Unexpected Love

Chapter Five

As Valentine's Day quickly approached, I wondered what I should plan for Eleanor. Every year we took it in turns to arrange a romantic day, and it was my turn. Last year, she took me to the amusements where we spent hours placing 2p coins in machines, trying to win little key rings. Being the child that I am, I begged her to let me play on the claw machine, promising her that if I won the prize was hers. It took me four attempts before the claw trapped a small teddy bear in its grips, pulling it out of the pile and towards the drop box. I squealed in excitement, jumping up and down as I waited for it to drop. The moment it did I turned to present it to Eleanor, who was holding her phone in my direction, filming my every move. She was laughing at me, her eyes glistening as her hair fell in front of her face. I stuck my tongue out at her as she put her phone away, taking the cream-coloured bear from my hands and hugging it tight to her chest. I knew it would take a lot for me to beat that this year.

I woke up early on Valentine's morning to make El her favourite breakfast. After preparing the pancakes and making sure I had all her favourite toppings, I placed the items on a little tray and picked a rose from the vase on the windowsill. I crept upstairs, being as quiet as I could so that I didn't wake her up. I climbed back into bed, the tray on the nightstand, and placed soft kisses all over her face until she opened her eyes and smiled at me. She sat up in bed, her hair cascading down her back, rubbing her eyes as she noticed the breakfast tray. "Aw baby, you're so cute!" she mumbled, giving me a little kiss on my lips. I handed her the tray, watching at she took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet smell of the pancakes. When she'd had enough, we both showered and got ready for the day. El decided to wear a blue denim dress and a white long sleeve t-shirt underneath, sheltering her from the winter wind. I threw on a green knitted jumper and black jeans, fixing my hair into its normal look. I had planned a quiet day for us, but I knew El would enjoy it. We walked hand in hand to the town centre, El pouting as I wouldn't tell her where we were going. "Come on Lou, you know I hate surprises!" she complained, turning her head to face me. I just shook my head at her, letting her know that I wouldn't give in. She huffed in defeat, turning her attention back to the pavement. When we got to the place, her eyes lit up, and I could see that I had made the right decision. "You mean, we're finally doing this?" she squealed, pointing to the pieces of pottery in the window. I had arranged for us to spend a few hours decorating pottery, I knew El was quite creative and I thought it was something we could keep forever, to remember our love for each other. We walked in, hearing the little ring of the bell as we opened the door. After deciding what we each wanted to paint, we took our places at the table, looking at all the different colours that were laid out for us. I had chosen to decorate a mug whilst Eleanor had chosen a plate. I used my brush to coat the mug in a shade of light green, before writing Eleanor and Louis on each side with a little red heart between them. It looked messy but art wasn't my strong point. I looked over at Eleanor to see her tongue poking out of her lips in concentration, using the brush to paint the rim of the plate. It was a deep purple colour, and she had chosen to paint polka dots all around the outside using the colours of the rainbow. She was so talented when it came to being creative, meticulously putting each dot in the right place, making the plate look amazing. When we had both finished, we thanked the shop owner and carried our pottery pieces back to our house, placing them in the cupboards. As the night grew colder, we snuggled on the sofa with a blanket, watching another Disney film. I held Eleanor in my arms and enjoying the moment with her, listening to her soft giggles whenever something made her laugh.

We must have fallen asleep on the sofa because when I opened my eyes the film was over, and the room was dark and silent. I sat up slightly, letting my eyes adjust, and I felt Eleanor push herself up too. "I think it's time for bed," I chuckled, giving Eleanor my hand to help her up. We trudged up the stairs, neither of us awake enough to talk, and quickly pulled our clothes off the moment we were in our room. I fell into bed, wrapping my arms around Eleanor as I felt her breathing slow and sleep take over us both.

Cute little Valentine's chapter! Do you think you would have enjoyed this date with Louis? Comment and vote!