Valentine's Day, Ninth Grade

It was our first high school Valentine's day

You were ready to try again

So you were painstakingly making a card for a different girl

I helped you, half heartedly

I felt jealous, but didn't know why

Valentine's Day, Eleventh Grade

We we at the Sweetheart Dance

Couples all around, practically eating each others' faces

And us

Standing on the edge of the crowd, not cool enough to dance

So you grabbed my hand and pulled me outside to your car

And we drove around all night, eating strawberry ice cream

And had the best night ever

Valentine's Day, First year of college

I was in my dorm room, all alone

Dateless, yet again

My phone chimed and I looked at the text from you

"Facetime?"

And I smiled

Talking to you was almost as good as strawberry ice cream

Even if you were a thousand miles away

Valentine's Day, This year

I'm sitting on the bed, all dressed up

I had lit candles all around the room,

Put bowls of chocolate all around

And on the dresser

A giant tub of strawberry ice cream

You walk into the room

And I take a deep breath

You look shocked, and adorable as always

So I get down on one knee

And tell you,

"I know we've only been dating for a year,

But I've been in love with you since third grade.

And since we've spent every Valentine's Day together,

I couldn't think of a better time to ask.

So, Nick Christopher Willis,

Will you marry me?"

You gasp,

A tear slides down your cheak

And you nod 'yes' so hard I'm worried you'll break your neck

Then you tackle me onto the bed,

Hugging my tight and kissing all over my face

I laugh and try to kiss you back

Feeling so happy I could burst

And I know there's no way of knowing, but I see a long and happy future for us

We'll have a beautiful wedding,

and our own house.

We'll eat hundreds of bowls of strawberry ice cream,

Have constant laughter,

and I'll spend every Valentine's Day

with my best friend