I soaked up those moments with her. When I could feel any part of her on me. Feeling her chest rise and fall as she slept.
Our fingers were laced together, and I squeezed them three times, asking if she was okay. She looked up at me and shrugged, no sign of a smile on her pretty face.
I sat up and frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re not sick of me already, are you?”
She smiled and kissed my nose. “Of course not. That’s not possible. I was just thinking about the market the other day.”
“The market? What about it? Did you want to go back?”
She shook her head. “Yeah, but that’s not what I was thinking about. I was thinking about the way that guy treated you at the jewelry booth.”
I shrugged. “What about him? He’s just a kid and I’m used to people acting like that.”
“It didn’t bother you, though?”
I shook my head. “It really didn’t. I’m used to people treating me like that because of my disability. I can’t control the way people react. I can only control how I handle it, and I choose to ignore it.”
She smiled. “You’re so strong, you know that? I’m glad it didn’tbother you, but it really upset me. You didn’t deserve that, and I hate it.”
“Baby, it’s okay, really.” I grabbed her hands and kissed her softly. “I’ve experienced people like that my whole life. I’ve grown a thick skin over the years. Yeah, sometimes people get through that skin, like when I go on a date and they belittle me and my career. But overall, I just brush it off.”
“You shouldn’t have to, though. That’s my point. It’s just not fair.”
I kissed her pout away and let it say all the words I couldn’t. I knew it wasn’t fair, but it was just a part of life and there was nothing I could do about it.
“You’re right, it’s not. I pinkie promise I’m okay.” We linked our pinkies together and kissed our thumbs to seal the promise. “Let’s go to bed, okay?”
She nodded, and without any more discussion, rested her head back on my chest.
The next morning, Kaia headed off to work and I decided to work from home. I needed to finish up a few emails, but I really wanted to go Christmas shopping for her. If I went to the bookstore, she’d ask where I was going and tell me I didn’t have to get her anything.
She tried it every year, and every year, it didn’t work. I did have to get her a gift. Not only was she my best friend, now we were a little more, and she deserved the best. Especially because of what she did with her tongue last night.
I’d been looking for weeks, trying to find the perfect gift, but nothing was standing out. I decided to adventure out into the real world and see what could potentially catch my eye.
My first stop was Brewed Awakening for coffee. I couldn’t go to the bookstore for obvious reasons. I placed my order for pick up so I could just get in and get out.
I decided to take Duke with me. He was doing really well with his service dog training, and I thought he could use a treat. I got a macchiato for me and a pup cup for him and headed down the street.
I still had no clue what to get her. As my best friend, she was easy to shop for. She loved cookies, daisies—oddly enough—farmers markets,and anything cute, like her. I could get her a cute mug or bowl and she’d be eternally grateful. A cute pair of socks? She’d thank me for a week.
As my… whatever she was now, she was impossible to shop for. I wanted to get her something meaningful, but not too personal. We were so new that I didn’t want to scare her off. But at the same time, I didn’t want to get her something meaningless.
If I got her jewelry, would she read too much into it? Was there anything to read into? I knew I was thinking way too hard about this; I just wanted to get her something perfect.
I wanted her to know how special she was to me and what she meant to me, but I didn’t want the gift to say something neither of us were ready to say. Maybe I could get her something engraved or with her name on it? Who knew?
After a caffeine run, I just started walking, not really having a certain place in mind. I’d go into whatever store called to me, but I wanted to avoid anywhere near the bookstore, so I started in the opposite direction.
I had just come out of a pottery store, when a hand on my elbow caused me to jump. I turned around and smiled at Fallon’s and Mackenzie’s smiling faces.
I waved, and Fallon released her hold on Mackenzie’s hand to sign. “Hi, Daisy. How are you?” Her movements were slow, like she wanted to get them right.
I nodded. “I’m good. You?”
Mackenzie answered next. “We’re good. Shopping.” She held up the shopping bags in her hand and I smiled.
“Me, too. For Kaia. Any ideas?” I asked.
