A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Anniversary

"Happy anniversary, baby" Mia whispered into Char's ear, rolling over in bed and gently awaking her with a kiss to the jawline. Charlotte, slowly fluttering her eyes awake, turned to face Mia, pulling her in closer to connect their lips.
"Happy one year anniversary, beautiful" Charlotte whispered back to her girlfriend in between kisses, not able to dampen the smile that graced her face from ear to ear.

Sadly, it was just a normal, mundane weekday for Mia and Char where the two had to get up and head to work. However, the girls were with their dad and would be for the next couple of days, leaving the two lovers to look forward to an evening of bliss. "Do we have to get up?" Mia whined, as she clung onto Char trying to delay their morning, basking in the warmth of their bed.
"The quicker we get through today, the quicker this evening will come" Charlotte proclaimed righteously, booping Mia on the nose before getting up and leaving her yearning in their bed.

The two had agreed not to do anything too elaborate for their anniversary, with it still being midweek and knowing that they'd both be exhausted from work. Nevertheless, it would be special regardless, as they had each other and that would be enough. To their surprise, their colleagues had remembered this special occasion too, and both Mia and Char were spoilt on arrival at work that morning.

"Morning Marjorie, morning Autumn" Charlotte said popping her head into the office to greet her colleagues. Marjorie immediately got up from her desk and ushered her in. She seemed overly excited to see Charlotte, who was now left puzzled at her manager's haste. Autumn also got up from her desk, very unusual for her to even draw her attention away from her computer. She remained calm as she did so, not giving anything away. Unlike Marjorie, who couldn't contain her excitement as they both stood before Charlotte.

"Marjorie what's going on? Is everything okay?" Charlotte questioned in concern with furrowed brows.
Marjorie and Autumn both reached under their desks, putting Charlotte out of her misery.
"Happy Anniversary" the manager and her deputy  both said simultaneously. Marjorie practically jumping for joy as Autumn maintained more of a solemn tone.

A smile grew on Charlotte's face as she saw Marjorie holding out a bottle of champagne accompanied by a card, and Autumn presenting the most opulent bouquet of flowers laced with wisteria, Charlotte's favourite plant. Charlotte was in awe at her colleagues' display of affection, she hadn't expected as much as a mention of her anniversary when she came in to work today. "Thank you both so much, you didn't need to do this" she voiced, accepting the gifts graciously.
"Of course we did, my love! You two have been through so much together, and this milestone deserves to be celebrated!" Marjorie expressed.
"Yes, indeed. Charlotte, we're both extremely happy for you and Mia" Autumn asserted, and although her composure remained dignified, her words were heartfelt. 

Over at the sister nursery, Mia took her seat at her desk across from Reece. Just as she was about to get stuck into her work, she noticed Reece hovering in front of her as he coughed to gain her attention. "Do you need a cough sweet?" she remarked, as she smirked in satisfaction. Reece rolled his eyes, ignoring Mia's sarcasm as he pushed a small box towards her on the desk. Mia looked up at Reece, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"Open it" he urged. Mia unravelled the neatly wrapped ribbon, opening the small, lavish white box to reveal two delicate silver bracelets. The bracelets were matching apart from a slight difference, both incorporating little constellations made up of diamonds, but one Capricorn and one Scorpio. Charlotte and Mia's star signs. Reece always had a love for the stars and astrology, and whilst he hadn't fully forgiven Mia for their past, he couldn't deny that Charlotte and Mia were a compatible couple. Almost as if they were written in the stars.

"I hear the first anniversary is supposed to be a pretty big deal, signifies the first of many or something" Reece said, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders trying to conceal his emotion. Mia was touched by Recce's gesture, and she was relieved to still see the sweet, caring and, sensitive soul that she always knew him to be. She couldn't help but feel partly responsible for taking that away from him and dampening his spirit over the years.
"Thanks, Reecey. This means a lot" Mia uttered, her voice thick with emotion.