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February 14th, 2018. It was the first February 14th in two years that hadn't seen her sitting in a movie theater with Priscilla Stratford and she wasn't entirely certain how she felt about it.

Irritable?

Anxious?

Relieved that they wouldn't have to sit through Fifty Shades Freed?

A number of things rolled into a boil that settled deep in her stomach until the moment her phone started to sound the alarm she'd set to give her time to prepare for the evening ahead. While she might not be spending the evening in a movie theater, at least she wouldn't be spending it alone...

Katrina checked herself in the mirror once she'd finished getting dressed, blowing herself a kiss after gently blotting her lips. "You look beautiful, babe. Time to see if he's sending a car or if you're catching your own ride, yeah?" She snagged her phone and her favorite clutch as she slid out of her vanity seat, stepping over the assortment of clothing strewn across the floor-- too many decisions, but only one dress that was right for the evening.

[Text to Sugar: Are you picking me up tonight or am I meeting you somewhere, sweetheart?

Once she'd made it to the door she paused to pull on her heels, snagging the coat that Kian had gotten her to go along with the fancier dresses. She would have preferred her leather jacket, finding comfort in the familiarity of the worn in sleeves and the comfort of knowing that it was hers. Not that the new coat wasn't hers as well, but as she caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror she couldn't help but wonder if any of this was really her at all.

Katrina pushed the thought away as she stepped out of her apartment, locking the door behind her before heading down the stairs to wait for her date. If she met Kian downstairs she wouldn't have to explain the chaos of her apartment; the tension that she was trying to leave bottled up inside there instead of bringing it to dinner where neither of them would be able to do a thing about it. Kian had treated her to dinner a number of times. This was no different, even if it was Valentine's Day.

Right?

"I haven't been out here for long." She slid her hand into his, flashing him a grin. True to her words, her hand was only slightly chilled to the touch. She hadn't been standing outside long, all in all, only having stepped out of the entry hall when she thought she'd spotted Kian's car through the glass. It hadn't been the right vehicle, but she trusted his sense of time enough that she had simply lingered, enjoying the breath of fresh air.

"Couldn't just sit around inside waiting for you, could I?" She lifted herself up just a bit further than the height granted by her heels, leaning over to brush a gentle kiss to the corner of Kian's mouth. "Roads aren't too bad, are they?"

"Maybe not, but my apartment is a disaster-- not like your place, or coming to pick me up at the warehouse." She spent less time in her own apartment and put less care into it as a result. It was a place of transition; somewhere that she went to be, not necessarily somewhere that she went to live.

His actions brought a light flush to her face, fingers gently squeezing his hand as he lifted them. Sometimes he made her feel like flying was possible-- or maybe walking on air. It was a feeling she had come to accept in small doses, taking the moment to embrace it rather than shy away from it.

"I'm certain you've left us enough time to get where we're going?"

"Maybe not, but you might be able to guess what I've got on under this coat by the amount of clothing strewn about my room." Not that coming upstairs to gather her would have meant coming inside. Coming inside would've just meant more distractions, and those were things that she hardly needed in her own apartment.

She settled into her seat comfortably, almost missing the box-- although she wasn't sure how-- until he started to pull away from the curb. She reached out for it, fingertips lightly brushing over the silver ribbon before she took hold of the box in order to lift it away from the dashboard. "Kian, you shouldn't have."

"You shouldn't have given me chocolates before dinner. I might decide to sneak one now and spoil my appetite." The lightest trace of a smirk curved the corners of her mouth. It was tempting to open the box and sneak one, of course; tempting to press one small piece of chocolate to her lips and let it linger before sliding it into her mouth. So many things were tempting, and yet she resisted, settling the box lightly in her lap instead.

"I did agree to this at some point, didn't I." Katrina laughed softly at the admission, shaking her head slowly. "You'll let me thank you properly later?"

Eyes closing, Katrina tilted her head towards Kian's touch. A month had passed since the tournament held by General Aurostibite; a month in which Kian had spent time healing from his injuries. They'd spent a good bit of time in as the weeks had passed-- he in his home or his lab, and she flitting back and forth between checking up on him and looking in on Lauri. There had been time for them, but it had been s.oft, gentle, quiet time; not at all what Katrina had become accustomed to.

Her own hand came up, fingers brushing lightly against his only to drop back down when she felt the vehicle move forward again. "You should know by now that it's just as much my pleasure to do things for you." Maybe not just as much, in reality. Kian had more time to cultivate his own brand of care and the simple pleasures that came with it.

"I've been looking forward to tonight all week."

"I have," Katrina nodded, eyes focused on the road ahead of her for a moment before she cast a quick glance in Kian's direction. The past month had been draining, to say the least. She had become so used to the pace of things balanced between work and play that all work, in one form or another, had started to weigh on her.

It wasn't that she was incapable of the focus and dedication it took to maintain a sound head along with her rank, it was just that she was used to giving up that control in other aspects. They had much to make up for, and dinner was but the start of it.

"For what it's worth, I'd do it all over again. I'd rather not so soon, mind you, but I would. For you." And for Lauri, of course.