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“Hey,” Jack greeted his lover as he stepped into his office.
“Hey.” Daniel shot him a smile and returned his attention to the translation he was working on.
The colonel shut the door after him and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
“Listen,” he cleared his throat, “our date for tonight, it's still on, right?"
“Of course,” the archaeologist frowned at the doubt. “Unless, you know… maybe you have another plan or…?”
Uneasiness spread in Daniel’s gut. He and Jack had been together for only three months, and it would be their first Valentine's together. Not that the archaeologist cared much about those things, but anyway, he had planned to have some extra fun tonight. He had even bought a gift for his lover, not that he expected anything in return.
“No, no, I was just making sure you remembered,” Jack bounced on his heels. “I mean, you get so absorbed into your work sometimes…”
“No, no, I, uh… I remember, no worries.” Daniel mentally exhaled in relief. “1900 hours, your place, right?”
“Right,” the older man confirmed with a sharp nod.
He turned around to leave, but then he spun again.
“Listen, I, uh… I happened to notice it’s Sant Valentine's day today,” he said, fidgeting. “We, uh… we don’t have to do anything special, right? I mean, all that chocolate and roses stuff is for girls, right? And with both of us being guys, I mean, it’s not something guys do with… well… other guys, right?”
“Of course,” Daniel agreed, feeling slightly disappointed. “It’s just… well, a regular day like any other.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Jack threw him a hand for emphasis. “So, uh… see you later?”
“See you later.”
And Jack left feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.
***
In the evening
Daniel parked his jeep in the street in front of Jack’s place, grabbed the box he kept in the rear seat, and headed to the house. After a few steps, the archaeologist froze, feeling ridiculous all of a sudden. After the conversation he had with Jack earlier, he wasn’t sure the gift was a good idea. Anyway, he knew of no one else who’d appreciate it, so he kept going. The archaeologist left the box in front of the door, knocked, and waited. A few seconds later, his lover opened the door, wearing a smile from ear to ear.
“Hey,” Daniel mirrored the older man’s expression.
“Hey yourself.” The colonel noticed the gift-wrapped box at Daniel’s feet and frowned. “What’s that package?”
“Oh, no idea,” the archaeologist replied innocently. “It was here when I arrived. It has your name on it.”
“Huh,” the older man raised his eyebrows.
He grabbed the box and noticed it was quite heavy. He shook it, but nothing moved inside. Whatever it was, it was either solid or wrapped tightly. The couple went into the house, and Daniel shut the door after them. They headed to the living room, and the archaeologist saw there was another gift-wrapped box on the coffee table.
“You know, it’s funny,” Jack said as he placed his package next to the smaller one. “This box was at my front door when I arrived home. The tag says Daniel. I guess someone left it here by mistake,” he shrugged. “I don’t have any neighbor with your name, so I have no idea who the recipient is. I guess you can keep it.”
“Oh.” It was Daniel’s eyebrows turn to bounce. “Funny, indeed. So, uh… what do we do? Do you think we should…?”
“What? Open them?” Jack made a face. “Well, I don’t know of any other Jack around either, so…”
“So,” the archaeologist cleared his throat, “we open them.”
“Sure,” the colonel replied nonchalantly.
Each man grabbed his box and tore the wrapping paper. Jack opened the cardboard box that appeared under the glossy paper and found a beautiful red rose and a collection of the most exclusive European beers. As for Daniel, he found himself admiring with shining eyes a matching rose and a big box of chocolates from one of the most expensive brands in the world.
“My God, this must have cost you a fortune!” both men exclaimed in unison.
They stared at each other, mouths agape, and blinked. Daniel was the first one to react.
“No, uh… it wasn’t me,” he swallowed. “I mean, a regular day, remember?”
“Oh, me neither,” Jack said nonchalantly. “I mean, men don’t… well, what I said before.”
Jack grabbed a bottle and held it up against the light for closer inspection.
“This is really good stuff.”
Daniel put a chocolate in his mouth and let it melt on his tongue.
“Oh, lord, this is… mmmm… I died and went to heaven. Dear God… oh, mmmm, best chocolate I ever tasted!”
“I’m glad you liked it,” Jack smiled fondly.
“And I’m glad you’re happy with your beer,” Daniel mimicked the expression on his lover’s face.
The two lovers stared at each other with eyes sparkling with love until Jack felt his legs buckle under the weight of the lie.
“Oh, for crying out loud!” he growled in dismay. “Who are we trying to fool? I admit it, I’m an old-fashioned sap! I mean, c’mon! It’s our first Valentine's!”
“Oh, thank God,” Daniel exhaled in relief. “I thought I was alone in that. I mean, I was never too attentive to my other partners, but for some reason, I feel like I want to explore every ounce of my romantic side with you.”
“Yeah, same here,” Jack admitted. “I mean, who cares if we’re both men, right?”
“Exactly,” the younger man agreed.
“Good,” the colonel nodded. “And now that we cleared things up, let me taste that super expensive chocolate.”
And Daniel let him… directly from his lips.
The end