After a late shift she loved nothing more than crawling into bed and curling up for the precious few hours left before morning. Thanks to the season morning took its sweet time, but she found sleeping in difficult after years of conditioning to rise at dawn. It was still that predawn period, however, and Priam was already awake and restless. He had anticipated her coming home for dinner at five the previous evening and had thusly eaten alone, and had slept solidly until her arrival close to four that morning, and since then he had lost the ability to sit still. He paced around the apartment, rubbing his eyes and growling at himself to just go lay down already, but it was pointless. Stern, loveless reminders swarmed his head: it was Valentine's Day. Hard to believe five years had passed since he managed to draw Lucina's eye in the first place, thanks to drawing out his inner romantic for a cheesy high school display of affection, and that each successive year he had continued to astonish her with his surprises. This was the first year he had nothing. Apparently that inner romantic was only good for a certain period of time, and he had exhausted it. He only had until the sun rose to even drum up some distraction, some way to show he remembered even if he had not yet concocted the true display, and his mind was empty. Tapping into his heart would only work once he had some physical plan in place; he could write a thousand love notes if he so desired but they would be less meaningful than one simple one hidden someplace very significant to their relationship, and besides, that had been last year's gift. Only the high school display had been prolific anyway, the rest of them had been something more careful, more thoughtful, and more likely to be remembered.
Perhaps this was the year for something impulsive. They had talked since high school about wanting to go abroad, visit foreign cities that neither of them had ever seen, trace the paths of their families across the globe, or even just experience a new culture. He loved traveling, always had, and in a military household he had done enough of it to see all sorts of exotic lands. She had lived in two places her entire life, but longed to see the beauty that existed elsewhere. Maybe he should act on those dreams and buy tickets to Rome, or London, or Tokyo. Maybe a cruise would be better, probably through the Mediterranean but he was certain she would love the Caribbean too. He could always pick her up from work that evening and just start driving in some direction, let the wind blow them to a new city and explore whatever it had to offer. Make a weekend out of it, except it was Tuesday and that would be a lot of days they would both miss. This was not the best time for travel in the first place, since she had a single semester of school left before finally getting her teaching certificate and he had too few connections in this town not to be lured elsewhere thanks to a vacation.
Any sort of travel was off the table, so he was free to think about improvements to the apartment. It was cozy enough after a year of living in it, but could always use simple touches. An abstract metal sculpture would be perfect for their coffee table, and he had a few friends in the mechanic business that would be willing to donate old parts to that cause. Not that he was any sort of artist, but abstract was easy, right? The couch could use a few pillows, Lucina had been saying it for weeks, and maybe a warm blanket folded across the back would make her happy. It was a drafty apartment to be sure, and she was a small person who loved burying herself in blankets, but he reluctantly admitted to himself that a blanket might eliminate her desire to snuggle with him when they lounged around together. Maybe they needed some kitschy sign to hang by the front door to welcome people, or some better hooks in the wall for coats. The bedroom desperately needed thicker curtains that should prolong Lucina's sleep after these late nights. Any of these would be a nice gesture but he had a hard time adding sentimental flair to them that was not tacky.
He glanced at the few photos they had hung on the wall leading between the bedroom and the living room. Most prominent were his college graduation, her EMT certification, and their first camping trip together. That trip had been fun, combining both their families in a pair of RV's while they themselves shared a small tent at an isolated site. He loved hiking, and secretly desired to lose the main trail and strand him and Lucina in the woods for the day just to explore. Lucina the city-slicker even enjoyed the tranquility of the forest. In theory it would not be difficult to take her out to the woods and enjoy an afternoon of exploring, but she was so exhausted from a long day yesterday and from the prospect of a short but early shift today. She would probably appreciate an evening of romantic comedies and fast food, and he was willing to put up with chick flicks for a night to make her feel good. It just did not have his flair, his personality, his thought behind it. It was simple but it was also easy. His version of simple was more calculated and heartfelt, complicated only by the string of thoughts that went into it.
Unbearable silence bore down on him, driving him to throw open the fridge just to hear its hum. Food always worked when trying to please her, but he was no chef. Payday was next week, too, so they had very little left for a romantic dinner date. The fridge was practically empty, so he occupied his hands with jotting down a list of groceries while glaring at the appliance. He hated the loneliness it evoked, especially when coupled with the time. That was a critical issue he had with the apartment: if Lucina was gone or asleep he was crushed by the isolation. He knew she felt the same. That seemed like an issue that he could address in a meaningful way, either through something like a teddy bear or a box of cute notes or even something more extreme like a puppy.
A puppy.
In college he considered training a dog for search and rescue, and Lucina had wanted to raise a therapy dog to bring to the hospital. They both had several dogs in their childhood. For several years now they had discussed buying a pedigree puppy from a breeder, for the sheer pleasure of announcing to the world that they had a champion dog, but adoption was always on the table too. The only requirement, really, was it had to be above forty pounds and regardless of sex would be named Hero. He leaned towards Golden Retrievers but had conceded when she showed him pictures of Bernese Mountain Dogs. The apartment had no restrictions, thankfully, not even on breeds. The more he considered it, the more he was beginning to adore the idea of surprising Lucina with a puppy. He could do it, too, and not face severe repercussions from Lucina. She would find it charming, he knew. Five years together was enough time to know she would react well to a dog, and that they were in a position to do so. Only a special occassion had barred them from taking that next step anyway, not money and not time and certainly not disagreements. It was almost as if she had set him up just to do this.
He tiptoed back into their bedroom, almost giddy but versed in controlling his emotions. She did not stir as he opened his laptop, googled local shelters, and began scanning the lists. The nearest shelter opened at ten, leaving him plenty of time to establish a bit of mystery and anticipation for Lucina to toy with during her work day. As of now the only downside he predicted was having to wait so long to go shopping for pet supplies and then pick out the lucky pup. He sent his boss a quick email asking to leave early, and since he had yet to miss even a minute of work he knew he would soon have a free afternoon to enact his plan. Then it was back to the dogs. Lots of pit bulls, as usual, and he did love their smiling faces and stocky bodies but did not think they made especially good therapy or search and rescue dogs. He paused to consider a dog listed as a Saluki mix, intrigued by the foreign name, but decided against it after seeing more pictures. After realizing he was probably limited to picking between pit bulls he began to read through a few descriptions, mentally noting the best candidates, until he came across a button he had accidentally ignored in his initial scan of the website. There was a page two, but all it contained was one description that had no pictures. He was just delirious enough that this intrigued him, even though it would probably end up being a newer pit bull who had yet to be photographed.
A quick click brought up a short summary of a pair of puppies estimated to be six months old. They were seized from a puppy mill and preferred the company of one another over any human so far. He did not recognize the breed, which was listed as Anatolian Shepherd/German Shepherd mix, and a quick skim through the Wikipedia article for the former led him to believe this was an irresponsible cross. The puppies were described as being sweet and full of the potential for love, but that the right person had not yet come along. They would need socialization, constant interaction, patience, and training. They were barely housebroken. They could only be placed in a home with adults. There were no pictures. Both the puppies were girls and they were tentatively named Ella and Eponine.
Irrationally he committed. He carried his laptop into the kitchen and struggled to find his phone, then punched in the shelter's number and left a very eager voicemail saying he was ready and willing to adopt Ella and Eponine that very day. Their description had only required a small adoption fee and compliance with shelter regulations to spay both dogs by nine months of age. He could manage that. It was twice the amount of dogs he and Lucina had ever discussed owning, but there was no denying the poor creatures were in desperate need of a good home. The apartment allowed up to three pets anyway, and the moment Lucina saw that he had found poor baby dogs she would be unable to resist taking them in.
Maybe it was selfish of him to adopt dogs without Lucina's consent, especially dogs that fell somewhat out of their desired range. He would rename Eponine to Hero, to satisfy that criteria, and he liked Ella because he knew it was the name of Lucina's favorite Disney princess, but no amount of excitement could drive away that nagging sensation that he would be better off sticking to less extravagant Valentine's Day plans. With nothing left to do before Lucina awoke he started cooking waffles and explored the weight of the decision he had just made. No longer was his plan limited to two lives, and that was a peculiar thought for a man who had long considered himself isolated from other people. For these puppies, he could be offering them a home and happiness, and in exchange they would fill the boredom of lonely mornings like this. He could have one as his search dog and Lucina could have the other as her therapy dog, and then they would never face scheduling conflicts. These would grow into dogs that could accompany them on runs, camping trips, and simple strolls. They would potentially give them a reason to move into a house with a yard, something that was a bit of a shared fantasy but would not be achieved until given a significant push. If they traveled abroad, he was certain these dogs would make excellent companions. One of his greatest concerns was always Lucina's safety when he could not be easily reached due to work, but these dogs would be strong and loyal and would protect her. At the same time, though, maybe these dogs were too much work for a couple still situating themselves in the professional world. It would certainly require major scheduling changes to accommodate animals, too. And he was not always the most patient man in the world.
Still, deep down, his inner romantic clung tight to the puppies and refused to let him be swayed.
After the sun rose he was joined at the kitchen table by Lucina, who was still too drowsy to speak but ravenous enough to eat all his waffles. He let her, communicating with her through fond smiles rather than try to start a conversation. Dark circles still hung under her eyes and she slouched, something so uncommon for such an elegant and professional woman, so he knew her mind was still drowning in fatigue and would take some time to wake up. He hoped work energized her a little, so that she would be prepared for his surprise.
"What's the plan?" she yawned eventually, after pushing her empty plate away and resting her chin in her hands. "Are we doing anything before work?"
"Not before work," he disclosed cryptically, hoping to instill in her a bit of intrigue.
This drew a grin from her thin lips. "Probably for the best. You always have the best surprises."
"I know." He gathered their plates and lingered by the sink as if to start dishes. "You have anything for me?"
"Mm-hm." She pointed with a slender finger to the cabinet furthest from him. "Go look."
He abided and pried open the cabinet door with a swell of nostalgia; they had often tried to fix the strangely sticky hinges on this door but had met with no results, and at this point had decreed the defect gave the kitchen character. The squeak of the door annoyed him, though, so he would never think to look for anything in there. When he revealed a beautiful hardcover book and a box set of superhero movies stacked precisely on top of a box of chocolates he allowed that inner romantic to profess, "I have never loved someone as much as I love you right now."
The book was one he had admired in secret, but apparently Lucina had noticed every time his eyes wavered to the bookstore window, and contained a riveting story about swords and magic and heroes. It was a childhood favorite but he was reluctant to admit it for fear of negative labels. The movies, a complete set, were current and expensive and his favorite of all time. The chocolates were just chocolates, but he loved all food.
"Glad you like it all," Lucina giggled softly. "I hope that's the right book. They told me there are a few others in the series, and this wasn't the first, but you seemed really set on it."
"It was my favorite. I read the whole series in a month but reread this one all the time." Admitting he was an avid reader was a difficult thing, but his gentle heart had not spontaneously appeared one day, rather, it had been cultivated. "Thank you so much. I can't believe you were paying that much attention."
"You're welcome," she hummed, her eyes fixed on him from beneath her lashes, succeeding only in making him anxious to give her his present. "I'm glad that book means something to you. I'm curious about it now myself, actually."
"When you read it, we'll have to sit down and discuss the whole thing."
"Deal."
After a few more soft words, a struggle into their clothes, and a kiss goodbye, they parted ways for work and hurried through the day as fast as possible. As Lucina woke up she grew more and more eager to see Priam's surprise, since he had quite the tradition with this particular holiday. Priam, on the other hand, knowing full well that the surprise was two puppies, felt only a sense of urgency to leave work, purchase matching dog supplies, and discuss the adoption with the shelter when they finally called him back. He was in the leash aisle of a pet store when they did, and the voice on the other end sounded so relieved that he was fully invested in providing sufficient care and affection to the puppies. They talked quite extensively about the breed, and how the puppies would likely be territorial and protective of him and his girlfriend, but that their trainability was extremely high and that they would be excellent competition dogs should he have any interest in agility or obedience. He did, and he knew Lucina would as well. The shelter worker also mentioned that the lack of picture was due to the puppies' inability to sit still for a decent picture but that they were both very adorable and would grow into magnificent dogs. All he learned was encouraging, and since he had the shelter worker on the phone he requested a little help choosing food and bedding. When he hung up it was to purchase an unexpectedly large amount of items, everything from toys to treats to miscellaneous training gear. He was excited for the project of owning two puppies, but more than that, he was stubbornly dedicated to this. For the sake of Valentine's Day, he also stopped by the florist and managed to secure a small bouquet of pink carnations that were the color of Lucina's lips.
At last the end of Lucina's shift arrived, and of course he was waiting in the car for her with carnations on her seat and an arsenal of dog supplies in the trunk. Thankfully she had commuted to work via bus that day, since it made her especially eager to hop in and relax while he took her to whatever mysterious destination he had planned. They stopped for coffee first, and she sipped hers pensively while attempting to read his face for clues. Even at his most romantic his face was a closed book, and only years of careful study allowed her to discern basic emotions from his obvious masks. She knew he was happy, perhaps even joyful, but that could be deduced from the mere fact that today was Valentine's Day and he was excellent at celebrating. The more coffee she drank the more butterflies stirred in her stomach in anticipation. He offered no clues, but she had the feeling this surprise would be a bit bigger than a box of love notes in his terrible handwriting. She still had that box, tucked lovingly under her side of the bed in case she needed his more sensitive thoughts to push her through a day. He was not very verbal about his affections during the rest of the year, so it had been a great gift to compensate. This surprise somehow beat that, and she was lost as to how.
When he parked she did not recognize the building, nor could she find a sign that was not a mere acronym. This was somewhat frustrating but she trusted his judgement. Unbeknownst to her, he had leashes and collars in the pockets of his coat and had called ahead to confirm the shelter staff would whisk them straight to their new dogs without spoiling the surprise. They entered the lobby and Lucina had to take his hand to walk forward properly, too distracted by trying to discern the nature of the building based on its animal themed art but apparent lack of animals. It felt like a vet, she determined, but that made less sense than if the building had remained unidentifiable. They were led by a smiling woman down a hall with muffled barking to an unassuming door, and from there ushered into a small office clearly not frequented by visitors. In the center of the office floor was a large wire crate covered by a cheesy heart blanket, and Lucina gasped.
"You didn't," she uttered in pure awe, tugging his hand. "Is this…?"
Priam quietly approached the crate, towing the stunned Lucina, and knelt down to admire their puppies for the first time too. "Ella and Hero. One for each of us."
There was not even a flicker of doubt, irritation, or reluctance in Lucina's face. She had become consumed by the pair of softly snoring dogs, their puffy chests rising and falling almost in sync and their lanky paws tucked preciously under their bodies. She reached for the cage and their eyes slid open suspiciously. The shelter staff offered some advice but Lucina and Priam hardly heard it. He gently opened the crate and the pair of puppies lazily stretched and stepped out.
"Which is which?" Lucina murmured softly to avoid frightening the puppies.
"Ella has the white feet," he whispered back, glancing at the staff for confirmation. Both dogs were primarily beige with gently black muzzles, but the differences were more prominent. Ella's white underbelly, as well as her white toes, gave her the appearance of having been dipped in sugar, while Hero's dusting of black fur along the length of her back seemed to represent some sort of cape. They were more perfect than Priam could have imagined.
The human couple sat down, offering the puppies a little space to become accustomed to them. Priam had been warned that the puppies may prefer to simply look at them, and could be a little hesitant to accept petting, so he prepared himself to explain this to Lucina when suddenly Ella pushed her dainty nose into Lucina's chest. This drew a soft cry from the human and Priam even detected tears of joy in her eyes. She stroked the dog slowly, removing her hand when she felt Ella tense or begin to pull away. Hero, meanwhile, glanced between her sister and Priam, and finally he broke the ice by offering the caped dog his hand. She sniffed it and nosed it a few times, and he took this as permission to pet her too.
The staff was shocked and excused herself to round up a few other workers, who no doubt had all confirmed these puppies were extremely shy. Priam, Lucina, and their young dogs had become quite the scene at the shelter, and eventually the original worker was forced to chase everyone off to finalize the paperwork with Priam. Lucina's only instance of reluctance came when she saw the adoption fee and the projected bill for the later surgeries, but the moment passed because they were small charges when compared to the grand scheme of finally owning dogs. Full of pride, Priam drove the little family back to the apartment and he and Lucina spent the evening introducing the newly shy puppies to their new home. He made it a point to give them their space when they avoided his hand, and Lucina was completely mesmerized and ignored both him and dinner for the greater part of the evening. When at last they went to bed, bringing the puppies into their room as well, Lucina hesitated climbing into bed to admire the tentative way they approached their new cushioned bed. When they settled down at last so did she, drawing herself closer to Priam to whisper affectionately, "They're perfect. How are you going to top this?"
As he fell asleep his mind raced with new ideas, but his heart swelled with reaffirmed adoration for the woman pressed against his chest.