Tethered (Book Two of The Invisible String Series)

Valentine's Day

Finally we make it to our destination, and Lizzie looks at me confusingly as I pull into the deserted parking lot and into a spot that's far enough away from the park entrance. "Why are we at a national park? You don't expect me to go hiking in these shoes, do you?"

I can't help but chuckle at her words, reaching behind me to grab her present from the backseat after turning the car off. "No, I just wanted to make sure we were alone when I gave you your Valentine's Day gifts."

"Gifts? You got me more than one?"

I reach down into the larger bag and pull out the smaller gift bag, giving the brunette a small smile and handing it to her. "Technically one is for the both of us, but that can wait. This is your gift."

I watch as Lizzie reaches into the bag and pulls out the velvet box, which she eyes suspiciously before looking over at me. "You're not proposing right now, are you?"

Snorting, I quickly shake my head before taking the box and opening it for her, revealing the necklace inside. "No, I'm not proposing."

Lizzie stares down at the necklace for a few seconds before reaching out to run a finger over the gold pendant. "It's beautiful."

"That's not even the best part, flip it over."

Once she does, Lizzie's snap back over towards me and I notice that her eyes have kind of glossed over a bit. "This is the date we met."

I nod, gently taking the necklace from her where I then free it from its box, undoing the clasp before leaning over the console to place it around her neck. "It is. It's our first Valentine's Day, so I wanted to get you something special. And, this way, I can always be with you no matter where you are. Close to your heart."

Lizzie reaches up to fiddle with the pendant and gives me a soft smile, and I reach out to cup one of her cheeks, brushing away at a few stray tears with my thumb. "Do you like it?"

The brunette nods, leaning forward over the console to pull me into a series of pecks. "I love it, and I love you. I'm never taking it off."

After a few more seconds we both settle back down into our respective seats and Lizzie hands me my gift, which I make sure to carefully open. I laugh a little upon seeing my gift, which just so happens to be a small leather photo album that's filled with some of my favorite pictures of us. There's even a few pictures of Lizzie and Olivia in there as well, and I smile fondly at them all. "This is amazing, I love it. I assume this is for when I go on tour?"

Lizzie nods, reaching out to brush my hair out of my face. "We might have had similar ideas for gifts. I wanted to make sure you had us with you while you're gone."

I flip through the album once more, smiling widely down at the various pictures and instantly know that I'm going to be carrying this thing around the entire time. "Thank you, my love."

I gently place the album back in the box it was given to me in, running my hand over the leather cover before I realize I haven't given Lizzie the other half of her gift. After making sure our stuff is put away, I hand the brunette larger bag with a smirk. "To satisfy your curiosity, babe."

Lizzie raises an eyebrow but takes the bag from me, glancing inside before letting out a loud laugh. "You didn't!"

She pulls out the box, still laughing as she flips it over repeatedly before she bites down on her bottom lip and looks back over at me. "I can't believe you bought me a fucking strap on."

I shrug a single shoulder, slightly amused by her reaction. "You said you wanted to try it."

(AN: ALL MY LADIES, GAYS, AND THEYS...CONSIDER THIS YOUR OFFICIAL SMUT WARNING!!!)