All American Boys

40. Heavenly Bodies

All American Boys

Chapter 40: Heavenly Bodies

The doorbell rang the next morning at around eight while I was having breakfast. It was Saturday. Who could possibly show up unannounced to my house on a Saturday? Rubbing my eyes, I placed my mug of coffee down and headed over to the door.

It was Cyril. Of course it had to be.

"Hey," he said with a smile on his lips. "I thought I'd surprise you."

Surprise me, he did. What on earth could he possibly be doing here, at this hour? Nevertheless, I invited him inside. He sat down on my dining table while I locked the door behind us. Him being here that morning made me feel a bit anxious. I was about to go out to get some things for Isaac before visiting him in the hospital, and Cyril being here ruined my plans. I couldn't just tell him I was going to go out to see Isaac. What if he asked to tag along?

"You've had breakfast?" I asked him, just out of courtesy.

It wasn't like I made an extra serving of scrambled eggs and hash browns to serve him.

"Yeah, I'm good," he replied, as he fished for something inside his bag. "I brought your clothes from yesterday."

"Thanks," I muttered, as I took the pile of folded clothes from him. "But you didn't travel all the way here just for that did you?"

"You've always been pretty sharp," he chuckled as a smile formed on his lips.

He pulled out a small box wrapped in striped wrapping paper and placed it on the table. Slowly, he pushed it across the surface towards me.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I wanted to give it to you for your birthday," he said. "But shipping got delayed."

"Thanks," I muttered as I brought the present closer towards me.

"Go ahead," he said, his eyes beaming. "Open it."

I unwrapped it and found myself looking into a heavy black box. It was almost like a ring case, except that it was bigger. I just hoped it wasn't a ring. Please don't be a ring. Please don't.

I really didn't want to be trapped into a commitment with him. More than I was already committed too, anyway.

"Come on," he said, when he saw me hesitate. "Don't be shy."

Opening the box, I found myself staring into a beautiful watch resting on a plump silk cushion. Its case was rose gold, the face decorated with an azure background engraved with a map of the stars. Running along the course of the dial was a rather dramatic tourbillon.

"Jaeger-Lecoultre," Cyril said rather casually. "I thought it suited you perfectly."

I had no words. It was just so stunning. Never in my life had I ever seen a watch so grand and ornate.

"It's really nice," I said, cautiously handling it.

I was afraid I'd scratch something so beautiful, something so masterfully crafted. It wasn't just a watch. It was a work of art.

"It reminded me of a certain someone," he said, admiring me from across the table. "All those stars in the sky, just as bright and beautiful as your eyes."

I quickly ran a hand through my hair. Bed head wasn't exactly flattering enough for words like those. Cyril only broke out into a smile.

"You can be really cute sometimes, you know?" he chuckled.