“Whatcha got there?” Mitch tried to grab the fancy handmade card Devin was holding as they passed each other going to their classes.

Devin, in a fluid motion, twirled and yanked the card out of Mitch’s tentative grasp. “None of your beeswax,” he retorted, blushing nearly purple with embarrassment.

In a sing-song voice, Mitch began chanting, “Devvie’s got a girlll friend, Devvie’s got a girlll friend…” He danced out of reach of Devin’s half-hearted punch.

With Mitch’s taunt ringing through the tunnels, Devin fled.

* * *

“What’s that, Devin?” Ever the inquisitive younger brother, Vincent had noticed Devin slide a heart-shaped piece of construction paper under a book when he entered their chamber.

“Nothing.”

Always try denial first – that was Devin’s M.O. Vincent knew it too well to be put off by it. “Come on, tell me?” His own M.O. was to be polite…at first…to see if Devin was willing to share a confidence once he knew his baby brother was wise to him.

Devin shrugged. “Just a Valentine.”

Intrigued, his brother asked, “From who?”

Uncomfortable talking about it, but knowing his little brother wouldn’t mock him like Mitch had, he responded, “Livvy. She gave it to me after English.”

“Wow!” A wide-eyed Vincent asked, “Can I see it?”

Half-proud, half-embarrassed, Devin pulled the card from its hiding place and shoved it at Vincent.

“’Will you be my Valentine?’ What’s she mean?”

Devin, older and wiser in the ways of pre-teen romance, knew that girls would get crushes on cute guys. And whether his furry-faced kid brother would ever be thought of as cute bothered Devin more than he wanted to let on, so he offhandedly replied, “She’s just being silly. It’s nothing.”

“Then why’d you hide it?”

“’Cause Mitch was making fun, and it’s not nice to make fun of girls.”

“He was making fun of Livvy?” Vincent was outraged.

“N-n-nooo. He didn’t know it was from Livvy. He was…actually…making fun of me for getting the card.”

“Jealous,” responded Vincent, ever defensive about his adored big brother.

Devin laughed, ruffling Vincent’s unruly mop of blond curls. “That’s right. What a doofus.”

“Jealous doofus,” Vincent agreed.

They both laughed, and Devin put the Valentine in his clothes cupboard, tucked under his oldest socks.

* * *

Vincent found it there, several years later, after Devin had disappeared. It had yellowed a bit in the interim. And Livvy had gone on to develop feelings for another boy Below.

He fingered the somewhat tattered card, wondering if he would ever receive one himself. He thought about giving one to Lisa come Valentine’s Day. Would she like it if he did? Maybe he could re-use this one, and give it to her.

Sighing, he returned the card to its hiding place. He didn’t have the heart to do anything with it. Maybe…someday…Devin would return and wonder where it was.

Vincent hoped so.

* * *

“Really, bro?!” Devin was astonished to see the decades-old Valentine. “You saved it all these years? Man, Livvy’s on her second husband now!” He began to laugh but…seeing his brother’s face…sobered. “You really missed me, didn’t you?”

“More than you know,” Vincent replied, taking the Valentine and setting it aside. “Your things…became precious to me. Because you…” he gazed at his beloved older brother, “…are precious to me.”

Devin reached out to his tall, majestic brother and embraced him. “You, too, Vincent. Like a Valentine…” He leaned back and caught Vincent’s eye. “Only better.”