Briar Rose

     Alright, so there's this girl. And before you start thinking, it's not like that. I don't know what it's like, really.

     I've never had problems getting along with people. Whether I like 'em or hate 'em, love 'em or despise 'em, if I decide to be civil, we can usually get along. People eventually figure out that I'm exactly the arrogant bastard I pretend to be, and then realize that I'm mostly harmless(Like Earth). Once you know the brunt of someone's faults, then so long as you can accept those, your relationship with them will tend to be pretty stable. I'm pretty good about being a decent friend, too, which helps.

     That being said, there's some people who I have more trouble getting along with. My brother, for example. We're very alike, and being around him is like being a kitten rubbed the wrong way with a cold, wet brush. People who won't admit they're wrong and the utterly dogmatic are also problematic. But I'd have to say most of my more worrisome difficulties are in romantic relationships.

     See, I tend to get along really well with people once I know them. I try to go a little further, do a little more than most people seem to bother with. It doesn't take that much time or effort, and the intense friendships are worth it. This becomes problematic when I'm dealing with people that don't know me very well. Add that to the fact that I'm more likely to send chocolate than a get-well card, and not-so-hilarious misadventures keep happening.

     Guys, chocolate really does work. It's a universally accepted symbol of comfort as well as romance, and if you display it as comfort it'll only cause people to like you even more. I don't know if this is just me, but girls seem to like being lifted back up to their feet as much as they enjoy being swept off them, and chocolate has the unique capacity to symbolize both.

     This brings me to Valentine's Day. I'm new here, and an absolutely reclusive introvert to boot. I'd barely started meeting people, let alone making durable friendships, let alone finding romantic interests. So when a person from the Old World asked me if I'd keep her company on Valentine's, I figured that it sounded fun and I might as well.

     The girl requested that I call her Rose. It's a pretty name for a pretty girl. She's an old friend's old girlfriend, and we tend to get along pretty well. She can be moody, but it's worth ignoring nine times out of ten to talk with her. I'm not going to date her, and our lives split into completely different directions after a year or two more, but I'll take what time I can get for now.

     Returning to Valentine's day. She lives off in the hinterlands of Nebraska, but we texted as long as the day lasted. I liked it. There was chocolate and strawberries and just a hint of flirting, which is a guilty pleasure with me. She's a great deal of fun to talk to when she's happy, and she was a tad bit happier that night than most. I like to think I helped with that. And that's enough for me.