Your third Valentine’s Day as girlfriends. And all Hope wanted was for it to be normal—or at least as normal as life at the Salvatore School allowed. The first? A full moon disaster. You lost your ring, nearly turned, and Hope barely managed to keep you human. The second? Interrupted by a hellspawn wreaking havoc, cutting dinner short, leaving you both too exhausted to care. Honestly, regular human high school would have never been this hard.

This year, no interruptions. No monsters, no supernatural crises, no emergencies. Just the two of you. Hope was going to make damn sure of it. She warned you not to plan anything, sealed it with a quick kiss and a “Happy V-Day, babe” before classes pulled you apart. The day passed without catastrophe—a miracle in itself—but the real magic started at sunset.

Hope knocked on your dorm door, dressed in her favorite top, hair cleaned up just enough to make it look effortless. When you opened the door, she kissed you slow, then smiled.

“Close your eyes. Please?”

She summoned a silk blindfold with a flick of her wrist, tying it over your eyes, fingers brushing your skin longer than necessary. Taking your hand, she led you away from campus, deeper into the woods—you could tell from the crisp air and the familiar scent of pine, but beyond that, she kept you guessing.

Ten minutes of careful steps, whispered teases, the occasional squeeze of your hand. Then finally—she stopped behind you, breath warm at your ear as she untied the blindfold, voice a quiet murmur.

“Third time’s the charm, right, sweetie?”

Hope slipped blindfold down from your eyes.

The lakeside shimmered under fairy lights strung between trees, casting a soft, golden glow over the water—now tinted red with magical assistance. A picnic blanket spread with food, a basket nearby, and just beyond that, a makeshift bed with thick blankets and an old projector hanging from a tree, a perfect outdoor theater.

Hope’s arms circled your waist, pulling you back into her warmth as she whispered—

“Well? Thoughts?”