“Thank you, Mom.” I wrap my arms around her and breathe in her motherly scent. “There’re no words to express how thankful I am for you making this happen.”
“You deserve it, honey.”
“You too, Mom,” I demand in a soft tone. “You’re the best mom ever. Not only are you making it possible for me to see the world, but you’re also allowing me to be around the people who make me happy.”
“Never thank me for being a wonderful mom. That’s my job, which I failed at for a very long time. I need to do what’s best for you and me. Because if I’m not well, I’ll be no good for you.” She pulls away from our embrace. “I know we can do this. It will be fun.”
Traveling the world with the triplets and Mom sounds more than fun. The thought of exploring different cultures with Leonidas makes my heart happy. We’ll learn so much together. Not to mention the fact that we won’t be long-distance anymore.
“Do the triplets know about this yet?” I ask Mom.
I want to tell Leonidas; I want to see his face in my mind forever as I look back at this moment in a memory.
“No. That’s your job to do.”
My hands grip her arms, pulling her body into mine again. I squeeze for dear life. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I chant under my breath.
Kissing my cheek as we pull away, she pats my shoulder. “How are you thinking of telling him?”
I go into detail about how I’m thinking of telling Leonidas about his new travel buddy.
* * *
A smile lifts my face as I finish the surprise I have planned for Leonidas. I wanted to tell him in a special way, not just words that came out of my mouth. I crave for him to remember this day for years. After getting all the information from Athena, I went to a local shop and got all the supplies I needed.
I texted Amelia and Elijah to make sure they got him out of the house before I arrived. Once I entered the dead-silent house, I got to work immediately. On pink sticky notes, I scribbled down where different clues could be found. I left them all around his house after asking Athena’s permission to do so.
When I was finished placing the clues around the house, I waited in the area he should be led to.
My hands shake as my foot taps on the ground nervously.
I’m wearing a T-shirt that saysTravel buddy?Cringe, I know. But I had to think of something fast.
I’m also holding up a medium-sized poster of a world map. Instead of the usual red pins that you place on a country you’ve visited, I’ve drawn mini pink hearts.
Gosh, I hope he’s as excited as I am. If he isn’t, I know that would kill me.
It’s just your anxiety talking, Trinity. You know how much he loves you.
My heart rate goes through the roof when I hear the door open and slam shut.
“Mom?” he calls out to the empty house.
Athena told me to place the first clue in the fridge because that’s where he always goes first when he comes home. Leonidas’s Mom was right because I hear the fridge door open. A couple seconds go by, but I hear nothing. Then, I hear his heavy footsteps throughout the house as he follows my scavenger hunt.
My breath hitches when he enters his room. His steps halt as he eyes me, surprised from the doorway. His eyes drop to the world map and my T-shirt.
“Travel buddy?” he questions out loud, confused.
I stand there, not offering him any help as he processes the information. He eyes the pink sticky notes in his hands.
Suddenly looking up at me, he raises an eyebrow. “You’ll be traveling? Where? Why?”
Men …
“Did you not read the notes I wrote on those?” I point over to the sticky notes.
“First Greece, then the City of Love, next Rome. Fourth stop is where the Queen lives …” He trails off as he reads every note.
