The Valentine’s Game

            I stood in front of the open fridge door for a good two minutes. What on earth are we in the mood for?

            Liam called from the front door, “Honey I’m home.”

            “Oh thank goodness! What are you in the mood for?” I called out to him.

            “What are you talking about? It’s Valentine’s Day!” He replied.

            I smiled and called back, “Exactly, I’m making dinner.”

            “No, we are dressing up and going out,” he announced as he entered the kitchen.

            “Do you have a reservation?” I turned to him as he pinned me against the kitchen counter.

            “We can find somewhere that will take us,” he dismissed and pulled me in for a hug.

            I held him back, “Bet?” I challenged.

            He backed off but didn’t let me move, “Set the terms.”

            “No waits longer than 30 minutes,” I started, “and the bill should total at least $70.”

            “Oh, you think we can afford that, huh,” he mocked.

            I crossed my arms, “I know we can, Mister!”

            He thought for a second before adding, “I get to make it a complete surprise.”

            I about began to protest but thought the better of it. I may not like the idea of a surprise but I really didn’t want to cook either. I held out my hand and we shook on our deal.

            Liam then went to his study but not before ordering me to the stairs to take a shower and get ready. I beat him to the stairs and blocked his path. I turn to him with my best mischievous smile.

            “Are you sure you don’t want to stay home,” I asked? I walked my fingers up his arms and linked them around his neck. “I don’t mind cooking,” I lied.

            He knew exactly what I was doing and quickly pulled me in for the kiss that was teasing. My grip around his neck tightened immediately. I love kissing my husband, but I was a little miffed he called my bluff. He pulled away, wiped off the corner of my mouth, and whispered, “I would like to save some room for dessert.” He winked and I booked it to the master bedroom.

            I jumped into the shower and got started on my date night routine. By the time I had my hair dried enough to pull out the curling iron. Liam finally came into our room with a smug smile. He came up behind me wrapping his arms around my slip-covered waist.

            “Your husband is very good.” His whisper sent tingles down my spine.

            “You got a reservation?”

            “Mm, hmm,” he hummed as he swayed me slightly.

            “Am I going to like it?”

            “Once we get there you are going to love it. But you are not going to like the blindfold you will have to wear on the way there.”

            “No!” I growled.

            “You agreed to a complete surprise,” he reminded me.

            “But—“

            “No, you are not going to get any sort of heads up.” He stood firm. “Now, it is my turn for the shower.” I motioned that I still needed to curl my hair. He shrugged and asked that I close the door. As soon as the water was running Liam began singing his new tune. I joined in with soft harmony.

            He was done with the bathroom before I move from the right side of my head to the left. Once I finally finished my hair I move to the closet. Liam stood in front of our floor-length mirror. He adjusted his gray button-down so it sat comfortably under his black vest. I saw the splash of red in his hand and decided to match that. I knew exactly what dress I would wear. I searched my closet but couldn’t find it.

            “It’s on the bed,” Liam pointed. “I already picked it out.”

            “How did you—“

            “I’m your husband,” he smiled. “Plus it is my favorite, so I was going to have you wear it anyway.” I kissed his cheek and quickly finished getting ready.

            About twenty minutes later Liam had me blindfolded and handed me into an uber. He didn’t want to give anything away so he had the driver crank up whatever love song was playing and we sat in silence just holding hands.

            Once we were at our destination a couple of things hit me before the blindfold came off. First, was the sound of my heels clicking against tile for a brief couple of seconds and then we hit the carpet. Second, was the smell of cheese that filled my nostrils. The blindfold was lifted and I was blinded with neon lights and low lighting.

            I turned to my husband with a smirk. “Dave and Buster’s?”

            “They have a less than 30-minute wait,” he began counting, “and I have about $50 in tickets for each of us.”

            “And I am completely surprised,” I laughed. “I just wish you hadn’t made us dress up.”

            “Why not,” he asked pulling me close, “I think we look hot.” I kissed him. Once we pulled away he suggested we get started and have a little fun.

            We challenged each other to Mario Kart, Dance Dance Revolution, and Whack-a-Mole. He pretended to teach me the tricks of Skee-ball or helped me cheat the system of Speed of Light. After about an hour we agreed to eat some dinner. We ordered some pizza and garlic fries, and just enjoyed the conversation that flows. Once we had our fill we put a few more bucks on our playing cards.

            Once we were empty we made our way to their prize counter. We argued for a good two minutes before settling on putting our tickets together and getting a stuffed animal. I hugged the little branded dog to my chest and held my husband's warm hand. As we waited for the Uber, I pulled him closer and kissed him hard.

            “Hmm,” he sighed, “what was that for?”

            “Thank you for being my Valentine,” I smiled. His arms came around my waist and pulled me back in for another kiss. The car came up and honked at us.

           “Well let’s get home for some dessert,” I winked and pulled him with me towards the car.

Author’s Note:
I hope you have an amazing Valentine’s Day!

Until Next Time,
Peace Out Lovers!