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Leo looks up from his phone. "Ready?" "Yeah," I tell him. I haven't told him what today is and if I can go all day without telling him, I will. I'm about to spend my birthday free. I'm not a prisoner or tied to the bed, I'm free, and I want to finally enjoy it. Last year I was free but scared; this year I have Leo. I never feel scared around him, I know he'll look after me and won't let anyone hurt me.
“Bookstore or coffee first?”
“Bookstore please,” I say with a smile. I’ve never been in a bookstore before. “I don’t really know a lot about books, but I’ll be quick, promise.”
“Take all the time you need, the day is yours. What did you read last night?”
I pull out my phone to look for the title. "This one." I hand him the phone.
"Stephen King?" I look up at him as he laughs. "How about we get a few mystery ones, a few funny ones, and some sweet reads? I mean King is an amazing author, brilliant books but maybe a little fun would be nice to read too."
I’ve never lived a life where I think that everything can be so nice and fun, but I’d love to read a story that makes me laugh.
“Sounds nice,” I tell him taking my phone back as we head out.
I stand close to Leo as we walk past his driver John. I’ve only seen him twice, but I’m not comfortable around him.
John nods and smiles. “Leo, Hope,” he says as we climb into the car.
"John, can you drop us off on Fifth Avenue? Then you can take the day off, and I'll see you on Monday."
The car door closes, and I look down at my hands. The lotion is making them better for me, and the skin doesn't hurt as much as it did before, but it's still peeling a little.
Leo stays quiet, but I hear him tapping away on his phone; he’s been on that all morning and from the time I’ve spent with him I know the only person he really talks to is Jackson. The other thing I’ve picked up is that he smokes, a lot. The smell doesn’t really bother me. I kind of like it, it reminds me of Leo now.
I look out the window as the wind starts to pick up now and it's also coming to the time I hate most; Halloween. The monsters come out, and it scares me.
"You okay?" Leo's hand is on top of mine, and I look over at him. "You seem a little lost today."
"Yeah, just having to leave the house that's all," I tell him, and that's not a lie. I hate leaving the house when I know there are going to be a lot of people out there.
"I'm with you; I won't let anyone ever hurt you again," Leo tells me as he leans closer. "I'll always protect you now." He gives me a kiss, and I can't help but smile. "I do enjoy watching you smile."
Shaking my head, I start to feel hot in my cheeks. I do like when Leo says nice things to me, and I like it more than he doesn't just say them to make me feel good, he says them when he means it.
The car stops and John opens the door for me, and I look around at all the people. "I'm right here," I hear Leo behind me. Biting my lower lip, I get out of the car and wait for Leo to stand next to me.
I walk along with Leo into a store, and I'm amazed at how many books there are. A smile spreads over my lips, as I look around. Leo is talking to someone, so I walk over to some of the shelves.
“I’ve told one of the sales assistants that we want a few different types of books, so she will get them for us. Do you want to walk around?”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I say gazing longingly around the store. I see stairs going to other levels.
"How about we go and find Mr. King's books?" Leo puts out his hand for me, and it takes me a moment to place mine in there. I've never had the choice to do this. Beforetheytook whatevertheywantedandwhenever. But Leo always asks. I feel at peace knowing that he will never take anything from me that I don't want to give. Soon as I take his hand, a weird thrill runs up my skin, and I follow him. Whatever Leo is doing to me, I want him to keep doing it. I want him to hold me when we watch a movie, I want him to hold me when we go to sleep, and I want him to kiss me every chance he gets.
So, we now have a lot of books. So many, that Leo has called John just to take the books home as they’re too heavy to carry around.
“Shall we go to the coffee shop?” Leo asks me as I move closer to him. A rush of people comes towards us and he pulls me in as we walk around them to the coffee shop.
Walking in, I take a quick look at who's behind the counter, and I'm relieved when it's who I want it to be.
The man behind the counter smiles at me in recognition. "Hope, just like I promised I worked today just for you, shall I take your coffee order?" the guy says. Last year, I came here to get some coffee, and I don't know what it was about him, but he asked if I was having a good day and I told him that it was my birthday. That day he said he would work every year on my birthday so that he could give me my cake order. I have been coming to this cafe from the moment I got to New York, and it took me a long time to talk to him, but he's never pushed me to talk to him.
"Please," I tell him, and Leo stands next to me as the man walks over to the back.
"Why is he working for you today?" Leo asks, and I ignore his question as the man comes out with my order in a bag for me. Leo pays him and leaves a big tip for him, which I asked Leo to give him if he didn't mind.
As we go to leave the café, I hear the man call my name. “Hope!” I turn around and lift my head up just a little. “One day you will look at me, maybe next year that can be your gift to me. Happy Birthday, Hope.”
