Chapter 18
	I knew it was gonna be a great day.  As I got up and dressed, I headed to the roof.  The sun was barely up yet the day was already bright and warm.  It was a perfect opportunity to wear shorts for once.
	After rehearsal, Buddy had a surprise planned for me.  So, I was quick to get to work so I could get the day over with soon.  I seemed to be the only upbeat person at rehearsal which is why I tried to get everyone in a cheerful mood.
	“Happy Valentine’s, beautiful,” I kissed Megan on the cheek as we waited for the director to start rehearsal.
	“Oh, hey honey,” she seemed upset.
	“What’s on your mind?” I asked.
	“Nothing… just another blind date,” she wasn’t pleased.
	“Well, what makes you think it won’t go well?”
	“That’s just the thing,” she explained, “It always seems to go great and then I never hear from the guy again… I’m too old for this dating stuff.”
	I kinda felt sorry, “Well, don’t worry… you’re sexy and you’re gonna find the right guy; you just gotta pick out all the bad eggs.”
	She smiled, “Oh, you’re too sweet honey.”
	That was enough to keep her in a good mood for the remainder of rehearsal.  Luckily, we were only there for about 3 hours which let me see Buddy faster than I expected.
	As I got out of costume, I rushed out of the dressing room but was stopped by Ben on the way out.
	He put his hand on my shoulder, “Hey, can we talk real quick?”
	I stopped, “Ok but I’m on my way out, so real quick.”
	“Well I was…” he seemed nervous, “just wondering what you were doing tonight.”
“Buddy’s taking me somewhere for Valentine’s… if you want we can rehearse tomorrow night though,” I rushed.
“Huh? Oh yeah, rehearse,” he seemed confused.
“Is that it?” I asked.
“Yea… Have a good night,” he smiled.
I smiled back as I walked out the door.  As I left the theater, I rushed to see Adam.  He had finally moved into an apartment and I dropped by most days to check on him.
“Adam?” I closed the door behind me.
“Just a second,” he called from the bathroom.
I reached in my duffel bag and pulled out Adam’s Valentine gift.  
He was going to therapy and slowly started getting back to normal, like the way I used to know him.
“Hey,” he stepped out of the bathroom in his robe.
“Happy Valentines day,” I gave him a box of chocolates and a card.
It was a tradition between us but it was the first time we had a chance to do it since he got back.
He stopped and looked at me, “Crap… I didn’t even realize what today was.”
I knew he felt bad but I understood, “Don’t worry about.  I know you’ve had a lot on your mind lately.”
“I feel bad… I’ll make it up to you though,” he put his hand on my shoulder.
I hugged him, “I’m just glad you’re getting better.”
As he hugged me back, I felt the heat coming off his chest from the shower.  He kissed me on my head and held me tighter.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” I let go, “Well I have to go.  Happy Valentines day.”
“Have a good time,” he said.
We smiled as I left.  I walked out and headed back to the apartment to get ready.
“What are you doing here?” Bridget asked as I walked in, “I thought you said you were gonna be gone tonight.”
“I’m just getting ready,” I said, “I know you have some oats to plow.”
I went back to my room and slipped on some jeans and an Ed Hardy shirt that Buddy got me.  I zipped up my hoody and walked out to catch a cab.
When I got to Buddy’s, I walked up to his room.  He was standing in front of the dresser in a pair of boxers.
I pulled off my hoody, “Is this my surprise?”
He turned around as I slipped off my shirt and jeans.  I jumped and wrapped my legs around his waist.  I kissed his lips and ran my fingers through his hair.  He started kissing my neck and dropped me on the bed.  He got on top of me, still kissing my neck.
“I love you so much,” I gasped.
He thrust his hips in between my legs, “I love you too, baby!”
I kissed his lips and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
He stopped kissing and looked at me, “I’ve been looking forward to kissing you all day.”
I smiled, “Trust me, the feeling’s mutual.  I’ve been rushing through the day since I woke up.”
He lied there on top of me and gently kissed my neck.  I played with his hair and rested in his warmth.
We got dressed and caught a cab downtown.  There was a party going on at this condo down the street from the theatre.  We decided to stop by and have fun until it was time for Buddy to give me my surprise.
We just sat and drank for a few minutes, talking about our day.  When my favorite song came on, I made him get up and dance.  We headed to the dance floor.  I did all the dancing and he just put his hands on my hips, pretending to dance too.
As I got thirsty, he left me on the dance floor and went to get us some drinks.  I stopped dancing as I saw Ben walking toward me.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming,” I said over the music.
“Actually, I was kinda hoping you’d be here… do you wanna dance?” he asked.
“Sorry, I’m here with Buddy,” I tried to give him a hint.
“Kevin, I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now…” he tried to find the words, “I don’t know how to say it but…”
“Yea?” I was confused.
He grabbed me by the waist and kissed me on the lips.  I pushed him off.
“If you’re smart, you’ll leave right now,” I walked away.
“Kevin,” he called after me.
I ignored him and found Buddy.  I sat at the bar with him, hoping Ben would go away.  I wasn’t gonna let him ruin my night.
A few drinks later, Buddy and I were joking and laughing.  He put his hand on my knee and looked into my eyes.
“You ready for your surprise?” he smiled.
“Yes, let’s go.  I’m just ready to get out of here,” I kissed him on the cheek and got out of my seat.
He followed me out and we caught a cab.  We got in and he stopped the cab as we passed the diner.
“Ok, go pack a bag and we’ll get going,” he said.
“Why do we need to pack a bag?  Where are we going?” I was so curious.
He smiled, “You’ll see soon enough.”
I made sure to take precautions when I entered the apartment.  Luckily, Bridget and her boy toy were already in her bedroom.  So, I quickly went to my room and packed an overnight bag before they had a chance to leave the bedroom.
As I closed the door behind me and headed downstairs, Adam caught caught me by surprise as he waited at the diner door for someone to answer.  I quickly unlocked it and let him in.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked.
“Well I was in the neighborhood and I just wanted to drop something off,” he said.
“It’s Valentines though… you didn’t have plans?”
“No, but I picked up a last minute gift,” he handed me a card.
“Adam, I told you it was ok… you didn’t have to,” I smiled.
“Well I’m not one to let a tradition die,” he smirked.
“Well thank you,” I kissed him on the cheek, “Buddy’s waiting for me so I have to go but please go out tonight… have some fun.”
I locked the door behind us and walked toward the cab.
I waved, “Bye.”
“Goodnight,” he smiled.
As I got in the cab, we drove off.  I looked back at Adam one last time.  About an hour later, the cab stopped at a house with the lights off.  We got out and walked inside.  I was still confused about the surprise but the house was really nice.
“So…” I didn’t understand.
“Come this way,” he grabbed me by the waist and walked me to the back porch.
I didn’t even realize until we got outside that we were on the beach.
“Are we where I think we are?” I asked.
“Right over there is the spot,” he pointed at the beach.
“It’s where we ended our first date,” I smiled.
He threw me over his shoulder and carried me out to the beach.  We weren’t even swimming so much as rolling around in the sand, kissing as the water hit us.  We enjoyed the breeze of the beach hitting us until we got tired.
We eventually went upstairs and showered the sand off of us.  I got in bed next to him and cuddled up tight to him.  I kissed his chest as he held me tighter.
“I love you,” he whispered.
I sighed, “I love you too.
I rested my head on his warm chest under the soft sheets and fell asleep with a smile on my face.