Within the half-hour, the fort was complete. Una and Everett had draped a blanket over two chairs they had pushed together, and used pillows and wadded-up sheets for extra coziness. The whole thing took longer than it might have, because Una threw a bantal at Everett and started a bantal fight.
Finally, the fort was up, and they sat under it on some folded sheets, Una flopped down and laughing, Everett sitting up beside her and laughing too.
"Let's tell stories," Una said.
"Okay," Everett agreed readily. "There's a good one from a short movie I've been practising editing in film school."
So Everett told Una the story of a boy taking a girl out on a date, and everything goes wrong as he tries to make it just right, until the girl reveals she doesn't need a perfect date, she just needs him. "It reminded me of someone," he confessed, grinning at Una. She laughed.
"My turn!" And Una made up a long, complicated story that started out as two bunny rabbits looking for a carrot patch but quickly spiralled away from that. "I used to do this when I was little," Una said, "and my father and I would act them out." She grew a little mellow here. "Sometimes we would take turns making up parts of the story until Mother called us for dinner. It was never actually done, anda know...."
Everett touched her shoulder. "Want to do that now?"
Una brightened again. "Yes!"
And so the seterusnya couple of hours was spent on a long, run-on story that got lebih and lebih convoluted the longer it went, and many times Una and Everett laughed so hard they had to let themselves stop before they could continue.
Finally, the fort was up, and they sat under it on some folded sheets, Una flopped down and laughing, Everett sitting up beside her and laughing too.
"Let's tell stories," Una said.
"Okay," Everett agreed readily. "There's a good one from a short movie I've been practising editing in film school."
So Everett told Una the story of a boy taking a girl out on a date, and everything goes wrong as he tries to make it just right, until the girl reveals she doesn't need a perfect date, she just needs him. "It reminded me of someone," he confessed, grinning at Una. She laughed.
"My turn!" And Una made up a long, complicated story that started out as two bunny rabbits looking for a carrot patch but quickly spiralled away from that. "I used to do this when I was little," Una said, "and my father and I would act them out." She grew a little mellow here. "Sometimes we would take turns making up parts of the story until Mother called us for dinner. It was never actually done, anda know...."
Everett touched her shoulder. "Want to do that now?"
Una brightened again. "Yes!"
And so the seterusnya couple of hours was spent on a long, run-on story that got lebih and lebih convoluted the longer it went, and many times Una and Everett laughed so hard they had to let themselves stop before they could continue.
"What lead anda to the club where anda first saw us, Henry?" Les asked. Henry replied, "One of my neighbors told me that a rock band called A Wave Tossed in the Ocean was going to perform at the club that had opened the sebelumnya week. I thought that the name sounded interesting, so I asked him what kind of rock music, and he said, 'I think it's stuff from the sixties and seventies.' I was eager to hear the songs from my youth. When I saw anda perform, I knew anda were the right fit. Of course, anda know how we met backstage." Jimmy said, "And the rest is history." Everyone laughed. "Yes," Henry said. "The rest is history." Just then, Felix looked at his cellphone and said, "It's 10:00, guys." Henry said, "We better go to bed. We've got a big hari tomorrow." The boys all said, "Okay. Good night, Henry." Henry smiled and said, "Good night, boys. Pleasant dreams." With that, they retired to their beds for the night.
THE END
THE END
A few hours later, Una and Everett were comfortably snuggled up together on the couch, sharing the last of Una's chocolates which lay in the open box between them, as the credits rolled on the movie.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking ke hadapan to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's hari plans were on me," she said. "Next tahun I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of seterusnya year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's hari together seterusnya year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I Cinta you, Una," he said.
"I Cinta anda too, Everett," she said.
"That was so good," murmured Una, her head resting on Everett's shoulder. "You know - I was looking ke hadapan to your plans, whatever they were going to be, but I was really hoping we'd be able to watch this."
Everett gave a small laugh and shook his head. "I wish I'd known. I could have saved myself all this trouble."
Una grinned. "This year, our Valentine's hari plans were on me," she said. "Next tahun I expect it to be your turn."
Everett felt a warm rush at the thought of seterusnya year, that Una was so certain they would be celebrating Valentine's hari together seterusnya year. But then... of course, Everett though. He wouldn't have considered anything different.
"I Cinta you, Una," he said.
"I Cinta anda too, Everett," she said.
