Kara’s Valentine’s Day

Kara let a slow breath out to warm her pink fingers and watched as the puff of fog she created dissipated from her hands. She tugged at the ends of her pastel-pink sweater sleeves to try to hold in the little bit of warmth she had just given her fingers from her breath. The sun was only beginning to rise, slowly filling in the shadows the street lamps left behind. Usually, her morning walk was only a couple of minutes to The Bean Scene, but today Kara had a different destination. Kara shivered and looked longingly as she passed by her favorite cafe’s windows, where customers sat comfortably sipping on warm drinks. I should’ve left time for a matcha; I’m freezing! Two more blocks, two more blocks, two more blocks. Kara kept repeating this to herself as she continued to march forward.

Ting ting! The small bell on the door rang softly as Kara launched herself into the warmth of the store. A young woman, not much older than her, let out a soft chuckle at Kara’s dramatic entrance. “Don’t worry, I think you’re still a ways away from having to worry about turning into a popsicle,” the woman teased. “Do you have an order to pick up?”

“Have you been out there? It’s freezing! I think... I might... Be... a popsicle.” Kara froze in place. Snapping out of it, she continued, “Yeah! The name’s Kara.”

The woman shook her head at Kara’s goofy display and wiped her hands clean on her green apron. “Let me grab that for you real quick. Looks like you paid ahead. If this is the correct item, then you’re all set, Kara!”

Kara’s eyes dazzled at the sight of her purchase. It’s perfect. “Thank you so much! Your work is truly something else. I’m sure I’ll be back again in the future!” With a wave and an extra thanks, Kara exited the store and braved the chilly trek back. At home, Kara carefully snuck back to her room to hide her purchase away from prying eyes. She only had a few hours left until it was time to meet up with the other two. Kara grinned. Our first Valentine’s Day… I wonder how it’ll go.Taking one last peek at her purchase, Kara exited the room and headed down the hall to wake up Kai. Standing at his door, Kara prepared herself mentally for the morning grumps that awaited her. Unlike her, Kai was definitely not a morning person. She constantly had to remind him not to stay up too late gaming or working on music. Kara rolled her shoulders back, stood up straight, and steeled herself. Fwoom! She swung the door open with gusto, and her mouth dropped open. Standing in front of her was Kai—awake and ready for the day. What kind of alternate universe is this?Kara blinked.

“Oh hey, morning, Kara,” Kai beamed at his sister. Kara just stared at him, a little unnerved by this turn of events. Weird.With a shake of her head and a quick slap to her cheeks, Kara returned to normal.

“You ready to get cookin’?” Instead of waiting for Kai’s reply, she headed back out into the hall and toward the kitchen, knowing he would be right behind her. After turning on VM’s February Playlist, the pair began preparing for brunch. If someone else had been watching, they would have thought they were witnessing a choreographed dance. Kara and Kai twirled and spun around the kitchen—opening cabinets, mixing ingredients into bowls, baking, and cleaning dishes. It was quite the show.

Brrring! Kai put on the oven mitts he’d left out for himself and opened the oven. As the heat escaped, so did the sweet scent of his specialty cinnamon rolls. As he turned to place the rolls on the cooling tray, he caught Kara practically drooling from the sight and smell.

“Kara, close your mouth, or you’ll drool on the food!”

Kara snapped her mouth shut and went back to putting the finishing touches on her picture-perfect yogurt parfaits. Once done, she placed them in the fridge to keep them cool until Mia arrived.

“Alright, ready to set up the living room?” Kara began grabbing the heart-shaped string lights she had purchased out of the box. With Kai’s help, they strategically hung them around the room and turned them on. The red lights added a soft glow to the room—the perfect touch.

As Kara and Kai appreciated their work, a whirlwind arrived.

“Hey, guys! Sorry I’m late—actually, I think I’m on time? I brought chocolate banana pancakes! Wait... did I bring the bananas? I brought the bananas. Okay, okay, we’re all set! Oh my goodness, what is that smell? It’s heavenly!” Mia leaned over the cinnamon rolls, taking in a deep whiff. “Kara, did you make these?”

“Actually, that was me,” Kai raised his hand sheepishly.

Mia looked up at him, trying to hide her surprise. “I’m impressed, baker boy! These look awesome.” Kai blushed and turned around to fiddle with the heart lights again.

Kara smiled, her heart a little lighter now that everyone was here. She’d put so much thought into today, wanting it to be perfect. As Mia leaned over the cinnamon rolls, Kara felt a flutter of excitement—this was exactly how she’d imagined it.

Kara moved into the kitchen to give Mia a hug and grab plates, silverware, and napkins. Kara carefully slid a spoon into each yogurt as Mia put a tower of whipped cream on her chocolate banana pancakes, topping it with fresh banana slices she cut up for everyone. Once they had finished filling their plates with food, they took their seats in the living room. As they were about to begin eating, Kara clapped her hands.

“Oh! Wait one second, I’ll be right back.” Kara got up and ran quickly back to her room to grab that morning’s purchase. With it in hand, she returned to the living room and placed it on the table, whipping the cover off to reveal the centerpiece.

“Woahhhh!” Kai and Mia exclaimed in unison. Their eyes lit up as they took in the gorgeous flower bouquet in front of them—pastel pink tulips paired with stunning white jasmine flowers.

“I actually have something for us too,” Kai brushed a loose piece of hair from his face and reached down under the couch, pulling out a gold star-shaped box. Kai opened the box to reveal chocolate-covered strawberries and cherries. “I know Kara likes chocolate-covered strawberries, but I figured since I usually see you drink cherry lattes, maybe you’d want chocolate-covered cherries? If not, it’s no biggie... I just thought—” Mia cuts Kai off by giving him a hug.

Wiping the big smile off her face to play it cool, Mia averts her eyes and admits, “It’s perfect, baker boy.” The tension leaves Kai’s shoulders, knowing he made the right decision.

With the final touch in place, Kara, Kai, and Mia enjoyed their Valentine’s Day brunch while watching My Adorable Cosplayer.