𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫'𝔰 𝔇𝔬𝔩𝔩

🌹Valentine's Day Special🌹

"She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession, ever pressing itself upon her. It was not that she dwelt upon details of their acquaintance or recalled in any special or peculiar way his personality; it was his being, his existence, which dominated her thought, fading sometimes as if it would melt into the mist of the forgotten, reviving again with an intensity which filled her with an incomprehensible longing."

- Kate Chopin

Kate had always been alone. No, this wasn't right-- she had always been lonely, not alone. Physically, someone was always there beside her, she was never to be left alone, something decided for her long ago. But this didn't mean that those around her had cared for her the way she needed them to. She was always lonely, secretly crying every time her brother's secret cat would jump off of her lap; not even the cat seemed to want her company. She was lonely and this was a fact that she had acknowledged long ago.

Kate hated Valentine's day-- a well-known fact to everyone. This was not because she was so lonely but rather because of it being a bogus holiday to sell everything at a marked up price. She felt that America needed a big holiday every month for its economy, and who's to say she isn't wrong? No... maybe she never hated it for this reason. Perhaps she hated it because she had never felt a true type of love herself and it hurt to see others so happy. It was very possible that she was simply bitter and displeased about the feeling called 'love.'

"Kate!" Her lover called out as he entered their room.

"Why are you yelling, is something wrong?" She asked, turning away from the laundry she had just finished folding.

"Put on a nice dress, I'm surprising you." He pointed a finger at her. She smiled and walked over to him. She placed her hands on his cheeks and gently held onto him.

"How are you supposed to surprise me if you just told me?" She giggled softly.

"I didn't tell you my plans, I told you just enough that you still don't know anything." He gripped her wrists and smiled. She leaned forwards and stepped onto her tippy toes and he leaned down, reciprocating her actions. They shared an innocent kiss, the kind Kate liked to give.

"Get dressed." He murmured as he pulled away.

"Okay," She whispered with a smile. Fyodor left the room and Kate was alone with her thoughts.

How strange of him to randomly surprise her like this. Had she done something wrong that he was now going to punish her for? This thought made her stomach sink with anxiety. She hadn't done anything, but if she did...
Kate's mind was programmed differently; she always assumed the worst possible scenario was about to happen. Oh, how it gave her anxiety. She couldn't help these thoughts, though. She was cautious and didn't receive praise when she behaved well. Because she wasn't used to praise and random acts of kindness, it made her suspicious... but she wanted it nonetheless. How odd that her feelings contradicted her thoughts often, perhaps this was what it meant to be a faulty human being. Often times the pyromaniac burns themself but this doesn't stop them from setting any more fires, nor does it revoke their fascination with the flame's dangerous dance.

Kate had changed into a nice, flowy dress, perfect for a walk or dinner. She didn't know what she would receive but she knew she would accept her fate graciously, just as she had been taught to. She did her usual, simple, plain makeup and slipped on some shoes before heading down to where Fyodor would be waiting for her.

Just as she suspected, he was downstairs, sitting down with his fingertip in his mouth. He was nervous? What on Earth could he be planning?

"Fyodor?" She called out. He instantly pulled his finger away from his mouth and wiped it on his pants.

"There you are, I was beginning to think you stood me up." He joked with a nervous smile. Kate chuckled nervously and clenched her hands into fists. The awkwardness was sensed by Ivan who was in the kitchen with a lip curled up in disgust at them.

"Master is taking you on a date and he is worried you will not like his actions. Please stop embarrassing even me." Ivan spoke from the kitchen doorway, rubbing his arms.

"Ivan!" Fyodor scolded.

"Oh!" Kate responded at the same time as Fyodor. Fyodor's cheeks were red with embarrassment from being called out like that. Kate broke into a fit of laughter.

Laughter... something of Kate that had still been unknown to Fyodor and Ivan thus far. They had never heard her fully laugh, only giggle or exhaling heavily as she muffled herself. She never laughed loudly or even put much complete happiness behind her giggles that she did allow to escape. Yet, here she was, laughing loudly with her hands on her stomach. Her laugh could only be described by Fyodor through a painting; The Artist's Garden at Giverny, 1900 by Claude Monet. That was what her real laugh resembled-- an impressionist painting with blurred lines and soft brushstrokes, pastel colours and mixed pigments.

Fyodor stood in awe at the beautiful sound that freely escaped her lips. She calmed down and ceased her laughing but held onto the smile on her face. She looked at Ivan with this smile that was authentic in every possible way.

"Thank you, Ivan, it seems we both were nervous about this date. Your honesty was much appreciated, you'll have to remind me to repay it someday." She crinkled her nose slightly as she smiled even more at him. His pale cheeks flushed red at the fact that he made her smile in such a way that even his master hadn't before.

"Fyodor, thank you for surprising me with a date... I actually don't think anyone's ever done anything so sweet before." She walked over to kiss him on the cheek. He melted at her touch.

"It... It's a picnic in the park with chocolate-covered fruits to celebrate that holiday you detest so much." He revealed. Her entire face softened as her smile fell.

"You know I like to take chances and make you like things thanks to me." He rubbed the back of his neck. Kate's eyes watered and Fyodor instantly thought he did something wrong.

"I'm sorry, I don't have to do that anymore! Just let me know and it will stop right away!" He quickly grabbed her shoulders and tried to fix the mess he created.

"No, it's not that... I'm just so... so happy. You're so nice to me and nobody has ever been this nice before." She cried as the tears ran down her face. She wrapped her arms around him for a tight embrace as she sobbed into his chest. He placed his arms around her, one on her back and the other on the back of her head as he held her there, close to his heart.

"I love you, Kate, I really do. Whatever it takes to make you smile, it'll be done; always." He whispered so that only she would hear. He stroked the back of her head as she tried to pull him even closer.

Fyodor loved Kate more than anyone had ever loved before. This was possible because he was more than a man, a once angelic creature that had gained the ability to love far too much. He had been banished from heaven but he had found his own angel on Earth. She was his little slice of perfection, peace, comfort-- everything that heaven represented was within her. It wasn't possible for anyone to be loved this much and Kate's realisation of this was more than what she needed. She loved him too, always, until the end of time.