lottiewoodburn.
Lottie had never been bothered about her birthday, at least not since she was little. Now she just saw it as her getting closer and closer to thirty by the very second, especially now that she was twenty-nine. Sheâd woken up to Jamie already being gone and a birthday card from her parents in the post, she had planned on taking her birthday off, but upon waking up to an empty apartment sheâd just gotten up and went to work and had worked late. Arriving home to a still, empty apartment just made her think about how bad things had gotten; they hardly even say each other anymore and when they did all they did was fight and she hated it. She wasnât even sure when heâd come home, but she assumed her must have, because when she got up his clothes from the day before were in the hamper and she had an apology text, with a promise to make it up to her.Â
By the time the evening came Lottie had cleaned the apartment about three times, in an attempt to settle herself. Lottie was actually nervous, she didnât want to fight again, but she couldnât help but feel a little hurt that heâd missed her birthday. However,after a long talk with her brother on the phone, heâd told her to try and not cause a fight about it. She was fixing herself a glass of wine in the kitchen when she heard the door open, she took a long gulp and sat the glass down before turning around, plastering a smile on her face. ââThank you.ââ she said softly, taking a step towards him and taking the flowers from his hands. âTheyâre beautiful.ââ Lottie said sincerely, before making her way over to the sink, quickly placing the flowers in water and sitting them on the side. ââBusy day?ââ she asked Jamie, quirking an eyebrow in his direction.Â
There was no denying that he felt bad. That was a fact. Despite everything, despite the issues they had, she was still his fiancee and he still loved her. It was just hard, and it was getting increasingly harder and harder each waking minute. If he had it his own way, everything would be fine and theyâd still be as happy as they were a year ago. He had always been a strong believer in one's own happiness, and what was the point in staying with someone if they didnât make you happy anymore? But there had always been something about Lottie that was compellingâ something about her that drew him to her time and time again. Heâd never been able to put a finger on what it was, and he supposed that was why he stayed with her. Because she made him feel something that he hadnât felt before. But now? Well, now it was different, and not just for himself. He knew she felt the same way as well, yet they were seemingly stuck in this loop of staying together even though they knew things were bad.
He smiled softly, nodding his response as he handed the flowers over to her before shoving his hands in his pockets in an act of slight hesitation. He watched as she set the flowers in water, eyes trailing over her every movement before he looked back up at her as she questioned him. A sigh slipped from his lips, his head nodding faintly. âUh, yeahâ always busy. Some huge story dropped this morning so everyone was running around like a mad person, naturally,â he tried for light humour, smiling tightly at her. âHow was your day?â he questioned, finally taking a step closer to the kitchen, a step closer to her. His hand rested lightly on her hip as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, lingering there for a moment before pulling away with a smile and heading to the fridge. âI was going to make a chicken recipe, that all good?â he questioned her, a hand on the fridge. It was her birthday dinner, after all, he wanted her to be happy with it.
















