Uniquely Normal

Chapter 12: Enough

I pulled the car over in front of his house, the both of us sitting in silence for a little while, simply enjoying the gently heat and piano playlist on shuffle.

"I had a great birthday. Thank you, Serenity. It means a lot." He leaned over, giving me a tight hug, and then went to open the door. It was still locked of course, and to his confusion, I purposely didn't open it.

"Hopefully this will make your birthday feel even more special. Put this on." I reached into my backseat, pulling out the sleeping mask I had Kenji bring for me. He reluctantly slid it on, a nervous grin on his face. "Ren, what is this."

"A surprise. You have to feel the gift before you can actually see it." I opened the arm rest, pulling the surprise from in between us, and placed it into his hands. Confusion flashed across his face, and he felt all over the boxy case.

"Uh, its cold and it feels like a glass box."

"Correct, it's a case. Would you like to feel what's inside of the glass case?" He nodded his head yes, waiting patiently for me to open it. I pulled out the baseball, placing it into his hands. He rolled it around, confusion on his face once again.

"A baseball?" He asked. I nodded at first, quickly answering vocally once I realized he couldn't see me. I put the baseball back into the case, excitement entering my system. "Before I let you take the blindfold off, I just want you to know that I am insanely happy we are close friends again and that I'm able to gift this too you with immense love and support and not as an awkward pity gift. Before we began going our separate ways, my dad and I began keeping tabs on a certain kind of baseball. Summer of sophomore year with great help from my dad, I was able to purchase it at an auction. And then everything with Carson occurred and it was never the right time to give it to you except now. Happy birthday, Coen."

I pulled the blindfold off, his hair ruffled with the action. His eyes quickly darted down toward the baseball in his hand. His reaction was priceless. From excitement, to disbelief, to water eyes filled with happiness and surprise. "I-is that Jackie Robinson's signature?! There's no way. H-holy—Wow! Serenity I don't even know what to say... Serenity! I can't take this." He pushed it back toward me. "Yes, you can."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can! And you will. That's what a gift is. Letting someone know that you appreciate them and love them without expecting something in return. You are a gift in my life. A constant reminder than I can be every positive thought I've ever had about myself. You tell me that I can be confident. You tell me that I can be fun. You tell me that I can love and I'm worthy of it in return. And although this gift might not do the exact same for you, I hope it's a start to showing how much I really do appreciate you."

He looked stunned at my speech. His mouth opened numerous times while he searched for the words to say. His shoulders rolled back as he took in a deep inhale. His eyes wet with tears. His blush lips pulled back into a smile. His blond hair ruffled into a cloud. His chest rising and falling in a dance with my own as the sound of our breathing consumed us.

"I know I've said it so much within the past couple of months that it may have lost its meaning, but trust me when I tell you, thank you, I absolutely mean it." I brought us in for another embrace, the smell of his cologne filling my nose as we sat there masking in each other's warmth.

He closed the car door, sending me a final wave as he went into the house. My phone buzzed with two simultaneous messages. The first from Coen, telling me to drive safe. I smiled, but the smile vanished as soon as I read the next message from Joey. A single sentence sent me speeding down the road, praying there weren't any speedbumps. A sentence saying, Come home. ASAP.