"Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day?"
Henrik looked at Graham over the clipboard, giving him a baleful look. "Roxanna will be here for most of the day, so I don't think that she'll be up for anything too over the top."
"You don't have to do anything spectacular, just romantic. My wife and I have rented a room in a bed and breakfast for the night. We're not going anywhere, we're just spending time together someplace different, where people can't find us."
Henrik nodded a little as he digested Graham's words. There was a certain truth to them, and he shrugged a little. "I suppose that you do have a point there. It's probably too late to book accommodation somewhere, given that the holiday is next Wednesday, but I should be able to come up with something special for her."
"A good meal is always a nice way to go. I know that you're off that day on the rota, so you could spend the entirety cooking for her." Henrik nodded as the wheel's started turning in his head, trying to come up with the best meal to show Roxanna how much he adored her. The first order of business would be to get a card and gift during his break that afternoon.
The week between his talk with Graham and Valentine's Day passed much more quickly than Henrik would have liked, but he still felt like he had managed to accomplish everything on the to do list he had made up in order to ensure a romantic evening for Roxanna. He had even gone so far as to spend a little more than he could afford at the moment to purchase a matching garnet pendant and bracelet set. He just hoped that Roxanna liked it as much as he did. Sighing a little, he spread his mother's lace tablecloth out on the kitchen table before placing a set of candlesticks that he had unearthed from the boxes they had taken from Callum's home.
Once the mood was set, he then gathered the ingredients for their meal and started to prepare it. He had timed everything out in a mock run on his previous day off, and knew exactly when everything had to go in the oven so that it would be ready to eat the moment Roxanna arrived home. He was so engrossed in his work that time passed by without him really noticing, and when he next looked up, it was time for everything to go in the oven and after he set the timer, Henrik opened a bottle of red wine, in order to let it breathe.
And there, there was nothing more to do but wait for Roxanna to arrive home. He couldn't help but take a seat at the table, his hands fiddling with the placement of the jewelry box. He wanted it to be shown in it's best light, but he also didn't want it to be too intrusive. Letting out a deep sigh, he finally decided to set it on Roxanna's left hand, so that he could hold her right hand during the meal, if it felt right. With that last small detail out of the way, Henrik took a deep breath and went over to the cupboard where they kept their candles and filled the candlesticks with them. Flipping the lights off, he struck a match and lit them, seeing how much light they'd give off. "That should be enough to eat by," he said lowly before blowing them out and turning the lights back on.
With that all set, he went into the living room and took a seat on the sofa, picking up the latest edition of The Lancet, and began to read, losing himself in one of the articles as he listened with half an ear for the timer to go off. When it did ring, Henrik placed a bookmark in his place and set the journal atop the pile on the coffee table and got to his feet, pulling their meal out of the oven. As he set the various pans on the counter, Henrik smiled widely at the mingling scents tickling his nose, informing him that he had put things together quite well.
Henrik was just finishing arranging the asparagus on Roxanna's plate when he heard the door jiggle. Sucking in a shocked breath, he tried not to hurry things along, even though his fiancée was about eight minutes early. As the door opened, he turned his head and smiled at Roxanna as she entered. "Oh, my god, Henrik! You remembered Valentine's Day?" she asked as she closed the door, turning to hang up her coat and scarf before fairly running over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I did. Please, let me finish plating this and then set the mood for us before you come into the dining room?" She nodded against his back, and he relaxed a little as he finished plating their food and then carried the plates into the other room, setting them down before returning to the kitchen for the wine, pouring them each a glass before lighting the candles and flipping the lights off as he returned to the kitchen to run the used matches beneath water before setting them on the lip of the sink. "All right, my love, come with me?"
"To the ends of the earth," she murmured as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and walked with him to the dining room. "This is so romantic!"
"I tried, for you," he said gravely, and then she was turning to him, reaching up to wrap her free arm around his neck and pulling his head down so that she could kiss him deeply. "Shall we eat?"
"Yes," she breathed out as she sat in the chair he pulled out for her. "And a present? Henrik…"
"I know, we're saving for our next place, but I wanted you to have a small token of my love for you. Graham said that it would be better if I didn't forget today."
"Well, at least Graham didn't suggest flowers," she said, letting out a low chuckle that he was quick to answer with his own laugh. "Oh, I do love you, Henrik Hanssen."
"I love you, too, Roxanna MacMillan." He took his seat and picked up his fork, spearing a piece of asparagus, letting his fork dangle in his hand as he watched her closely. "Eight months."
"You're counting down now, too?" she asked, and even in the low light, he could tell that she was blushing as he nodded. "I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who's anxious. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! I've been in contact with Serena McKinney, well, Campbell now. Seems she got married a few months ago. Anyway, I told her that I don't really have many friends here in Sunderland, yet, and so didn't have anyone to try dresses on with. So, she said that she'd be willing to come up in two weekends to go shopping with me. I have something in mind, but I don't know if I'll find it."
"It doesn't matter to me what you wear, as long as you show up at the altar," he said, clasping her hand tenderly. "But I know it's important to you, so I hope that you find the perfect dress."
"Thank you, darling," she murmured as she smiled at him. "Now, let's eat so that we can turn to more amorous delights all the sooner." He swallowed thickly as he nodded, drawing back his hand and focusing on his meal, wondering just what Roxanna had in mind to fill their evening with.