“It was. Did you decide when you wanted to get your next tattoo?”
Eri hadn’t really thought about it much since they got back together. She’d mentioned it before everything happened, and it hadn’t been a priority after the fact, but she wasn’t surprised he hadn’t forgotten about it.
“Whenever you have time to do it.”
“I don’t have any clients this Saturday. I want to take you somewhere, and we can do it after that if you’re free.”
“I am,” Eri responded. “What time on Saturday?”
“I’ll pick you up at noon. You’ll need your helmet.”
Before she’d left to go home at the end of spring break, he’d given the helmet to her. “Okay,” she responded.
They spoke for the next two hours, and by the time they hung up, Eri was leafing through her closet trying to find something to wear on Saturday. She made a mental note to call her dad before he went to bed to let him know what she wanted for her birthday since she’d decided.
22
Eri stroked her fingers along Elias’ abdomen as they drove down the interstate. At first, it had been subconscious, and after realizing it, she pulled her hand from under his shirt. Not wanting to distract him. Her hand hadn’t gotten far when he grabbed her wrist and pulled it back. So that was how she’d spent the last hour and a half of the drive as she took in the scenery. A sign for a farm exit a mile away caught her attention.
Elias grabbed her other hand, which rested on the motorcycle in front of him, and brought it around his waist. Eri took that as her cue and ceased the movement of her fingers as she wrapped her other arm around him. A minute later, they were pulling off at the exit. Which was an asphalt two-lane road.
They followed it down until it opened up onto a grassy parking area. They passed several vehicles as they parked close to the entrance. Elias helped her off the bike before dismounting himself, and Eri removed her helmet, shaking out the back of her ponytail as she removed the scarf she’d tied around her edges. Thank goodness for it and her edge control, because she had no intention of messing her hair up. She placed the scarf inside the helmet and handed it to Elias to lock onto the bike. He took the backpack he’d given her to wear from her before taking her hand and leading her through the gate.
“What are we doing here?” she asked curiously.
“Well, someone said their favorite fruit was strawberries. I thought we’d pick some.”
Eri couldn’t help but smile at him. Yeah, she’d said that, but it was months ago during the Halloween party they’d gone to. She hadn’t actually expected him to remember that. Hell, she hadn’t known he was listening since she’d been responding to Nesiah as to why she was only eating one color of jelly beans, and Elias had been talking to Ricardo.
He paid for them to enter and declined when asked if they needed containers. Eri allowed him to lead her through, passing other people in attendance, and going further back until they made it to the strawberries.
When they stopped, she couldn’t help but take in the large strawberries. It was late April, and they already looked to be in full season. He pulled two containers from the backpack, and while Eri had known there was something in it as she’d held it, it wasn’t heavy.
“What are you doing on Monday?” Elias asked after they’d picked a few strawberries.
“Monday?” Eri asked.
“Yes, Amate. Monday. Your birthday.”
“I’ll be on campus.”
“You don’t have classes on Mondays,” Elias countered.
“I don’t, but I agreed to tutor a couple of people in one of my classes since I’ve finished the modules. They have a two-hour window between their classes, and I figured it’ll be best to do it then. With finals coming up, several of them are scrambling.”
“And after that?”
Eri shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You aren’t doing anything with Avian?” he asked.
“Maybe. Avi likes to surprise me on the day of. So, I don’t know. Why?” she questioned.
“I don’t want you spending your birthday alone. I’m swamped on Monday with tattoos that I couldn’t move around, and it’ll be around nine when I finish.”
Eri nudged him with her shoulder before picking another strawberry. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine. Besides, you’re with me today.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “I do have a present for you.”
