Renee / Kait - Valentine's Day - G

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Awakening at six in the morning was a dreadfully painful experience, but in the back of her mind, Renee knew it would be worth it. Never mind her legs, crying as they were for a return to their nest in her warm bed. She gave her alarm clock a solid thump, and switched on her stereo. Type O Negative, specifically chosen to give her an early morning jolt. And why not? Father would already be awake and preparing for work, and Mother could sleep through a nuclear armageddon. That just left little Lizzie. The girl was kicking the wall furiously, but her yelling was muffled enough that Renee could comfortably ignore her as she wandered into the bathroom.



She switched off the stereo and headed for the stairs, followed by a cry of "Fuck you!" from Lizzie's room. Renee smirked as she made her way out of the house. The little bitch deserved it, especially after her performance in front of Scarlett the other night.

Her first port of call on the frosty morning was Kait's house. She knelt down by the front door and lay a bouquet of white roses and a box of blended white and milk chocolates. She made sure the chocolates were weighing down the Valentine's card, a traditional design with red roses pictured on the front. She wouldn't want that to blow away.

My darling Kait,

I am ever so fortunate to have found you again. There was such a void within me after you were gone... a great vaccuum that consumed my soul without me ever even realising it. I forgot the simple joy of your presence. Now I have rediscovered you again, and it is like a beautiful sunrise after a year-long night. You found me broken and scarred, on a downward spiral. But through it all you have lifted me, my angel. I never want to be without you again. You give this life meaning, my dear. I love you eternally.

Yours forever,

Renee

Those words had been so painful to write, knowing that Kait could never truly be hers again. But perhaps it was for the best. After all, Kait was happy, and she had brought someone else so wonderful into Renee's life as well...

Scarlett.

She knew where to find her now, after the other night. She had searched yesterday to make sure, and the house was quite distinctive. It was only a short bus ride from here, and not even terribly out of her way when she had to go to school later anyway. But she would have to hurry... she wanted the gifts to be a surprise, and she didn't know what time Scarlett rose, though from what Kait had told her, it wasn't terribly early in the moaning by any stretch of the imagination...

The sun was beginning to break through the cloud cover by the time she got there, but there didn't seem to be anybody around for the minute. She hurried up to the door and lay the gifts down, dark purple roses this time, and strawberry chocolates. This card had a gorgeous painting of a dragon on the front, the ocean crashing beneath it, spray reaching up to touch its majestic claws. It reminded Renee of Scarlett... so beautiful, even ethereal, and always just out of reach.

My dear Scarlett,

I cannot begin to say how happy I am that you have entered my life. You have become so important to me so quickly... so beloved. There is so much I want to tell you, so many roads I want to walk with you. No matter how much time I spend with you, it never seems to be enough. Just sitting with your hand in mine, talking the night away... you're enchanting. I have never felt such serenity. When you hold me, all the pain of this world disappears. I feel whole again. Your eyes, your beauty, the gorgeous light of your soul... they hold me to you like no other. I love you so completely, Scarlett.

Always,

Renee

And it was done. They would find their gifts, and with any luck, they would be pleased. No doubt Kait would, after her reaction to Renee's Valentine's post... but honestly, she had no idea how Scarlett would react. Renee just hoped she would smile. She had such a beautiful smile...

She heard a door slam within the house, jolting her out of her reverie. She hurried down to the bus stop, a bus fortuitously pulling in just as she reached it. No chance of Scarlett catching her. Excellent. That was one perfectly executed plan, at least. Score one for Renee.

"Kaitlyn. I have a letter for you."

Kait glanced up from her computer where she had been writing avidly to Renee. Pasting a pleased expression on her face, she hoped her father would not see beneath to the tired and stressed interior just beneath.

That was before she noted that it was an opened letter he held delicately between his fingers.

"Daddy! You opened my mail?!" Years of upbringing kept her voice from rising to a screech, but it was definitely the closest that she had ever come to losing her own self control in such a way. Even from here, she could make out the picture of red roses. Putting that together with the day of the year that it was and...

"Your friend, she seems quite the poet," Simeon mused. "Your friend that we housed within these walls for the period just after she broke up with her... boyfriend. I assume then that this is love borne out of gratitude?"

"I can't believe that you read my mail!"

"And you lied to me, daughter." His eyes were not enraged. In anybody else they might have been. "Told me that there was nothing between you and this girl, this Renee."

"There isn't," Kait emphasised. "We are just... good friends."

But even as she said those words, she could see her world as it had been slowly parting at the seams.