CHAPTER ONE
At the office, Valentine's Day.
Val sat at the table making cupids and hearts out of construction paper, next to Kay who was sitting at her computer. She picked up a little bottle of glitter and sprinkled it all over the wings of the cupid.
"Kay," Tasha called her out as she came through the door. "What do you think your doing sending this crap to the office? don't you know to give your home adress?" she added, tossing a box on the table in front of Kay.
"Ooh, this will help out at the office though." Kay explanned, taking out something that looked a little to familar.
"Isn't this that bra that you already had to type in things." asked Tasha sceptively.
"The other one wasn't nearly as advanced. This one can.."
Ignoring Kay, Tasha glarred at Val "What the hell is this?"
Val stood up quickly with a jump. "It's Valentine's Day!"
Tasha opened her locker where tiny cupids and hearts popped out at her.
"Val" Tasha warned, but couldn' get anything else out because the guys came in.
"Wow, Val you really seem to like hearts and cupids." Johnny said looking around.
"Doesn't anyone know that its Valentines day today?!?!" Val said hurt that know one would remember.
"Oh yeah" Quick said not knowing what else to say.
"Happy Crap-Valentine's Day," a grumpy Nikki said as she walked over and threw a box of chocolates on the table, sitting down on a chair.
"Whats up with you? Your acting crabbier then Tasha." Val said.
Nikki and Tasha both shot her a death glance at that statement, so she picked up some scissors and started cutting on the red paper again.
"Is everything okay?" Johnny asked, sitting next to her while everyone else was wrapped up in their work.
"You know, it's not even a real holiday anyway. I mean, why should we celebrate love only once a year? Why can't we say 'I love you' or buy chocolates on the 13th, or the 15th. Why? It's all about commercialism and sales," she fumed.
"Did you break up with whats his name?" Johnny asked feeling guilty that he was wishing that they did break up.
"Tom, and who said I even ever liked him?!" Nikki replied, angry.
"You did say that you really liked this guy." Kay said listening in. Nikki shot her a look and she kept silent
"You just feel bad because you don't have a date, don't feel bad. I don't have a date," Johnny said.
"You don't?" Nikki asked. "Why? You and Quick aren't having a contest to see who can get the most dates?"
Johnny shook his head. "Nope, those days are over. Say hello to the new Johnny."
Nikki shook her head. "You can't even last a week."
"Maybe I can even last a month." pretending he didn't hear her he smiled , but was unsuccessful in bringing Nikki out of her depression.
"Why don't you come over tonight? We can watch a movie, eat some chocolate, and forget about this whole Valentine's pressure."
"I don't know," Nikki said a little sour.
"I'll let you pick the movie."
"Really?" Nikki asked, interested.
"Really."
"Even one with that other chinese star you hate?" she asked.
Johnny swallowed hard, looking around to get the bad taste of the movie out of his mouth. "Why not?" he forced himself to say. He really did hate that guy.
Nikki let her head fall back. "Fine, I'll be there at 6."
"That's all I ask for," Johnny said as he stood up and walked towards the room where Quick was to pratice martial arts.
*************************************************
"Hey Tasha" Val said running over to her. "I made some Valentine's cards to your ex husbands and signed her name."
"You did what?!?!"
"Relaxe they were cute."
"I hate you Val."
"Thats what your saying now, but wait til they give you cards."
Tasha just turned away and went to shoot some bulluts
*************************************************
Johnny's apartment.
Johnny and Nikki sat by the couch with two glasses of wine in front of them. There were little pieces of paper all over the floor, empty boxes of chocolate on the table. They were laughing uncontrollably Nikki was having trouble catching her breath.
"Remember when Quick almost kissed that guy he thought was the guy's twin sister."
"How could i forget" Nikki laughed.
"I couldn't let him forget that one." Johnny said shaking his head.
Nikki smiled. "Thanks for this Johnny. I think this is the best... February 14th I've spent."
"It was my pleasure," Johnny said, pouring some more wine on their glasses.
"So tell me the truth," Nikki asked, changing the subject slightly. "You really didn't have a date tonight?"
"I already told you," Johnny said.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he said too casually.
"Johnny, your ears get red when you lie," Nikki smiled.
"Okay, fine, maybe I had a date," Johnny caved in.
"Johnny!" Nikki exclaimed.
"What?" he asked.
"You cancelled a date?"
Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "You know, she just wasn't that great."
"Did you cancel the date just to make me feel better?"
"No," Johnny said quickly. Nikki kept staring at him, so he just took a sip of his wine. "I mean, no, maybe. You know, Valentine's Day is about commercialism and sales anyway, right?"
Nikki smiled. "Right."
"I wouldn't have nearly as good of a time as i'm having with you" Johnny smiled back, feeling the blood rushing to his head as he found himself taking Nikki's hand and depositing a kiss on its palm. Suddenly Nikki never looked so beautiful. Feelings came rushing back through him like a tidal wave and he found it a little hard to breathe. But it felt good. It felt great. And it felt familiar. Like the time they first kissed.
Without knowing how or why he suddenly leaned in and tangling his fingers in her short cropped hair, he kissed her gently, scared that she might pull away and slap him across the face, which would hurt a great deal. But she didn't.
He felt her hand on the side of his face, her lips responding to his voraciously and the taste of wine on her tongue.
Knowing that they were a little tipsy from the wine, he pulled back for a moment to look her in the eyes.
He saw no objection in them.
He pulled her closer again, this time with a little more hunger than before.
Flashbacks of times when they were about to do something that they weren't ready for at the time, but this was different. He wanted her and she wanted him.
All of a sudden he found himself on top of her, her hands removing his shirt, her lips responding to his, and his body unable to stop.
At the office, Valentine's Day.
Val sat at the table making cupids and hearts out of construction paper, next to Kay who was sitting at her computer. She picked up a little bottle of glitter and sprinkled it all over the wings of the cupid.
"Kay," Tasha called her out as she came through the door. "What do you think your doing sending this crap to the office? don't you know to give your home adress?" she added, tossing a box on the table in front of Kay.
"Ooh, this will help out at the office though." Kay explanned, taking out something that looked a little to familar.
"Isn't this that bra that you already had to type in things." asked Tasha sceptively.
"The other one wasn't nearly as advanced. This one can.."
Ignoring Kay, Tasha glarred at Val "What the hell is this?"
Val stood up quickly with a jump. "It's Valentine's Day!"
Tasha opened her locker where tiny cupids and hearts popped out at her.
"Val" Tasha warned, but couldn' get anything else out because the guys came in.
"Wow, Val you really seem to like hearts and cupids." Johnny said looking around.
"Doesn't anyone know that its Valentines day today?!?!" Val said hurt that know one would remember.
"Oh yeah" Quick said not knowing what else to say.
"Happy Crap-Valentine's Day," a grumpy Nikki said as she walked over and threw a box of chocolates on the table, sitting down on a chair.
"Whats up with you? Your acting crabbier then Tasha." Val said.
Nikki and Tasha both shot her a death glance at that statement, so she picked up some scissors and started cutting on the red paper again.
"Is everything okay?" Johnny asked, sitting next to her while everyone else was wrapped up in their work.
"You know, it's not even a real holiday anyway. I mean, why should we celebrate love only once a year? Why can't we say 'I love you' or buy chocolates on the 13th, or the 15th. Why? It's all about commercialism and sales," she fumed.
"Did you break up with whats his name?" Johnny asked feeling guilty that he was wishing that they did break up.
"Tom, and who said I even ever liked him?!" Nikki replied, angry.
"You did say that you really liked this guy." Kay said listening in. Nikki shot her a look and she kept silent
"You just feel bad because you don't have a date, don't feel bad. I don't have a date," Johnny said.
"You don't?" Nikki asked. "Why? You and Quick aren't having a contest to see who can get the most dates?"
Johnny shook his head. "Nope, those days are over. Say hello to the new Johnny."
Nikki shook her head. "You can't even last a week."
"Maybe I can even last a month." pretending he didn't hear her he smiled , but was unsuccessful in bringing Nikki out of her depression.
"Why don't you come over tonight? We can watch a movie, eat some chocolate, and forget about this whole Valentine's pressure."
"I don't know," Nikki said a little sour.
"I'll let you pick the movie."
"Really?" Nikki asked, interested.
"Really."
"Even one with that other chinese star you hate?" she asked.
Johnny swallowed hard, looking around to get the bad taste of the movie out of his mouth. "Why not?" he forced himself to say. He really did hate that guy.
Nikki let her head fall back. "Fine, I'll be there at 6."
"That's all I ask for," Johnny said as he stood up and walked towards the room where Quick was to pratice martial arts.
*************************************************
"Hey Tasha" Val said running over to her. "I made some Valentine's cards to your ex husbands and signed her name."
"You did what?!?!"
"Relaxe they were cute."
"I hate you Val."
"Thats what your saying now, but wait til they give you cards."
Tasha just turned away and went to shoot some bulluts
*************************************************
Johnny's apartment.
Johnny and Nikki sat by the couch with two glasses of wine in front of them. There were little pieces of paper all over the floor, empty boxes of chocolate on the table. They were laughing uncontrollably Nikki was having trouble catching her breath.
"Remember when Quick almost kissed that guy he thought was the guy's twin sister."
"How could i forget" Nikki laughed.
"I couldn't let him forget that one." Johnny said shaking his head.
Nikki smiled. "Thanks for this Johnny. I think this is the best... February 14th I've spent."
"It was my pleasure," Johnny said, pouring some more wine on their glasses.
"So tell me the truth," Nikki asked, changing the subject slightly. "You really didn't have a date tonight?"
"I already told you," Johnny said.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he said too casually.
"Johnny, your ears get red when you lie," Nikki smiled.
"Okay, fine, maybe I had a date," Johnny caved in.
"Johnny!" Nikki exclaimed.
"What?" he asked.
"You cancelled a date?"
Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "You know, she just wasn't that great."
"Did you cancel the date just to make me feel better?"
"No," Johnny said quickly. Nikki kept staring at him, so he just took a sip of his wine. "I mean, no, maybe. You know, Valentine's Day is about commercialism and sales anyway, right?"
Nikki smiled. "Right."
"I wouldn't have nearly as good of a time as i'm having with you" Johnny smiled back, feeling the blood rushing to his head as he found himself taking Nikki's hand and depositing a kiss on its palm. Suddenly Nikki never looked so beautiful. Feelings came rushing back through him like a tidal wave and he found it a little hard to breathe. But it felt good. It felt great. And it felt familiar. Like the time they first kissed.
Without knowing how or why he suddenly leaned in and tangling his fingers in her short cropped hair, he kissed her gently, scared that she might pull away and slap him across the face, which would hurt a great deal. But she didn't.
He felt her hand on the side of his face, her lips responding to his voraciously and the taste of wine on her tongue.
Knowing that they were a little tipsy from the wine, he pulled back for a moment to look her in the eyes.
He saw no objection in them.
He pulled her closer again, this time with a little more hunger than before.
Flashbacks of times when they were about to do something that they weren't ready for at the time, but this was different. He wanted her and she wanted him.
All of a sudden he found himself on top of her, her hands removing his shirt, her lips responding to his, and his body unable to stop.