GIFT | Valentine's Day Event 2021

It was a crisp February evening. With the sun just starting to set, the world was beginning to get quiet for the evening. Peachy pink and orange stretched across the sky, clouds floating by. Tall trees shrouded the park, almost as if they were keeping watch. Everything was peaceful for once. Twinkling fairy lights illuminated the paths and the aroma of multicolored flowers filled the air. For once, the world genuinely felt at peace. Nothing to worry or stress about, Sam and Brandy finally had some time to themselves.

True moments of peace weren't common. Life could be busy and frantic, but the evening was all theirs for what felt like the first time in forever. A break was definitely long overdue.

They’d been walking for a little while already, holding hands as they made their way through the park, a picnic basket in Sam’s free hand. He huffed quietly, leaning on Brandy as he pouted slightly.

“C’mooooon, I’m fed up with walking!” he groaned.

Brandy rolled her eyes. “Not much further now,” she replied, smiling.

“Yeah, but I’m hungry,” Sam protested.

“Hey! You’re not the only one!”

Sam nudged her gently and she smiled again. It was adorable, really.

“C’mon, let’s keep going,” Brandy insisted. She had a spot in mind that would be absolutely perfect for the picnic. Besides, they’d already walked this far, why give up now? It would be all the more worth it when they got there.

After walking for a while longer, it was time to settle down.

Brandy exhaled softly as she laid down the picnic blanket underneath one of the larger trees, soon settling down cross-legged. Sam sat opposite, placing the basket in the center of the blanket.

“It’s a beautiful night tonight,” Brandy commented softly, opening the picnic basket.

“Sure is,” Sam replied. “But not as beautiful as you.”

“Oh my god, that’s so cheesy!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.”

Brandy popped open the picnic basket. Inside was a mixture of sandwiches, pastries, an assortment of candy, almonds, and fruit. She reached for a sandwich, leaning back on the basket as she looked around the park. This is what life was about. Beautiful scenery, great food, and of course, and most importantly, Sam. God, how he meant the world to her. She took a bite of the sandwich, relaxing. This had been the perfect idea for a date.

Sam, too, reached into the basket, gathering up a handful of grapes. He threw one up in the air before catching it in his mouth, looking to Brandy expectantly for a reaction.

“Impressive,” she smirked.

“You flatter me,” Sam teased back.

Brandy sat in silence for a little while as she finished her sandwich before reaching for a bag of Skittles. She opened it, smiling at Sam. “Here, try this one!” she said, tossing a Skittle at Sam, which he caught. Brandy giggled, tossing another, then another. Sam then took the bag from her.

“Your turn,” he said simply.

Brandy rolled her eyes but obliged. “Go on, then.”

Sam grinned mischievously, throwing a Skittle at her. She caught it. This was repeated a few times before Sam got bored, setting the bag down again.

“Dork,” Brandy sighed, though her soft expression spoke of affection.

There was a comfortable silence for a little longer as Brandy helped herself to some strawberries in the basket. Talking wasn’t always necessary. Just being with Sam was enough to make her happy. She knew he felt the same way, too. It felt incredible to be with someone like him. It was tough working night shifts to help cover the rent, but it was worth it. Sure, they weren’t the richest, most successful people in the world but they were happy and they had their own little family together and with the ghosts and really, that was all that mattered. While she worried, she couldn’t ask for much more if she tried.

Sam was the one to break the silence. “I’ve been thinking about trying skydiving one day,” he mused.

“What? No, oh my god, you adrenaline junkie. I’m not letting you do that!”

“But it’d be so much fun!”

“If you want to break all your bones, sure.”

Sam pouted. “Well, I guess one of us has to be the responsible one.”

“You’re damn right.”

“Well, if I can’t skydive, I won’t play Breath of the Wild with you!”

Brandy scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’d miss playing on the Switch with me way too much!”

“Ugh, you’re right.”

Sam took some strawberries of his own, going quiet for a while as he was lost in thought. He gazed at Brandy. God, he loved her so much. When he saw a future, she was absolutely certain within it. “You think we’ll own a house one day? With like, a garden and stuff?” he asked.

“I’d like to think so,” Brandy replied softly. “It won’t be for a while, and it’ll be hard work but... yeah.”

It was a far off dream, given that even covering rent right now was a struggle, but it was nice to think about the future. Whatever happened, they knew that they had each other and the rest of the Ghosts. Good things would come.

As they talked and ate, slowly, the sun began sinking further down the sky as dusk settled in, the fairy lights starting to twinkle brighter amongst the dark. It was starting to get late but Sam and Brandy didn’t care. They had nowhere to be tomorrow, there was absolutely no rush at all. In fact, it was almost as if time was frozen still. The moment was too good to leave just yet. They were truly happy and knew that they had each other. Nothing could take that away.

“I’ve really had a great evening,” Brandy hummed, leaning on Sam’s shoulder. He held her hand, smiling.

“Me too,” he said softly.

“We really ought to get out more, huh?”

“Definitely.”

“Here’s to more nights like these,” Brandy said with a smile.

“To more nights like these.”