Theresa flipped her phone shut as her call with Whitney ended. She had to admit, she was a little angry at what Whitney had suggested. How could she possibly think that Theresa would be up for something like that? Tonight, of all nights when she wanted to be alone. She was alone…
It was Valentine's Day and she was alone. She had no one. No one to hold her and feed her chocolate. No one to show up at her doorstep with a bouquet of roses. The most romantic night of the year and she had no one to share it with. That was probably why she was out here all alone.
Who knows how many times she had walked around the Crane Estate now. The night air was doing nothing to calm her emotion. Even now, she found her mind being drawn back to Ethan.
Ethan…
She stared and saw his bedroom window. It was dark. No surprise. It was Valentine's Day. He was probably with Gwen- making love to her. Tears seared in her eyes at the though of the man she loved with someone else. Even is she could grasp the fact that he was married, she could never accept it, never forget it. it broke her heart and hurt her soul when she saw them together and even more when he looked at her. She knew it hurt him just as much. The pain and sorrow in his eyes when he looked at her broke her heart and mirrored the pain in her soul. The love and sadness in his eyes said it all. He wanted nothing more than to be with her but a feeling of responsibility kept him away.
Why was love so painful? It almost killed her sometimes.
She walked some more and found the Crane gardens. Beautiful buds were beginning to emerge from their winter naps a few stray flowers had surpassed expectation and bloomed early. The fragrance filled the air and it felt surreal when she thought of the irony of the sweetness enveloping the Crane Estate. After passing the few bushes of twigs and some greenery, she walked farther and found a lonely stone bench awaiting her.
It wasn't fair. What could she have done that was so horrible that she now had to live with such pain? Why was she so haunted?
Flashes of Ethan and Gwen came into view. She could see it now. They were holding each other in the candlelight; Gwen was smiling. They kissed and proclaimed their love. But she had no idea that she was only half right…
He wasn't prepared for what lay before him. It was a long day at work and it was only until he pulled onto the Crane Estate that he realized that it was Valentine's Day. He was drained and it made him feel even worse knowing that his wife would be expecting something on his part and yet she'd be disappointed. But she'd understand.
Wouldn't she?
There was just too much going on in his life for this now. His case at work was putting his mind on overload and he didn't even have the energy to think of something romantic.
He had opened his bedroom door to the sight of a candlelit room and his wife holding a flute of champagne. She was on the bed, drinking in a provocative manner. She walked across the floor to greet him, exposing her new outfit- a red lace… thing that accentuated her red lips and flattering figure.
"Hi," she said, handing him a glass of champagne.
Ethan welcomed the glass and a kiss from Gwen's lips. He could tell what she was doing. Actually, he had gotten the hint when he saw her on the bed. It just wasn't the time.
Gwen got a little forceful and pushed herself onto him. She was trying to remove his suit and began undressing herself between the kiss.
It was strange. Even with his mind so exhausted, Ethan's thoughts still drifted to Theresa. Maybe it wasn't that strange. It was nothing new but for some reason he was getting the feeling that she was hurting. A deep spark of pain fused in his heart and he could feel that she was crying.
"Wait, wait, Gwen-" he tried against her mouth. "Gwen, I-"
She suddenly pressed a finger to his lips. "I'll be right back." Before Ethan could say anything, Gwen rushed into the bathroom. Ethan felt incredibly guilty now. He heard Gwen rustling around looking for something. "I hope you like it!" she yelled through the door.
The room around him seemed to be closing in now. With his head bowed, Ethan slowly went to the door and closed it silently behind him.
Gwen suddenly emerged from with a smile across her face. "Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart," she called, holding the gift out in front of her. But he was gone. "Ethan…"
Theresa held herself tightly and the salty tears stretched makeup across her face. The sudden feeling of being alone nearly drowned her. Everything that had happened to her up until this point seemed to make perfect sense and it seemed to be laughing at her.
Why?
Her life had always been about one thing. Love. Something that she lived for and now lived without. The memories of her time with Ethan swarmed her mind and haunted her every thought.
She wasn't just crying now, her soul was weeping. It was shedding some of the pain that it had been containing for far too long now. The tears fell down her face, escaping with soft sobs. Theresa lifted her head and tried to hide her tears from the nonexistent audience.
"Okay," she said to herself. "I'm not going to" But she stopped when she turned to the left and saw something. There was a single, red rose sitting next to her, waiting for her touch. Theresa brought it up to her nose and took in its scent. It was so beautiful. When she opened her eyes again, she was stunned.
There was a trail of rose petals laid out before her like something beckoning her somewhere. Theresa stared at the scarlet path, not believing what was in front of her. It took her a moment to move and she finally stood from the stone bench.
A murmuring light glowed in the distance as she continued on her path. The scent of sweet roses escaped the ruby petals and filled her encompassed her in their fragrance. She looked to her feet, careful not to smash the carefully laid out petals on her journey and all of a sudden, the sprinkling of red stopped. She finally hit her destination.
Still holding the rose in her left hand, Theresa looked up at where she had been led. Theresa sighed in awe. The vision before her almost brought on tears. The Crane Gazebo was beautifully decorated with white lights and just covered in red roses. It was beautiful.
She couldn't get over the absolute splendor that now surrounded her. She had never in her life experienced such a thing and it consumed her beyond words.
She turned around, never ceasing to be amazed at the red velvet display. "Who would do this?" she asked into the silence.
"I would," she heard a voice utter softly.
The words were spoken but Theresa looked and found no owner. Again, as she turned around, she saw him standing in the hollow of the gazebo. His shirt was the color of the moon above her and the deep red against it set her heart afire. He looked as handsome as ever standing before her now. The roses in his hand were tied in a bouquet with a silky ribbon.
Her voice caught in her throat and all she could do was stare. He smiled at her from his dark hideout and slowly began his way towards her. She hadn't expected him to move. She half expected him to dissipate into nothingness as she was sure he was an apparition just like the flowers around her. He slowly walked to her, never tearing his eyes from hers.
"Ethan…," she whispered.
"I hope you like roses," he said softly back to her. Theresa looked all around her, her eyes growing wide.
"Ethan, they're…"
But before she could finish her sentence, he finished it for her. Ethan looked straight at Theresa when he spoke. "Beautiful." She turned back to him at the sound of his voice. Her mouth turned up to an angelic smile and Ethan could immediately feel the familiar stir inside of him. He held out the bouquet of roses to her and she looked down at the velvety texture. "Happy Valentine's Day, Theresa."
Theresa looked up from the flowers to his face. The light in his eyes was always there when he looked at her this way. That sincere tone was in his voice and it ran over her body like a smooth caress. Without hesitation, Theresa skipped the flowers and went straight for him. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around him and let her mouth crash with his, their bodies a whisper apart. The kiss was fiery and deep, something that they'd both been craving for too long now.
If it was possible, Ethan pulled her closer to him, needing to feel her against his body. They kissed again and again and again until their breaths ran out and then it was the petals surrounding them that watched them show their undying love for one another…
Theresa opened her eyes and looked at her hand. There was no rose. On the ground in front of her, there was no path of petals leading to the gazebo. It was dark and she was alone. Just as she always was. Again tears were in her eyes and it seemed like a never-ending cycle.
When Ethan left his room, he walked downstairs and stepped outside again. The air was cool on his face and he closed his eyes to relish in its softness. He began his passive pace around the estate, slowly letting his thoughts wonder. For some reason, Theresa wouldn't leave his mind. He could feel something was wrong but he couldn't be sure what it was.
As he continued his walk, he passed the same bushes that Theresa had only moments before. A few buds were beginning to bloom and a few scattered roses had begun to show their faces. Without a second thought, Ethan went to one of the carefully tended bushes and broke the stem of one of the bigger roses. He stared at the rose in his hand and almost saw Theresa's sad eyes staring back at him.
Theresa…
Ethan began walking again turned towards the south end of the estate. That's when he saw her…
The tears were falling hard now. Like raindrops in a storm. Her own mind was playing tricks on her and seemed to enjoy the anguish that it caused her. She could almost feels Ethan's lips on hers when she thought of the fantasy. His strong arms around her felt warm on her body and she could melt just thinking about it.
Ethan took a step forward and a twig snapped under his weight. Theresa quickly turned and saw him standing there.
"Ethan…," she stammered.
He said nothing and stared at her glistening eyes. He knew now why he was feeling the way he was. Theresa had been crying and if he knew her, he knew that it was over him. It broke his heart to know that he caused her such pain. He never meant to.
Theresa looked down to the object that was in his hand. When he noticed her staring, he brought it up and held it close to his chest, in an almost offering manner.
Then it hit her.
Ethan stood in front of her now with the same look on his face. The rose in his hand. It all made sense.
It didn't really happen… Did it?
Maybe it wasn't a dream after all…
Or maybe, it was one that had yet to come true.
The End