"What are you doing tomorrow?" Ellie sat down next to me with a cup of tea while Sam stood up to my right. He wanted to bring Steele some tea before we went to wash Jupiter.

"I have an early shift. What am I supposed to do?"

"Penny, it's Valentine's Day. Have you never received invitations, gifts or Valentine's cards?"

"Sure, more than once. Every year I get mail from some men who want to have seen me in action or on television. But I'm not interested in any of that. I'd only be very curious about one of them." I was startled when it clinked behind me and turned to Sam, who smiled apologetically before picking up the cup that had obviously fallen out of his hand.

"And who would that be?" Ellie put her chin in her hand with interest.

"If only I knew. Every year for years I have received a card that is beautifully written and so sentimental, but there is never a signature on it. I would be interested to know who is behind it."

"Do you think it's always the same?"

"I don't know. I think so." I shrugged and watched Sam go downstairs.

"Would it make a difference if you knew who it was?"

"You mean about Sam?" Ellie nodded. "I don't know. It's hard to only be able to admire him secretly and from a distance. Sometimes I think that it would probably be easier to look forward instead of always waiting for him to give me a sign that he likes me too."

"But you've become so familiar with each other. Is that nothing?"

"Because we're best friends." I rubbed the back of my neck in desperation. "One year the anonymous admirer wrote to me saying that he was afraid of losing me if he told me who he was and that it would break his heart."

"Oh how romantic and sad." Ellie sighed, entranced. "But that means it has to be someone you know. Don't you have an idea?"

"My heart wants nothing more than for Sam to be the one behind the cards. But what can you do? I'll probably never know."

"It's a shame. Just because you both can't open your mouths. Have you ever done anything on Valentine's Day?"

"Sam has a favorite chocolate. I put it in his mailbox every year."

"With a card?" I shook my head.

"Are you crazy? Only in wrapping paper."

"You two are really hopeless cases." She groaned in annoyance when Arnold called for us and we went downstairs. "Would you meet your secret admirer if he asked you to?"

"Probably so. I'm too curious. On the other hand, I would probably be disappointed..."

"If it's not Sam," she finished my sentence.

"What if I'm not what?" I was startled when Sam suddenly stood next to me and I felt hot and cold at the same time. How much had he heard?

"Oh, Penny just said that I'm a better friend when you're not there." Ellie's excuse was really terrible. Even Sam raised an eyebrow skeptically, but kept smiling. Had he heard more?

"I always thought same-sex friendships were always the strongest," he simply replied.

"They are, but when certain bonds are involved, the others are stronger." I elbowed Ellie in the side. "Ow, I'd better go. I still have something to do."

"And I'll get a bucket of water for Jupiter," I also ran away to give my cheeks a chance to regain their normal color.

When I got up at four o'clock the next morning and turned on the coffee machine, I first went to the mailbox. I wasn't surprised that there was already a card in it, so I sat down at the table with it.

>My dearest Penny,

With every week, every month and every year I miss you more and more and it becomes more and more difficult for me not to confide in you. I've wanted to tell you so many times, but every time I'm paralyzed by the fear that it will repel you and that I'll lose you as a result. Even if you don't know it, I'm not too far away from you. Today I would like to gather my courage and show myself to you, but I have one request: If I am not who you might hope I am, please give me the chance to continue to be a friend to you, losing you in my life would be the most terrible thing that could happen to me and I wouldn't be able to bear it.

Be at the end of the quay at the last set of stairs tonight at 8 p.m. I will prepare something there and wait for you, with all my love.<

This year the card was different than previous ones, but it still got my heart racing. I would finally get to know him, my unknown and romantic admirer, but apparently I already knew him. He had never revealed as much about himself as he had this year. Could it possibly be and it was the love of my life or someone else?

Just before 8 p.m. I reached the quay and went to the stairs. With every step I took closer, my heart beat harder and my stomach felt sick. The anticipation and also the fear accompanied me the whole day. I tried again and again to calm myself down, but it didn't help. What if it was Sam? But worst of all: What if it wasn't Sam? Maybe I'd better run away? But if I never found out who was behind it, it would probably drive me crazy.

I took a deep breath and continued resolutely. When I stood in front of the stairs there was...no one. There was a picnic basket on the plateau and a blanket on top of it, but there was no one in sight. I looked at the clock again and realized that there were still 2 minutes until the agreed time, so I decided to sit on one of the steps when Charlie came chugging along with his boat to exactly this pier to make firm. My mouth dropped open.

"Hey, Penny. You're on time."

"What? Seriously, Charlie?" I was so shocked that I couldn't say anything else, or at least: "You're married!"

"Um, yeah, thanks for reminding me," he replied, looking at me as if I had lost my temper.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Docking? I have to park my boat somewhere," he simply replied and pointed to his usual mooring place, which Neptune was currently blocking. "Ben apparently got a craving for sugar sprats again."

"Oh, sure. Would you like me to drive Neptune away for you?"

"No, it's okay. Walking a few more meters every now and then is good for me," he replied with a wink and said goodbye to me as he passed.

"Um, Charlie?" I asked hesitantly and he turned to me again. "I mixed you up, I'm sorry. I was just a little surprised. How did you know I was on time?"

"Oh, a little bird chirped that to me. That basket is from Bronwyn." Okay, it got weirder and weirder. "It was ordered from someone. Have fun," he explained to me and left.

I had to smile at the mix-up when suddenly someone covered my eyes. It didn't take me long to know it was Sam. I could sense it when he was near, just as I could recognize his scent among thousands, I was sure.

"Hey, Sam."

"Oh Penny, why do you always know that?" he replied disappointedly as he sat down next to me and I just shrugged my shoulders with a smile. "Why did Charlie dock here?"

"I think the smell of Bronwyn's sugar sprats has contaminated the ocean rescue center again."

"Ben's still eating it to pieces," Sam said with a laugh and I had to laugh too.

"Well, at least it's still good as a buoy." We laughed even louder and needed a moment to catch ourselves. "What exactly brings you here?" I then asked Sam.

"Maybe a little picnic?" His question confused me as he pointed to the basket at our feet. Did he just invite himself?

"Bronwyn probably put the basket here because of an order, Charlie said. He didn't tell me who it was, only that a little bird had chirped to him that I would be there."

"Ah," Sam replied with a smile. "Well then, let's see what's inside." He went down two steps and spread the blanket that was lying on the basket on the platform before opening the lid.

"Um, Sam?" He looked up at me with a smile because I didn't know how to handle it. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to look at what my sister-in-law has prepared." Except that he didn't just look, he started unpacking everything and placing it neatly on the blanket while he spoke and finally lit a candle, which he placed in the middle.

Now Sam offered me a hand and after a moment's thought, I took it and joined him past the picnic on the lower stairs. I had to admit that it seemed very romantic. Only the candle and a street lamp gave us light here and although the evening was cool, it was a very mild February day and therefore bearable, and we sat down together on a step.

"And what will the little bird that Charlie was talking about say?" I then asked him, smiling.

"Beep, beep?" he replied with a smile and my eyes widened as I understood. I had just thought that meeting him would be just as coincidental as the one with Charlie, but now I've been proven wrong.

"You?" I didn't even know where my head was at. My heart flipped with joy as I blushed in embarrassment that I hadn't realized it sooner. "You wrote all the cards?" His smile faded from his face and an embarrassed blush covered his cheeks as he nervously ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, that was me. I'm sorry if they were quite cheesy at times, but it was the only chance to get rid of everything that was on my mind. I really hope that it doesn't bother us in the future." Now Sam was nervous too, I could feel that too clearly, and surprisingly that calmed me down a bit.

"Sam, it changes everything between us," I replied, smiling and placing a hand on his cheek. As he looked up at me, the light from the candle reflected in his blue eyes, making them seem as dark as the ocean now was at night.

"Is that good or bad?" he asked cautiously, but his smile told me that his uncertainty was fading.

"Good. Very good, actually," I replied with a smile and Sam took courage and moved so close to me on the step that I could feel his breath on my face.

"I think that's an understatement," he murmured now as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, placing his lips on mine and kissing me so passionately that I wouldn't have been able to freeze even if we would have had arctic temperatures.

"Definitely an understatement," I murmured breathlessly after an uncertain amount of time. "I was really hoping that you were behind the cards. I love you, Sam."

"And I love you, Pen, more than you can imagine." He kissed me again before a cold wind made us shiver and we turned to the picnic to quickly get back to the warmth. While we ate and fed each other, we stole a kiss or two from each other before packing up and walking arm in arm to his house.

"It's actually a shame that the cards are over now. That was very romantic," I sighed with a smile.

"Who says it has to be over? On the other hand, I can tell you how much I love you every day now." He kissed me briefly again. "I'd much rather that than just writing you a card once a year."

"Me too Sam, me too," I replied with a smile and snuggled up on his shoulder, just happy that my biggest dream had come true and from now on I looked forward to every day, every week, every year and especially every Valentine's Day to be able to spend time with the man of my dreams, who no longer just secretly adored me.

THE END