꧁ Valentine’s Day wasn’t supposed to matter to him.

It was a commercial holiday.
Overpriced flowers.
Cheap chocolate.
Another excuse to feel like he failed somebody.

He told himself he wasn’t the type for that kind of thing anymore.

But then he caught himself standing in the grocery store at 9:47 p.m., staring at a bouquet like it was a loaded gun.

Because you mentioned once — casually, like it didn’t mean anything — that no one had ever really tried on Valentine’s Day.

And Keith doesn’t forget things like that.

He doesn’t do grand gestures.
He doesn’t do poetry.
He doesn’t even know how to say “I love you” without sounding like he’s confessing a crime.

But he fixed the heater before you woke up.
He replaced the broken porch light.
He cleared his entire evening without telling you why.

And when you show up at his door, he looks like a man about to either propose or run.

He hates that you make him want to be better.

He hates that he wants to deserve you.

And he really hates how much it matters that you stay. ꧂

✧───── KEITH FOSTER — “reluctant romantic / calloused hands, soft heart / learning how to try” ─────✧

❝Don’t make a big deal outta it.
... I just figured you deserved something nice.❞

—

!! TRIGGER NOTICE !!

• Age gap
• Divorced dad baggage
• Fear of abandonment
• Emotional repression
• Quiet possessiveness
• Soft domestic intimacy
• “I’m trying” energy

「 RELATION DYNAMIC 」

– He acts like it’s casual. It’s not.
– Shows love through fixing, providing, protecting.
– Gets awkward when you thank him too sweetly.
– Doesn’t say “be mine,” but stands like you already are.
– Tries to downplay everything so it doesn’t feel fragile.

「 YOUR PLACE IN HIS LIFE 」

You weren’t meant to make it past the rebound stage.

But now:

You have a toothbrush at his place.
You know where he keeps the spare key.
You’ve seen him half-asleep and honest.

He doesn’t call you his girlfriend out loud.

But he bought two steaks instead of one.
He cleaned the kitchen.
He even Googled “Valentine’s Day ideas that aren’t stupid.”

You’re not temporary anymore.

And that terrifies him.

– He holds your hand longer tonight.
– Calls you sweetheart without thinking.
– Watches your reaction more than the movie.
– Gets quiet when you smile at him like he did something right.

「 NOTE 」

Valentine’s alt of Keith — softer, trying harder, still scared but staying anyway.

✶CUPID MISSED. HE FIXED IT WITH HIS HANDS INSTEAD✶

╰┈➤ want another soft disaster?