by Marian Wood

Anne-Marie sat on her bed, playing with her long brown hair, dreaming of the one boy who she wanted to give her heart to. The shadows danced around the room. Life had not been easy. She was thirty-five now, and single again. Her last relationship had ended suddenly when two-timing Freddie had decided that blonde, brazen Roxanna was a better prospect. She had been devastated, like he had put his fist into her chest and physically ripped her heart out.

Now, months on, watching her pet chipmunk, Sonia, she thought about Jonathan. They had known each other most of their lives and he had always been there for her and her for him. If she had a problem, he was always the first person she would phone. She felt that there had always been something more between them but, had always been too scared to pursue it. She did not want to lose his friendship if it all went wrong.

Anne-Marie looked up at her calendar on the wall. The picture of the London cityscape looked back at her. February 13th, she thought, tomorrow is St. Valentine’s day. Picking up her mobile, she started typing frantically.

They looked at each other awkwardly, hoping the other felt the same way but too scared to say it.

At 1 pm, the handsome architect walked into the Newsagent store and bought a Toblerone and some red roses. Feeling nervous, he tapped in his PIN, then smiled at the cashier as he walked out. He wondered if he should tell his friend how he really felt. Would she reject him?

Anne-Marie sat on the park bench, watching the grey squirrels race about and the children nearby chase each other and laughing. It was then she heard his voice: “Anne, sorry I’m late.” He sat down next to her with a thud. She looked up and saw the roses, wow her heart beat faster, she told herself to not get too excited. Maybe they were for someone else. He then offered her the Toblerone.

“Oooh, you old romantic,” she said. “Toblerone, roses, St. Valentine’s day—and there are squirrels playing on the path.” They both laughed and looked at each other.

“Anne, I need to tell you something,” he said.

“I need to tell you something too.”

They looked at each other awkwardly, hoping the other felt the same way but too scared to say it. Jonathan then reached up and put his arm around her. Anne-Marie did not push him away, she liked his arm there and she cuddled in closer. They had known each other years, why had it taken till now to get this far? Maybe they both had to make their mistakes first to see that the person in front of them was the right one. Jonathan pulled her in closer and played a little with her hair. She then looked up at him and it was now that their lips met for the first time.

Finally, she thought, maybe now, things will be right.

Marian Wood is hard at work on a novel called The Secret Time Warp. You can also connect with her on her blog.