"You look unbelievable in this by the way," Alex whispered, when their breathing had finally returned to normal. Her head rested on his chest, left arm draped over his stomach as he ran his index finger over the lace trim of her panties. "I especially enjoyed these…"

She smiled to herself, breathing out a soft laugh. "I thought you might." As she stretched her neck up to peck him lightly on the lips, he twisted a hand into her hair, holding her tightly to him. "Thank you," she sighed, smiling after he reluctantly pulled away.

"Come on," he said, sitting up and pulling her with him. "Let's go take a shower."

She hopped up quickly, reaching for his hand, but stopping short when he whirled back around to face her.

"Wha-", she began, cut off when he swooped down in front of her, throwing her over his shoulder. She burst into a fit of giggles as he carried her down the hall, playfully swatting at his back in mock protest.

He let her down to her feet when they arrived at the bathroom, hands grasping either side of her face the moment she was safely on the ground. He kissed her with all the force he could manage, and her knees buckled in response, hands grasping his wrists to steady herself.

When he pulled away, his eyes were bright, alive with wonder, and she gazed at him questioningly. "What was that for?"

"I'm just really happy… I'm happy I'm here, with you, in your house."

Her eyes softened, her palm reaching out to cup his cheek. "Our house," she corrected.

He smiled down at her, leaning forward to press his lips to hers, softer this time.

"I'm happy too, Alex," she whispered when he pulled away. His arms snuck around her back, fingers finding the clasp to her garter belt and undoing it to let it fall from her waist. He sunk down to his knees, sliding one stocking down her leg, and then the other.

She stepped out of them one by one, combing her fingers through his thick black hair as he trailed his fingers back up the fronts of her thighs and hooked them into her panties. When she was finally just as naked as him, he stood, reaching around her to turn on the water.

Taking her in his arms, he kissed the side of her face. She hummed softly, smiling against his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I think it's ready," she whispered, stepping back to test the water and pulling him with her as they stepped into the tub.

He reached for the shampoo, turning back to her with a smile on his face. "Can I wash your hair?" he asked in a tone so innocent and nervous that she couldn't help but laugh.

His smile faltered slightly, and she instantly realized her mistake, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Of course," she smiled as she pulled away, turning her back to him as she stepped under the stream of water.

He began to lather the soap in his hands, walking toward her and pressing his chest against her back. She gasped at the unexpected contact before leaning back against him as he went to work.

"So," he began. "Tomorrow's Valentine's Day."

Immediately, he felt her body tense up and he leaned over her shoulder in an attempt to see her face better. She stared straight ahead, her fingers tangling with each other and she shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess it is," she sighed; a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Is that a bad thing?" he questioned. His hands dropped to her shoulders, encouraging her to face him. She rearranged her features before turning to meet his gaze, a tense smile on her lips.

"Of course not. Why would it be?" she chuckled. He nodded toward the shower head, silently imploring her to rinse out the soap. She took the hint, stepping back and running her fingers through her hair, all the while watching him carefully.

"You just don't seem too thrilled about it," he shrugged.

She sighed, nodding slowly as she glanced around, avoiding his questioning stare. "I've just never really had a good one. I guess I never understood the point of it. It just all seems so cliché, you know?"

He smiled softly, nodding. "I understand. I haven't had a good one either."

She stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and melting her body against his. "I don't want flowers or chocolate or teddy bears or whatever stupid things people get for each other on Valentine's day. I just want to spend time with you," she sighed, running her fingers along his lower back.

He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, laughing as he held her tighter. "I kind of already got you something…" he whispered.

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back to stare at him in horror. "Oh God, Alex. I'm so sorry I said all of that. I just didn't want you to go to the trouble of figuring out what to get me."

He listened as she rambled on, trying not to smile as he watched her panic.

"Norma," he chuckled, reaching out to grab the tops of her arms. She stared up at him, her eyebrows knitting together and her expression full of guilt. "It's really not a big deal. I wanted to do it anyway and it wasn't originally intended for tomorrow so it's not technically one of those 'stupid things people get each other on Valentine's day'".

She gazed at him in confusion, unsure of what to say, and he sighed, turning off the water and taking her hand to lead her out of the tub. He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her shoulders and began to dry himself off. "Come on, I'll just show you now," he smiled.

After they finished dressing, he led her down the stairs and out the front door. "Did you get me a new car? You know I don't need one right?" she started, curiosity getting the best of her after a long moment of silence.

He shook his head, sighing exasperatedly and turned to face her. "You do know I drove all the way to Portland to get that car back for you, right? I know you don't want a new car."

She smiled before turning to look around. "Well what is it then?"

He chuckled, taking her hand and leading her around the side of the house. She stopped dead in her tracks when she finally saw it; three small trees planted along the side of the house. He turned back to gauge her reaction, pleased when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You planted fruit trees?" she whispered, her voice so quiet he almost missed it.

"Yeah. I only picked three because I wasn't sure which kind you wanted, and I figured I could always go back and get more if this isn't enough."

He waited for her to say something, anything. When she remained silent, he pulled her with him to get a closer look. "These are apples, the one in the middle is fig and the one on the end is cherry… The lady at the nursery said these are the best ones to grow in this area."

She shook her head slowly, her mouth dropping open as she stared at tiny sprigs in the ground. She couldn't figure out why this little gesture meant so much to her. Finally, she met his gaze, an errant tear escaping the corner of her eye and the tiniest of smiles forming on her lips.

"I can't believe you did this."

He shrugged, smiling at the ground. "They're just trees, Norma."

"No. No, they're not just trees. You remembered me saying how important this was to me. You bought me trees because you knew I wanted them. Alex… No one has ever done anything like this for me before." She threw herself in his arms, clutching him tightly as she kissed the side of his neck. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he smiled, rocking her gently from side to side.

"Maybe Valentine's Day isn't so terrible," she whispered.

He laughed, pulling back to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just as long as I don't get you flowers or chocolate or teddy bears, right?"

"Right," she giggled, leaning forward to press her lips to his.

"I was thinking maybe we could just go see a movie tomorrow night instead of trying to do some fancy dinner," he said, smiling as he noticed the excitement in her eyes.

"Really? You're sure you don't want to do something romantic and normal?" she asked.

"I'm sure. Besides, I've always wanted to fool around in a theater," he chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at her, suggestively.