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A KNOCK ON HER BEDROOM DOOR HAD EVELYN RUSHING TO FINISH GETTING READY. "I'm coming!" she called out to Payton, slipping a foot into her powder pink heel. She reached onto her dresser to get her decorated headband. Another knock sounded and the woman huffed at her persistent friend. "I'm coming, I'm coming," she grumbled just loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear. The headband slid perfectly through her hair, the light pink and Purple Hearts standing out against her dark hair.
Before another knock could be made, Evelyn moved to the door and tugged it open. On the other side stood Jim, dressed in his usual suit and holding a bouquet of Moonburst carnations. Atop his head was his own headband with hearts sticking up on springs. "Oh, my God," she exhaled, a happy smile crawling across her face. He grinned, cheeks a rosy hue. "Happy Valentines Day," he greeted the brunette, extending the flowers toward her. She took them eagerly and buried her nose into the soft petals. They smelled even better than she had expected.
"They're amazing," she stated, peering up at Jim through her lashes. "Amdnd you look amazing." He reached around his head, tapping a heart with his pointer finger. It wiggles on the spring, back and forth. A giggle escaped her lips. "You look great, too," he replied, motioning toward her. "I always thought purple was your color." It looked even better with the soft pink accent pieces. She curtsied in response, the paper crinkling around her flowers.
She took another big whiff of the flowers before releasing a gentle sigh. "So, is there a reason you brought them here and not the office where we both work at?" she asked, now moving around him to reach the kitchen. She wanted to get them into a vase of water pronto. Jim cleared his throat. "Well, I thought I could drive you to work today," he replied with a soft smile. She chanced a glance toward the man now sitting at her kitchen island.
Something felt off. She knew it was Valentines Day. She also knew that it was their first. But riding to work together felt suspicious. "Are you up to something?" she asked. The faucet cracked on and water began to fill the sink. Jim scoffed. "Obviously," he replied sarcastically. "I'm just treating my girlfriend like a princess on Valentines Day. Like a normal partner."
She slid a glass vase under the water. Walter made a chirping noise as he entered the room. His singular eye fixed on Jim. "Good morning, buddy," he greeted the cat. Walter licked at his lips before stretching forward, shaking out his back legs. The flowers were then displayed on the counter, close enough to the back wall that Walter couldn't reach it. "Let me feed him first and then we can go on your suspicious carpool." He snorted. He just hoped that she was joking. He would die if she found out what he really had planned.
