Valentine Surprise Part 2

The Introduction
By Dana Davies

“And this is ” he felt Relena lightly tap on his right shoulder. He turned around to face her, his cheeks bulging with brownie and his mouth covered in chocolate icing.
“Duo Maxwell.”
“ DUO!!”

Yep, banned for life. She’s going to kill me!

“Whaaa?” he asked with a shrug and a mouth stuffed with a mass of slimy brownie. Relena was mortified. He could see it all over her face. Embarrassed to the extreme. She covered her face with her hand and shook.

Is she going to cry? Great that’s all I need, Relena pissed and crying.

Duo looked over, ignoring and avoiding Relena, to the person Relena had been trying to introduce. What he saw shocked him so badly he almost choked on his half-chewed brownie. There, standing before him, was a tall slender young woman about 20 years old, laughing at him. She was dressed in a long simple spaghetti strapped black dress with a slit running up to her mid-thigh on the right side. Her chestnut colored hair was half pulled up the rest flowed freely about her bare shoulders in waves and curls. She only wore silver diamond studs in her ears and a thin silver necklace with a single diamond that sat nicely in the hollow if her throat. She was wearing little makeup, unlike the other women at the party already. He looked up into her eyes, tears fell freely from them. She was laughing whole heartedly. He liked her laugh, it was honest and free and kind of cute. It wasn’t the fake giggle that most girls did. He tried smiling at her, making him look ever more ridiculous. He saw in her eyes that she like him and the sight of his cheeks stuffed with brownie and mouth smeared with icing was exactly what she needed.

So, you think this party is duller then a butterknife too?

“You….you seem to have a little something on your face!!” she finally said in between gasps of air. She then handed him an obnoxious red napkin. All Duo could do was stare.

Who is this girl? She’s so familiar and beautiful. Have I met her before? No impossible, I would remember if I had.

He reached for the napkin and smiled again noticing it was the same color as Relena, who was now glaring at him. He looked back to the girl.

Her eyes are the same color violet as mine. Her hair is the same color too. She even looks a little like me too…only female.

She did look a lot like him, they could have been related. Whiping his mouth looking into her eyes trying to read her, he tried to mumble what was supposed to be thank you.
“No, thank you.” the young woman smiled, looking back into him.
“It was most entertaining!” she bubbled.

I know I know her from somewhere. But where? And why is she looking at me like that? Could she be able to…No…

Relena regained her composure and finished the introduction.
“Duo, this is Alana Kenni, the guest of honor.”
Alana stuck out her hand in greeting and giving him her most comforting and pleasant smile. She looked deep into his eyes, as she where reading something fascinating.

She is reading me!

Duo swallowed what was left of his brownie and gave her his own hand, forgetting about the yellow candy heart in it. Quickly remembering it, he popped it in to his mouth so he could shake her hand. Her smile grew wider, more warming. As their hands touched, he felt it, a connection.

I do know her!! She recognizes me too!

He saw in her eyes that she had felt it too, he also saw that she knew that he knew.

She can read my eyes!! She sees. She knows. Man, this is freaky.

“A pleasure to meet you Mr. Maxwell.” she said kindly then looked quickly away from his eyes.
“ Please, forgive me if I am making you feel uncomfortable,” she added, “it’s just you seem so familiar to me, somehow.”

She dose know. How? She felt the connection and saw my discomfort.

“Uh, call me Duo, Mr. Maxwell makes me feel…really old.”
“Very well Duo,” she beamed, “you may call me Lani.” smiling politely still trying to calm his nerves.
“Well, I see Heero just walked in.” Relena cut in.
“Please excuse me.” She added as she walked away quickly.
Duo shook his head and turned back to the table. He was having a hard time figuring the strange feeling he was getting from this young woman, Lani.
“Are the brownies any good?” she asked all smiles interrupting his thoughts.
“They’d be better if they didn’t have those nasty hearts on them.” he grumbled.
“You do know those hearts are nothing but sugar, right,” she informed him, “ and if you eat a bunch of them at once you’ll get one heck of a sugar high.” she finished by placing three into her lightly painted mouth. Lani turned and looked over to the sugar cookies and lamented.
“Oh no, my favorites!” “A perfectly good cookie” she said picking one up, “all deformed and contaminated, just breaks my heart.”

Wow, what a girl! Man, this is frustrating! Who are you and why do I know you. A girl after my own taste. I have to find out why I feel like I know her.