He stood to his full height and stretched his hand out for me to take. He pulled me up from the bed and wrapped his arms around my waist. My heart rate increased when I looked up into his eyes.
“We are celebrating you. You finished your book, and you did it while taking care of a toddler. You pushed through on the hard days, and you showed me that all of this was possible. Plus, it’s been a while since we celebrated you. Remember you used to get something every time you finished a book?”
I nodded. It didn’t matter if it was something simple like a meal from my favorite restaurant or a new chair for the office; either way, every time I finished a book, I got something. I hadn’t mentioned anything, so I had no clue as to what he could have gotten for me.
Arsel released me and walked to the closet. A second later, he came out carrying a small box.
“Here’s gift number one.” He handed me the box, and excitement filled me.
We sat on the bed, and I immediately opened the box. I tossed the tissue paper on the floor and pulled out a candle.
I looked over at Arsel because I didn’t expect that.
“I know you like to have candles when you write, and the one you have is almost gone, so I thought you’d like this one.”
I took the lid off and smelled it. It had hints of lavender and vanilla and smelled so good. I appreciated it because it was a thoughtful gift.
“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek and stood from the bed. “Is food on the agenda, because I am hungry?”
Arsel chuckled as he stood. “Of course it is. If you are ready, we can go now.”
The breakfast he served had worn off, and I was ready for lunch.
“Works for me. Have you?—”
“Yes, I checked on Mikayla,” he said, cutting me off.
I just smirked and grabbed my phone off the table.
“I don’t know why you act like I didn’t already know what you were going to ask.” He popped me on my ass, then walked out of the room.
I made sure I had everything else I needed, then followed behind him.
Arsel locked up the house and escorted me to his truck. Like the gentleman he had always been, he opened the door for me and helped me inside.
On the way to our destination, we sang to whatever music played on the radio and just vibed together. It reminded me of when we were in college, and we would go for long rides in his old ass car. It was a car his grandfather had given him when he graduated high school, and he loved it. Since I loved him, I loved the car as well. I thought back to when life was simple. No demanding careers, no trying to make things work, no worrying about babies. Just two people falling in love and trying to figure out life. Now we were two adults with careers and still trying to figure out how to show up for each other.
A little while later, we ended up at a cute café on the other side of town. I’d never been there before, but I saw pictures of it on social media.
A waitress came and took our orders within seconds of sitting down, and that gained them a point. The ambiance was nice. Fake grass with red and pink roses filled an entire wall, and it was the perfect place to take pictures. R&B instrumentals played at a low volume through the dining area. It wasn’t a big place, and I appreciated that. Sometimes I liked to go to small, quaint places.
“I could see myself coming here to write sometimes,” I told Arsel as I took a sip of my peppermint peach tea. I’d never had that flavor of tea before, but I loved it.
“Yeah. It’s cool in here.” He looked around the room. “I have another gift for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a box out. He slid it across the table. “It’s funny that you say that, because I think this gift will be useful for when you do.”
I picked up the box and opened it and smiled when I saw what it was.
In the box was a new pair of wireless earphones, and I did need some because the ones I had were giving me trouble. For some reason, they were low, and no matter how high I turned up the volume, they wouldn’t get any louder.
“Thank you, baby.” I leaned across the table, and Arsel met me halfway, where we shared a kiss. I put the box in my pocketbook just as the waitress returned with our food.
I had gotten a chicken parmesan panini with fries, while Arsel ordered a buffalo chicken panini with fries. We’d both gotten a refill on our drinks, then the waitress left us to our meals.
“You’re welcome. You still have a couple more gifts.”
“So far, this day has been great. Morning orgasm, breakfast in bed, a candle, lunch, and new earphones—what else could you have possibly gotten for me?”
“I told you we are celebrating you, and there is no half stepping when it comes to you. I need you to know and feel how proud of you I am.”
