"Come again! Happy Valentine's!" We could hear one of the establishment's workers shout, their voice only barely overpowering that of the large crowd outside the restaurant.

"Lead the way," I told Myla, who weaved through the crowd, pathing our escape route through the near-impenetrable horde.

We eventually returned to the safety of the car, spared from the massive crowd still roaming the streets outside of the metal corners. As per the deal, I had to pay for both meals, which amounted to quite a hefty sum as we decided to order a few other things before leaving.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Myla asked, holding up a paper bag that contained the slices of cake we got for free.

"Nah, I'm good. You decided to go for that, so it only feels fair too." She placed the bag in the backseat upon hearing my reply.

"Alright." She said, turning the car's engine on and entering the concrete roads of the city.

With the afternoon still very much in full swing, people were still aplenty. But, by the grace of Eros, the weather was cloudy, and the traffic had somewhat died down. I placed my head against the window, enjoying the view.

"So? Shall I return you home?" Myla asked as we turned a corner.

"Hmm? Sure, but it's still kinda early. So..." I replied, intentionally keeping my eyes out of sight of my dear partner.

"We're already out. Do you get me? And I did pay for the gas money. So, like..." I explained, trying to bargain with the winter devil.

She sighed, slowing down a bit before I could feel an icy dagger hit my back.

"You really are like a child sometimes. Fine, you did pay for most of it. Where do you have in mind?"

In reality, I just had nothing better to do back at home other than fall asleep on the couch, hurt my back when I woke up, and sleep off the pain on my bed. And as fun as what amounted to my average Sunday sounded, I didn't mind squeezing a bit more enjoyment out of this adventure before it ended.

"Well, remember that park we went to with Ilya? The one near the coast?" I suggested, now facing her with an enthusiastic gaze.

"That's quite a ways away. Why there, of all places?" Myla asked, setting the car to neutral as we hit a red light, giving us time to decide.

"The sun doesn't look like it'll be out for the afternoon, and going through our client reports from last week, not a lot of them picked the spot. Plus, you said it yourself. It's far from where most people would decide to go." I explained, getting my dear partner to take a hand off the wheel and under her chin in thought.

"That's just you gleamed from our reports. There's no sure way of proving your assumption."

"A killjoy much?"

"We'd both find it unpleasant if the park was full if we got there, so let's try to cooperate," Myla added, getting me to collaborate.

"Alright, alright. The place is massive, and even when we last went, there were areas with zero people, so even if there's a crowd, we can probably find a quiet spot. There, sound good?" I backed my idea, responding with an answer that served less as a counterargument and more as a circumvention of her problem.

"Well, it sounds like a better plan with that in mind. And I wouldn't mind getting some of my reading done there." She admitted, placing her hand back on the wheel and taking a turn that I knew led to the park.

"The adventure continues!" I exclaimed, seeing Myla's expression turn even sourer, "Back to I-spy then. It's 10-8 so far, right?"

"Please just stay quie- Wait, I'm leading, correct?" My dear partner paused, betraying her presumed unwillingness to play.

"Fine, you got me there." And so the game and trip continued, now if only there was a good word to describe an outing between two people like this...

We parked in the middle of the lot, the white lines denoting the spaces vacant as it seemed my speculation was correct.

"This place looks great when everything isn't orange," I said as I exited the car, placing my hand atop the roof of the vehicle.

"We did come here around the evening last time. It's good to see that it should be quiet here." Myla added as I heard her footsteps land on the concrete ground.

We scanned the area from the lot for a bit, taking in the scenery before us. The dozens of leafy, elder trees swayed calmly in the sea breeze, a far cry from the constant murmurs of the concrete jungle. Over the horizon, we could see the crashing waves, which made no sound from this distance, the flowing tides contrasting the unmoving blacks of the asphalt highways we traversed to get here. And as I took in a breath, the calm atmosphere and smogless air soothed whatever soul this tired body had left.

I can't lose all of my soul. I need a bargaining chip if I ever want to curse someone after all.

"Alright, we good to go?" I asked as I made my way to the white stone path that led to the park proper.

Myla nodded, clicking a button on her car keys to lock her vehicle before walking toward me. I waited until she was beside me until I began pacing myself, and when she did arrive, our quiet trek started.

The stone path held steady beneath my steps as it twisted and turned, clusters of trees surrounding the trail. I placed my hands into the pockets of my denim jacket and hummed as we went. Myla, on the other hand, remained quiet, though her eyes darted around as she took in the sights. While the density of people here was low, there were still enough that we'd run into a few on our way to find a spot. Similarly, did these persons travel in pairs, interlocking hands and arms, giddily smiling as they strolled.

It's all fun and games today, but in a week or so, it's back to constant arguing. And such is the curse of Valentine's.

Indeed it was, but I wasn't one to ruin their fun, as heartless as I can come off as. I occasionally nodded or waved to those we passed by, the instinct to smile and be polite when faced with a couple seemingly hardwired into me now.

"Ah, damn." I could hear the earlier mute Myla speak from beside me, "I forgot to take my earphones from the car." She said, rummaging through her pockets.

"You can keep going ahead. I'll just get-"

"Oh, you can use mine if you want." I interrupted her, pulling my own pair out of my jacket's chest pocket, "Our phones use the same headphone jacks, right?"

She took them from me, holding them up before plugging the chord into her phone.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Thanks." And so we continued hiking along.

Before long, however, we arrived back where the cliff edges met the roaring sea. Where the swirling blue waves danced with the timid white sky on one side and, on the other, swayed a blanket of green giants.

"Ahh, this place is so much easier to appreciate when you're not trying to keep yourself from falling over, right, Myla?" I asked, turning around my dear partner, who moved from my side to behind me as she slowed in her pace.

She didn't reply to me - instead, gazing at the magnificence of the earthbound abyss we called the ocean - the winds which flew from the waters allowing her silver locks to flow in sync with the tides. Squeezed in between her flowing hair were white chords placed neatly into her ears.

I decided to join her, turning back to the view and quietly admiring the sight. That was until, after the long upward hike, we reached a conveniently placed bench that we could rest on.

I stopped, taking a seat, which Myla followed wordlessly. I leaned back on the rigid backrest, not really minding it as little could soil the mood with such a backdrop in front of me. I looked beside me to see my dear partner had already begun to read - a wall of text on her phone, slowly scrolling down as she willed it with her fingers.

"Oh? Are you reading a novel?" I asked, getting her attention.

"Correct. I usually read these in my spare time, some recommended to me by Hunter."

"Neat. What genre?" I continued, wanting to gauge my peculiar partner's tastes.

"Mystery, why do you ask?"

"Huh, that's surprisingly fitting." I thought, getting her to tilt her head in puzzlement.

"Though I half-expected romance with how adamant you are about our work."

"It's hard to enjoy those works when you find yourself criticizing how the characters handle their relationships as you read." She replied, wearing an exasperated smile as she spoke of her experience.

"Love is hard to get right, both in fiction and reality. What'd you expect?"

"On that, we can agree." She finished, though instead of returning to her e-book, she plucked one of the earpieces out, extending her hand to me with it in her palm.

I took it, placed it into my ear, and nodded as thanks.

This is the left earpiece. She put it on backward.

Ignoring her slight misstep, I took in the music she had echoing in her ears. Silky strings, rhythmic percussions, mellow piano strokes, and smooth woodwinds flooded my sense of hearing, the sound coated in personality and passion as each passing note breathed new life into the scenery, which earlier only hummed with nature's ambiance.

I didn't know if Myla decided to play this because it fits the tone and theme of the story she was reading or if it was just her preferred tune when reading. But whatever the reason was, it was a nice cherry on top of the experience of staring out into the vast ever-moving oceans atop the tree-lined cliff face.

It wasn't how I imagined my Valentine's to go. I had already come to terms a good month or so before that it'd just pass like any other day, and I was content with that. But obviously, that's not how it went.

Valentine's is the day of love, above everything else, which extends beyond romantic love, as much as greedy businesses might lead you to think. And part of that, I think, is learning to grow and enjoy someone's company, even when you bicker more than you agree. Given enough time, you'll learn to appreciate anyone's presence, and with how long we have to deal with each other every day, Myla and I probably had to learn that more than the average pair of coworkers.

I guess part of it is also the nature of our job. Dealing with relationships means you'll inevitably reveal your intricacies and idiosyncracies as you work. From the little things that caught your eye about a couple or how you intend to solve a dispute, it all added to the impossibly complex puzzle piece I attempted to create in my head of Myla - something I no doubt think she, too, had of me.

This is a really long-winded and convoluted way of saying something incredibly simple. While not ideal, far from it, I'm happy to have spent today with my dear partner, and I think she can say the same.

At least, that's what I'd like to believe. It helps me sleep at night, you know? Speaking of, I wouldn't mind some shut-eye right now.

And as I felt my eyelids become heavier, the scene before me slowly faded to black, and the soothing rhythm turned to silence as slumber's embrace welcomed me - the exhaustion on my body finally catching up with me.

I jerked back to life, being woken up by something getting tugged from my ear. I tried to get my bearings, rapidly opening and closing my eyes as the world around me was now bathed in an orange hue that dyed even the watery expanse.

"Oh, shoot," I said before covering my mouth and yawning, "How long was I out?" I asked as tears dropped like dew from my eyes which were still adjusting to the evening rays.

"Only around an hour or so," I could hear a cold voice utter from beside me, contrasting the warm tint that colored the world.

I turned to see my partner taking off the earphones and covering her mouth to yawn as well, her amber eyes weary with fatigue.

"You wanna go home now?" I asked for both our sakes.

"Gladly. Though I'd rather not drive..."

"Eh?" I exclaimed - her statement completely alleviating my grogginess, "Don't say that. You know I can't drive."

"Of course, I know that. I'm not an idiot. I'm suggesting we call a ride online." Myla explained, tired but still callous in her words.

"Oh, sure," I responded, standing up and pulling out my phone to use the app.

Thank God for uber-useful technology like this.

"...And done. Okay, let's go back to the lot." I told Myla, who was only now standing up.

She looked like she could fall asleep at any second - the wind had calmed, removing any motion from her earlier gliding locks added to her aura of weariness. Her footsteps sounded heavier, and her eyelids weighed similarly atop her eyes as she began to walk.

"Jeez, you good? You seem really damn sleepy."

"Keen observation skills, Bridger." She replied sarcastically, "You weren't the only one who needed rest."

"That much I get, but you could've woken me up at any time if you wanted to go home and get some shuteye."

"I lost track of time reading, and in the first place, I didn't want to disturb your sleep." My dear partner added, a surprisingly considerate answer coming from her frigid tone.

Well, I guess it wasn't as surprising if I thought about it. Myla knew just as I did how tired we both were, so as selfish as it was for me to doze off without thinking of her, or perhaps because of her actions considering my own fault, I was thankful.

We walked back, doing less to enjoy the connected landscapes and seascapes, arriving at the parking lot in less than ten minutes.

"You sure you're okay with leaving your car here?"

"It should be fine. This park allows you to leave your car overnight." Myla replied, sitting on one of the benches with a lowered head.

"Alright, but I wouldn't mind going out later tonight to check on it. I could come with you when you pick it up too-"

"I appreciate the concern, but it's okay. For now, I'd rather get home." She replied with a subdued tone of voice, losing its usual sharpness.

"Alright, but-" I stopped mid-sentence as I felt my phone vibrate from my pocket, "Oh, they're already here," I said, checking the notification on my device.

We walked out of the lot onto a sidewalk next to the road where our ride awaited. We both entered the backseat of the black hatchback, sinking into the leather cushions.

"Thanks for getting here so fast, even with all the traffic," I told our driver, a middle-aged fellow with a charming smile.

"Don't mention it. I'll get ya'll home in no time too." He replied kindly before turning back to the road and driving.

"Well, as I was saying earlier," I resumed, not looking at Myla as I spoke, "I'm free if you don't wanna go out alone at night to get your car and-" pausing once I decided to face the person I was talking to beside me.

She had already fallen asleep.

The soft car seat along with the cold air of the air-conditioned space compounded her drowsiness. I could see my earphones in one of her open hands, neatly arranged as it seemed she forgot to give them back to me in her haze. And as she enjoyed her brief respite, her head slowly left the headrest, landing on my shoulder - a hidden warmth appearing where she rested.

Her pale-skinned face lay close to mine, the subtle breaths she took reaching my ears. Her hair was as smooth as it looked, and the little that made contact with my neck and hand felt soft to the touch, a surprise given its argent color. And as I tried to adjust myself, any motion was met with resistance from my slumbering partner, like a cat refusing to leave your lap.

I've always found myself describing Myla as near-picturesque, with an air around her that felt more at home in a colorful art gallery than a monochromatic office. And yet, as she quietly rested beside me, that image faded away. Be it her messy curls no longer held by bobby pins, her almost childish refusal whenever I moved, or the endearing sleeping face I never knew she had, I found myself wanting to recant parts of my earlier statements.

Myla and I have spent enough time learning to enjoy each other's company to some degree, but this was a nice reminder that there were still so many pieces left of the puzzle, which was my dear partner. And I was going to have to find them, whether I wanted to or not.

"Valentine's is one heck of a day, huh?" Our driver spoke, his eyes reflecting off the rear-view mirror.

"I'm going back home to my own partner, y'see." He continued, his eyes telling me he held a nostalgic smile as he spoke, "You adorable younguns remind me of us back in the day, is all."

"Heh, is that so?" I asked, turning back to Myla, who remained slumbering.

"You know what? Yeah, she- we are kinda cute."