#actavia

Actavia glanced at the clock. Five minutes until Charra was supposed to arrive. Today was their first anniversary, and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Their first year had been a dream, Charra had brought such a light into her life- and she wanted to express that. The vegetables hissing in the pan pulled her attention back to the meal she was working on, quickly turning down the heat before they could burn.

The five minutes passed and Charra still hadn't arrived. Not that she was complaining just yet, she was still trying to finish the last bit of the cooking- she may have procrastinated a bit, sue her. But then another ten minutes had passed and she still hadn't arrived. She was beginning to worry until she heard a knock on the door. She wiped her hands on her apron before opening the door.

Charra was standing there. Her brown hair, usually pulled into a neat ponytail, was disheveled. Her lipstick was smudged and her eyeliner had begun to run, a stark contrast to the usual soft look Actavia knew. Her clothes, a formal blouse and a pencil skirt, were stained with splotches of colorful paint- which was quite on brand for Charra, but Actavia knew her girlfriend would never paint in clothes like these. This was something she would wear to a gallery.

"I'm so sorry." Charra spit out as soon as the door opened, stepping inside. "I was checking on some of the kid's paintings before I left but," she gestured to her clothes, "they weren't dry and some of them fell on me. I tried to get the paint off, but...I think I just made it worse." She groaned before continuing on. "And then I had to leave and didn't have time to change. I found out the bus wasn't coming, so I had to walk here. The wind kicked up about halfway through and ruined my hair...god, I spent an hour on it." She sighed as she curled a strand of her hair around her finger. "And of course, it started to rain just before I got here, so my makeup is just ruined..."

She took a deep breath before letting out a shaky exhale. "I'm sorry. I wanted to look perfect for today but...I just look a mess."

"Nonsense." Actavia interrupted her, wiping a splotch of yellow paint from her cheek. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen."

Charra's gaze softened and she relaxed into her touch. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I'm not. I mean it. You are so gorgeous, Charra. I'm so lucky you're mine."

Charra softly chuckled before leaning in, kissing Actavia. Her lips were soft, tasting of the strawberry chapstick she had come to love. They pulled apart after a moment.

"Thank you, Accy. Happy anniversary." She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.