Valentine's Day Eve

"Steve, the song is over."

"Maybe they'll play another one for us if we ask?" Then it happened.

"Steve, there she is, just walking out the door!" I jerked my head around looking for her. "Steve! The girl, she walking out the door." I ran through the crowd. By the time I got to the exit about ten cars were pulling out of the parking lot and with it being pitch dark, I couldn't see who was in any of the cars.

"Did you see her?"

"Nope. She must have seen me chasing her and ran to her car before I could catch her. Damn, I wish I could have at least gotten a glimpse of her."

"Well, at least we know she's still has the hots for you and hasn't given up yet. Maybe I should be a little scared?"

"I thought you said she was trying to fix you up with me?"

Debbie looked thoughtful and seemed a little uneasy when she said, "Well, maybe she's changed her mind. That is one woman I wouldn't want to cross." I thought about telling her about the guy in the tux but all that would do, would just make her even more nervous.

"How about if I take you out for a drink, just so we can unwind?"

"You know, I think I'd like that," Debbie said, with a smile.

That night, after our drink, I kissed her for the first time when I walked her to her car. I also made a date with her for Sunday brunch for the following week since we both had weddings on Saturday. After that, if we didn't work the same weddings we got together during the week or on one of our off days.

After being burned more than a few times I was a bit leery about letting my guard down. I didn't want to totally let go for fear of being hurt again but she was getting to me. I was still trying to slow it down and could tell she was not happy about that.

It was the second week of October, and we both had worked the same wedding. We were sipping on wine, when after our new ritual 'last' dance we just fell into one another's arms. We kissed and looked more like the bride and groom had hours earlier. A quick visit to the reception desk, a swipe of my credit card, and we were opening up the door to our room at the Hilton. I picked her up and carried her over the threshold. She smiled and I never stopped kissing her after that.

I woke up spooning her back and could feel her warmth. We were both still naked, and like every other guy who hadn't been laid in forever, I started to get hard. When I felt her push back against me, I realized she was also awake.

"Do you think we should take a shower before or after?" she asked, flipping over on her back smiling back up at me. "My breath could probably kill a dragon at twenty paces, but I know for a fact that this hotel supplies mouthwash in the bathroom. I have to use the bathroom anyway, so I'll start the shower. I expect to see you shortly." She leaped out of the bed and ran for the bathroom.

"Nice butt," is the first thing that crossed my mind before calling the desk to ask for a late checkout.

We started in the shower, but when we slipped and tore down the shower curtain, we decided the bed would be a far safer place to continue. And continue we did.

The maid was reading a magazine outside our door when we emerged shortly before one o'clock.

"Sorry," I told her. We laughed, running down the hall.

It cost me an extra fifty dollars but it was worth every penny. After that night, when we worked the same wedding we ended up either at her place or taking a room at the hotel where the reception was taking place. Mentioning that we were with the wedding party always seemed to get us a discount. Other times, depending on where and who was working or not working we ended up at her place—I was still living at home—so my place wasn't an option.

I saw her face every time I closed my eyes at night. I was falling in love with a woman I'd only met six and a half months ago, but it felt so right when we were together. Was I scared? Hell, yes. My heart had been broken so many times before I thought about carrying around a roll of duct tape just in case Debbie decided to rip it out of my chest and shatter it on the floor. I didn't think she'd do that but I'd thought the same thing about Toni.

We spent the holidays together and if I had any doubts before, I didn't after our kiss on New Year's Eve. I was in love and I think she finally realized it. I was still a little scared but unless I moved on I'd always have doubts.

It was the middle of January and I was photographing a very small intimate wedding, there were at the most fifty guests. I had just finished taking a slew of pictures of the bride and groom leaving in their overly decorated car when it happened again.

"I knew she would fall for a guy like you," I heard him say from behind me. Turning around I saw him for the second time. He was dressed again in a tux and sipping on a bottle of beer. "But if you hurt her in any way whatsoever, you'll have to answer to me."

"Why, are you her brother or something? And, why are you stalking us?"

"I'm not stalking you because if I was, I wouldn't be so damn obvious now, would I?" He had a point.

"Who is Debbie to you, anyway?"

"Steve, let's just say that she's a very special lady who means a lot to me, and let it go at that." I wasn't going to let him off that easy, but it was apparent I wasn't being given a choice. He looked me straight in the eye. "Look, I'd love to chat but I've got a previous engagement elsewhere and I must be leaving. Just remember what I told you and we won't have any problems." With that he turned and walked out of the hall.

"Shit," I said; grabbing my camera and heading for the door he just exited. I walked out into a full lobby filled with more than a few men dressed in black tuxedos. "Damn, I have to get my head out of my ass and grab a picture next time," I thought, still scouring the crowd hoping to get lucky and see him.

For some unknown reason it was quiet for the next three weeks. No ex-girlfriend, no guy in a tux threatening me, and Debbie and I had the world to ourselves. We talked, we planned, but most of all we spent every available minute in each other's arms. Heaven on Earth is what I had.

When my mom came into my room one night after I'd gotten home, she was in an overly inquisitive mood. How was my night? Did I have fun? Was Debbie working the same wedding? The questions came one after another. Finally she snuck in the one she really had wanted to ask all this time.

"Are you planning on moving out soon, or are you going to wait until after the wedding?" Somehow the cat was out of the bag. She got up, closed my bedroom door, and sat back down on the bed.

"How?" I started to say, but she stopped me.

"I was putting your clothes away and please, don't get angry, I wasn't snooping but, I saw the red velvet box. I know I shouldn't have opened it, but I just had to know. Does Debbie have any idea?"

I probably should have been mad, her invading my privacy and all, but at this point I was glad someone other than myself knew; I was ready to bust a gut.

"We're both doing the same wedding two weeks from Saturday. It is supposed to be a real blowout, and when it's all over I'm going to ask her."

"Do you think she's going to say yes?"

"If she doesn't, I've been reading her totally wrong all these months. Mom, we were made for one another. Please don't tell Dad until after Saturday. When she says yes, we'll be doing all the rounds with both families. Then the hard part will begin, planning our own wedding." The thought of our wedding brought a huge smile to my face.

"I'm so happy for you," she said, hugging me and starting to cry.

"Easy Mom, no jinxing it. Wait until next Saturday."

It was the longest two weeks of my life. We saw each other about every other day and I just wanted to grab her and ask her to marry me more than a dozen times, but I didn't. How I held out I'm not sure, especially when she kept telling me how much she loved me. By Thursday night I was a basket case.

We didn't see one another Friday; we both had a million things to do to get ready for the next day's wedding. I cleaned my equipment, checked to make sure all of my batteries were fully charged, and by the time I'd packed up my stuff it was time for bed.

Sugarplums didn't dance in my head but Debbie sure as hell did. I don't think I got more than three hours of sleep as I kept going over and over how I was going to ask her. I thought of all the cute little ways to do it, but finally decided to just show her the ring and ask her after our customary last dance. I might change my mind tomorrow but tonight that was the plan I was going with.

There had to be at least three hundred people, most likely the bride's father was going to take one hell of a hit to his back pocket for this affair. It was a sit down dinner, an open bar, and a live band. There were fifteen people in the bridal party and each one wanted more than a few pictures for themselves. When I filled one memory card I was thankful I'd brought two extras. I took a million pictures of the happy couple just to make sure they would have one with both of them smiling with their eyes wide open. Believe it or not, it's hard to get a great picture that both of them will like, and the group pictures were even more of a challenge. That's why I took a million pictures.

I was switching lenses when I felt a set of arms encircle my waist.

"Quite a wedding, isn't it?" Debbie asked, kissing the back of my neck. "I hope a lot of guests doesn't want seconds, because we're running a little short of chicken and steak. I usually figure ten percent more but tonight everyone seems to be asking if there is any food left."

"The food must be pretty good if everyone is asking. How's everything else going?"

Everything I need to do is about done. The bar is stocked to the gills and the band is going to play until midnight, so I'm about done except for the cleanup. How about you?"

"Things are moving along nicely—the usual wedding flow. I probably have at least another hundred pictures to take of the bride and groom, the families, the guests, and all the festivities that go on at a wedding reception."

"Maybe we'll get out of here before midnight," she said, giving me a peck on the lips. You want to go back to my place tonight? Or, are you going to be too tired."

"Not a chance in hell, but I've already booked us a room here." I didn't tell her about the bottle of champagne on ice, or the chocolate covered strawberries waiting in our room."

"Planning ahead, are we?" she said, holding me a bit tighter. "Mr. Moore, do you think you're going to get lucky tonight?" she coyly inquired, giving that sweet little laugh of hers.

"I'm already lucky just having you in my life." I kissed her again, thinking about the red box inside my inner coat pocket. "But sweetheart, I've got to get back to work because I see the bride's mother heading this way." Looking at my watch it was just after eight—four hours to go.

It was a nice twist of fate when the bride and groom announced at ten o'clock they were leaving. They thanked everyone for coming and within ten minutes they were gone. An hour later most everyone else was gone, and the others? Well, they were taking advantage of the open bar, but by eleven thirty that also shut down.

I'd already packed up my camera and was sipping on a Corona watching Debbie give last minute instructions to the staff that were in the final stages of their cleanup. I snuck over to the bar, got her a glass of white wine, and waited for her to finish.

"Done," she said, almost falling into the chair next to me. I handed her the glass of wine.

"Thanks, I need this more than you can imagine," she said, taking a big swallow. "That hit the spot." She took another long drink. "Well, Mr. Moore, what exciting things have you planned for us for the rest of the night?"

"I was thinking about a little sleep, but not before I have you in my arms." I took her by the hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. Together we swayed to the rhythm of our hearts. She was everything I was looking for in a woman. Smart, good looking, and as ambitious as I was, I pulled her in a little tighter.

"Debbie, you know I love you, do you?" I whispered into her ear, kissing it when I'd finished.

"I think I've known for a while, but it's still nice to hear you say it."

"Now or never," I thought, digging the ring out of my coat pocket. We stopped and I took both her hands in mine. "Debbie, I want you in my life forever. I want you to be the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I kiss every night, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" The question was asked, but I don't think she heard me; she was staring at another couple on the dance floor.

"Debbie, did you hear what I said?" She didn't respond. "Are you all right?" Still nothing. I turned around to see what she was staring at and my heart skipped a beat.

It was him, the same guy in the tux who I'd talked to twice before, he was standing next to a short brunette and they were staring at us. How did he know we'd be at this wedding? I looked back at Debbie.

"Debbie, is that the girl you were telling me about?" she just nodded her head, still not saying a word. "That guy with her, he's the one who threatened me, twice." I must have been talking to myself. She made no acknowledgement of me, just continued to stare wide-eyed.

That's when things got crazier if that was possible. There, right before my eyes, the girl started getting younger. For a minute I thought I was either drunk, or hallucinating, or maybe both. It took about twenty seconds before her transformation was finished. Becky? It couldn't be, but it was.

"Becky, but you're dead!" I said out loud. "Debbie, I know that girl, she was my next-door neighbor growing up, for Christ's sakes. And who in the hell is the guy in the tux?" For the first time since this craziness started she spoke.

"His name is Dan, and he was my husband." I started walking towards them but felt Debbie grab me.

"Don't, I don't want to lose you to this sick nightmare." Tears were rolling down her cheeks; however, she couldn't take her eyes off them.

"This isn't real, it can't be." I pulled away from Debbie and ran towards them. The last thing I heard was Becky telling me to be happy. I ran right through them or where they were a second earlier. I did a full about-face hoping against hope that they'd just sidestepped my charge but they hadn't, they just weren't there anymore. This didn't just happen, it couldn't have, but it did.

Confused, I made my way back to Debbie. She was still standing there like a damn zombie and I had to shake her to bring her back to me.

"It was him, it was Dan," she kept saying over and over again.

"Think about what you're saying, they're dead, both of them."

"But they were here, I saw them."

"Look, I'm not saying we didn't see something, but I'm not about to believe we've been stalked by two ghosts."

"But Steve..."

"No buts, Deb, it wasn't real. There are no such things as ghosts!" At least I didn't think there were up until right then. "Debbie, I love you and want to make you my wife and no damn ghost is going to stop me from doing just that." I grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, we're out of this place."

The first thing we did when we got to our room was open the bottle of champagne and order another. She was still distraught, and I'm not sure where my brain was at. After a few minutes of consoling each other, there was laughter, tears, and a lot of talking. Sometime later that night I asked Debbie, for the third time, and she finally said yes. There wasn't any sex that night. Debbie kept looking over her shoulder expecting, I guess, Dan to materialize out of nothingness. We both needed sleep but that didn't happen either.

I was taking a cool shower trying to wake up and make some sense out of the last ten hours. I jumped a foot when Debbie walked in behind me.

"Easy, it's just me," she said, looking at me. You may like cold showers but I can't stand them." She turned the hot water on higher. We hugged, kissed, and did our best to wash each other without going too far.

"Steve, no matter what you say, last night happened. It was Dan in the same tux he was wearing when he died in that car accident. And that girl, Becky, she was the one who told me about you. She looked a little different, but it was her, I'm sure of it."

"Do you have any idea what your saying? That we saw two dead people, watching us at last night's wedding, and together no less. I'm sorry, I'm not ready for the loony bin just yet."

"All right, then what happened last night?" she asked. I didn't have an answer at that moment, but I was working on it. We got dressed, checked out of the hotel, and I took her to breakfast.

"My mom is expecting me to bring you around this morning. What do I tell her? Mom, she said yes, oh, and by the way, I also saw Becky's ghost there last night. Not going to happen." Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, today was Valentine's Day and yesterday was the thirteenth.

I started thinking back over the last two plus years, remembering all the girls that had approached me. It had all started on the thirteenth of February, the day Toni broke up with me, and coincidently it was the same day on which Becky had died years earlier.

"Steve, you look like you're a million miles away. What are you thinking about?"

"Deb, it may sound a little crazy but I think I may have an idea about the how and why this all happened. I don't know if I'm ready for the padded room yet, but it's the only explanation I can come up with."

For the next hour I took Debbie back to when I got my first camera. I told her about Becky, growing up together, and everything up to the night before she died.

"She said she wanted to be my girlfriend but passed away the following night. Debbie, it was February the thirteenth when she died, the day before Valentine's Day. That's also the date when this whole nightmare began."

"I beg your pardon, I don't think I fall into the nightmare category and besides, why didn't you tell me about meeting Dan?"

"I didn't want you to get any more spooked then you already were. If I told you that some guy was stalking you because of me, how would you have reacted?"

"Without knowing who it was, it probably would have freaked me out. But hell, after last night, nothing would surprise me anymore." She was right about that one.

"So, I guess this whole thing was about Becky finding you the right girl, whether you wanted one or not. No wonder you acted that way the first time I met you. If it were me, I probably would have told you to hit the road and not bother me. I'm just glad it didn't happen that way," she said, taking my hand.

"Looking back, Dan wasn't out to scare me off, more so just making sure my intentions were honorable. Debbie, at first I though he was a jilted lover, but now it makes perfect sense—he was there to protect you. God, I wonder what the two of them are planning next?"

"I don't think they are."

"Say again?"

"Steve, think about it. Their aim was to get us together and they've succeeding in doing just that," she said, flashing the engagement ring on her finger. "When I saw them standing there they were smiling like I am now. I don't think we'll have to be worrying about them any longer." I hoped she was right.

"Just so we don't come across like total nut cases, I think we shouldn't say anything about last night to anyone." She agreed with me.

Mom acted surprised and winked at me when no one was looking. I think my dad was happier about the prospect of me finally moving out of the house then he was about our upcoming wedding. Something was mentioned about a media room.

Debbie's parents were overjoyed and her dad told me I was lucky to be getting such a wonderful girl. I totally agreed with him. So began the wedding plans.