Please refer to previous chapters for disclaimers. Reviews - definitely welcome!

The first three paragraphs are the same as the previous chapter's, but after that, it's completely different.

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Feb. 15th (around 6pm)

(Feb. 14th, the dreaded day.)

I was going to spend the day lounging around in my pj's and toe socks, but Conrad called this morning asking if I had plans. Guess I wasn't the only one here without a date. I showered and got dressed right as he knocked on the door. Wore the royal blue sweater and blank pants he gave me for Christmas.

At first, we drank coffee and talked. Nothing out of the ordinary; work, friends, family, and life. He had been making plans to go home for his little sister's graduation in May. Conrad and I have met each other's families a few times. (We've been good friends for quite a while now.) Heather, his sister, reminds me of myself when I was her age. Feel sorry for her at times, Conrad and Vince can be as annoying as my own brothers. She plays the annoying baby sister part almost as well as I do. Only difference is I know how to make mine stop acting like jerks. I've been giving Heather a few lessons behind Conrad and Vince's backs. If those emails ever get traced back to me... I'm glad I've kept some good blackmail material on those two. As for my family, they're very busy right now, especially with the Olympics coming up. They have a couple of hopefuls you know. There I go, rambling again.

The Dash/Allie relationship came up. Conrad was a little upset over them getting back together so soon. Maybe next time he'll listen to me. Don't hold your breath, Shana. (No, he doesn't know about the conspiracy, so let's keep that quiet, huh.)

Finally got him to take me to lunch. Our original plans were to go to Abuelos. But with Valentine's falling on a Saturday, the traffic was horrendous. There was no possible way to get near a real restaurant, so we settled for Quizno's and headed to a park. It was nice for February, not warm, but not too cold either. After we ate, we walked around the park. He seemed hesitant, like he wanted to tell me something all day. My patience, what little I had left, was running out. If he didn't say or do something soon, I would have to. I'm sure it was the same thing I wanted to tell him.

We came by a water fountain. In the middle of it, there was a statue of a young couple embracing. Conrad hadn't been himself all day and I was getting kinda concerned. We sat by the fountain for a while in silence. I was about to say something and he stopped me. He took my hand and our eyes met. I felt chills going through my body. I have no idea how long we were like that. It was like time just stood still and I wouldn't have minded if it lasted an eternity.

So, we're sitting by the fountain, gazing into each other's eyes. Our faces kept getting closer and closer with every breath. It was like we were drawn together, like magnets. Then he whispered my name. When he did, our lips touched because we were that close. When our lips touched, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him, pressing his lips even closer to mine. All I can say is "WOW!" It was perfect. Talk about sweeping me off my feet and taking my breath away. I can't remember anyone kissing me like that. So passionate. The only reason we broke apart was for air. I think we were both surprised by what happened. It was much better than what I imagined. Then came the awkward silence. Neither of us knew what to say. Conrad tried to start in with the "I shouldn't have done that" speech. Only he couldn't get the words out. It was funny actually. I'd never seen him so unable to speak. I just reminded him I could and would take care of him if he ever did anything I didn't want him to. We laughed and he kissed me again. His lips felt so warm and gentle. His touch, embrace was perfect.

On the way back to base, I got to thinking: Conrad is one of my best friends and the CO. What if this doesn't work out? Do I want to risk our friendship and careers? Does he? Just when I was going to mention this to him, he leans over and kisses me. Perfect timing. It's worth the risk, especially if he keeps kissing me like this. I'll worry about another time.

We decided to have dinner in, instead of trying to go out. Trying to go out for dinner would be worse than lunch was. Conrad fixed dinner; ceasar's salad and chicken fettuccine. The man can cook (I already knew) and he doesn't look bad in an apron! (I'm kidding about the apron part.)

Journal - this man has been one of my best friends for years. Why am I acting like a schoolgirl who has a crush on the football captain? This is not me! I grew up in a household of good-looking men, and with all of their friends. I know how to handle these types of guys.

Over dinner, we hardly spoke, which was not like us. We never ran out of things to talk about. He broke the silence and asked me what was wrong. I had been fidgety since the drive home. I explained to him I enjoyed today and that I didn't want to wake up tomorrow to find out everything, meaning him and I, went back to how it was before. It was reassuring to hear him say he didn't either. We talked about how we would work out our relationship.

We agreed Hawk wouldn't mind since it's give him another opportunity to keep his wallet lined. Courtney told me his name in the Duke and Scarlett pool and he had a large sum of money on us. That explains all the assignments he teamed us on. Also we're both very professional on duty. We can keep our personal problems from interfering with work. Conrad told me to remind him to "thank" our friends. They were working on both of us. Hopefully, they won't pay too much for this. Unless... Wonder if Conrad knows about the pool? I'll tell him about it later; don't want to ruin the day. After dinner, we danced and talked some more. Okay, some kissing also, but not much. Believe what you want to believe. That's my story. Yes, I'm sticking to it.

So anyways, he walked me to my place. His excuse was to make sure I got home safely. I'm just down the hall and we have security cameras everywhere. He insisted, so I humored him. Of course, no one was in the hallway, so we snuck in one more kiss. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day. And, this is just the beginning! Well, I'm off to see him. :-D

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Hope you've enjoyed this! I don't have any plans to continue this at the moment.