The Love Story: Episode 2

“Valentine’s Day Shenanigans”

With Valentine’s Day comes pink hearts, red roses, and excessive sugar consumption.

Loved by some, and loathed by others, the celebration is widely regarded as the ultimate day of cheesy, unapologetic romance.

Many perceive its typical traditions—such as exchanging bouquets, teddy bears, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, and dining in upscale restaurants alongside other couples—as superficial, mainly because they’re seen as romantic clichés.

Why do people have to be asked to demonstrate their love on a single day? Why not do it every day of the year?

Despite this, Valentine’s Day has always made Susan feel giddy inside.

She anticipated its arrival every year since she was old enough to understand its significance.

It wasn’t the gifts or surprises she received, but the events she attended in honour of the celebration that excited her.

These gatherings served as avenues for Susan to hear about other people’s love stories—individuals she somewhat admired, and learn from them.

With Valentine’s Day just a week away, she couldn’t wait.

She loved the question-and-answer segments, the food, and the fun she always got to experience.

Most of the time, she didn’t even mind that her friends screamed in excitement at the gifts they received, or when they shared the video and photo memories with her.

It was the perfect distraction, and she was pleased with it.

However, this year felt different, and only one person made it so – Jaden.

******

Susan still hadn’t heard anything from Jaden.

One night, she casually brought up him and his team to her dad, asking if he had come into contact with any of them. She was careful not to come off as desperate or arouse her dad’s suspicion.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t. He had settled the men and couldn’t think of any good reason for their swift return.

If daydreaming and fantasies had a child, Susan would likely be the result. She couldn’t get Jaden out of her head.

She indulged in ‘positive what-ifs’ and was quite delusional about the reasons why.

Susan knew that being attracted to someone or having a huge crush was not a sin. However, it could be difficult to differentiate between those feelings.

Was it just a crush, or was it lust?

She felt her heart was sending her mixed messages about what she should or shouldn’t do. The painful longing to hear from Jaden was causing her obsession to grow.

She could have paused halfway and prayed, ‘Lord, give me sense, Amen,’ but a part of her wanted to continue nurturing this crush.

She knew that if she asked, God could take away this feeling, but she hesitated. She didn’t want it to disappear.

******

Jaden eventually called, explaining that his dad was in a tough medical situation, requiring urgent attention and preventing him from focusing on anything else at the moment.

“It just so happened he had an attack the same evening I obtained your phone number. I’m so sorry,” he said.

Remembering the saying ‘health is wealth’, Susan understood the urgency of the situation. She knew she needed to be understanding.

In reverse circumstances, she believed Jaden would be equally understanding if her parents were in a medical crisis.

She couldn’t stay mad at him.

Besides, no one would be heartless enough to lie about a medical emergency as serious as this one, right?

Jaden had to be telling the truth.

To compensate for the extended period of silence, he sent her flowers, and instantly they entered a routine of endless good morning and goodnight texts.

Their conversations rapidly progressed from light gossip to deep discussions, delving into childhood memories, traumas, family dynamics, personal preferences, and matters of faith and religion.

Over a week, Susan and Jaden developed a strong connection, fostered by their communication routine that gave Susan the impression they were on the path to something serious.

They expressed their deep affection for each other through heartfelt paragraphs, conveying their gratitude for crossing paths.

Susan believed Jaden practically aced her checklist!

He was hardworking, had faith in God, cared deeply for his father, was ambitious like her, and had clear goals. She trusted him.

Though Jaden never explicitly expressed his feelings for her during their texting spree, Susan sensed his strong affection towards her.

******

Jaden was the experienced one, having been in two different relationships before meeting Susan, and he knew just how to make a girl feel loved.

With Valentine’s Day approaching in just one day, he asked Susan to be his date. He had prepared something special for her.

Excited by Jaden’s request, Susan’s heart fluttered widely.

She genuinely liked him and the thought of letting him in couldn’t be so bad, could it?

Accepting Jaden’s request meant she wouldn’t be attending the annual Valentine’s Day event at her church.

But missing it just this once didn’t seem too troublesome, especially for someone she really cared about.

Wouldn’t God understand? After all, he wants nothing more than to see his children happy and experience the good things in life.

Susan believed this experience was ultimately one of those good things, and Jaden could be the ONE.

She said “yes” to his request.

For once, she was the one in the spotlight, and it felt really good.