Valentine's Day is not Molly's most beloved of holidays and nor is it Greg's.
Molly has only ever enjoyed three Valentine's Days in her lifetime. The first was with a boyfriend from uni called Adam, who bought her dinner at a cheap restaurant near the campus and then took her to his dorm where they had sex for the first time. He came out of the closet two months later. The second was with Jim, who also took her to dinner and to bed and also came out of the closet not to long after. He also bombed London citizens, stole the Crown Jewels, broke into the Bank of England and organized a prison break at Pentonville. The third was with her ex-fiancé, Tom, who bought her a bottle of expensive champagne, made a delicious meal, made love to her before the fireplace and then proposed to her. If only she'd loved him in the way he did her.
All others have consisted of a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, an old movie and a night in with her cat.
Greg, on the other hand, has had plenty of enjoyable Valentine's Days in the past, many of them with his ex-wife. Their first Valentine's Day was their first date, followed by their first time. In their "courting days" each February 14th became more and more embellishing until he proposed. Marriage didn't change the event until after the miscarriage, a good three years after their daughter was born. That's when the affairs started. They had an argument about it on their last Valentine's Day, which was supposed to be a peaceful evening between the two of them while Meg was at a sleepover with her friends. Their divorce was finalized just three weeks shy of Valentine's Day.
Since then his Valentine's dates have been glasses of scotch and a game.
"Here's to being single," they toast.
They share their single woes over drinks at the pub, where they agreed to meet as friends after work. Every now and then their conversation is laced with light touches and innocent flirtations, all of which are shoved under the rug even after he walks her home.
"This is me," she says. "Thanks for making Valentine's Day more enjoyable."
"Hey," he shrugs. "It's all right. Thought you could use a friend on a day like today since…well…"
She nods and there's an awkward silence between them. Perhaps the wine has made her braver than she's used to, but she stands on tiptoe and kisses his cheek.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Greg," she says and heads inside before he can respond. Once she's inside she is unable to fight the proud smile playing at her lips. She doesn't see Greg walking home with a smile on his face.