February 14th is just another day...until it's not. They say timing is everything, and that certainly has always been the case where Alex and I are concerned. We met nearly two years ago when he was hired to work at Cup of Joe, the coffee shop where I was already an old timer. It was lust at first sight, at least on my part, but I had a boyfriend then, and so did he. By the time we were both single and I'd worked out that he was bi, things between us had become complicated in so many other ways that it seemed much simpler and safer to just stay friends.We were work spouses for a while, and then we weren't. And when we reconnected with each other last month it was after a prolonged period of hurt feelings and miscommunication during which we barely spoke to each other at all. Now, even though our friendship's caught fire, so to speak, I feel like we're both still recovering from that last, disconnected phase. Heaping a bunch of unrealistic expectations, or a need for chocolate hearts, plush toys, or rose colored anything on top of that seems like a little too much added pressure.