Alex sighed to himself as he looked from the tickets in his hand to the snow that covered every inch of the ground outside. He chuckled a little. He'd planned to take his wife Polly skiing for Valentine's Day, their first as a married couple and then head to the Bahamas for his best friend Mike's wedding. But the damn Polar Vortex had halted all flights. Ironic, he thought to himself, that the snow had stopped him from having the romantic getaway he'd planned. He groaned as the lights flickered and went out. Great. Now they wouldn't even have lights. He sighed to himself and remembered a story his grandpa had told him about the first Valentine's Day he'd spent with his grandmother. And that's when the idea came to him. He'd still make it as special as he could for her.
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Polly pulled into the driveway after work and sighed to herself. All the houses on the street were dark which meant the power was out. She was normally not one to hate winter but the snowfall was a little ridiculous. She opened the door, smiling as she saw Alex's car in the driveway. It was their first Valentine's Day as a married couple. She walked into the house, shivering against the contrast of the cold outside and the heat coming from inside the house. She walked further into the living room and saw that the fireplace had a nice fire going inside of it and there were candles lit all around. There was a blanket spread out on the floor. She looked up as Alex walked around the corner from the kitchen with a couple of sandwiches and some fruit on a plate.
"Hey Baby." He said as he walked further into the room and sat the plates down on the blanket before turning to kiss her.
"What is all of this?"
"Valentine's Day courtesy of the Polar Vortex. It wasn't my first choice for us but I think we can make it work." He said as he led her over to blanket. She smiled over at him and they sat and ate. After dinner, they sat in front of the fireplace wrapped in the same blanket.
"This has been the best Valentine's Day." She said. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'm glad you like it. Like I said before, it wasn't my first choice for us but when the snow hit, I had to improvise."
"What was your first choice?" She asked.
"I planned on us spending a few days in a nice little cabin skiing and then heading to Mike's wedding. But with all this snow, the flights have been canceled."
"I like this much better." She said smiling. "I mean don't get me wrong, I love the winter and a few days locked away in a cabin with you sounds inviting but with all the snow we've got here, I think it would have been a little much." She said as she turned in his arms. "And we can still have a romantic experience right here." He raised his eyebrows and smiled as he leaned in and kissed her. He laid her back on the blanket and they made love in the glow of the fireplace. It was the best Valentine's Day that either of them had ever had.