Loving Valentine: A Novella

I was on a roll. The word vomit just kept coming. “Oh, come on. You knew. Everyone knew. Even my parents knew I was in love with you. But you made it clear which side of the fence you were on in that situation, didn’t you? It was perfect for all of you. My parents got the kid they always wanted and you got to get rid of the pathetic girl who made you uncomfortable mooning over you all the time. Because that’s what I was to you. A chubby failure. God forbid Micah Green think with anything other than his dick when it comes to women.” I gestured to the changing room to emphasize my point. “The girlfriend. I barely even know her and I can already tell you that her beauty is only skin deep, baby. Have a nice life with that.” I marched out of the store, leaving him gaping at me in disbelief. I trembled from head to foot but I felt triumphant.

I felt someone had lifted a weight off me.

I’d finally said, in less than two minutes, everything I’d ever wanted to say to him.

Everything he never thought I’d ever have the guts to say to his face.

After explaining to Mindy I needed her to cover the store because Micah was out there, I headed up to our apartment above it.

The first thing I did was block Micah on all my social media. No more internet stalking him. No more pining for a guy who was never really the right guy.

It was time to date again with conviction.

I wasn’t sure Ville would be Mr. Right, but at least this time I’d give a guy a real shot.

7

Micah

AGE 27

* * *

“Oh, come on. You knew. Everyone knew. Even my parents knew I was in love with you.”

I shook my head, trying to get Valentine’s voice out of it.

I couldn’t.

It had been three days since our altercation in her store.

Three days since my whole fucking life got turned upside down.

“Because that’s what I was to you. A chubby failure. God forbid Micah Green think with anything other than his dick when it comes to women.”

Squeezing my eyes closed, I tried to shove her words out.

Tried not to care.

But there was this ache, deep and gnawing, in my chest that I couldn’t shift.

“You look like you’re in physical pain.”

Opening my eyes, I found my best friend and roommate, Wells, standing at my side. It amazed us both the same firm offered us jobs when we graduated. We’d interned at Watkins & Holtz, but never expected we’d both get something permanent there. They were a firm that specialized in making eco-living beautiful and interesting, something we both wanted to achieve in our designs.

“I think I am.”

He took a sip of champagne, following my gaze to Elizabeth. She was across the room, elegant in the chic black dress she bought from Valentine. When Valentine’s business partner, Mindy, took over for Val in the shop, she’d told Elizabeth the dress was Valentine’s design. I swear Elizabeth wasn’t going to buy it when she heard that. But her better side won out.

And whatever Valentine had said about Elizabeth, she had a better side.

Problem was, that side of her was never fully engaged.

I hadn’t just come to this conclusion because of Val’s split-second judgment of my girlfriend. Elizabeth’s attitude had been bothering me for months. Yet I felt caught. I’d made the stupid mistake of saying yes to a date with the daughter of Richard Meyer, a partner at the firm. He set us up. I thought it was a great idea. Elizabeth was sexy as hell, smart and independent. However, for the last few months I pushed her snide comments about almost everyone to the side.

She had her moments of kindness too.

Elizabeth did a lot of work for charity organizations.

“You can break it off with her, you know.” Wells turned to me, a knowing look on his face. “Richard won’t fire you. Look, I saw it in Peru, man. The woman is gorgeous but she can be downright nasty. And controlling. Every time she swapped out the food you ordered for a salad, I thought my head was going to explode. Cherry can’t stand her. She almost left Peru because of her.”

Cherry was Wells’ girlfriend. She was a sustainability expert we’d met through our work.

We’d spent three weeks in Peru touring the country to study the architecture. Our firm had actually let us do it as research. It was supposed to be the time of our lives, but tension had seethed between the four of us toward the end of the trip. I hadn’t realized it was all down to Elizabeth. “You should have said something.”

“I didn’t think I needed to.”

“I saw Valentine,” I blurted out.

Wells knew all about Valentine Fairchild. And how I’d felt about her. His eyes widened. “When?”