Valentines Day (finished)

February 2nd

"Where are you from?" Matt asked the lead actor. They were putting on the play in New York.

"Oh, I'm from Punxsutawney Pennsylvania," he responded.

"Wait, the groundhog day place?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah," the actor responded. "If you ever need a ride, or something, I'd be happy to loan my grandma's car to you."

That was two years ago in the summer. Now it was February 2nd. Matt stared out the window as the captain came over the loudspeaker and told everyone that they'd be arriving in Indiana, Pennsylvania in a couple minutes.

This awoke Steph, who continued to bug him about where they were going. It was roughly 2 A.M. when they arrived; four hours before dawn. At the airport. Matt met his old theater friend and reminisced about old times. Soon, his old friend left, leaving his grandma's car there for him to drive.

Matt drove them to their destination as Stephanie sat, still pestering him, in the passenger seat. It was only one hour before sunrise when they got to Punxsutawney. "What are we doing here?" asked Stephanie.

"We," Matt said, turning into the parking lot, "are here to see a groundhog."

Matt caught his wife's face light up from the corner of his eye. "Seriously?" she asked, joyfully. "We get to see Puxatony Phil?" Matt nodded and Steph let out a small squeal. "I can't wait," she excitedly bounced.

Matt parked the loaned car and got out. It was surprisingly cold, so they both got their warm coats from the trunk of the car. They went and got front row seats. Matt snuggled up close to his wife as they waited. He rested his head on hers and let his eyes flutter shut.

*

"Wake up," shook Steph. Matt looked up to see just as few people as when they got there. Matt was confused. How long had he been out? A few seconds maybe? He felt a bit better rested.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"You fell asleep," Stephanie pouted. "I would've woken you, but you looked so peaceful. And you looked like you needed the sleep."

Matt nodded, and silently thanked his body for being a quiet sleeper. "Between yesterday's gift and the terrifying flight, I haven't got much sleep. Thanks for letting me get a bit of rest." he looked down at her. "So, shorty, how was the ceremony?"

She gave him a peeved look. "It was very cute," she responded angrily, punching him in the arm.

Matt laughed at her petty attempt at violence. "I love you to hon."

Steph rolled her eyes, then pepped up. "Hey, they said that we might be able to pet him if we go down to the museum."[I don't know, is that a thing?]

The rest of the day was lots of fun. They went through the museum, pet the groundhog a bit, and had some lunch at a homey little coffee shop. Matt and Steph both changed in the bathrooms so they didn't smell to awful later. They had lunch at one o'clock so they were pretty alone in the cafè.

While they were waiting for their orders, Stephanie decided to bring up the elephant in the room. Well, it was an elephant for her, not for Matt. "Matthew," she began softly. "How much did this cost?"

Matthew took her hand from across the table. "Don't worry," he replied. "It's all taken care of."

"Matthew," she said, her voice growing into a dangerous tone, "I don't like the sound of that."

The young man chuckled, rubbing and letting go of her hands. "I did some odd jobs," he explained. "I did the work and got enough to pay for the trip, happy?"

Steph let out a sigh of relief. "Are you sure it's all alright?"

Matt stared into his wife's glowing eyes. "Yes. I'm sure that seeing you happy was worth every moment."

Stephanie blushed happily. "C'mere," she told him, putting a finger under his chin and standing up a bit.

"Why?"

"I'm giving you a kiss before our food gets here," she responded, leaning across the table and onto his lips.

Matt giggled into the kiss. They separated and he nuzzled her head a bit before sitting down to have their lunch.

*

"Okay, so where are we off to?" asked Stephanie, landing in the driver's seat.

"Just head to the freeway and wake me up when we get to Indiana," instructed Matt, dropping the seat back.

Matt's 'nap' didn't last long. Not because of Steph's driving, but because his body was pretty well rested from the nap that morning. So they just talked. They talked about the trip and what they'd seen. They confessed about their families and how they couldn't wait to get promoted to impress everyone. They conversed about their dreams and hopes with each other. Yet it was only when they saw the first sign for Indiana that Matt realized something. He wasn't talking about his family, what he'd seen, or his hopes. Neither was Stephanie.

Without realizing it Matt had been listing his wife's favorite part of the trip. His wife's family and their harsh expectations. His wife's hopes to see the world. It was Stephanie who was talking about his favorite part of the museum. And she was talking about his family's "I told you so" attitude about Matthew dropping out of acting. It was his beautiful wife who knew that Matt wanted to build a nice little house in California where they could together forever.

The thought plagued him the whole plane ride home. The plane hit turbulence once and Matt clutched onto his sleeping wife for dear life. This time, when the air had cleared, he still held his wife close. Tightly. Not out of fear anymore, but love.

Matt helped her out of the airport and into their car, carrying both of their heavy bags. He drove them home and let her sleep in the backseat. Trying not to wake her he carried her into the house and then unpacked the car.