Saturday, February 6
When Elizabeth said the words, “I am in love with you, I have been all along,” he had thought his heart would burst. How foolish it now seemed that he had been so nervous about opening his heart to “his girl.” Who knew that love had so much power? In the past year Lucky’s world had been totally shaken up. He had been faced with betrayal by those he had known and trusted his whole life. But now, knowing that he loved, and was loved in return, by the girl he would give his life for, made all of the rest seem unimportant to his future. His future with Elizabeth. That was the only future he cared about.
His newfound bond with Nikolas was also an important part of the life he now looked forward to. Imagine a Spencer trusting a Cassadine! He was blown away by Nik’s honesty with him about the latest family secret. It seemed the ties that would bind the brothers were the lies they had been told since the days they were born. Lucky had sworn to himself that he was finished with lies. That’s why it had been so important to him to make a pact with Elizabeth to be honest with each other always.
He loved her so much! Why hadn't he realized when he met her that she was meant to be his future? He should have been with Elizabeth last Valentine’s Day. He knew the past couldn’t be changed, but he would never forget what she had gone through that night. He no longer blamed himself. Elizabeth had never held him responsible. And she loved him. If he felt guilty it would be an insult to her recovery.
What he needed to do was plan a special Valentine’s Day. A romantic night that would replace last year’s memories with ones filled with love and dreams come true. The problem was that when Lucky thought of romance with Elizabeth, his mind filled with thoughts of holding her, and kissing her, and the feelings these thoughts stirred in him, were the ones he should be protecting her from! The way she felt in his arms, was the most wonderful thing he could imagine. But Lucky was still haunted by what Luke had done to Laura in the name of “love.” He knew that the circumstances of that night at the Campus Disco would never be repeated for him. And he had learned on his visit to Tammy, that loving Elizabeth didn’t mean he would force himself on her. Ever! But he also knew that the sweet, gentle kisses they shared could lead to more passionate kisses…and might scare her. Maybe it would scare him! Lucky worried about all of these things, but he was sure that if they stayed truthful with each other, that their relationship would proceed at a pace that was comfortable for both of them.
Elizabeth was upstairs now, working on the new mural. He thought the “boxcar” in the woods would be an appropriately romantic setting for their first Valentine’s Day. Of course, the mural would have to be finished on time. He’d just have to convince her to spend more time at his place. More time! She had been at work up there all day! It would surely be ready for his last-minute special touches. When he finished with the job he was doing for Jason, he’d go up and convince Elizabeth that he couldn’t wait to see the finished masterpiece. Which was true anyway. Maybe they could order a pizza and spend the evening together.
When he walked through his door an hour later, he was surprised to see Elizabeth asleep on his bed. Her head was on his pillow, and the blue blanket was wrapped around her. Although he had watched her sleep a lot in the past year, he was still amazed at how beautiful and peaceful she looked. Her lips were curled in a soft smile.
He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. Lucky couldn’t resist the urge to lean down and kiss those sweetly smiling lips. Elizabeth’s eyes opened slowly and her smile became a huge grin as she put her arm around his neck and pulled him down beside her for a deeper kiss. As Lucky pulled her close to him, he thought, “This could be dangerous territory.” He expected she might pull away or stiffen in his arms. But she didn't! If anything, she seemed to melt into his embrace. Lucky felt his body reacting to this kiss and her closeness, and suddenly, he was the one pulling away. He stood up, and stared down at this angel lying there with a hurt and confused look on her face. He began to ramble in that endearing way of his, about not meaning to come on so heavy and how he had acted on impulse when he kissed her. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sat up, reaching for his hand. “Lucky, you didn’t do anything wrong! I pulled you down. You didn’t throw yourself on me! I love you, and I love kissing you!”
Lucky was trying to regain self-control, and mumbled an apology. “I'm sorry if I scared you, Elizabeth. But the way you feel in my arms makes me forget sometimes that I have to be careful not to get carried away.” Elizabeth stood up and hugged him. “You know that I love how protective you are Lucky. But I hate that you think you have to protect me from you! I just reacted to the way you feel in my arms too! I want that to be okay for both of us!”
“Elizabeth, you are the best thing in my life, and it’s important to me that we move forward slowly. We are young, and there is no reason to rush anything. I want us to be as close as two people can get someday. Taking things slowly will only make it more special for us. Do you understand?”
“I’ve said this before, Spencer. You worry too much. After all, it was only a kiss!” She grabbed the pillow and swatted him. Lucky was puzzled by her reaction to the serious way he had spoken. But she was right; it had been a kiss. A great kiss! One of them would have stopped it before it went too far. He probably did worry too much.
“I thought we could order a pizza and you could keep working on the mural. I’ll stand by for inspiration or whatever. I can’t wait to see it!”
“Okay, but only if you promise not to get all weird if I decide I need to kiss you again,” Elizabeth teased.
Lucky ordered the pizza, and she went back to work. As he watched her he wondered why he couldn’t just relax and stop being so over protective of her. Another annoying Luke Spencer legacy!
When the pizza arrived, Lucky was feeling more relaxed, and they enjoyed the evening together. The mural was coming along nicely and would surely be done on time.
Saturday, February 13
It was finished! Today they would hang his Christmas gift in the spot Elizabeth had made for it. Lucky had everything he needed to transform the humble “boxcar” into a romantic fantasy! Elizabeth arrived in the afternoon, and they hung the painting and cleaned up what remained of the mess. Afterward, they went out for burgers and cheese fries, then took a long walk before heading back to the Hardy house. Liz had tried to get a clue from Lucky about his plans for tomorrow night, but he was being very mysterious. Just before he kissed her goodnight, he pulled her towards him and gave up one little tidbit. “Just come to my place at 7:00. You don’t have to knock. The door will be open.” Elizabeth asked, “Where are we going? What should I wear?”
“We aren’t actually going anywhere. Just dress for your first Valentine’s Day with the guy who loves you.” His eyes were particularly “twinkly” when he kissed her. Liz’s head was swimming with possibilities as she walked into the house. How would she ever get to sleep tonight? She went up to her room and put “Elizabeth” in her tape player. She fell asleep thinking about Lucky and listening to the song he wrote just for her.
It took Lucky awhile to fall asleep too. He kept going over his plans for tomorrow. Everything had to be perfect! Finally he drifted off, thoughts of Elizabeth leading to dreams of Elizabeth.
Sunday, February 14
Lucky woke up eager to begin. It took him most of the morning to hang red and white lights all around his room. He left his bed against the far wall to leave a big space in the center of the room for dining and dancing. He finished up the tape he was recording for tonight. On it were the most meaningful and romantic songs he could get his hands on. He had borrowed several items from his parents home; a second chair, crystal candlesticks, white candles, a red tablecloth and two place settings of china and glassware. He had made a sign in the shape of a heart. In the center it said “Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Webber. Forever.” He had managed to string lights all around it so it glowed like a neon sign. There was room to dance under the sign, and he put his little table beneath the “boxcar.”
When he finished setting the table, he stepped back, and couldn’t believe how perfect it all looked! He checked his watch and was glad to see it was almost 6:00. By the time he showered and got dressed, it would be time for Elizabeth to arrive.
After his shower, Lucky put on a pair of black dress pants, and a soft grayish blue shirt. He lit the candles on the table and elsewhere in the room. He had borrowed a white dinner jacket from Nikolas. Needless to say, Lucky looked good!
It was a couple minutes to seven when Lucky picked up his guitar and sat on the bed. He was listening carefully for the sound of Elizabeth on the stairs. He didn’t have to wait long. There would be no “fashionably late” arrival for Miss Webber tonight. She was far to anxious to start this “mystery date.” As soon as Lucky heard the door at the bottom of the stairs close, he began playing “Elizabeth.”
She could hear the music before she opened the door. Elizabeth was shocked to hear the song she listened to at least once a day, when she was alone, coming from Lucky’s room. She walked through the door and was distracted from the song by the visual transformation of this place! Had she just been here yesterday? She slowly removed her coat as she looked around the room with a look of wonder on her face. Lucky was dumbstruck at how beautiful she looked. She was wearing a soft knit dress, knee length with long sleeves. It was a shade of deep red. The neckline was cut wide and a little low so her neck and upper back were exposed. She had decided to wear her hair down. The front and sides were pulled back with sparkly little clips and a few soft curls framed her face. Lucky lost his concentration and stumbled over a few chords. This got Elizabeth’s attention, and she walked toward him. She sat on the bed and faced him. Lucky forced himself to look away from her and focus on the new verse he had added just for tonight.
As you sleep upon your bed tonight,
Know my love is there with you tonight.
You were there to catch me when I fell.
And you always keep me safe as well.
Elizabeth...to me it seems...you are my dream.
It’ll always be like this...
Elizabeth.
Now it was Liz who was dumbstruck. Lucky had raised his eyes to hers as he said the word “love” and maintained eye contact through the end of the song. She took the guitar from him and placed it on the bed behind her. She moved closer to Lucky and took his hands in hers. “That was so beautiful, Lucky.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day. I meant every word. That was one of my gifts to you.” Lucky said.
“I was so shocked when I heard you in the hall. You never even want to listen to that song with me. Thank you.”
“Elizabeth, you don’t have to thank me for loving you enough to realize that I shouldn’t be embarrassed to listen to a song I wrote for you. You deserve a lifetime of songs, and I hope that I can be the one to give them to you.”
She slid even closer to him and reached up to put her left hand on the back of his neck. “I really am the lucky one, you know?” She pulled him toward her and kissed him, hard! As they drew apart, Lucky whispered, “We both are,” and gently brushed her lips with his. Then he sat back and with a sweeping gesture around the room, he asked, “How do you like the location?”
Now that she could appreciate the rest of what he’d done, Elizabeth stood up and slowly turned in a circle to take it all in. This was another cue for Lucky to sit there with his mouth agape. She was so beautiful! Elizabeth was staring at the heart shaped sign, and when she turned to face him, her mouth was also hanging open. “Lucky the night we met, I went home and drew a heart just like this in my notebook. I still have it!”
This cut through Lucky’s fascination with her, and he laughed softly. “And here I thought it was an original.”
There was a knock on the door, and for a moment Liz thought it was some thoughtless person interrupting their evening. “Don’t worry. It’s our dinner.” As Lucky set the boxes on the counter, he asked her to push the play button on his tape player. The first song was the one they had danced to at the No Name. Elizabeth tapped Lucky on the shoulder. He turned into her arms and they danced slowly around the room. It struck Lucky how much more comfortable they had become with holding each other, since the first time they had danced to this song.
It’s just the thought of you,
The very thought of you,
My love...
“Elizabeth, our dinner will be ice cold if we keep dancing.” Lucky danced her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.
“No, Lucky, you did all this,” said Liz looking around the room. “The least I can do is serve the food. Especially since I didn’t cook it!” She laughed at herself and insisted that he sit down. Lucky caught himself staring at her again as she moved to and from the table with their meal. He rose and pulled the chair back out when she was ready to join him.
“Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look tonight?” Lucky asked her through the glow of the candles.
“Gee, is that why I keep catching you ogling me? I was afraid maybe my dress was tucked into my pantyhose!” Liz teased. “I wanted my appearance tonight to live up to the suspense I’ve been in all week.”
“Suspense?!? I hope another night of eating and listening to music in my room lives up to your appearance!” he teased back. “Let’s eat. I’m starved!”
“Me too.” Liz became thoughtful as they started their meal. Lucky noticed that she seemed to be preoccupied. She looked up from her food and saw he was watching her with a puzzled look. “Penny for your thoughts.”
“I was just thinking that your Aunt Bobbie doesn’t know everything.”
“How so?” Lucky asked.
“We were talking outside at Kelly’s one day. You remember the day those two kids from school were sitting at one of my tables, making out?” He nodded as she continued. “Well your Aunt said that when young people are in love they don’t eat.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. So how can that be true when we are hungry all the time?”
“Obviously it’s not!” he said with a smile and a twinkle. Lucky went back to eating and thought that for him, being in love meant that sometimes you didn’t taste what you were eating.
When they finished their meal, they cleaned up the mess together. Lucky loved how right it felt to be doing normal, everyday, domestic things with Elizabeth. Just as he was finished drying the last plate, “Iris” began to play. Lucky remembered the first time they had listened to this song together. It was the day he had written “Elizabeth.” Obviously Liz remembered too, because she took the towel from his hands and dried her own. Then they moved into each other’s arms and began to sway to the music. They marveled at the way they fit together. It was as if they had been put on this earth for the sole purpose of holding each other just like this.
When the song ended they pulled their heads back and rested their foreheads together. “Lucky, tonight has been so perfect. Just you and me and no interruptions.” Liz sighed at the thought of the phone ringing, or an unwanted knock at the door.
As if he read her mind, Lucky said, “I unplugged the phone after you got here, because my answering machine is broken, and I warned everyone that we’d never forgive them for dropping by tonight.”
“It sounds like you thought of everything.” Liz smiled as she ran her hand through the soft hair on the nape of his neck.
“Elizabeth, what I mostly thought about was making tonight special for us. I want Valentine’s Day to be about love, and you and me.” Lucky hoped she wasn’t thinking about last year. He hadn’t thought about it until now.
“I feel like this is a dream come true, Lucky. Because you are my dream. Can we really always be like this?”
“That would bring us to my other gift for you. I want to make you a promise, okay?” Liz nodded and her heart skipped a beat as Lucky took her small hands in his own and held them to his chest. She could feel his heartbeat. It picked up speed as he spoke again. “I have told you before that there will never be another girl for me. When I look to my future, you are what I see. I want us to be like this always. I want your kids to be my kids. Just think how beautiful our daughters will be!” His breath caught, and tears were filling his eyes. “My promise to you is that on your wedding day, as you walk down the aisle, I will be the man waiting for you in the front of the church.”
At this Liz’s eyes were also filling with tears. Lucky knew without asking that he had chosen the perfect gift. He could see in her eyes that she would never again associate this day with anything but the commitment he had just made to her.
When Elizabeth was able to speak, she simply said, “I love you Lucky Spencer. Happy Valentine’s Day.” Then she kissed him passionately, and Lucky knew that this was what truth felt like.
