Waking up a few hours later I heard my phone ringing. Mom was calling to wish me a happy birthday. Eager to start the day I went and took a shower , dried my hair and dressed in warm clothes. Mia and Cera came running up to me giving me hugs and saying happy birthday. Smiling we all three went to the kitchen for breakfast. At the table sat Christian and Xander eating eggs and toast. They both wished me a happy birthday then started discussing what to do that day.
Ten minutes later Hero came to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Listening to the discussion on the day activities he was just nodding his head. Clearing her throat Mia asked him if he knew what day it was. “I already wished Tori a happy birthday,” he explained. The room suddenly got quiet. I could see all the curious eyes looking back and forth between us. Hero just kept eating looking like it was no big deal. I knew I’d get twenty questions later from my friends.
The plan for today was to go snowmobiling. I could tell Mia was not super happy about having to ride with Christian but, did not say anything. Leaving the kitchen we all dressed in our snow clothing and left the cabin. Walking to the rental store for the snowmobiles Cera fell down in the snow pulling me with her. Xander started laughing so Cera made a snowball and threw it at him. Hitting him on the side of his head stunned him into silence. After a split second all of us started throwing snow at each other.
Twenty minutes later we all went and rented the snowmobiles. Luckily the guys knew how to drive them. Xander and Cera jumped on the first one without hesitating. Not going as fast Mia climbed on with Christian. “You better not let me fall off,” she grumbled.
“Then you better hold on tight,” he retorted. “I’d hate to leave you in the woods,.“ Off the snowmobile flew through the snow.
“Well that leaves you and me birthday girl,” Hero smiled at me. His smiles always makes my heart flutter. I found myself staring at his lips thinking how beautiful they were. “ Are you going to ride with me or not?” Hero asked me. Coming out of my trance I nodded my head. Jumping on I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.
Flying through the snow was an exhilarating experience. Holding onto Hero, we raced to catch up to the others . Riding for about an hour we stopped at a small café for lunch. As I stood up my legs felt wobbly making me almost fall. Hero caught me in his arms hugging me close. Looking up at him with a grin our eyes met and held. Hero winking at me brought me back to the present and I stepped back. He reached up and brushed his fingers over my cheek. “ Beautiful,” was all he said.
We all ordered burgers and fries for lunch. Everyone was laughing and joking with each other. The guys decided that the girls would learn to drive. Ten minutes later we were all sitting at the front of the snowmobiles. Cera moved fifteen feet then stalled out. Xander was just shaking his head laughing at her. Mia got the hang of it pretty fast, almost leaving Christian behind. He had to chase after her and leap on the back.
After hearing the instructions Hero put his arms around me guiding my hands where they needed to be. Finding myself daydreaming while feeling his warm breath on my neck I had to ask him to repeat some of it. Pushing the gas full speed we raced after the others. I drove for about a half hour through the trees and over the hills. Stopping we drank hot chocolate from thermoses. The guys took over driving taking us up mountains.
Returning to the cabin later that day we kept the snowmobiles. They were rented for the rest of the week and we planned to use them often. As we went inside Cera and Mia told me they picked me to shower last. “ Hey no fair,” I complained. “It’s my birthday so why am I last?”
“We have things we need to do before you come out,” Mia said.
“Yes so just cooperate will you?” Cera told me. “ Do your makeup and blow dry your hair. Dress pretty, ok?” With a sigh I went to pick out my clothes. After taking my time I went out to the great room. Everyone started singing happy birthday and then Hero sang it in different languages. He sounded so good I almost forgot to blow out the candles on my cake.
“So what did you wish for Tori?” they asked curiously. Everyone started talking at once calling out what my wish could be.
“ If I tell you it won’t come true, you all know how that works,” was my reply . I opened presents from Mia and Cera. They got me perfume and furry boots. Xander gave me a Korean book to read. Christian gave me one of his cd’s. I did not expect anything from them thinking they would not have known it would be my birthday. Opening the last gift I could only guess it was from Hero.
With a gasp I said, “ It’s beautiful.” There in a small box was a heart necklace. Silver in color, the heart had an H in the middle of it. “ Where did you find something like this?” I asked.
Putting it on me Hero answered, “ I had it made for you.”
“ Thank you so much I love it,” I told him while running my hand over the heart. So this was the special present he had for me. This one was of the best gifts I’d ever received.
Someone put in Christian’s cd so we could all dance. We all danced until a slow song came on. Hero claimed me for that dance. Pulling me close I rested my head on his shoulder. Wanting to be like this forever I snuggled closer to him. As the song ended I looked up to tell him thank you. He did not release me right away. There was a look in his eyes that told me he wanted to kiss me. Holding my breath as he drew near I felt his lips lightly touch mine. The feeling was better then any daydream I’d had about it.
I do believe this was the best birthday I’ve ever had. With several more days here in the mountains what else could happen?
