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"It’s not unusual for the romance between couples to fade after the first few years", the guest sitting next to Alex speaks.
"Is it so?"
Sitting up, Matt increases the volume of the television. The episode was filmed a couple of months ago. Alex had been on it for promotion of her latest play. At the moment, Alex is in London for her play. Matt plans to join her after he finishes filming.
"So, Alex. Its been a few years-", Graham begins.
Alex smiles, “Five.”
Graham laughs, and then continues, “Yes, five years since you became Mrs. Smith. Last time you were here, we saw a big bride-to-be grin.”
Behind Graham, a picture of them from few months ago flashes on the screen.
He remembers it. Alex had been nominated for a BAFTA. He had been away for a few months for his movie. Alex looked incredibly gorgeous that night. He had found it really difficult to keep his eyes (and hands) off her.
Smiling at the memory, he turns his attention back to the show.
"Look at those smiles", Graham turns to Alex, "fading romance is surely not a problem for these two."
She laughs with everyone, but its not as bright as it used to be.
As much as he wants, Matt is unable to take his eyes off the screen. His mind is a puddle of mixed thoughts. On one hand are the memories of Alex’s beaming smile and tinkling laughter from the initial days of their marriage, and on the other hand is her dimmed smile.
The realisation stings.
He had promised to make Alex happier than she had ever been, and he has begun to fail her already. It hurts to even think about it. Her smile- that ever so naughty, beautiful smile that had stolen over him the first time he had met her- he tries to think of when was the last time he had seen her smile like that.
He needs to set it to right.
—x—
Wine - check.
New tablecloth - check.
Candles - check
Soft music - check.
Melted chocolate (he grins and ignores the warmth in his cheeks. Matt Smith doesn’t blush) - (but still) double check.
Strawberries - check.
Flowers- ?
Oh wait. He looks around. Ah yes. Check.
Satisfied with his preparations, Matt tucks away the list in the pocket of his jacket. Matt Smith will romance his wife every day of his life just to get that smile back.
Now all he needs is for Alex to return from the supermarket.
—x—
"Ugh. I swear they get lazier everyday."
Alex announces as soon as she enters the house. Immediately running up to her, Matt takes the grocery bags from her. When Alex remains silent for few moments, Matt turns to look at her and finds her looking at the little dinner setting he had prepared for them outside on the patio.
"Darling, what’s all this?"
He grins and pulls her closer, leaning his forehead against hers, “Can I take you out for a dinner, Mrs. Smith?”
She giggles- still not that bright grin, Matt notes- “I thought we did that 5 years back, Mr. Smith.”
Laughing, he pushes her backwards to their room. “Yes, but who says we can’t do all that again, hm?”
"You have something on your mind", she looks at him curiously.
He grins in response, and hands her her favourite dress, “Just you, love.”
He pours her a glass of her favourite wine as she slides into the tub, trying not to spill at the sight of her nude form.
She throws a questioning glance at him as she takes the glass from him. She moans as she takes a sip. He suppresses the urge to join her in the tub. Tonight is about romance, he reminds himself.
Alex, however, has no such inhibitions on her mind. She damn well purrs at him as she speaks.
"Bath, Wine, Dinner- I’d say there’s something on your mind." She glances down his form, and smirks, "Ah. I see."
He flushes, “Not that.” She raises an eyebrow at him, and he amends his sentence, “Well that too, but I want tonight to be just about us.”
"I thought every night was about us?" She is not going to make this easy for him.
He grins, “Well, yes. But if I want to wine and dine with my wife, is there a problem in it, Mrs. Smith?”
She looks a bit surprised, and Matt grins. He taps her nose lightly before he moves out of the bathroom, “We have a date at 7. Don’t be late, dear.”
When Alex steps out, Matt has to remind himself to breathe. She looks glorious, and her smile is somewhere near its old mark. He grins at that, mentally resolving to do things to bring that smile out more often.
"Hello." Its very uncharacteristic, but she has a small flush to her cheeks.
His palms feel sweaty but he resists the urge to wipe them on his trousers as he takes her small hand in his. “Hello.”
It feels new. Just like the first time he had taken her out for dinner. His hands shake, his nerves dancing a wild dance inside him, and he feels the urge to fumble and ramble. Too much like the first date.
"Wine, candle light dinner- what’s the occasion, darling?"
She has asked this questions too many times within the span of an hour. Has he been such a bad husband that his wife thinks these things are only for special occasions? He forcibly shoves that thought to the back of his mind, and smiles softly at her. “Nothing. Just wanted to see my wife’s smile.”
She smiles at that, and his heart stutters at the sight of that glorious smile. Winding an arm around her waist, he pulls her closer, swaying and turning them. He does that until they reach one of the other tables and picks up the flowers he had kept their for her. He brings them up to her face, and waits for that glorious beaming smile to light up her whole face.
Acchoo!
This was not what he was expecting.
He looks up as Alex sneezes. She moves away from him, and his arms feel empty.
She sneezes twice more.
"Alex? Are you alright, love?"
Three more.
She shakes her head even as her body shakes with the sneezing bout.
"Alex?"
"God"-acchoo-”Matt”-achoo-“take those”- aa-“stupid”- she takes a deep breath, trying to speak through her sneezing bout-“flowers”- achoo-“away from me!” She speaks through her sneezes, covering her nose.
"Flowers? What’s wrong with the flowers?!" He shifts gaze between flowers and her face. The fact that Alex can’t stop sneezing is worrying him, and her irritation at flowers is more confusing than anything. He had thought she loved flowers?
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" he tries to be as calm as possible.
Instead of answering, Alex gets up, glaring at him with watery eyes. He follows her inside, but stops outside their bedroom.
He looks at the flowers in his hand. What was wrong with the flowers?
When she steps out, she has changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Her nose is red, and she is glaring at him with red rimmed eyes. He takes a step towards her, but she moves away from him.
"We are going to hospital, and get rid of the fucking flowers!"
Her voice sounds nasal and raw even through the tissue she is holding tightly against her nose, the sneezes still shaking through her body.
Worried, Matt immediately throws away the flowers, “Hospital?”
Without answering, Alex picks up the house and car keys and moves out the door. No other option left, Matt follows her out.
—x—
"I am so sorry, love", his voice is laced with the guilt he feels as he apologises, "I had no idea you were allergic to flowers."
It had taken them roughly an hour at the hospital, and now they were back home with meds for Alex. Her eyes stopped watering some time back, but her nose is still red and runny. Incredibly exhausted, she is, at the moment, curled up against him in his t-shirt and sweatpants. He runs his fingers through her hair, knowing well how soothing she finds it whenever she is sick.
"I am sorry, love", he kisses her temple and apologises again.
"Stop apologising, darling. It’s alright." Her voice is still scratchy and nasal, and Matt hands her another cough drop. Even if not a remedy for her allergy, it soothes her throat. "I just don’t know what possessed you to bring flowers."
She laughs softly, but he still feels guilty. “I just wanted to bring back the romance in our lives.”
His voice is small, and pained. Alex looks up at him, her eyebrows furrowed in a frown. He smiles softly.
"Give the bloody flowers a rest, next time!"