Regret Me

Valentine's

I woke up the morning of Valentine's Day in Lizzie's childhood bedroom.

She was still fast asleep next to me, a small smile on her lips as her arm wrapped around my body. It had been two days since the court case was closed for her divorce which means now she is officially free and separated from Robbie. I very carefully pulled myself away from my girlfriend and replaced my body with a pillow so she wouldn't immediately notice my absence as I descended the stairs into her dark kitchen.

With a yawn, I popped down the kettle and then searched the cupboards for something to feed her when she wakes up. The lights were still off so I really couldn't see much apart from the morning sunlight that was dancing through the kitchen window. Settling on avocado toast, I started on the preparation and popped some toast down into the machine when I heard a cough behind me. I slowly turned around to Jarnie sitting at the kitchen island, watching me with a smile.

"You scared me, why are you sitting in the dark?" I laughed.

"The light was too bright," she explained, "are you making her breakfast?"

"Yeah; it's Valentine's Day," I replied, adding tea bags into the mugs.

"That's very sweet of you," she smiled.

"She would do the same for me, I just happened to wake up first," I nodded.

Jarnie hummed and smiled wider as I made our teas.

"Do you what a hot drink?" I asked her, cutting up the avocado to lay on the toast.

"I'm okay darling," she replied with a yawn, "you're really good to her. I'm very grateful she's found someone like you."

I felt a slight blush rise up my neck and settle on my cheeks as I smiled to myself, assembling Lizzie's breakfast.

"Robbie never made her breakfast in bed," she continued, "he never would've flown halfway across the country to sit in a court room with her. He never made her smile half as much as you do."

"She's my other half," I mumbled, turning to look at her, "everything that makes her smile, makes me smile. When she's happy ... I know I'm doing something right. I- I can't see myself being with anyone else, not like the way we are together. I can promise you that I'm going to look after her. I'll give her the best life you can imagine for the rest of my life."

"I know you will," she smiled, "that's why you're made for each other."

I hummed and nodded, finishing breakfast and the teas, "I thank my lucky stars that I ran into her that day I moved to New York."

"Me too," Jarnie agreed, "you've bought back my Lizard."

I smiled over at her and bit my cheek, "she's done all that on her own, I've just loved her through it all."

"Thank you," she winked, "go upstairs before she realises, you're missing."

"Okay," I giggled, "thank you for bringing her into this world Jarnie."

She laughed out her nose and nodded, shooing me away. With a new small smile, I climbed up the stairs with two mugs of tea and a dish of avocado toast. I had left Lizzie's door slightly ajar, so I had easy access when I needed to get back in. Pushing it opened slightly with my foot, I smiled wider at my sleeping girlfriend who was now spooning the pillow I had replaced my body with. I placed the mugs and the plate down on her bedside table before climbing into the bed behind her, codling her body and kissing the top of her head, pushing some hair out of her face and behind her ear. She groaned and let out a tired yawn before slowly opening her eyes and looking over her shoulder at me groggily.