Hey hey hey, guess what day it is! It's Valentine's Day (A.K.A. Suck-It-Up-Singles Day) and I thought it'd be nice to add a chapter on, oh I don't know, Tucker and Clara's first Valentine's Day (this is before the epilogue of Boundless and after all the Triplare drama in Boundless)? I know it's a bit early for this, I promise to move the chapter later on, but it's always nice to read something sweet on Valentine's Day. So enjoy and review! x)P
I see her golden hair catching in the sea breeze as she walks toward me on the sugar white sand. I missed Jackson Hole and it's snow, but California was pretty sweet. Actually, I didn't care where I was anymore. Wherever she was, I was home.
I start to feel self-conscious about tonight. Will she like it? Am I doing this right? Do I look good enough for tonight? I never knew Valentine's Day could be so stressful.
She looks up and smiles at me and starts to run. I run to her too, grinning like an idiot like I always do when I'm with her. Within moments I had her in my arms, spinning her while she laughed like the happiest person in the world. I set her down and looked at the girl I fell in love with. All I can think about right now is how amazing she looks in her flip-flops, jeans, and light blue t-shirt that brings out the blue in her eyes. Man, am I one lucky guy.
"Hello to you too," Clara says, her cheeks still pink from the running and spinning. God, she's so cute.
"Haha. Hi, Carrots,"I say. She smiles even wider. I knew it, she secretly loves the nickname.
"So I'm here and today's finally Valentine's Day, now tell me what we're doing tonight!" Clara says. She hates surprises, I bet I've been driving her crazy for the past two weeks. I told her I planned something special for tonight but never elaborated and refused to talk about Valentine's Day ever since because I knew that something would slip when I was around her. "The suspense is nerve-racking!" I wink at her. She'll know soon enough.
"You'll see," I say. I pull out the blind fold I kept in my pocket and turned her around to tie it for her. She starts to giggle again. Clara has the greatest laugh in the world.
"And what am I suppose to see with this on?" she says.
"You won't see anything. Not yet at least," I reply. I hope she'll be surprised.
Without warning, I scoop her up in my arms and she screams a little. I laugh. This is a lot of fun.
"Tucker Avery, put me down now! I'm a grown woman and I can walk for myself!" she yells. Oh Carrots, you know that's not possible.
"I'm well aware that you're a grown woman Carrots, but what if you fall? I think I'll hold onto you for your own safety," I say and laugh again. She laughs with me this time.
I carefully walked over to the spot that I set up for tonight. Her arms find their way around my neck so that she doesn't fall over and I pull her close enough to feel her warm breath on my cheek. I wish the night would never end.
When we get to the spot, I lower her and take the blind fold off. She blinks at me and gasps when she sees my surprise.
"I know it's not much, and it's not fishing on a boat, but I hope you like it," I say sheepishly. She turns to me, tears sparkling in her eyes.
"Tuck, it's perfect," she says. I'm so happy she loves it.
We sit on the picnic blanket on either side of the candles in the middle. We ate our lasagna and drank champagne while talking about school, friends, and family. I fed her chocolate covered strawberries, her favorite fruit. After we were finished with our dinner, we blew out the candles and packed everything up. We laid back down on the blanket and curled up together to look at the stars and listen to the rhythm of the waves lapping against the beach. I could smell her strawberry-vanilla smelling shampoo and feel the heat from her touch.
"Clara, are you happy?" I ask.
She sits up and looks at me with her startling eyes.
"Yes Tucker, I'm happy," she says. She smiles at me and bends down to kiss my cheek. "I'll always be happy when I have you here." I sit up with her and kiss her. It was short but sweet. I see that she's blushing right now. I give her a devilish grin and stand up and throw her over my shoulder.
"Tucker!" she yells. I run to the water and put her down.
"It's cold!" she screams. I laugh, and pull her close to me again, warming her up a little. I look down at her. She's so beautiful, it takes my breath away.
"I love you Clara," I tell her. I smile down her with all the love in the world. "Happy Valentine's Day." She stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck. I kiss her, tangling my hands into her soft hair. I knew then that I would never let her go again. I would never hurt her and I would always be there for her. I would give her the sun and moon, and move heaven and hell to be with her. Wherever you are, Carrots, is where I belong.