Ever since Stella and Joe had started dating, they had been getting sickeningly sweet. The kind of sweet that gave you a toothache just to look at them. Nick, Kevin and Macy tolerated it, but it had been getting worse in the days approaching Valentine's Day. That week, there was a Secret Valentine Exchange going on and in some stroke of luck, Stella and Joe had drawn each other and didn't even bother to keep it a secret. The roses, jewelry, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, huge singing cards and giant, human-sized stuffed animals were bordering on the obnoxious. And then came the day when Joe presented Stella with a bunch of red, heart-shaped balloons at lunch.

Macy quietly got up from the table, leaving the couple alone. She headed toward her locker, but bumped into Kevin on the way.

"Hey, Kevin," she said softly, not looking up at him.

"Hey Mace," he returned, "What's up?"

"Oh, Stella and Joe are doing the couple thing in the middle of the caf and I just decided that it would be good to take my leave of them…they probably didn't even notice me, to be honest, but I don't really care for watching people make out. Well, when I watch movies it's different, because I'm not getting this up close and personal version of it…" she trailed off as she noticed Kevin's look of mild amusement at her rambling. "Sorry," she offered, "sometimes when I'm upset I kinda just blather on and forget what's happening…"

"I get that, but why are you upset?" Kevin asked.

"Stella and I usually spend Valentine's together, but now that she's with Joe…"

"Oh, you don't like Valentine's Day either?"

"Oh, no, I like Valentine's Day…I just don't like all the emphasis on romance…I mean, I know that Valentine's is a romantic holiday, but seeing as how I've never had a boyfriend on Valentine's, I just prefer to celebrate the love I have for my friends…or my little sister…or my cat…"

Kevin let out a small snort that immediately turned into a yelp of pain as Macy's hand made contact with his shoulder.

"Hey, at least I like Valentine's Day," Macy said archly.

"When did I say I didn't like Valentine's?" Kevin said as he rubbed his shoulder.

"You said, and I quote, 'Oh, you don't like Valentine's Day either?' like two minutes ago!"

"Okay, fine, you caught me…I don't like Valentine's Day."

"Why?"

"Oh, you know, the usual…I'm always single…except for that one year…but that ended rather badly because the press saw us and she got scared and then she dumped me because she didn't like being caught in the panic…" he gave a shake of his head and looked down at her, "So, any plans for tonight?"

"Well, seeing as how my sister has a boyfriend and my parents are going to go out to eat at some fancy restaurant, I'm just going to wallow in self-pity and watch something like Titanic or Tristan and Isolde…you know, movies where everyone dies. It makes my chronic singleness seem small in comparison."

"At least you have your cat," Kevin said as the bell rang.

"Gee, thanks," Macy said with a roll of her eyes.

"Mind if I join you in your evening of self-pity?"

Macy's mind went blank. Did Kevin really just invite himself over to her house to watch movies on Valentine's Day? He was looking at her expectantly, so he must have and he must be serious about it.

"Sure," Macy said with a big grin, "seven o' clock. Chinese food okay? That's what I usually get."

"Chinese food is great, see you then," he said as he walked off down the hall.

***

Macy sat on the leather couch in her living room, waiting for Kevin to arrive. The Chinese had yet to arrive, and she was in a mild panic. She had a vague sort of soft spot for Kevin, but she didn't intend on telling him that…especially not on Valentine's Day. The doorbell finally rang and Macy ran to answer it, hoping it would be Kevin.

Her hopes were answered when she opened the door to reveal a smiling Kevin.

"Hello," he said with a wink. Macy almost died right there. She let him in the door,

"What movies are we going to watch tonight?" he asked.

"Well, I wanted to watch P.S. I Love You, but if you don't want that, we have a bunch of stuff."

"Hey, it's up to you; I just didn't want you to be alone tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. No one should be alone on Valentine's Day, Mace. Especially you."

"Okay, fair enough," she said quickly, turning back to the living room and hiding her blushing face from his.

Macy popped the DVD in the player and started it up. The doorbell rang again as the menu popped up on screen. She ran for the door, and opened it again.

"Thirty-one sixty-two," said the man on the porch, holding what had to be four bags of food towards Macy. She turned toward the table by the door, appearing to be looking for something in vain.

"Ugh, I thought I had the money ready," she muttered under her breath.

"I can get it Macy," Kevin said.

"No, I ordered it; besides, you were forced to come here tonight. I don't want to make you pay for all of that food. It's not fair to you."

"Macy, it's no big deal. You can't find your wallet, I have money, and we're both starved. Besides, if it freaks you out that much, you're totally welcome to come over to my house next week and pay for food then."

"You want me to come over to your house?"

"Of course, you're my friend," he said. Even if I do want more than that, he thought.

"Well, whatever you decide, one of you better be paying for this food!" the deliveryman said grouchily.

Kevin quickly handed the guy a few bills and took the food from him.

"This smells delicious; what all did you get?" he asked.

"Orange chicken, beef with green onions, sesame chicken, lo mein, veggies, fried rice, egg rolls, egg drop and wonton soups, pot stickers…" she trailed off sheepishly, blushing at the amused expression Kevin was giving her. "What? I like Chinese food! Besides, it wasn't like I was planning on eating all this by myself."

They tore open the bags and arranged the take out boxes on the coffee table in front of them.

"You want a fork or a spoon or something?" Macy asked as they looked at the feast before them.

"Eat Chinese without chopsticks?" Kevin asked in confusion, "Why on earth would you do that?"

"I meant for the lo mein and soup."

"Oh," said Kevin.

"Come on, you can get our sodas," Macy said, grabbing his hand as she led him to the kitchen, each of them secretly trying to ignore the feeling of skin-to-skin contact. He looked in the fridge for some sodas, found several cans of Dr. Pepper and grabbed two of them. He turned back to see Macy reaching for some glasses on the top shelf of a cupboard. She was standing on her tiptoes trying to reach the bright plastic tumblers as Kevin came up behind her and murmured,

"Need some help?"

She jumped, causing the cup she had just gotten a hold of to slip out of her hand and fall on Kevin's head.

"Oops," said Macy softly, "sorry."

"I'm okay Mace. I've suffered worse."

"Sorry about those too."

"What makes you think you're the only person to cause me physical harm? Stella gave me a black eye when I was nine because I wouldn't play dress up with her."

"What'd she hit you with?"

"I think it was a shoe, but I'm not really sure." He smiled down at her, rubbing his head absently. She smiled back, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Any other injuries I didn't cause you?"

"I fell out of a tree and broke my arm when I was…ten? Plus a whole bunch of normal injuries that kids get when they're being kids." He put a hand on the counter next to Macy, effectively trapping her in that corner of the kitchen.

Macy, suddenly aware of how close they were standing, bit back a little gasp. Kevin, picking up on what was wrong, took a step back from her.

"Let's eat, shall we?" he asked her. Grabbing some forks and spoons from the silverware drawer, Macy nodded. As they sat on the couch and started the movie, Kevin appreciated the fact that he had food in his hands. He was never sure what to do with his hands while watching a movie with a girl.

Wait, that last thought made it sound like I'm on a date with Macy. And I'm not. I mean, I did invite myself over to her house and it is Valentine's Day and while I paid for the food, that hardly constitutes a date, right? He was so distracted with the food and his thoughts that when the scene changed from the Irish guy dancing in his boxers while that chick who was in that one Karate Kid movie laughed at him to the bar where everyone was wearing black, he was completely shocked to realize the dancing Irish guy had died.

"Wait, Macy…the Irish guy died?"

"Yes, Kevin. Have you been looking for dinosaur-shaped pieces of orange chicken instead of paying attention to the movie?" Macy said wryly.

"Um…yes?"

"Well, stop that; besides, it's my turn to eat some orange chicken. You can have the beef and green onions." She leaned over and tugged the box from his hand.

"Okay," he said, taking the box she was offering him from her in a trance. She smelled pretty. Like wildflowers.

They continued eating the Chinese food, switching take out boxes and trading them for the others left on the table, munching on eggrolls and enjoying the movie when Kevin was suddenly aware that Macy was leaning lightly against his arm. He lifted it up, placing it around her shoulders as she snuggled into his shoulder. He could smell that wildflower scent again.

Macy was also enjoying the use of her sense of smell. Kevin smelled like Irish Spring soap. All clean and guy-like. It was a wonderful smell.

Kevin was enjoying the movie surprisingly. He thought the guy-Gerry?-was really sweet doing all that stuff for his wife before he died. When the girls were in Ireland he laughed at their reaction to the guy in the pub-he had seen girls go ga-ga for him and his brothers…well, mostly his brothers. The scene on the lake was funny too. Except when the blonde girl screamed about her makeup going overboard. That hurt his ears. He snuck a glance at Macy; she wore little makeup and what she had on was pretty natural.

Feeling Kevin's eyes on her, Macy looked up at him,

"Yes?" she said with a small smile.

"Nothing…just…looking…"

"At me?" Macy succeeded in keeping the fangirl down, but her heart was hammering wildly.

"Yeah, you're…interesting."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

She snuggled a little closer to him, letting his chin rest on the top of her head.

Kevin let out a derisive snort when Holly and her friends were making fools of themselves in front of the guy from the pub.

"Are you laughing at the women for being silly in front of Mr. Hottie?" Macy asked.

"Um…yes?"

"You're one to talk. Remember Maria?"

Kevin winced at the memory of Maria. He couldn't believe he had been that stupid to fall for someone so clearly uninterested in him.

"That's a low blow coming from the girl who dressed up a poor, defenseless boy as my little brother."

Macy paused the movie and sat up, staring him dead in the eye.

"Let's make a deal; I'll never bring up Maria to you again and you'll never bring up me dressing Randolph up as Nick to me again."

"Deal," Macy said, sticking out her hand. They shook on it and resumed the movie.

When Holly got in the fight with the other guy at the restaurant, and ran crying to her mom, Kevin was aware of Macy breathing heavily. As he looked down at her, he was surprised to see a tear on her face. She wiped it away when she noticed him looking at her.

"Don't tell anyone at school," she said, rubbing her eyes roughly.

He scooted closer to her on the couch, debating whether or not to spill a big secret. Macy heaved a sigh and Kevin tilted his head from side to side before drawing in a short breath,

"I still cry when Mufasa dies in Lion King…" he half whispered.

"Really?" she looked up at Kevin, her eyes wide and blinking.

"Okay, well, not really cry…but I get teary-eyed."

"Thanks Kevin," Macy said with a smile.

The movie ended soon afterward and Macy looked up at him yet again.

"Wanna watch another movie?" she asked.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know…I've always liked Cinderella, but we don't have to watch that if you don't want to see another chick-flick."

"Cinderella's fine; tonight's about making you happy," he cursed inwardly as he realized what he'd said.

Macy dropped the DVD case she was holding as the words hit her.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me before, Kevin."

"Well…you're welcome," Kevin said shyly.

The movie started up and Macy sat back on the couch with Kevin.

"We can watch something of your choice next."

"Sounds fair."

They watched the movie in a comfortable silence until 'So This is Love' started playing. Kevin was aware of Macy singing the words softly,

"So this is love, mhm mhm, so this is love, so this is what makes life divine. I'm all aglow, Mhm mhm
And now I know the key to all heaven is mine. My heart has wings, mhm mhm, and I can fly, I'll touch every star in the sky…"

"You actually sound really good, Mace."

"I've been practicing…knocking people unconscious when I sing isn't as cool as it seems…"

"I didn't mind that one time…" Kevin said.

"Yeah, well…you're kind of insane."

"As are you."

"Hush," she said softly, elbowing him in the gut.

She shifted on the couch, laying her head in his lap. She prayed that he wouldn't take it as being too forward, but he just smiled down at her.

By the end of the movie, Macy had fallen asleep. Kevin, feeling a little weird about having a sleeping girl on his lap, took a throw pillow and placed it under her head. He slid out from under her head and covered her with a blanket that he found laying on the end of the couch. He pressed a kiss to her temple and sunk into the armchair next to the couch. He watched the sleeping Macy, contemplating something. He had a bit of a thing for Macy, but he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to do anything about it. Girls were confusing to say the least, but Macy was different. If he was going to tell her that he liked her, he was going to have to do something soon. He was asleep within minutes.

Macy woke up to a dark house.

"Kevin?"

Her only response was a mumbly groan. She turned around and saw Kevin curled up in the armchair. She smiled as she felt the blanket slip from her shoulders. She got up and grabbed another blanket, covering Kevin with it. She smiled again and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She sleepily stumbled back to the couch and fell asleep again.

Macy and Kevin woke up a few hours later and Kevin let out a yawn before saying,

"I think I should go…it's after midnight."

"Okay, I should probably get some sleep anyway…I have to do some shopping tomorrow," Macy walked Kevin to the door

"All that half-price candy?" he said with a smirk.

"Maybe…" she said slowly.

"Okay, well, good night, oh, and thanks for the blanket," Kevin said as he walked down the sidewalk to his car. He was going to have to do something about the Macy issue.

***

Macy shuffled around the house the next afternoon, looking for something to eat while she waited for her laundry to finish up. The doorbell rang and she answered it confusedly. Stella hadn't said anything about hanging out with her today and her little sister was hanging out with friends.

Kevin was standing there, holding out a teddy bear, a boquet of roses, a box of chocolates, and a red balloon.

"Um…Kevin…yesterday was Valentine's Day…" she said gently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And I know you probably think I'm being cheap buying everything half-price, but I didn't decide until last night that I wanted to do something for you and by then it was a little late to go to the store and get you anything and…and…"

"Are you done talking?"

"Well, I can't think of anything else to say, so I guess so," he said dejectedly, "I can tell you don't like it, so I'll just go now…don't tell anyone at school that I did this, okay? I don't need Joe or Nick hassling me about girl troubles."

"You can't tell much about me…can you?" Macy asked.

"What?"

"I like it…I like all the stuff you bought for me…I like that you didn't do it on Valentine's Day…I…I like you."

"What?"

Macy heaved a sigh,

"I said…I like you."

"You…you do?"

She nodded, and both teens' faces broke into wide grins.

"Okay, well, there's something else that I want to give to you, but it's in my pocket…and all this stuff is kind of awkward to hold…so…can I come in?"

"Yeah, yeah of course."

Kevin came in, setting down the teddy bear and the balloon and chocolates and the flowers.

"Um…here," Kevin said, pulling a small box out of his back pocket. He handed her the box shyly, holding his breath as she opened it.

Macy gasped as she opened the box and her eyes fell on a red jeweled heart with angel wings protruding from it.

"It's pretty…" she breathed.

"You know how you were singing So This Is Love last night?"

"Mhm."

"You know how there's that part that says 'my heart has wings and I can fly'?"

"Mhm."

"That's what I thought of when I saw this."

"You…you…thought of me?"

"At the risk of sounding cheesy, yes."

"So…we…are…what exactly?" Macy asked hesitantly.

"Um…what do you want to be?"

"I want to be…" she said softly, before taking a deep breath, "I want to be your…your…girlfriend."

He took a step towards her and brushed his hand down her cheek.

"I want to be your boyfriend," he said just as softly.

He dipped his face to hers, their mouths gently brushing against each other's as his arms wove around her waist, almost lifting her off the ground. Meanwhile, Macy had wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, enjoying the feeling of being held in Kevin's arms. They broke apart and Kevin whispered,

"Happy day after Valentine's, Mace."

I should be reading Meet You In Hell, but I've been working on this for a while…I wanted a cute V-Day Kevin/Macy because EVERYTHING was Nick/Macy and I was going through withdrawal.

I'll update all my stories-in-progress at least by next week. But school is kinda picking up and I need to get through this stuff before I write more…