She’d never thought anything could be more romantic than their dates together. On Valentine’s, they tended to go all out, tended to buy champagne and chocolate and flowers and such for each other. They were a sentimental couple: each of them bought gifts and flowers for the other regularly.
It made for a cluttered household, but certainly a happy one.
As the years had gone by, she found that it wasn’t the date that took precedence. Nor the getting ready. or the going to bed afterwards.
No, the most romantic thing was after the date, when they took the walk home.
This year it was raining — not a downpour, but a significant enough rate that he pulled out his umbrella. She started giggling at the sight of the drops clinging to his glasses, and that set him off too as he pulled her close and under the black canopy before her hair got too wet.
It was a warm night, at least, and he slung a comfortable arm around her waist, pulling her close as he swapped the hand holding the umbrella.
They walked home just like that, bodies pressed together under the umbrella to the sound of pitter-patter on the nylon stretched across the frame.
That was the most romantic part, she thought. It was comfortable, and they were very much together. They had to walk at the same pace, had to cling to each other and keep beneath the umbrella. They were a couple, a perfect one.
And walking home together was one of the best parts.
Johannes Evans is a writer, photographer, and bug enthusiast from the South of Wales, now living on the West Coast of Ireland. He loves playing with humour, contemporary fantasy ideas, and fae lore.
His first book, Heart of Stone, is an 18th-century romance between a vampire and his personal secretary, and can be purchased here.
You can find him on Twitter and follow his Tumblr.
And click here to leave a tip or subscribe on Patreon.
Leave a Reply