" Surprise me!" You say and lean over to kiss him.
You're running late, of course, to a place you don't have to go, but it's practically on your doorstep. You told him, when he asked you to move in with him that you didn't want to be a kept woman. He wanted to contribute to the household bills. He said it wasn't necessary. You reached a compromise. He was terrible when it came to grocery shopping. He was always running out of loo roll and toilet duck. S0, he let you buy the stuff, although you often ate out and then he always paid.
You realised you were going steady when he took you to meet his parents. You told him, because he was already devoted to the two daughters he had with former partners, that if he didn't want anymore children, then that was okay with you. Despite what people thought you weren't about to trap him. There was something about your honesty that he found refreshing.
He looks at you, half smiling, half frowning as if he's still trying to figure you out.
"But..." and he's suddenly not so sure about the plans he's made. He thinks that f the huge bouquet he's ordered and the table booked at your favourite restaurant and then there's the ring he wants to give you. He doesn't want you to think he's trapping you. It's just that he loves you so much. You're not like any other woman he's ever met.
You don't know any of this yet, but he's made a decision, unlike any other he's made before. He wants you to be his wife. That's slot for a pop star/DJ to think about so early in the morning.
" ..you hate surprises," he replies in that grizzly voice of his, as you head out of the door.
" Not today, sleepy head!" You say, blowing him a kiss. " Happy Valentines Day! Don't let your coffee go cold!"
At least it's Saturday tomorrow and you both have the weekend off. He loves spending time at home with you, wrapped up underneath the duvet.
He smiles at that thought and reaches for his morning cup of coffee and sees the cute little heart you've made with the foam of the milk and the coffee machine. You once had a job as a barista. You used to tease him about his coffee making skills when you first started seeing each other. He's improved though and you remember his hands around your waist, his chin resting on your shoulder as you showed him how to make good coffee from the Espresso machine he'd bought, but never got round to using.
" Happy Valentines Day!" He calls as you head out of the bedroom door and hurry downstairs.
You grab an umbrella, not the blue one with the clouds on, that he kept from the tour. Carol, the BBC weather lady tells you there's a possibility of as shower later. You almost forget your school bag. That's what he called it when he saw all those books for the first time.
It's a 10 minute to the primary school where you teach.
You give the man on the flower stall a cheerful, " Good morning!"
" Gonna be a good one!" He smiles , making his bouquet. " How's that hit pop star of yours?"
" Oh, he's okay." You blush a little, thinking he's probably gone back to sleep, unaware that he's already up. " He's not really mine."
" No?" The flower guy asks and you wonder if he knows something you don't. Everyone thinks you've put a spell on him. They've never seen him so happy.
" Well, maybe, just a little bit."
Howard has a lot to do. Whilst you chat and remember the first time he bought you flowers, he's already in the bathroom, thinking about having a shave. His hands that are soon wet with a soapy lather were once full of every flower imaginable.
" Sunflowers, tulips, roses?" You smiled at him, jet lagged from your trip. He couldn't wait to see you and welcome you back. He'd missed you like crazy. First time ever someone left him alone.
" I didn't know what to choose," he admitted. "You seemed like a sunflower, tulip, roses sort of girl!"
Of course, you liked them all, but he could have come with nothing. You were so pleased to see him. You'd missed him too.
" I hope you didn't meet any hobbits whilst you were away?"
" Just the odd elf," you teased.
~
You cross the road and five minutes later you walk through the school gate.
"Morning Miss!"
The school is where you met him for the first time 18 months or so ago. You showed him around, hardly believing your luck. Your Head thought you would be perfect for the job and not the type to get flustered by a pop star. She was right, although if you'd seen him in the street it might have been a different story. He would have turned your head, just like every other woman he passed by.
The thought of some extra cash for the though made sure you were professional. You'd always planned to travel, only there was the little matter of a student loan.
" Do you think you could teach my daughter English when she stays with me in summer?" He had asked. He probably thought the same as the headteacher, nice, but geeky.
" Sure," you replied. " I'd be happy to."
