Of Falling Stars and Distant Hills

Valentine's Day Special: Love Fever

Surprise! Happy Valentine's Day! I worked on this little snippet for fun earlier this week and decided why not do a special chapter?! After the intense last few chapters I also figured doing something lighthearted might be a nice break, for me and you! Hope you enjoy a little glimpse into our couple's future, cause I know I did! Thank you so much for reading, and I'll talk to you again when I get chapter eight posted soon!

"Tramp? Hello, are you in there?" Lady called, knocking on the door. "Tramp, sweetheart?"

The apartment door Lady stood before remained silent as the dead. She looked around the hallway, at the worn wood floor, the wallpaper slathered walls and the tightly shut doors of other apartments. She knew this complex well, having visited her beau here many times before. Lady fiddled with the ruffles of her pale pink dress at her knees, trying not to get nervous. This was so unlike him. The two of them had made plans for Valentine's Day and she was right on time.

Lady knocked again. "Are you ok?"

Again, no answer.

She bit her lipstick covered lips and tried the doorknob, jiggling the brass even though she knew it was a useless exercise. Except it opened without a fight. Lady stared at the knob with perplexion, her heart starting to race. This was very much not like him. She eased the door open and cautiously entered. "Sweetheart?" She asked into the quiet.

The place was quaint and well loved, with a small kitchen and even smaller bedroom in the rear. Lady stepped into the doorway and clicked the door behind her, rubbing her hands together from the snowy cold outside. All the lights were off, but the ceiling fan in the kitchen languidly spun about. Lady's heels clicked on the beige tile of the kitchen as she walked further into the apartment with anxiety. A pale blue windsor stove sat in the corner by the bedroom doorway, and across from it was a small kitchen table and a single chair.

And that was where she saw Tramp. He sat in the chair with his legs splayed on the floor, his head resting on his folded arms on the table. He was fast asleep. Lady stood there before him with her eyes wide and tried not to feel foolish for being so concerned. She placed her hand purse on the counter by the sink behind her, took off her coat and went over to him.

Tramp was still in his work clothes, the metal lunch box she'd gotten him resting by his feet on the floor. Lady went to touch his shoulder but stopped when she saw him up close. His hair was a wild hurricane, his lashes touched the skin beneath his eyes like that of an angel, and soft breaths escaped his parted lips. Lady couldn't hold back a smile, this was a rare sight for her. He was deviously handsome sitting there, none of his walls up or the characteristic crooked smile across his face.

"Tramp." She whispered, touching the rough material of his work shirt. He didn't stir. "Tramp, honey." His eyes moved underneath his lids but he remained where he was. Lady grew worried again and double-checked to make sure he was breathing. "Hey you, it's time to wake up." She shook his shoulder a little harder than before.

Finally, Tramp's eyes fluttered and a groggy exhale left his lips. He lifted his head by a centimeter, squeezed his eyes shut then open and turned to look in her direction. He grunted in surprise and immediately burst upright in the chair, slamming into the wall behind him. Tramp fumbled into his pocket and pulled out a small knife, his face a groggy mess.

"Tramp! It's me, it's alright! It's Lady!" She exclaimed, putting up her hands.

The knife fell from his fingers and clambered to the floor. "Lady?" He croaked, squinting into full wakefulness. "Damn."

"I think you fell asleep when you got home from work last night, you didn't even make it to bed." Lady said.

Tramp rubbed his face and ran a hand through his hair. "Geez, never done that before. What time is it?"