"Hey, thanks for the lovely card and flowers."
"No problem, Zo. Did you do anything nice for your anniversary?" Dianne asked, propping her phone up on the kitchen counter as she prepared Emelia's packed lunch for school.
"Nah, not tonight. Alfie's in the bath and I'm doing a jigsaw like an old woman. I think we'll do something at the weekend, maybe. We're not really ones for celebrating. We're not romantic like you two."
Dianne laughed at Zoe's words. "You know, when we were first getting together, Joe gave me the impression that he wasn't romantic at all. Look at him now."
Zoe rolled her eyes. "Maybe he was just being shy. Now he's, well... besotted is the word that springs to mind."
"I'm not gonna lie, Zo, I don't know what that word means. But I'm guessing it's good?"
Zoe laughed. "Yeah, it's good. Anyway, how are you?"
"Can't complain. Joe's... uh, actually I don't know where Joe is. Working, I think. Emelia's out practicing her corner kicks with the dog and, somehow, I've ended up stuck in the kitchen doing her chores. This is the reality of motherhood, Zo. Prepare yourself."
Zoe smiled. Dianne watched as she looked down at her swollen bump. "I think we're a long way off doing chores. Anyway, this little sprog is now apparently the size of a small pineapple according to my app." Zoe was almost seven months pregnant. Her baby boy was due at the end of November- just in time for Christmas. It was bound to make her favourite time of year so much more special.
"How are you doing with it all?"
"Alright. The third trimester feels better, actually. A lot of my friends said the same as you."
"What, that you start to feel human again?" Dianne laughed. "It's true, right? I got my appetite back, and some of my energy. It's like your body starts to get excited about the whole thing."
"Definitely. Although I'd have more energy if I wasn't carrying a future premiership footballer. I swear he's trying to kick his way out."
Dianne hissed. "Ouch." She looked up as the back door opened, before smiling at Zoe. "Speaking of, my own premiership footballer is back from yet another garden training sesh. Come and say hi to Auntie Zoe, Peanut."
Emelia's head popped up on Zoe's screen. "Hi Zoe!"
Dianne rolled her eyes. Too much time running around in the garden had left Emelia overtired and silly.
"Hey sweetheart" Zoe waved. "Have you seriously been in the garden this whole time?"
Emelia nodded quickly, sweaty and slightly out of breath. "Yep. I did corner kicks from both sides and then I've been taking shots on goal."
Dianne couldn't help but smile at the fact that her daughter's football obsession included using the technical language she heard on TV. It reminded her of the way she used to talk about dance when she was her age, learning the words from watching her brother compete.
"And now you're muddy and you stink" Dianne said to her daughter. "Can you say happy anniversary to Zoe and Alfie, and then go and take a shower?"
Emelia picked up Dianne's phone and smiled as she noticed a streak of mud across her forehead. "Happy anniversary, Zoe and Alfie! I have to shower now. Bye!"
Zoe was laughing as Dianne took the phone back. "Sorry about her. She's overexcited. I should probably get this lunch finished and then go and calm her down and try and get her to sleep."
"Bless her. Well, good luck" Zoe said with a smile. "And thanks again for the flowers."
"No problem. I'll call you soon, yeah?"
///
"Are you ready?" Dianne peered around the corner of Emelia's room, noticing that the light was still on.
Emelia looked up at her mum from her spot in the middle of her bedroom rug, where she was surrounded by toys.
"Emelia Scarlett Buswell. You know the rules. Those toys should be away. And you should be in bed."
Emelia knew when her mum used her middle name that it was time to do as she was told. She put the toys back on her shelf and scrambled across the room and into bed.
"Better" Dianne said, walking across the room. "Do you want to read for a bit?"
Emelia shook her head.
"OK. Are you going to go straight to sleep?"
Emelia smiled and shook her head again. "Not yet. I'm not sleepy."
'You bloody well are! Look at you!' Dianne thought to herself as she watched Emelia's eyes begin to droop as she spoke quietly.
"Mama, are Zoe and Alfie married?"
Dianne shook her head. "No, baby. Why?"
"What's their anniversary for?"
"It's the day they decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Like you and Joe?"
Dianne nodded. "Yeah. Like me and Joe."
Emelia paused for a moment. "Mama?"
"Yes, Peanut?"
"When is yours and Joe's anniversary?"
Dianne searched for an answer but stumbled. "I... uh... I know it's later this year. Before Christmas."
"That's all I wanted to know. I'll go to sleep now."
Dianne chuckled. Emelia could be so matter-of-fact sometimes. "Well, I'm glad I could be of service to you. OK, sweet dreams baby girl. I'll come and wake you up for school in the morning, alright?"
Emelia nodded, laying down on her pillow as Dianne kissed her head. "Night, mama. Love you."
"Love you too."
///
"That was quick" Joe said as Dianne walked downstairs.
"I know", Dianne sat next to Joe on the sofa and sighed as he put his arm around her. "She's been running around outside for hours. Bless her, she was absolutely knackered. She's already knocking the Z's out."
"Sorry I couldn't help with bedtime and stuff. That meeting went on longer than I planned."
Dianne smiled at her boyfriend. "It's fine. I chatted to Zoe for a bit to keep me company. And I wished her and Alfie a happy anniversary."
"Did the flowers arrive OK?" Joe asked. Dianne nodded. She loved how thoughtful and caring Joe was, even on little occasions.
"Yeah, she loved them."
They sat for a moment, enjoying the quiet of the house without a hyperactive child tearing around the place. Bodhi, their dog, had settled on the rug in front of the TV, obviously also worn out from an evening of training with Emelia the football coach.
"Actually, Emelia asked me something earlier and I didn't know the answer."
Joe grinned at his girlfriend. "Was it 'who is the prime minister?' or 'which river runs through Egypt?'" Dianne shook her head and pushed him lightly.
"Don't be mean. You know I'm only good at quizzes when they're multiple choice. Anyway, no. She asked me when our anniversary was." Dianne looked pointedly at Joe, who sat perplexed.
"It's, uh... well, it depends."
"Depends?" Dianne asked.
Joe pulled his phone out of his pocket. "It depends on what you class as our anniversary. First kiss? Saying we were seeing each other? I have no idea when we became an official couple. It kind of happened slowly, definitely before we called each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Well, to each other's faces, anyway."
Dianne giggled. "Saying 'boyfriend and girlfriend' like that sounds like we're in primary school."
"It does. But anyway, I guess I don't know either. We should probably decide on a date. I... I have a list of all the days when important things happened. Because I've turned soft since you've been in my life. But, yeah, I don't know which is the actual, like, official one."
Dianne smiled. "Well, what do you want it to represent?"
Joe took a moment to think, before turning to face Dianne. He looked into her eyes, smiling as he spoke.
"I think it should represent the moment we both realised we were in love. There's one special moment that comes to mind for me, but if it's not the same for you, we can compromise."
Dianne nodded, twisting the ring on her index finger. "I think I know what it is. Say it after three, alright? One, two, three."
"Blackpool" they both said it at the same time.
Joe smiled. "Well, that's that sorted then. 17th November."
"I would have said earlier, but then we had that weird fight and you came to my flat and I cried on you. So, yeah, Blackpool" Dianne added. "That night was when I think it really dawned on me that this was something special."
Joe smiled softly, squeezing Dianne's hand. "Me too. Come here". He pulled Dianne closer by her hand, until her lips pressed against his. His fingers immediately found her neck, brushing up into her hair as he deepened their kiss.
"I still get that fuzzy feeling every time you kiss me" Dianne whispered as they pulled apart.
Joe grinned. "Me too. I think they call it 'love'."
Dianne rolled her eyes. "You're so bloody cheesy sometimes."
"You'd feta believe it." Joe grinned.
"Oh, jeez. Alright. I'm not joining in with your stupid cheese game" Dianne said, chuckling. "You're ridiculous."
"What are you talking about? My jokes are gouda."
Dianne groaned, resting her head on the couch cushion. "Stop it!"
"I raclette nothing."
"Joe, if you carry on, we're not going to make it to our anniversary. Please pack it in."
Joe pouted. "Sorry. I got carried away. I'll brie sensible now."
"Sometimes you're so immature."
Joe burst into a fit of loud laughter. Dianne looked at him, clearly no idea what he found so funny. He leaned closer to her, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her cheek.
"What?" she asked as he finally caught his breath.
"Dianne, you made a cheese joke. By accident. And you had no idea."
"Did I?"
Joe nodded, laughing again at Dianne's complete confusion. "You said immature. As in mature? Cheese?"
"You see? It's fate".
Joe smiled, a glint in his eye as he looked at Dianne.
"What?" she asked.
"You know what word is an anagram of fate?"
"I'm not gonna work it out. Tell me."
"Feta."
Dianne smiled. "Well, wouldn't you know it. It's another bloody sign."