Memorable Valentine's Days

I have had a few memorable Valentine’s Days. Back in my senior year of high school, the guy who would end up being my prom date took me out. He had a crush on me and his best friend had a crush on one of my best friends, so despite her protestations, I dragged her along. Because they hadn’t thought to make reservations in advance, we ended up eating at Panera and then driving to Bruster’s and eating ice cream in the car. At the end of the night, we stopped at my date’s car (his friend had driven the four of us around all night), and he presented me with a pink rose. If I recall correctly, this was my first rose ever.
My next memorable Valentine’s Day came four years later, in my senior year of college. If you want the full story, you can read my account of it here. Otherwise, here is a synopsis: I had developed a crush on one of my suitemates, T___, during the course of the year, and on the evening of February 14th, the two of us and a few of our friends had planned to go bowling. We were allegedly waiting for one of our friends to get off the phone with his girlfriend so we could leave, when suddenly there was a knock at the door, and in burst After Hours, our school’s coed a cappella group. They proceeded to surround me and sing “[When I Think About You] I Touch Myself,” while the lead singer—a thin, pale girl with big eyes and curly blond hair—sashayed closer and closer to me until she was quite literally sitting on my lap with her arms around my neck. At the end of their performance, the group presented me with a red carnation that had an index card tied to it, and after they left, I ignored my laughing roommates just long enough to read the short poem written on card. It was from T___.

This year is the first year I have ever been in a relationship for Valentine’s Day, and it was pretty much everything I could have hoped for. I arrived home from swimming to R___ making me dinner (shrimp, no less, which he doesn’t even like but which is one of my favorite foods). The table was set with a bottle of wine and a beautiful red rose arrangement, and at my place was a wonderful, handmade Valentine from R___, complete with hilarious illustrations. In addition, I received very sweet Valentines from my sister and his sister, a hysterical Valentine from my friend L___, and a Valentines package from my parents (who apparently love me whether I’m in a relationship or not). R___ also bought “us” a 6-month subscription to Netflix, so I finished off my night by starting our “queue” and eating the jellybeans from my parents. All in all, this might have been the best Valentine’s Day ever.