Joel and you were supposed to go out on a date tonight. It's Valentine's day, and he had promised you he'd make it special for you—since it'd be your first one as a couple.

You have been dating for almost a year now. After Sarah moved away for college last fall, Joel had asked you to move in with him. He lets you do pretty much whatever you want to his house—and now yours too—and he absolutely adores all the little things you do to make it feel even more like a real home.

It hasn't been without challenges, though. Joel often works late, and when he is home, he's always busy—returning phone calls, drawing plans for buildings, creating and changing budgets, keeping up with endless deadlines. You love how dedicated he is, of course. You know how much he loves his job, and how hard he works so he can build a life with you. Yet, sometimes, it can get lonely. Some days, you don't even see him until he climbs into bed with you late at night.

Tonight is another one of those tough nights.

Joel was supposed to pick you up when you were done at work. You two were supposed to go to a nice restaurant you had been so excited to try. You both were supposed to make up for lost time. You had even brought a change of clothes to work—a pretty dress you had waited to wear, and a new, matching set of lace lingerie underneath you had secretly bought last week as a surprise for him.

You were waiting outside, sitting on a bench by the parking lot, all dressed up and eager to finally have a whole night with him.

The minutes turned into an hour. You checked your phone every five minutes, but there were no new messages or missed calls from Joel. Then the rain came. Hard and fast. Falling violently and making you drenched before you could even pull your jacket on. Even then, you had held onto that fleeting hope that maybe—just maybe—his truck would pull up any second.

But he never came. No familiar headlights shining through the cold, rainy night. No text telling you he was on his way, either. Nothing. No sign of him.

Eventually, you had swallowed that foolish hope, caving in and deciding to just call him up. However, the universe had other plans. Just as you had pulled your phone out of your pocket, wiping off the raindrops, a particularly harsh gust of wind had knocked it right out of your trembling hand. Your phone landed in a puddle of water, leaving it utterly useless.

That's when the last, tiny bit of hope you had left got crushed.

The tears came before you could stop them, blending with the rain sipping in your face, and you hadn't bothered to even try to stop them. With a heavy heart, you started walking, wrapping your jacket tighter around your quivering form as your feet moved on their own.

Thirty minutes later, you finally make it home, the front door shutting behind you. You don't slam it. Don't even announce your arrival. You don't even know if Joel’s even here. The rain drips from your wet clothes, soaked completely to the bone.

It's only when your keys land in the bowl on the hallway table that Joel notices you. He immediately sits up straighter on the couch, his eyes instantly landing on you standing there, shivering violently and sniffling quietly.

"Hey, baby." His voice is calm, soft in that way it only gets for you—yet he shows no sign of guilt. "You didn't tell me ya were workin’ late tonight."

His eyebrows knit together when you don't answer him. Usually, you would light up at the sight of him, excitedly telling him about your day. So he swiftly stands up, the floorboards creaking a little under his weight as he makes his way over to you.

For a long moment, he just studies you silently, the crease between his eyebrows deepening when he sees your hands trembling as you hang your jacket up.

"Baby?" The familiar pet name rolls off his tongue, clearly trying to get your attention. You don't respond, though. You don't even look at him. He leans against the doorframe of the hallway, the worry in his eyes unmistakable. "Talk t’me. You're shakin’ like a damn leaf. You okay? Somethin’ happen?"