my favorite valentine. 💝
bobbyrk:
it could’ve been a valentine’s day just as it was last year where he spoiled her with lavish gifts from her favorite beauty store but ever since 11.11, he can’t deny the feeling of wanting to do more for her and to be more for her. maybe it was the responsibility that came along with the word boyfriend that placed a new sense of sophistication upon his shoulders that he could attribute these new ambitious feelings towards but he’d never refer to them as a burden. nothing was ever a burden when it came to her. he’d go above and beyond for her even if she never asked him to and often he did. it was just a part of who he was and it was exactly what he felt she deserved: nothing but his best.
she would undoubtedly call him extra and tease him for his eagerness at presenting her with such a gift but he still remembered the conversation vividly. they were both so excitable bickering back and forth over the topic. from names to breeds to colors, you name it, until it all clicked into place. they’d found a common ground but they had left the conversation to exactly what it was: wishful thinking and senseless chattering.
well, she did anyway.
he wanted to make it a reality. they were on the pricier side but he knew the investment would pay off. promises exchanged with his aunt for a temporary loan and a contribution from his own savings account made it possible but he wouldn’t be bobby if he made it just that simple. no. it had to be a special occasion. it was their first valentine’s day as an official couple and he wanted to have the day be as memorable as possible. with the little guy being cared for at his aunts house, he gathered together the other supplemental presents for her to accompany the biggest – yet littlest – one of all.
the morning of, he forced himself from the bed before her with soft kisses to her cheek as he informed her that he was going to make a coffee and breakfast run so they could sleep in and he went about his business dressing before closing the room door behind him quietly. it wasn’t a complete lie after all. he did intend on picking up coffee. everything was waiting at his aunt’s house and it was a bit of a struggle loading it into his car but on the ride to starbucks, he was growing giddier by the second. by the time he actually reached his apartment building again, the nerves had set in.
what if she had woken up? what if she was already in the shower?
his arms and hands full of gifts for her, he peeked his head in the door and listened quietly to hear if there was any movement and he couldn’t hold back the smile that had appeared when he realized everything was going accordingly. his shoes kicked off and gifts set down as he figured out the order, he had to get to work. he entered the room quietly and carefully let loose the small smattering of heart shaped balloons he’d bought to let them decorate the ceiling around her before turning back to grab the most important gift of all. the small crate held an even smaller body and in this early morning, he was just as tired as his new owners were and so as bobby cradled him in his palm to carry him in, his large brown eyes were already slipping closed once again.
shuffling into the room, he headed over to her side of the bed and gave her lips a few incessant pecks to lightly rouse her. “babe.” his voice was soft as he placed the bouquet of flowers by her belly. they were far and many and it was exactly how he wanted it. he wanted them spilling out of her arms. carefully lifting the tired puppy, bobby settled him right within her line of sight and let his hand rest on her blanketed hip as he waited for her to open her eyes. “baby, wake up. we’re going to be late.” a complete lie. he’d allotted enough time before they had to get up specifically to do this for her.
it could be considered luck that she’s too tired to question anything even on valentine’s of all days for her guard to be down. but she’s been doing that little by little around him, because of him. effortlessly and yet with the most dedication on both sides, her walls have been slowly knocked down one by one. not fully collapsed but he’s made his way through, nestled inside her heart, and she doesn’t think he plans to leave anytime soon.
she could blame it on the celebration the night before, a preference of hers to celebrate after midnight because his training schedule always means it’s the beginning of the next day once they can meet again, but she knows it’s something else. she knows it’s because her mind is constantly somewhere else and she feels as if her attempt was lackluster, despite how much they’d both enjoyed it. there’s more she could’ve done and yet a part of her isn’t completely there. once upon a time, she’d hated it, the idea that she’d needed someone else to feel complete but the truth is right now she needs him in order to just feel like herself. too reliant, too compliant, and definitely too quiet compared to how she usually is, there’s no simple explanation for why.
but above it all, she’s thankful that she can forget it all in his presence. that the distraction she used to seek out doesn’t have to be found in alcohol or sex, but in him.
being able to call him her boyfriend is an added bonus she never saw herself possessing before. dating officially again just always seemed so out of reach, now the only thing out of reach is him when he gets up from the bed and her slumber somehow feels disturbed all of a sudden. murmured protests chase him but to no avail and she’s too exhausted to try any other methods of objection. the truth is, she hadn’t been sleeping all too well either. even he couldn’t fully cure that problem.
minutes pass before there’s a semblance of an attempt to wake up, hands scrambling over the bedside table to find her phone and eyes squinting at the sudden invasion of blue light once she turns it on. instagram and snapchat can’t hold her attention or entice her to keep her eyes open for a second longer and she’s already given up by the time she thinks she hears the front door opening. she could never be too sure in the early morning, when her hearing would betray her the most. last time, she didn’t hear him enter the bathroom at all when she was showering, not that she minded in the end but,
her phone is shoved under her pillow as she starts to doze off again, completely unaware of his plans. the only thing that she could’ve noticed is the lack of the smell of coffee. she still hadn’t fully processed that he left for the coffee too instead of brewing it there. the soft sounds of his decorating elude her as she drifts in and out, caught between one conscious dimension and another. gentle pecks on her lips try to pull her back and she’s rebellious, head turning away in her drowsy state. the shift on the bed is mistaken for only him moving around and she crinkles her nose, eyes still closed as she complains, “you can’t fool me! i just saw the clock a … few … minutes? hm … “ if not for her lack of confidence in just how long it’d been since she let go of her phone ( not that she even noted the time once she closed it, but he didn’t have to know that ), she wouldn’t have opened her eyes and yet once she did, she swore she still hadn’t.
this is a dream, right?
she’s not the type— at least she thought she wasn’t anymore but she squeals, hands already reaching out for the sleepy pup who languidly licks at her hand as soon as she reaches out. “aah, you’re real!” she’d sit up if she thought either her or the puppy could handle the sudden movement, but she cradles him in her arms before suddenly she has to wonder. it has to be a boy, right? it is, right? it’s unceremonious how she suddenly lifts him a little to check and she’s laughing when he seems confused. how could a puppy be so cute? “how did you—” looking back and forth, she’s still in somewhat of a daze. he’s in her hands and yet it still seems like a dream. how could life suddenly be so perfect? “is he ours? is he barry?”
they’d talked of every detail, even down to the gender of the pup they wanted but she never thought it would come to fruition, wishful thinking of what could be, a part of their story reserved for one day as many other things were. the roses don’t slip her attention either as she finally sits up, the french bulldog making himself at home in the bunch as she lets him down onto the bed, fascinated by his every movement. “kim jiwon.” no amount of shaking her head could properly display her disbelief and she’s looking around the room by now, the balloons catching her eye this time and she knows, she just knows, it’s all part of his plan. “i can’t believe you,” she lets out a laugh, breathless, soft as she leans over to tug him close by his collar, a kiss pressed to his lips before she shakes her head one more time. “it’s so much. you’re always so extra, babe.”
another way of her saying she loves it all.