Valentine’s Day meant to be special. More than the Catholics celebrating it to honor Saint Valentine, the fourteenth of February has become the annual celebration of all forms of love for everyone around the world.
That special day came and waking up, Arazelle was eager to greet everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day. She kissed her parents and her grandma and hugged Cory when they gathered downstairs for breakfast.
Arriving in school, she flashed each of her friends a smile, and those who are close to her were blessed with a hug that showed how she appreciated each of them.
During the church visitation, knowing that hugging Klaus was impossible, Arazelle looked for him from the male’s column and as soon as their eyes met, Klaus winked at her and mouthed Happy Valentine’s to which she returned.
The school didn’t hold a program to celebrate the day but to make it special, the Student Council decorated the bulletin board with a Valentine theme and encouraged their fellow students to post their greeting cards. And from three o’clock onwards, the students can start checking if there were cards made for them.
Looking at the board, Arazelle searched for something made for her. She saw one. It was from a freshman that she got close to. There were also cards from Zephanie and Marny. A moment later, Celeste handed her a card from Ethan. After reading the sweetly written content, she went on checking if there were still others for her while posting the last six cards she made for six different people. But when she was about to post the last envelope she’s holding, hesitation slowly poisoned her, thinking that out of curiosity, people might open the envelope and she’ll get caught that she wrote for Klaus.
She stood there for a while to contemplate. Should she post it or would it be better to personally hand it to him? While she’s at it, an idea crept into her mind. She stepped closer to the board and looked for cards dedicated to her forbidden friend. She found one in the middlemost part. It was a red special paper etched with roses and Klaus’ name was written in a calligraphic style using black ink that was bordered with white. Then an abaca fiber ribbon was tied around it. Curiosity struck her and she flipped the bottom part of the card to see the sender’s name. Ivana. At the sight, her eyes rolled and she let go of the paper as if it disgusted her.
“How many cards did you get?” She flinched and turned to see who the intruder was.
“Um…” She pocketed the last envelope she was holding as she scanned the crowd. Some were looking at them but at this point, it no longer mattered because it wasn’t the first time that they were seen together. “I got ten. Mostly from my friends. What about you?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t checked yet. Will you help me?”
“Um… sure.”
He thanked her and they started checking the opposite sides of the board. When Klaus was certain that there were no other letters written for him aside from the two that Arazelle handed and the five that he’s already holding, he motioned her to follow him on a less crowded corner and randomly asked if she wrote for a lot of people.
“I did. I gave a card to everyone who in one way or another made me feel special or left a mark on me.”
“Wow. That’s a very beautiful way to show your appreciation.” I wonder if she made one for me.
“Thank you.” She bit her lip and sighed as she pulled out the letter from her pocket. “Given that reason,” she gazed at Klaus and went on, “you deserved this.”
Niklaus stared at the letter as it waited for him in the air. His hand trembled as he took the red envelope that emanated her flowery smell. And when he was about to loosen the white ribbon tied around it, Ara stopped him and requested to open it when she’s not around.
“Lina, you didn’t need to write me anything.”
“Well…” A little shocked and disappointed with his reaction, she fixes her hair, looks at him straight in the eyes, and in the calmest way she could deliver, she said, “I wanted to be fair to everyone close to me. It’s up to you if you keep it. And just so you know, you don’t have to give me one.” She turned to the direction of the girls’ stairs and before leaving, she said, “I gotta go back up.”
“Wait.” He called hesitantly. “Uh-um… are we cool?”
Ara lingered a look on him before breaking into a smile. “I’ll talk to you tonight.”
When she was finally out of sight, Klaus went inside the library and silently read all the cards and letters that he received, saving Arazelle’s for last. He ran a hand over it. He smelt it more than twice before finally opening it.
Klaus,
Our friendship was something that I never expected.
But it was something that I will forever treasure.
I sincerely enjoyed every moment we spent
despite the constant fear of being caught.
Thank you for all the experiences.
Thank you for being a true friend.
Everything that we’ve shared will be cherished.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love,
Nikolina
His heart constricted as he read it over and over. He was happy that she treasured their friendship but at the same time, worried about his impact in her life.
Stop overthinking, Niklaus! She’s just a child. He tries to convince himself but he knows that he doesn’t see her that way. He sighed. Forty-seven days. We only have forty-seven days left on our friendship calendar. It may be a short time but a lot can happen in that span. What should I do to avoid making more memories with her? God, help. I know that staying away is the best resort but it’s also the most difficult. At this point, I don’t think I can survive to be away from her knowing that I’ll see her every day. It’s torture.
That night, he tried calling her thrice but she seemed to be away from her phone. From his point of view, that was impossible because she knew that he’ll be calling her anytime. It’s been their nightly routine. So he decided to go online and luckily, she was available to chat. He message her by saying: Your letter meant a lot. Happy Valentine’s Day, Nikolina!
He was worried that she might be mad and won’t reply because he didn’t give her a letter. But his assumption was proven wrong when she quickly replied and told him: You’re welcome! Glad you liked it. :)
After logging out, he grabbed his phone, called Nash who was in the middle of studying, and sought advice if he should write back or not. Listening to him, Nash exasperatedly ran a hand on his entire face before telling him that, “You said you want to finally take baby steps to avoid giving her more reasons to like you. This could be the first. So, don’t write back.”
Niklaus rolled over his bed. “But I wanna write her back. Just this once.”
Nash groaned. “Figure it out yourself, bro. My advice is always useless on you, anyways.”
He chuckled but felt embarrassed for always seemingly neglecting his best friend’s thoughts. “Naw. Thank you, bro. Bye.”
As stubborn as he was, he made her a letter before picking up his notes to study. Then the next day, when the students emptied the campus for the church visitation, he sneaked into Arazelle’s classroom and left the letter on her armed-chair. However, the moment he reached the door for his exit, his mind took a U-turn and led him back inside and grabbed the letter, and pocketed it. Then he whispered, “Baby steps, Klaus. Baby steps.”
