One benefit of traveling over a thousand miles away from home was I could celebrate however I wanted. The possibilities were endless. I could order nineteen cakes and eat them all myself. I could go to a bowling alley and gorge myself on cheeseburgers and fries. I could go to a strip club and look at men’s butts.
I wasn’t going to do that, but Icould.
Instead, I dragged Noah to a carnival at the Santa Monica Pier the Saturday night before I turned nineteen. There were booths filled with rigged games, vendors selling odd knickknacks, food trucks lining the street, and even a Ferris wheel. We got our faces painted like cats, ate our body weights in cotton candy, and I even started a little brawl with some twelve-year-olds who hogged the Skee-Ball machines.
It was my favorite birthday party ever.
* * *
A finger traced along the shell of my ear and tickled me awake the next morning. I groaned, peeking an eye open to find Noah’s warm hazel ones gazing back at me.
“I could get used to waking up like this,” Noah said from the comfort of his pillow. His finger traced down my jaw before going back up and curling a loose strand of hair around itself.
I swallowed heavily, blinking to rid the sleep from my eyes as I soaked him in. Bare-chested, disheveled dark hair, and a sleepy smile.
I wanted to eat him right up.
“Me too,” I whispered hoarsely.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” Noah’s smile grew as he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine in a soft, sweet kiss worthy of an award. If they made awards for kissing, that is.
I didn’t even care about morning breath.
My heart skipped a beat, and I barely caught the tail-end of the kiss before he pulled back. I could only watch as he rolled further away, leaned off the bed, and reached into his nightstand’s drawer before rolling back. He was closer this time, leaning up on his elbow as he hovered next to me.
Noah placed a light-pink box on the mattress in the barest bit of space between us. It was a small rectangular shape with a soft white ribbon tied around it. My heart stuttered when I realized it looked scarily similar to those jewelry boxes that held bracelets.
I swallowed as I stared at the box. “You didn’t have to—”
“I did,” Noah said with a smile in his voice. I wanted to look up and admire his smile, but my eyes were riveted to the pink box. “And I wanted to. Open it.”
Well, if he insisted.
I reached out and gently untied the ribbon before gingerly picking up the box. There was no wrapping paper on it, and it had a velvety texture. When I flipped open the top with trembling fingers, my breath caught.
Nestled comfortably inside a bed of velvet sat a sleek, elegant pen very closely resembling one of Noah’s Aurora Ipsilons.
“It’s called an Aurora Talentum,” Noah said, while I could only stare at the pen in awe. “More specifically, an Aurora Talentum Finesse Chrome. And it’s the ballpoint version, just like mine. It’s smaller than the ones I have, so I think it’ll be more appropriate for your grip.”
His words went in one ear and out the other. I could only stare at the beautiful pen in front of me.
Noah chuckled. “If you don’t like it, we can pick out a different one together. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
My lips parted, but there were no words.
“Emma?” He cupped my cheek, and his thumb grazed across my skin.
I blinked, greedily devouring the pen with my eyes. “It’s pink.”
“It is.” Noah brushed a strand of hair off my cheek. I kept gazing down at the pen in its super fancy box, willing my brain to make sense of this new development.
“It’s expensive.” I took an educated guess based on my past web searches.
Noah leaned forward, and his lips met my forehead in a gentle touch. “I wanted to get you something nice.”
I shook my head with a snort. He’d definitely done that. This pen had to cost at least as much as Noah’s. “I’m still trying to repay you for the other one.”
“As far as I’m concerned, that debt was settled when you bought me a cup of coffee,” Noah murmured against my forehead before trailing his lips down to place another kiss on my temple. His earthy scent was overwhelming. “You don’t owe me anything.”
