It's 5am and the obnoxious beeping of Nina's alarm clock wakes her from a perfect dream. She groans and reaches out for the familiar body that's usually beside her. Her eyes snap open when her fingers meet something cold and sticky. Sitting prettily on Ian's side of their bed is a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries.
She frowns in confusion and glances at her clock. 5am, 14th February. 14th February. Valentines day. An involuntary smile spreads across her face, she had completely forgotten about the holiday, let alone expected Ian to do something about it. He really isn't one for sappy romanticisms; he thinks this holiday was made up by florists to reap a profit, or something like that.
Last year they were so busy doing press in LA that they hadn't really had a chance to even acknowledge the day, and the year before they were still in the throws of the drama surrounding that kiss that should never have happened and the fact that Megan was waiting for Ian at home.
Unable to resist, she eats one of the perfect treats that she's found herself in bed with and nearly moans at the taste. Being stuck on a gluten free diet is seriously boring sometimes, the only time she allows herself to break it is on national holidays. Something Ian of course, has remembered.
She swings her bare legs over the side of the bed and runs out of the room, her feet padding softly against the hardwood floors. They bought this apartment together just over six months ago, and while they still have their own separate places; they wanted somewhere to call theirs. Now they barely ever slept anywhere but here. Even when he's away, Nina spends her nights in their bed. The only time she's ever at her house is when her mom or brother come to stay. With her mom it's merely so she can spend more time with her, but with her brother… Well she prefers Ian alive.
She can hear him cooking in the kitchen, and quickly heads towards him. He's listening to a news channel on the radio and she finds herself smiling, it's one of those little quirks he has that either drives her nuts or makes her love him even more.
He turns when she walks in, smiling one of those free, genuine smiles he saves just for her. He's guarded around most people. He'll come across as the most charming man you've ever met but he'll never reveal anything of himself, he'll let you do all the talking and you'll realize at the end of the conversation that you still know nothing about him. It's only with his immediate family, and her, that he openly talks about himself and his smirk changes to a smile.
"There she is." His voice is soft and warm and she thinks she could be happy forever if she could listen to it for the rest of her life.
"What's all this?" She asks, gesturing to the flowers on the table and the pancakes cooking on the hob.
He shrugs.
"It's valentines day. And I know we haven't really celebrated it before…but I just wanted to show you how much this…" He gestures around him and she follows his hand, taking in their apartment, their cats cuddled up together on the sofa, the framed picture of them making goofy faces that hangs above the hearth… "Means to me." He finishes, his eyes settling on her and an almost vulnerable look crossing his face.
She feels overcome with a rush of emotion for him and even though she runs, she still doesn't get to his arms fast enough. She buries her head in the crook of his neck and kisses his jaw, savoring the way his morning stubble tickles her lips.
When her lips finally move to his, he smiles when he tastes the chocolate strawberries on her tongue.
"You like your strawberries?" He teases.
"You know I did." She grins. "Thank you."
He steals another kiss before turning back to the stove.
"I made pancakes. Blueberry, your favorite."
He places a steaming stack of pancakes on the table and she rolls her eyes affectionately.
"The way to a woman's heart is food?" She teases, sitting down and digging in. They're perfect, as always. He's an extraordinarily good cook.
He ruffles her hair and sits opposite her, starting on his own breakfast.
By the end of the day she's exhausted, she's been filming an intense scene and she's emotionally and physically drained. It gets like this sometimes, especially when Ian isn't there. He grounds her, keeps her sane when she has to act out things that disturb her. But today he was on a different set, doing a different scene and her script is breaking her heart. She almost feels like crying. She's sitting in her dressing room with the curtains drawn watching the latest episode of Glee on her iPad when Ian arrives. He kisses the top of her head and flops down next to her.
"You ok?"
He can always tell when she's had a rough day.
She nods and drops her head on to his shoulder. She doesn't need to say anything, he understands.
"Let's get out of here. I have a surprise for you." He says, standing up and pulling her with him. She grabs her purse and goes unquestioningly, as she always does.
"A surprise?" She asks, her eyes lighting up and an involuntary smile spreading across her lips.
She loves surprises, but she loves them even more when they come from him.
"Yep." His arm slips around her waist and he guides her out of the room, towards his car.
"What kind of surprise?" She asks.
"That will spoil it." He rolls his eyes at her.
Her face slips into a pout and he quickly looks away, letting go of her as they reach the car.
"No pouty face. That's just not fair." He tuts as they climb into his Audi.
She giggles and reaches for the stereo, the sound of Ian's favorite indie album filling the car. She used to find the music he liked depressing, but it had grown on her as time went on. It was so very him that she can't help but like it.
She looks out of the window and notices that he's taking the road that leads to his place. She frowns, wondering what he's up to.
He grabs her hand as they approach the door to the apartment building, pulling her away from the main entrance and leading her around the back.
"Where are we going?" She asks, looking around nervously.
"Trust me." He whispers, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze.
She stops when he starts to climb the fire escape and gives him an unsure look.
"Ian I don't think this is allowed."
He rolls his eyes jumps back down the steps, taking her face in his hands.
"Trust me."
Her eyes search his briefly and she sees the complete sincerity in them. She nods and he smiles, kissing the tip of her nose affectionately.
He laces his fingers back through hers and she follows him up the narrow metal staircase.
It isn't until they reach the roof that she understands what they're doing here.
The sun is just starting to set and the whole sky is lit up pink. From this height, you can see all the trees and buildings silhouetted perfectly against the pretty colors, and the first few early stars scattered among them.
Nina takes a moment just to breathe in the pure beauty of the view, before she looks around and notices the blanket and picnic basket laid out.
She turns to Ian and smiles.
"I can't believe you did this…" She breathes. "It's perfect. Thank you."
He shrugs as though it's no big deal. But it is to her, and he knows it. That's why he did it.
He plops down on the blanket and lies down, wrapping his hand around her ankle and tugging until she lies next to him.
They stay like that for a while, her head resting on his arm, their fingers laced between them, until her stomach growls and Ian sits up grabbing the basket of food.
He's packed a whole dinner, complete with cutlery and plates. Even a little nightlight, which he lights with his lighter and sets in the middle of the blanket.
It's perfect. The best date she's ever had.
She wonders what brought on all this romance, but she's not complaining.
When they're done eating and Nina leans across to kiss him, her face glowing with gratitude and love, he subtly pulls her gift out of his pocket.
He closes her hand around the small rectangle jewelry box and watches the surprise flicker across her face.
He had noticed the earrings in a shop window when he was in LA a couple of days before. They are gold with turquoise stones and small engravings of flowers on the metal. He knew Nina would love them the second he set eyes on them.
She gasps softly as she opens the box.
"Ian they're beautiful." She whispers.
She puts them on and grins.
He watches her, taking in her sparkling eyes and wide smile. She's so perfect that sometimes it takes his breath away.
He isn't one for valentines day. He has his reasons, none of which are positive. But he had noticed how tired she had been getting lately, noticed the sad look in her eyes when she finished an emotional day on set, and had needed to do something to put back that twinkle in her eye. He wanted to remind her how much he loves her. And however hard everything else got, he would always be there, trying, in his own way, to make things better.
She moves to sit in his lap, tangling her fingers in his hair and kissing him deeply. He responds by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer, getting lost in her scent and taste.
"This was the best valentines I've ever had." She whispers when she pulls away to breathe.
He smiles. "Me too."
I've had this on my computer for ages and only just realized that I'd never published it! Hope you like it... Review to let me know :)