Rollie smiled softly at the beautiful blonde sitting on his lap. "Happy Valentine, Love."

"Happy Valentine, Angel," Angie responded, placing a gentle kiss on the Aussie's chin. Her lips moved up to claim his willing lips and they kissed deeply, sharing their love and their souls.

Angel... Angie had called him that yesterday, claiming Rollie was her angel and apparently she wasn't going to let it go. Ah well, while he certainly didn't feel like an angel, knowing how very mortal and human he was, he couldn't deny Angie Ramirez anything in the world. He sighed softly as the kiss broke, unhappy because he hadn't gotten a Valentine gift for the love of his life.

"Here," Angie shifted slightly and pulled out a black jeweler's box. "This is for you." She waited anxiously as Rollie accepted the gift. What if he didn't like it? What if he hated it? Why had she gotten it for him? Rollie wasn't a jewelry type of guy. He was going to hate it! She just knew he would hate it!

"For me?" Rollie accepted the box with his heart in his throat. But he didn't have anything for her! What could he do? What could he say? Seeing Angie was anxiously waiting for him to open her gift, he gently untied the blue ribbon wrapped around the black box. He opened the top and stopped, staring with wide brown eyes.

He hated it just like she thought he would. Why had she thought it so perfect yesterday? And she couldn't take it back either. It was engraved specifically for Rollie. Still if he hated it as much as she suspected, she should take it back and get him something else. Why had she spent so much money on something she didn't know Rollie would like? Why?!?

Rollie swallowed and felt his heart move down his throat. "It's... It's..." He stared at the pendant, his hand shaking as he extracted the sturdy chain from the box and held it in front of him. The pendant on the silvery chain was shaped in an elongated oval. Carefully etched on the shining oval was a kangaroo. The animal appeared to be plated in another metal, this one a soft shining rose color. It stood on it's hind legs, looking around, one ear twitched slightly forward. The kangaroo looked so real! He had never seen anything like it. Above the kangaroo, offset to one side was a gold sun. Angie must have spent a fortune on the piece. The artwork alone was worth a fortune! The pendant spun gently around and he saw the engraving on the back. Enclosed in a heart were Angie's and his names, followed by today's date. Underneath that were the words--Our first Valentine. He blinked and felt despair squeeze his heart. He didn't have anything for Angie!

Angie looked down at her hands and spoke softly, uncertainly. "If--if you don't like it, I can get you something else."

"Like it? Angie, I--I love it! I've never seen anything like it before. I..." Rollie stuttered to a halt. He didn't have anything to exchange with his love. He...

"You like it?" Angie's head came up and a bright smile blossomed on her face. The tri-color gold piece had not been as costly as she had expected. The jeweler had told her he had begun to think no one would ever buy the unusual pendant. He'd actually laughed in delight when she explained her boy friend was Australian. She leaned forward to capture his lips again. "Good." Her smile turned into a frown as Rollie pulled back. "What?"

Rollie looked away, feeling ashamed. "I don't have anything for you," he whispered.

So, that was making Rollie feel bad. Funny, she wasn't concerned... Ah! "Hmmm," she hummed in his ear and kissed it. "I think I got my Valentine's yesterday."

The man looked at her puzzled. "Yesterday?"

The blonde stroked the back of his neck. "Yeah," she purred, "the man I love with all my heart agreed to marry me. I think that is a very special Valentine indeed." She nibbled one ear. "It's one I never really dared dream I would receive." She blew into the ear she'd been nibbling on and Rollie shivered as his blood turned to liquid fire. "You know a lot of  men would never have said 'yes' to a woman asking that question. They think the man should always ask."

Rollie captured Angie's face between his hands and stared deep into her eyes. Her toes curled as she stared into their velvet depths. "More fool they, my Love. Why would I say 'no' when my heart and soul say 'yes'?" He captured her mouth in a deep, heart felt kiss. Finally, an eternity later, they separated, both panting slightly as their bodies sought to replace the oxygen they had lost. Rollie sighed and touched his forehead against Angie's, a familiar gesture that had always been part of their friendship. "I still wish I had gotten you something."

"Well, the day's not over yet. You might still think of something," Angie pointed out, thinking all the more that she already had the best Valentine gift she could ask for as her heart soaked up Rollie's words of love like a desert flower parched for water, and finally receiving it, bloomed.

"True." Rollie tilted his head to one side and his brow puckered as he thought. "A candlelit dinner for two at home?"

"Oooh, nice," Angie purred.

"A romantic comedy?"

"Perfect!"

"Something sinful for dessert?

Angie chuckled throatily, "There goes my diet."

"You're on a diet? Why? You're fine the way you are." Rollie looked surprised.

"A joke, Rollie, it's just a joke."

"Ah, a joke, I see," he responded seriously, then as Angie's eyes started to spit fire, a twinkle appeared in his and he laughed. "Hmm... What else? Pick out the date and tell everyone we're getting married?"

"Hard one, Rol. Can't that wait until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I thought you were excited and would want to tell someone today."

"Not that excited. I want to--savor the moment. Time enough tomorrow for the rest of the world. Today is for us."

"For us," Rollie smiled warmly, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I like the sound of that." He kissed her throat tenderly.

Angie threaded her fingers in his hair. "Oh yeah."  Tomorrow they could worry about the details. She had a feeling she was going to really enjoy her Valentine gift!
 

                                                            Words from the heart speak to the heart.
                                                                                               The Talmud