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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Love / Romance / Dating
- Published: 03/15/2022
Another Valentine card mysteriously appears in my mailbox. No name of who it's from. This has been happening for a week now. One card arrives each day. They're all stamped but with no return address. Who is sending them? Glancing around I don't see any suspicious activity. My first thought is to throw them out, but I can't. Whoever is sending them has taken the time to carefully choose words which truly convey how they feel.
The second week I started receiving small boxes of candy. You know the ones that have five or six pieces of chocolates inside a heart shaped box. “Why?” I question out loud. Oh well, I have a sweet tooth and I love candy. I'll eat these. A total of six heart shaped boxes of chocolates were left in my postal box.
I must have an admirer, but I don't know who it could be. I'm 23 and single. Since I broke up with my boyfriend of three years, two years ago, I haven't been dating. In fact, I don't have time to play the dating game. My work takes up so much of my time. And to be honest, I have little interest in dating right now. Not to say that I don't look at guys, I do. Actually, there's this cute guy named Drew who works in my office building. He has a problem with attitude if you know what I mean. He's extremely good looking and he plays on that. The guy is a major flirt and teaser. I try to ignore him whenever possible. He's asked me out many times. I keep turning him down. You'd think he'd get the idea.
The following Monday I hesitate to look in my mailbox. Although curiosity gets the best of me. And I need my mail. Slowly I open the door. Inside is a rectangular shaped blue velvet jewelry box “Oh my God, what is going on?” I whisper to myself. Now things are getting scary. Enclosed within the container is a beautiful necklace encased in diamonds and sapphires. “No Way!” I say out loud. The gifts continue. The second day to my surprise is a gold velvet pouch containing a pair of gold studded earrings. Wednesday I reluctantly make my way to gather my mail. As I slowly pull the door down, I spot a string of pearls housed within a pearl oyster. I feel faint. Dizziness grips me like a child's merry-go-round on a school playground. I catch myself before I fall. Rounding out the week I receive a beautiful hummingbird brioche and a ruby bracelet. This has to stop!
OK now I'm freaked out. These are very expensive gems. Some unknown stranger has spent a great deal of money on me, WHY? I am so confused. The person must live in town because all of this gorgeous jewelry was hand placed in my mailbox not delivered by the postal service. I'm being stalked big time. Now my heart is pounding like a jack hammer as I intensely look around for any signs of anyone standing behind trees, buildings, cars. I glare down the road in both directions as far as I can see. Nothing. No one. Pay attention girl. Does anything look out of place? No. Everything looks normal.
Sprinting to the house, body trembling, I flop onto the sofa. My mind is racing like a car on a speedway. Who is doing this? Why is the stranger doing this to me? How does this person know me? What is my admirer's intention? I contemplate on what I should do. Should I call someone? If so, who? Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'll wait till after the holiday, Then I'll contact the police and my parents. Until then, I've got to be very vigilant and keep my phone close by incase I need to call someone immediately.
Deciding to stay awake all night I put on some strong coffee. It's going to be a long night. I have to entertain an eagle's watchful eye if I am going to catch whoever is doing this. And I will. I need answers. Thank goodness I don't have to go into work tomorrow because I'm going to be dead tired.
Grabbing my coffee and sitting it down on the end table I carefully slide my rocker near to the encased bay window. Glancing out into the cool darkness I watch as shadows dance in the evening moonlight. The streetlight shines a soft glow of amber against the night sky. Sipping my coffee as the hours creep by my mind is drawn in all directions. I don't have a clue as to who could be doing this. I just know I want it to stop. Fear of the unknown is tearing at me.
The early morning sun penetrates through the thick double glass. The warmth from its rays slaps me in the face and sparks my awareness. “Dam, I must have fallen asleep. Dam it! Dam it! " I complain as I shake myself awake. Walking in circles I'm so mad at myself for dozing off. “No! No! Why did you fall to sleep? Stupid girl! Stupid girl!” I look at my letterbox. it stands beckoning me to go to it. OK let's face the inevitable. As I walk out the door, I feel my anxiety growing, my heart begins fluttering, sweat forms on my palms. Approaching the box, I stand fixed in front of it. Hesitation is gripping me. I will myself to pull the door open. Staring me in the face is the most breathtakingly stunning diamond ring I've ever laid eyes on. Placed beside the ring is a note with the words. “I Love You, Marry Me.”
My weakened body crumbles to the ground. Holding the ring and staring at the handwritten note my eyes blur as tears well up inside and roll down my cheek. My throat tightened. Now sobbing out of control, I don't know what to do.
“Please don't cry”
I hear a voice whisper.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I look up to see Danny standing in front of me.
“Danny? Wha a a a t are you doing here? Are you...? Did you? Why?”
Sitting down beside me he slides his warm loving hands gently over my cheeks wiping my tears away.
“Cassie, I love you. I've never stopped.” He leans over and kisses a tear from my eye.
“But Sara?”
“It didn't work out. It wasn't meant to be. Our marriage lasted a little over a year. I could not give her the love I harbor for you. Deep inside I believe she knew our marriage was destined to fail. Sure we were happy at first. But I now realize it wasn't true happiness.”
“Danny, I'm so sorry.”
“Cassie don't be sorry. When you broke up with me, my world crashed. Nothing mattered. My job suffered. I was a wreck. All I wanted was to see you again. When I heard you had moved to Salem I took two weeks vacation in hopes of getting you back. I had to find you. Showering you with things I know you love was my way of showing you how much I love you. I was hoping you would realize it was me.”
“It never crossed my mind that it could be you. We haven't communicated with each other since I broke up with you. It was over. We both picked up our lives and moved on.”
“Cassie, do you have any love in your heart for me? Can you find that spark we once had? I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?
“Danny I will always love you but I am not in love with you. I don't know if we could ever make this work."
“I can't force you to fall in love with me Cassie but will you at least give us a chance?”
“Maybe we can date a few times and see where it takes us. As for now I can't marry you.”
He carefully clutches my hand that is holding the ring, Looking at me with glassy eyes he softly replies, “Please keep this in case you change your mind.”
Lowering his head he turns and trudges off between a row of hedges.
I turn to see Drew duck behind a bush.
Valentine's Day Surprise(Shelly Garrod)
Another Valentine card mysteriously appears in my mailbox. No name of who it's from. This has been happening for a week now. One card arrives each day. They're all stamped but with no return address. Who is sending them? Glancing around I don't see any suspicious activity. My first thought is to throw them out, but I can't. Whoever is sending them has taken the time to carefully choose words which truly convey how they feel.
The second week I started receiving small boxes of candy. You know the ones that have five or six pieces of chocolates inside a heart shaped box. “Why?” I question out loud. Oh well, I have a sweet tooth and I love candy. I'll eat these. A total of six heart shaped boxes of chocolates were left in my postal box.
I must have an admirer, but I don't know who it could be. I'm 23 and single. Since I broke up with my boyfriend of three years, two years ago, I haven't been dating. In fact, I don't have time to play the dating game. My work takes up so much of my time. And to be honest, I have little interest in dating right now. Not to say that I don't look at guys, I do. Actually, there's this cute guy named Drew who works in my office building. He has a problem with attitude if you know what I mean. He's extremely good looking and he plays on that. The guy is a major flirt and teaser. I try to ignore him whenever possible. He's asked me out many times. I keep turning him down. You'd think he'd get the idea.
The following Monday I hesitate to look in my mailbox. Although curiosity gets the best of me. And I need my mail. Slowly I open the door. Inside is a rectangular shaped blue velvet jewelry box “Oh my God, what is going on?” I whisper to myself. Now things are getting scary. Enclosed within the container is a beautiful necklace encased in diamonds and sapphires. “No Way!” I say out loud. The gifts continue. The second day to my surprise is a gold velvet pouch containing a pair of gold studded earrings. Wednesday I reluctantly make my way to gather my mail. As I slowly pull the door down, I spot a string of pearls housed within a pearl oyster. I feel faint. Dizziness grips me like a child's merry-go-round on a school playground. I catch myself before I fall. Rounding out the week I receive a beautiful hummingbird brioche and a ruby bracelet. This has to stop!
OK now I'm freaked out. These are very expensive gems. Some unknown stranger has spent a great deal of money on me, WHY? I am so confused. The person must live in town because all of this gorgeous jewelry was hand placed in my mailbox not delivered by the postal service. I'm being stalked big time. Now my heart is pounding like a jack hammer as I intensely look around for any signs of anyone standing behind trees, buildings, cars. I glare down the road in both directions as far as I can see. Nothing. No one. Pay attention girl. Does anything look out of place? No. Everything looks normal.
Sprinting to the house, body trembling, I flop onto the sofa. My mind is racing like a car on a speedway. Who is doing this? Why is the stranger doing this to me? How does this person know me? What is my admirer's intention? I contemplate on what I should do. Should I call someone? If so, who? Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'll wait till after the holiday, Then I'll contact the police and my parents. Until then, I've got to be very vigilant and keep my phone close by incase I need to call someone immediately.
Deciding to stay awake all night I put on some strong coffee. It's going to be a long night. I have to entertain an eagle's watchful eye if I am going to catch whoever is doing this. And I will. I need answers. Thank goodness I don't have to go into work tomorrow because I'm going to be dead tired.
Grabbing my coffee and sitting it down on the end table I carefully slide my rocker near to the encased bay window. Glancing out into the cool darkness I watch as shadows dance in the evening moonlight. The streetlight shines a soft glow of amber against the night sky. Sipping my coffee as the hours creep by my mind is drawn in all directions. I don't have a clue as to who could be doing this. I just know I want it to stop. Fear of the unknown is tearing at me.
The early morning sun penetrates through the thick double glass. The warmth from its rays slaps me in the face and sparks my awareness. “Dam, I must have fallen asleep. Dam it! Dam it! " I complain as I shake myself awake. Walking in circles I'm so mad at myself for dozing off. “No! No! Why did you fall to sleep? Stupid girl! Stupid girl!” I look at my letterbox. it stands beckoning me to go to it. OK let's face the inevitable. As I walk out the door, I feel my anxiety growing, my heart begins fluttering, sweat forms on my palms. Approaching the box, I stand fixed in front of it. Hesitation is gripping me. I will myself to pull the door open. Staring me in the face is the most breathtakingly stunning diamond ring I've ever laid eyes on. Placed beside the ring is a note with the words. “I Love You, Marry Me.”
My weakened body crumbles to the ground. Holding the ring and staring at the handwritten note my eyes blur as tears well up inside and roll down my cheek. My throat tightened. Now sobbing out of control, I don't know what to do.
“Please don't cry”
I hear a voice whisper.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I look up to see Danny standing in front of me.
“Danny? Wha a a a t are you doing here? Are you...? Did you? Why?”
Sitting down beside me he slides his warm loving hands gently over my cheeks wiping my tears away.
“Cassie, I love you. I've never stopped.” He leans over and kisses a tear from my eye.
“But Sara?”
“It didn't work out. It wasn't meant to be. Our marriage lasted a little over a year. I could not give her the love I harbor for you. Deep inside I believe she knew our marriage was destined to fail. Sure we were happy at first. But I now realize it wasn't true happiness.”
“Danny, I'm so sorry.”
“Cassie don't be sorry. When you broke up with me, my world crashed. Nothing mattered. My job suffered. I was a wreck. All I wanted was to see you again. When I heard you had moved to Salem I took two weeks vacation in hopes of getting you back. I had to find you. Showering you with things I know you love was my way of showing you how much I love you. I was hoping you would realize it was me.”
“It never crossed my mind that it could be you. We haven't communicated with each other since I broke up with you. It was over. We both picked up our lives and moved on.”
“Cassie, do you have any love in your heart for me? Can you find that spark we once had? I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?
“Danny I will always love you but I am not in love with you. I don't know if we could ever make this work."
“I can't force you to fall in love with me Cassie but will you at least give us a chance?”
“Maybe we can date a few times and see where it takes us. As for now I can't marry you.”
He carefully clutches my hand that is holding the ring, Looking at me with glassy eyes he softly replies, “Please keep this in case you change your mind.”
Lowering his head he turns and trudges off between a row of hedges.
I turn to see Drew duck behind a bush.
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
03/29/2022That was really good Shelly. will we get a Drew story...will there be a part 2 for Danny? I really enjoyed this one. Congratulations on short story star of the day.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
05/08/2022Thanks for your kind comments Lillian. There is a part 2. Hope you enjoy.
Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gerald R Gioglio
03/29/2022Shelly, Nice work, really loved the cool twist at the end. Best, Jerry.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
03/29/2022Thank you for your kind comments Gerald. Glad you enjoyed the story. Be looking for part two soon.
Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/29/2022Sorry about that Shelley, I put my comment in the wrong place I was agreeing with JD's comment and posted it by accident under hers. We definitely need a part two.
Congrats and smiles Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
JD
03/28/2022That seemed more like a horror story than a romance story, to me. But that's also what made it interesting. Well done, Shelly. Happy short story STAR of the day! : )
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
03/29/2022Thank you again JD for choosing my story for short story star of the day. I truly appreciate the acknowledgement. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the story. Sometimes I have difficulty choosing which category the story should be in. This was one of them. It had suspense, mystery and romance. The story wasn't meant to have a happy ending. But according to the thread it looks like I better get cracking on a part two. And who knows what might happen!!
Shelly
Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kevin Hughes
03/29/2022I have to agree with JD on this one. It wasn’t a happy story to me. But like everyone else on the thread I think we need part two. Congrats on story star of the day smiles Kevin
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
03/21/2022Thanks Sue, glad you enjoyed the story. Yup, I'm going to have to write a part 2.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Shelly Garrod
03/16/2022Thank you, Gail, for your kind comment. Glad you enjoyed the story. May have to begin work on part 2.
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Kimberly Barnhart
03/15/2022Great story but now I'm curious and feel like there needs to be a part 2 to find out more about Drew at the end of the story.
Reply
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