Happy Anniversary!

[maid_of_astolat]

It is very difficult to plan a surprise for someone when that someone lives with you

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[_chappy_]

Ryan likes to think he's not an idiot despite evidence to the contrary.

When Elaine shooed him out this afternoon, he'd been a little confused but obliged her. If it weren't for the fact that David had stayed behind, he would have assumed she just wanted the place to herself for a bit.

But she said she was planning something, which made him wonder.

He had sat down in the bar, thinking, trying to figure out what the occasion was. It wasn't their six-month wedding anniversary, it wasn't her birthday and it wasn't his birthday.

After an hour of this, he'd given up, thinking maybe there was no occasion. Ryan had let his mind drift a bit, reading the newspaper the bar had given him. Somewhere between the Op-Ed and Business sections, he noticed the date and then it hit him.

Of course, having spent over a year in this place without calendars or clocks, he wasn't sure of the date. But he had a feeling he was right.

And if he was wrong, well, Elaine would still appreciate the flowers. He knocked on the door to their flat, wondering if

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine jumps up and goes to open the door. She beams when she sees him and the flowers. "Come in! Oh, how lovely!" The bright flowers make her cheeks rosy when she smells them.

She looks up at him and tugs him down to kiss him. "Happy anniversary!" Yes, she could tell he didn't remember, but that's okay. He still got her flowers and he'd have remembered if either of them was actually thinking about the day of the month when she'd kissed him for the first time.

[_chappy_]

"Happy anniversay," he says back, it's convincing considering he has no idea what they're celebrating. He has it narrowed down to either their first kiss, the first time they said they loved each other or that first real date.

Which all happened in the span of a few weeks, so it doesn't help him figure out which it is.

"You look beautiful." She always did, though but he liked the way this dress showed off her shoulders. Finally, with a sigh and a very sheepish smile, Ryan asks, "What are we celebrating?"

[maid_of_astolat]

She still blushes when he looks at her sometimes. "Thank you."

She laughs a bit when he asks what they are celebrating. "First kiss," she says, unperturbed. He's awfully cute when he's embarrassed.

And yes, all those things happened quite quickly, didn't they?

She reaches up and puts her arms around him. "I've got dinner on, and Angela is minding David."

[_chappy_]

He wraps his arms around her, smiling. Ryan still felt bad that he hadn't remembered but it helps that she wasn't upset.

"Ah. That's a good occasion to celebrate," he murmurs before leaning in to brush his lips against hers.

[maid_of_astolat]

She kisses him back lightly.

"When I noticed the date, I just had to think of something to mark it. I thought a night by ourselves would be nice."

They haven't really been alone together since Hawaii. Elaine leads him into the dining area, where she has the salads already on the table. "I made chicken parmesan, I hope you like it."

[_chappy_]

"I like anything you make." It's true though.

He walks over to the table and pulls out a chair for her. "I should cook for you more often."

And now that he's said that, Ryan decides he will. Maybe for her birthday...

[maid_of_astolat]

Elaine sits down, smiling up at him. "So what did you do after I shoved you out of the door this afternoon?"

[_chappy_]

"Not to much," he admits, taking a seat. "I tried reading a new book but I was too curious about what you were doing to get through much of it."

[maid_of_astolat]

She laughs. "At least I keep you guessing," she says, putting her napkin in her lap.

[_chappy_]

He looks down, giving a low laugh. "It's not like you have to try."

[maid_of_astolat]

"Well, I wouldn't want you to get bored," she teases. "Every so often, I have to try to surprise you."

[_chappy_]

He takes a few bites of his salad. "So how long have you been planning this?"

[maid_of_astolat]

She smiles. "Not long, really. After all, we've had so much on our plate, with teaching David and making lesson plans and such."

She thinks he's doing an excellent job at it. And she's not doing too terribly bad, either.

"I just thought we needed some time to ourselves."

[_chappy_]

Well, Ryan had a small advantage after watching Vicky work on lesson plans for her classes.

"I never realized just how much work went into teaching." He can't imagine multiplying it by 20.

[maid_of_astolat]

"Neither did I. There's so much preparation and research involved. I'd never have been able to figure it out if not for you."

There had been a lot of headaches on Elaine's part those first few weeks. The teaching part was much easier than the preparation.