Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 83: Valentine’s Day I

Valentine's Day had arrived.

Andrew left home at 9:50 AM, making sure not to give Mitchell and Cam any reason to change their minds at the last minute. They were still upset, and before he left, they reminded him once again that this was an exception and that his punishment would officially begin the next day.

Andrew would be spending many hours with Pippa today. They hadn't been able to see each other outside of school for the past two weeks due to his punishment, so his plan was to stay from 10 AM until five in the afternoon.

When he returned home, he had to take care of Lily so his parents could go out for their Valentine's Day dinner at a restaurant they had reserved for the night.

Finally, he arrived, climbed the porch steps, and rang the doorbell. Barely a few seconds had passed when he heard a noise on the other side of the door—the sound of nails against wood and a faint panting.

"Barney, wait," Pippa's voice came from the other side.

Before he could react, the door swung open, and a whirlwind of fur and energy pounced on him.

"Woah, Barney!" Andrew laughed as the dog stood on its hind legs, leaning against him, wagging its tail excitedly and licking his face.

From the doorway, Pippa watched the scene with an amused smile before crossing her arms as Andrew continued petting Barney for several more seconds.

"Did you come to see me or Barney?" Pippa asked.

"I can't see Barney at school," Andrew replied with a grin, gently pushing the dog aside before looking up at Pippa.

She looked incredibly cute in denim overalls over a black sleeveless shirt, paired with white sneakers. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied up in a half ponytail.

"Hi," Pippa greeted him with a warm smile when their eyes met.

Andrew took a second to respond, momentarily distracted by how good she looked.

Noticing his gaze and the delay in his response, Pippa smiled to herself with a small sense of triumph. This was exactly the reaction she had hoped for.

Since she started dating Andrew, she had paid attention to the little details—what kind of women's clothing he seemed to notice more, which styles he complimented without realizing it, and what colors caught his eye.

Today wasn't a coincidence. She had chosen her outfit with intention, making sure it was the kind of look she knew he liked. And judging by Andrew's expression, she had nailed it.

"Hi. Happy Valentine's Day," Andrew said, pulling himself together.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Pippa replied, taking a small step toward him.

"You look really pretty," he added as he moved closer, placing his hands on Pippa's waist.

"Thanks," Pippa said, laughing softly and looking at Andrew as he slowly leaned in and kissed her.

After a few seconds, they pulled apart. Pippa glanced at Barney, who was still jumping excitedly around Andrew.

"Barney, let him breathe," Pippa said.

"It's fine, I like his energy. A lot more enthusiasm than at my house," Andrew said with a slight smile, petting Barney's head.

"Did your parents give you a lecture before you left?" Pippa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"More like they reminded me this was an exception... about five times," Andrew replied with a sigh.

"Well, they have every right to be mad if their son gets into a fight with two suspicious men in the middle of the night while drunk," Pippa said with a mix of amusement and mild reproach.

"Your drunk self is quite a problem, huh?" she added, grabbing his cheek and pinching it gently.

"My drunk self combined with drunk Howard and Leonard—that's the real dangerous mix," Andrew said, letting out a soft laugh.

"Let's make the most of this exception. Ready for our Valentine's Day?" Pippa asked, finally letting go of his cheek.

"Ready," Andrew said, and just then, Josh, Pippa's stepbrother, ran up to them with a big smile.

"Andrew!" Josh exclaimed happily upon seeing him.

"Keep him busy talking about football and YouTube for a few minutes... I'm going to grab my bag," Pippa whispered.

Andrew smiled and nodded as Josh kept talking with overflowing excitement.

It was no surprise that Josh was even more talkative than usual, especially since he hadn't seen Andrew in a while due to his recent punishment. At that moment, Pippa quickly walked away, leaving Andrew in her stepbrother's hands.

It didn't take long for Pippa to return, bag in hand, completely ready. Seeing her, Josh, still bright-eyed with excitement, tried to keep talking, but Pippa showed no mercy.

"Sorry, Josh, but we can't waste time. We have an itinerary to follow," Pippa said with a small smile, grabbing Andrew's hand.

Josh, looking a bit bewildered, tried to protest, but Pippa had already left him behind. Andrew said goodbye to Josh and walked out of the house with Pippa.

They walked leisurely, unhurried, holding hands as they talked about everything and nothing at the same time. The streets were filled with light, and the fresh morning air seemed perfect for a Valentine's Day date.

When they arrived at the café, they sat down and placed their orders.

Seated at a table by the window, Andrew looked at Pippa with a smile after placing their orders. "Well, miss, it's time for gifts," he said, opening his backpack.

Pippa looked at him curiously, and before she could say anything, Andrew pulled out a small object wrapped in gift paper and handed it to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Andrew said, passing her the gift.

"Oh, thank you! Let's see what it is..." Pippa said excitedly, carefully unwrapping the gift.

Inside, she found a very elegant small box. She slowly opened it in front of her, revealing a beautiful necklace.

Pippa was speechless for a moment, holding the necklace in awe.

"Oh, wow! This looks really expensive," Pippa said, examining it carefully.

"You might not be aware, but... as the creator of a very famous mobile game, I've made some money," Andrew said with a slight smile.

"Really? Must have been a pretty successful game, huh?" Pippa said playfully.

Then, looking at Andrew more seriously, she said, "I love it. Thank you."

Andrew smiled and nodded. "It's nothing. And that's not all," he added, quickly pulling out another package from his backpack.

This time, as Pippa opened it, she revealed a high-quality notebook with a personalized cover—minimalist yet elegant. Pippa looked at it with a smile. It would be perfect for her classes and self-study.

Running her fingers gently over the notebook, she lifted her gaze and gave Andrew a tender look.

"It's perfect! I love it, Andrew. Thanks!" she said, genuinely excited. Then she noticed something else in the package. She pulled out a pink pen with a small cat design on top.

"Cute..." Pippa murmured, admiring the cute little cat.

"And to finish..." Andrew said, pulling out another gift and placing it on the table.

Pippa took it, her eyes filled with curiosity, wondering what it could be. Judging by the size, it seemed like a book, and it was.

"The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler!" Pippa exclaimed excitedly after tearing the wrapping paper and reading the title.

A classic novel of mystery and intrigue, first published in 1939. Pippa loves books of this genre and had been planning to buy The Big Sleep for a long time, but she kept postponing it due to studies, lack of time, and other similar reasons.

Excited, Pippa gave Andrew a kiss on the lips, grateful for the perfect gifts. Then, with his help, she put on the necklace.

"Alright, your turn..." Pippa said with a mysterious smile as she opened her bag.

From her bag, she handed Andrew a small black velvet box, which he took with curiosity.

He slowly opened the box, and upon seeing its contents, his mind went blank. Inside was a flashy gold bracelet with small sparkling details along the edges. He lifted it to examine it more closely, turning it between his fingers before looking at Pippa in disbelief.

"Wow... I don't know what to say," Andrew said, unable to take his eyes off the bracelet.

Pippa, with a radiant smile, nodded enthusiastically as if she had found the perfect gift to leave anyone speechless.

"What do you think?" Pippa asked, clearly expecting a big reaction.

"I don't know. It's a bracelet," Andrew replied, carefully studying Pippa's face to see if this was some kind of joke.

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"It sure is," Pippa said, taking the accessory in her hands. "Look, it has an engraving."

She tilted the bracelet so he could read the inscription. Andrew squinted and read aloud:

"For my favorite quarterback. I'll always be cheering for you. With love, your girlfriend, Pippa."

Andrew slowly lifted his gaze, staring at her. Then he looked back at the bracelet. Then back at Pippa.

Very carefully, he placed the bracelet back into the box, closed it delicately, and set it on the table.

"Thanks..." Andrew said with a strange expression.

"You're welcome!" Pippa said with a bright smile, clearly satisfied with her choice.

"Just to be sure... you do realize this is very feminine, right?" Andrew asked.

"Is it? I don't think so," Pippa said, shaking her head. "It's gold, shiny, and stylish. Looks like something a cool guy would wear, like Eminem or one of those rappers."

"Eminem..." Andrew repeated, trying to recall if Eminem had ever worn a bracelet like this.

"Yeah, haven't you seen his photos? He sometimes wears chains and gold accessories. It'll look great on you," Pippa said confidently.

In Andrew's mind, he still couldn't picture Eminem wearing such a bracelet. Instead, he saw a rich aunt on a luxury yacht.

"Put it on," Pippa insisted excitedly.

Andrew sighed. He couldn't tell her it was a bad gift when she was as convinced as if it were the One Piece. Pippa wasn't exactly the best at picking gifts.

"Yeah, it's great," Andrew said, opening the box and putting on the bracelet.

"Exactly! I knew you'd like it," Pippa said, clapping her hands in satisfaction.

"That's not all. I have more gifts for you," Pippa said as she rummaged through her bag.

Andrew watched curiously as she pulled out three comics with glossy covers and special editions. The moment he saw them, his eyes widened, and he carefully took them, almost reverently.

"I don't have these in my collection!" he said in awe, flipping through the covers.

Pippa smiled, proud of her choice. "I know. I saw them in a store and remembered they weren't on your shelf."

"Thanks, now this is an incredible gift. I'm glad you remembered I didn't have them," Andrew said.

"See? It's good to have a good memory," she replied smugly, resting her chin on her hand.

"Although I think the bracelet is still a step ahead," she added with a slight smile.

"Yeah... sure," Andrew said, carefully placing the comics in his backpack.

Just then, their order arrived, and they began eating breakfast while chatting about all sorts of things. About fifteen minutes before noon, they left the café and headed toward the Dunphy house.

Andrew had a quick mission to complete before continuing their date. Pippa knew about it and didn't mind; after all, it was just a brief stop, and it was conveniently on their way to their next destination.

"I can't believe Haley is sneaking out like she's in a prison break movie just to see Dylan... How many times have they broken up now? Five?" Pippa asked, incredulous.

"Seven," Andrew corrected.

Pippa's eyes widened. "Seven!? How is that possible? How can they break up so many times and keep getting back together? Doesn't it cross their minds that it's not working?"

Andrew shrugged, having no answer to this mystery.

Pippa shook her head, still baffled.

When they reached the corner where the Dunphy house was, they saw Dylan standing there with his usual relaxed expression.

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