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Henrietta hadn't changed as much as Blue had expected it to.
She pulled her suitcase along behind her, the wheels getting caught on every bump of snow in her path.
It had been a while since she’d been back in town. Although Blue hadn’t gotten to study ecology in university like she'd wanted to, after her roadtrip with Henry and Gansey last year, she had managed to join a forest preservation project under an internship program. The opportunity had fallen into her lap during their trip, sometime around the outskirts of Canada, surrounded by towering auburn-leaved trees and woodland creatures that had reminded her of Cabeswater.
It was far and sometimes just as secluded as Henrietta, but at least Blue had a steady job and could spend her days studying the maples and pines that ran in her veins. On her days off, she drove into the city, and although the concrete and honking cars grated her nerves, there was a freedom to leaving the suburbia she had been used to and exploring a real city. She made friends, called Gansey on her (Kijiji) phone every night and was never afraid to complain about “the asphalt jungle”—there was no need for shopping malls the size of a football court, it had commercialism written all over it!
Blue hadn’t even realized her homesickness until she had stepped off the taxi—after the bus and train that had preceded it—into Henrietta. She had visited only once during her time in Canada, spending the summer at 300 Fox Way, but she didn’t have anywhere near enough funds to make the trip regularly. Gansey was the one that more often than not, took the time to trek all the way out across the border.
Now, she felt a squeeze in her chest when looking at the familiar surroundings. Everything looked exactly as she had left it. She thought back to how desperate she had been two years ago to finally get out of Henrietta. It's ironic. After all this time, there was still a piece of her heart here.
She glanced down at the bundle of flowers clutched tightly in her left hand, the one not occupied by her suitcase. Today was Valentine’s Day. Neither Blue nor Gansey were the type to go all out on holidays. Anyone who knew Blue was familiar with her pessimistic tirades about them being a social construct; they were just money-making celebrations that had strayed away from any sincerity they may have initially had.
Their first Valentine’s Day had been accompanied by Henry, and even if they had wanted to be alone, the three of them had all been cooped up in the motel of the day, eating dry convenience store sandwiches. Henry had produced glossy heart glasses for the occasion—Blue still had no idea where he had gotten them—and made jokes about third wheeling on the special day.
Although they hadn’t done much then, it felt impolite to bring Gansey nothing for Valentine’s Day, especially since it was their first, just the two of them. The flowers weren’t much, just a small bouquet of baby’s breath, but she could already imagine the way Gansey’s eyes might soften as she handed them over.
She stopped in front of a small building, a complex of townhouses pressed together into one tiny space. Strong gusts of wind whisked the snow off the rooftops, adding to the flurry already descending from the sky.
Nino’s was nearby, Blue remembered biking past this building every time she had been on her way to work. After Ronan had dropped out of Aglionby, Gansey’s deal to exchange a diploma for Monmouth had fallen through, but Gansey hadn’t been able to get himself to live in the warehouse alone. The first time Blue had visited his tiny new apartment, she had helplessly mourned the timelessness of Monmouth. There weren’t any high windows or cardboard replicas here. It looked like any other home in the small town.
But some things never changed. The moment the doorway opened, Gansey holding out his arms wide, Blue could see the mess of books stacked behind him, scattered across side tables and leaning against corners of the wall.
“Jane!” he said, immediately wrapping her in a tight hug.
The flowers were crushed between their chests, but his hands were gentle on her back, gliding across from the top to the bottom. Eventually, his fingers curled inwards, gripping her jacket as if the action itself could pull her closer than she already was. Blue couldn’t suppress the giggle that bubbled up in response.
“I haven’t seen this one yet, is it new?” Gansey asked, pulling back and looking at her outfit.
It was new. She looked down at her clothes, feeling a bit shy now that it had been pointed out. Her jacket was decorated with an assortment of buttons, shining in a variety of colours and patterns. Along the borders of the jacket’s trim, she had taken the time to cross-stitch a pattern with fine threads, plants and flowers extending across the fabric and winding in tangles between enamel pins of insects.
“Made it before I headed over,” Blue said, punctuating it with a shrug.
“You need to decorate something for me sometime,” he replied, pulling her into his apartment.
“What am I going to decorate– your khakis?”
“They could use a daffodil or two.”
They laughed and it wasn’t even that funny, but after setting the flowers amongst the towers of books, Blue pulled Gansey’s face close, pressing her fingers into his cheeks and giving him a gentle peck on the lips.
Back when they had first started dating, kisses like these had felt impossible. Even after the threat of death had dissipated, there was something taboo about treating kisses like anything other than holy. It had taken a long time before either of them had had the courage to exchange kisses that didn’t promptly descend into melting into each other’s arms.
She swallowed. “The flowers are for you. I didn’t know if–”
“Me neither,” he said, “but I got something for you too.”
He trailed away and shuffled over to his living room table, holding up a sleek tome. Upon a closer look, Blue realized it was a Forest Management Manual. She remembered mentioning it to him offhand over a late-night phone call, bemoaning the fact that she needed to borrow a copy from her supervisor everytime she needed to use it.
It wasn’t extravagant. The book was certainly not what others would call a romantic Valentine’s Day gift, but she grinned and grabbed it from his hands, already flipping through the pages. There was still the fresh paper smell that she had never gotten from second-hand novels growing up.
“You didn’t need to get this for me. Flaunting your wealth, are you?” she said.
She was grateful, but needed to say it for old time’s sake.
“Don’t worry, Jane. Got this using only my salary.”
“I don’t imagine Aglionby doesn’t pay comfortably.”
Gansey had a position at the school as a History teacher. The work came easy to him, Blue knew that. For years his life consisted of research more extensive than any university graduate could ever aspire to have.
“Pays enough for a forest manual.” he said, and smiled lamely.
They ended up strolling outside—not before getting thoroughly reacquainted with each other—and catching snowflakes on the tips of their tongues. As they neared Aglionby, Blue spotted teenage boys with their girlfriends, each of them carrying heavy boxes of chocolate and teddy bears hugging exaggerated hearts. Raven Boys never changed.
She turned to Gansey, the collar of his jacket covering the lower half of his face, his nose slightly pink from the cold. His glasses were already fogging up from his breath’s condensation and she watched as he wiped them with his fingers like a windshield wiper.
Blue reached up high and ruffled his hair, shaking off the snow that had gotten caught in his curls.
Flowers and forest manuals were nice, but there was a reason neither of them had bought anything more. Just spending a quiet day with each other, hands tucked into the same pocket, was good enough, Valentine’s Day or not.