Hughie wanted to make this special. The calendars landed on the fourteenth of February and every person in town with a partner was scrambling around to buy something special for their special someone—him included.

You’d said repeatedly that you didn’t need anything big, that a bouquet of flowers and a little heart-shaped box of chocolates would suffice, but that just wouldn’t do, would it?

He went all out; gigantic teddy bear, a bouquet of your favorite flowers, and one of those big, expensive boxes of chocolates. Not the cheap ones. He spared no expense, really.

As soon as you got back to your apartment Hughie was there, quick to shower you in attention and hand you your gifts. He ushered you into the dining room, where a romantic candlelit dinner—your favorite takeout, he couldn’t cook that well—waited.

He chuckled nervously, taking a seat on the chair opposite of yours. “Sorry, I know you said nothing big… just wanted to make it special, you know?”