Chapter 2

Part 1 – Josh

What the hell did, 'it's just another day' mean? That's what Andy said to me when I asked her how she felt about Valentine's Day. Did it mean that she didn't want to do anything special? Was she expecting presents? Or was it one of those tests where the girl says that she doesn't want anything and the boy is supposed to somehow know that what she really means is that she wants to be surprised? Sometimes I hate the way women's minds work.

I opened the front door to my house and walked inside. Throwing my backpack haphazardly on the floor, I immediately headed for the kitchen. I knew that I had a lot of thinking to do and that required some serious brain food. I pulled open the refrigerator door and pulled out a box of pizza.

"Jackpot," I said out loud.

I took the box out of the refrigerator and flipped the top open. There were two pieces left. As I picked one up, though, I noticed that it wasn't just pepperoni that it was topped with. An unidentifiable, white fuzz had begun to sprout.

"Gross!"

I threw the piece back in the box and then put the box back in the refrigerator.

"You're disgusting," Lori said as she entered the kitchen.

"You didn't actually expect me to eat that, did you?" I asked, rummaging through the cupboards. I knew there had to be a box of cookies or chips in there somewhere.

"No, but you could have thrown it away instead of putting it back in the fridge."

Lori opened the refrigerator door, took out the pizza box, and threw it in the garbage. Rolling her eyes at me, she grabbed a bottle of water and an apple. As she began to rinse the apple in the sink, I knew that she was my only hope. I had to find out what Andy meant and Lori was the only person I knew who spoke girl-speak. Not to mention that if Andy really did mean that she wanted a nice big surprise, I was going to have to plan the perfect Valentine's Day and, since I had never celebrated Valentine's Day with another person, I was unfortunately going to have to rely on Lori for advice.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked as she began to walk out of the kitchen.

"That depends," she said, turning to look at me. "What's in it for me?"

"You want something in return for me asking you a question?"

"Knowing you…yeah." She took a bite of the apple.

"Forget it."

I grabbed a bag of Doritos and headed for the living room. So maybe I wasn't going to be getting Lori's advice. I flopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. A commercial for a local restaurant came on advertising their special Valentine's Day meal. I hated to admit it, but I was clueless. Who knew that there even was such a thing as a Valentine's meal? I thought Valentine's Day was complete with chocolate and flowers.

"Okay," she said, following me into the other room. She sat down next to me. "What is it?"

I sighed. Did I really need her help? A commercial for chocolate hearts came on next. How was a man supposed to create the perfect Valentine's Day when there were so many different options? Yes, I decided, I did need her help.

"I need your advice," I said, turning off the TV.

"About?"

"Valentine's Day."

She smiled. I knew she took great pleasure in being a know-it-all and normally, I wouldn't have given her the satisfaction of asking for her advice, but I was desperate. I couldn't let Andy down. Considering the circumstances, she deserved the perfect Valentine's Day.

"What about Valentine's Day?"

"I asked Andy what she thought about Valentine's Day and…"

"Wait, you just came out and asked her?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"Josh, you don't just ask a girl what she thinks about Valentine's Day."

"Why not?"

Lori rolled her eyes as if I was a lost cause. "What did she say?"

"She said that it's just another day."

"She's lying."

"How do you know?"

"Because, trust me, every girl, whether she admits it or not, secretly wants the perfect Valentine's Day." The front door opened and Kyle walked in. "Right Kyle?"

"Right what?" He asked, perching himself on the edge of the armchair across from the couch.

"Every girl wants a perfect Valentine's Day," Lori clarified.

"Well, I guess it would depend on the girl," Kyle replied in his usual, innocent Kyle way.

"Don't listen to him," Lori stated, turning back to Josh.

"You better come up with something good. The first Valentine's Day together can make or break a relationship."

"And what exactly do two people do on Valentine's Day," I asked.

"Well, there's always the typical dinner and a movie, but that's pretty lame if you ask me. But what's more important than what you do is what you buy her."

"What am I supposed to buy her?"

"There are the typical Valentine's Day staples like chocolate…"

"Which make Andy throw up."

"Okay, well how about flowers?"

"The smell makes her nauseous."

"How about fake flowers?" Kyle offered.

"Trust me, no girl wants fake flowers," Lori insisted.

"What if I just bought her a video game? She loves those."

"Yeah, nothing says romance like a video game," Lori said sarcastically. "Give me some time and we'll come up with something."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked suspiciously. It wasn't like Lori to offer up so much of her time to do something nice for me.

"Because even though I could care less about how you spend your Valentine's Day, I do care about how Andy spends hers. She deserves something…nice." Lori stood up. "Give me a day or two and I'll give both of you the perfect Valentine's Day."

Part 2 – Andy

Why did I say that it was just another day when I had recently decided that Valentine's Day was important? Sure, if he had asked me before I talked to Kelly and before my emotions starting going haywire at the sight of soccer nets in the gym, I would have been able to say that it was just another day with no problem. But, after all that emotional crap, Valentine's Day suddenly meant something to me. So why did I tell him that it didn't? I kept thinking that maybe he'd be smart enough to read between the lines and figure out that what I really meant to say was that I would like to have a romantic Valentine's Day. After all, our last date consisted of me throwing up into a bucket. But then again, this is Josh we're talking about. He sucks at interpreting what women want. I can't blame him, though. This was all my fault.

"Andy. Andy Jensen."

The desk clerk called my name. I looked up at her and smiled a very fake smile.

"That's me," I said as I pulled my white, linen robe tighter around me and walked past the desk into one of the massage rooms. Both my moms had already been taken in. One was getting a facial and the other a manicure and pedicure. As always, I opted for the back massage. I didn't need perfectly manicured fingers or toes, nor did I care if my face was moisturized. But, I did care about having my tense muscles basically kneaded away with the touch of Alex's fingers. He really was a talented massager.

I grabbed one of the light pink towels that was neatly laid out for me on the massage table. Ditching my robe, I wrapped the towel securely around my waist. I took the other towel and wrapped it around my torso. I climbed onto the table and laid face down, letting the towel around my torso fall on either side, leaving my back exposed. I rested my head against my arms and waited.

"Andy, nice to see you again," Alex said as he walked into the room. As usual, he was dressed in a pair of recently ironed khakis and a white, polo shirt. He walked over to the sink that was in the corner of the room and thoroughly washed his hands.

"Hey Alex," I replied.

He turned off the water and dried his hands. He approached the table and began to rub his hands against my shoulders. It felt amazing.

"Is this good pressure?" He asked.

"Perfect," I answered, closing my eyes. I felt his hands digging into my muscles and it felt wonderful. There was nothing like a good back massage to make my worries go away.

"So, how have you been?" Alex questioned.

"Better now," I answered truthfully. "Oh and my boyfriend Josh has a message for you."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"He said he'll kick your ass if your hands move anywhere but my back."

Alex laughed out loud. "Well, you tell Josh that you're not exactly my type and that my boyfriend could so totally kick his ass into next week." I smiled. Not only did Alex give great back massages, but he was a pretty cool guy to talk with, too. "Guess you didn't mention that I was gay, huh?"

"Must have slipped my mind."

"Then how about that I'm basically old enough to be your father?"

"Nope, forgot that, too."

"So, let me guess, your boyfriend…what's his name?"

"Josh."

"Josh basically thinks that you're currently getting a massage from a hot, straight guy who just wants to feel you up, huh?"

"Well, if that's what he thinks, it's his misconception, not mine." I couldn't help but smirk. I had deliberately wanted Josh to think that. Jealousy really was cute.

"You are evil, Ms. Jensen."

"And you are a miracle worker," I commented as the muscles in my back began to loosen.

We spent the next few minutes in silence as Alex worked his magic.

"So, what are you doing for Valentine's Day."

"Oh," I said, wishing he hadn't brought it up at all. He was ruining my perfect massage. "Um, I don't know."

"You mean you don't know as in Josh's planning a big surprise or you don't know as in he hasn't planned anything yet?"

"Well, while I wish it were the first one, I'm going to have to go with the second."

"Boy, men can be clueless sometimes, can't they?"

"All men except you, of course. What I would give for a perfect gay boyfriend like you," I said teasingly.

"If only you could be so lucky. You tell that boyfriend of yours that Alex says he better give you a nice, big surprise."

"I'll be sure to tell him that."

"Well, if all else fails, Reno's always run Tuesday's specials that are supposedly to die for and you don't even have to have reservations so…"

"Wait…what?" My heart began racing and my mind suddenly went blank. I couldn't even feel his hands on my anymore even though I knew he was still massaging my back.

"Reno's. You know, the restaurant on Smith street."

"Yeah, I know what it is. What day did you say they ran specials?"

"On Tuesday's."

"Tuesdays?"

"Yeah?" He stopped massaging. "Andy, you okay?"

"Tuesday is Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, so?"

He didn't know it, but Tuesday's was chemo. Every Tuesday was a day from hell. I guess it didn't matter how I felt about Valentine's Day anymore. There was nothing romantic about sitting in a hospital bed being injected with drugs and afterwards puking my guts out. At that moment, I was grateful that I had told Josh that I didn't care about Valentine's Day. At least I knew that he wasn't planning some great big surprise that my cancer was going to ruin.

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter really quickly at work today, but I hope you like it! Thanks for the great reviews! Stay tuned for more soon!