If there was one thing I didn't miss about Mitchell, it was how much of a morning person he was. We only fell asleep after four am and it felt like I was asleep for only two seconds when Mitchell stirred in his sleep and slowly peeled away from me to get up.
"Hmm," I groggily groaned and tapped the bed until I found Mitchell. Thankfully he didn't get too far, I popped open one eye and he lay on his back beside me with his eyes wide open. "No," I muttered, rolled over, threw my leg over his waist, and snuggled my face in the crook of his neck. "For once don't be a rooster and sleep in with me."
Mitchell wrapped an arm around me, nestled his face in my hair, and took in a deep breath. "Did I disturb you?"
"Hmm," I hummed in a half-asleep state. "Why do you need to get up so early?"
"It's eight am," Mitchell pointed out in a gruff morning voice.
"So early...stay," I muttered.
"Okay," Mitchell softly muttered and kissed my temple. "Only for a few more minutes."
Why does he hate sleep so much?
"Do you hate sleeping with me or just sleep in general?" I asked.
"Neither," Mitchell replied. "I love sleeping with you and if I didn't have a flight to catch, I would've stayed in bed with you for as long as you wanted."
It took my half asleep mind a few seconds to decipher his words, as far as I recalled, it was currently Friday morning which meant the beginning of the weekend. I was under the impression Mitchell was to spend the entire weekend with me... unless he meant a flight to New York.
My eyelids felt sticky as I tried to open them and lifted my head to look at Mitchell. I squinted my eyes and blinked a few times before his handsome face was clear. "Flight?" I asked. "To?"
Mitchell brushed unruly strands of hair out of my face and the slightly sullen look he wore almost fully woke me. Mitchell pursed his lips and shook his head, "LA."
My brows furrowed and I stared at him in confusion for a moment. "But it's Friday... I thought you'd spend the weekend..."
Mitchell wore an apologetic look and remained silent for a second too long before he took in a breath. "I wish but because I was off work yesterday and will spend a lot of today traveling, I have to catch up this weekend."
"But why this weekend?" I asked softly and couldn't keep the disappointment out of my tone.
Mitchell searched my eyes for a long moment. "It's not about this weekend, I took a lot of time off for our trip without knowing there's a huge project that awaited me."
For some reason, it sounded as if he regretted going on the trip. "I didn't ask to go on a trip, it was your idea."
Mitchell frowned and took a moment before he responded. "Where is this coming from? I never implied that the trip was your idea. I'm happy that we went and were able to spend time together."
Stop overthinking, Mila, or we're going to fight.
I shook my head, took in a breath, half grinned, and cupped his cheek. "I do too but I also wish you didn't have to leave so soon."
Mitchell placed his large hand over mine and brought my fingers to his lips. "Me too," he whispered and pressed a gentle kiss over my fingers.
"Then stay," I probably came off as whiny but this weekend was special and I was almost convinced Mitchell planned on staying until Sunday.
Mitchell huffed and looked away from me for a second before he met my gaze. "Don't do this, it's difficult enough to leave than to have you look at me like that."
"Just this weekend..." I softly added and stared at him wide-eyed.
"Am I missing something about this weekend?" Mitchell frowned. "It isn't like you to..." he trailed off.
"Whine? Beg?" I raised a brow and the guilt that flashed in his eyes told me he most likely thought about using those words too.
Mitchell sighed. "No, I wasn't going to say that. You're generally very understanding when it comes to our careers."
"You're right," I stated and pulled away from him. "I'm probably still drunk. I appreciate you coming all this way to celebrate my graduation, I won't push my luck."
I rolled over to my side of the bed and pulled the covers to my chin, I probably came off as petty and childish but I wasn't able to hide how disappointed and disheartened I felt.
"Mila," Mitchell placed a hand on my shoulder. "Please don't be mad, it isn't easy for me to leave either."
I plastered on a smile and glanced at him over my shoulder. "I'm not mad, I understand. I'm a little disheartened but it'll be okay once I'm more awake and back at home with my family."
Mitchell didn't seem to be convinced, he intensely stared at me for a long moment and if I wasn't so disappointed, I would've wondered what went through his head. His chest raised and sunk as he took in a deep breath, tightened his hold on my shoulder, and leaned down towards me.
I stared into his bright eyes as they drew closer, his body heat engulfed me and my gaze slowly dropped to his lips that sat very close to mine. Mitchell glanced at my lips before he gently kissed me. Mitchell rolled me onto my back while his lips moved painfully slow over mine, in a featherlike motion, he trailed his fingertips down my arm until he found my hand and intertwined our fingers.
Mitchell gently nipped my bottom lip with his teeth and with a gasp, my lips parted. He grabbed the opportunity to deepen our kiss and shift to hover on top of me. With our fingers intertwined, he lifted my hand and pinned it above my head while the other hand trailed down the side of my body.
For a second, I completely forgot about my disappointment and all I could focus on was how incredible my body felt under Mitchell's touch. My skin was hot and I ran my hand up his arms, over his strong shoulders, and down to his taut back as a soft moan escaped my throat.
My chest tightened from lack of oxygen but my hormones didn't care, I didn't want Mitchell to stop kissing me. Mitchell reluctantly pulled away and I took in a deep breath while Mitchell kissed his way down from my jaw to my neck. I wrapped a leg around him and dug my nails into the skin of his back as he nipped and sucked the tender flesh on my neck.
Mitchell began undoing the buttons of his shirt I wore and just as his knuckles touched my hot skin underneath, the memory of our conversation from minutes ago flashed in my mind. Just like that, my mood changed again and I stilled. I couldn't focus on anything other than the disheartened feeling I had in the pit of my stomach.
I brought my hand to Mitchell's chest and placed my palm flat against it. "We should stop," I muttered dryly. "Or you'll miss your flight."
Mitchell didn't hear me or chose not to; he planted more kisses and it was probably the first time that I wasn't into it. I pressed more firmly on his chest and gave him a small shove, "Mitchell."
After one more kiss, Mitchell pulled away and stared down at me slightly breathless. He opened his mouth to say something but paused and from desire, his expression quickly changed to perplexed. "Are you taunting me?"
"No," I replied honestly. "I don't want you to miss your flight and another day of work. Mason will think I'm coming between you and work." I paused and realized that my reply sounded a lot like a taunt so I quickly added, "I can't risk ruining my pristine reputation with your parents."
My save didn't seem to work, both Mitchell and I felt the tension that built between us and it wasn't the good kind. Mitchell pursed his lips and clenched his jaw, "You're mad."
"I'm not mad," I admitted.
"Don't lie to me," Mitchell said coolly but I could tell he was annoyed.
"If I was mad, you'd know," I countered.
"Hmm," Mitchell hummed under his breath, and without another word, he completely pulled away. Without another glance my way, he made his way to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
The second the door shut, I closed my eyes and exhaled through my lips. "I'm not mad, I'm upset that you forgot Sunday is June first," I opened my eyes and cradled the comforter against my chest. "My birthday."
I never anticipated my birthday or made a big deal about it; it was always just another day to me. However, I knew Mitchell and his family found birthdays special, he even went out of his way to celebrate mine during our road trip. Perhaps I was petty and expected too much but I hoped that Mitchell would've stayed back and spent some time with me this year but he seemed to have forgotten my birthday altogether.
"I ordered you a smoothie in case you've got a hangover," I walked out of the bathroom and patted my face dry when I was greeted by Mitchell who was seated at a table with breakfast laid out on. I dropped the towel aside and my eyes found Mitchell's bag packed and ready to leave with him.
"I'm good, thanks," I replied honestly because for once, I didn't have a hangover and felt soberer than ever.
Mitchell didn't say anything but the energy between us changed drastically as opposed to the previous night or when we just got up. I didn't want to sulk or sound so sullen but I couldn't help it, I hated that Mitchell was leaving and after seeing his bag, I felt worse.
"You can have breakfast with me, at least," Mitchell said with a glimmer of hope in his tone.
"When have I ever turned down food?" I grinned and made my way over to join him at the table.
I grabbed a croissant with cheese and placed it on my plate while Mitchell poured me a cup of coffee. I mentally told myself to act normal, Mitchell must've been heavily stressed to forget my birthday, for all I knew, he probably didn't even realize what the date was today let alone Sunday.
But Mitchell is the most observant person I know and he has even claimed to have a memory of an elephant.
"Thanks," I muttered as Mitchell placed the cup of coffee down in front of me.
I picked at the flaky pastry and for some reason, I didn't really have much of an appetite. I was never clingy, I hated goodbyes but I'd never felt the way I currently did and most certainly never insisted for anyone to stay. Yet I was really upset with Mitchell for leaving, even though I fully understood his obligations. However, a small part of me knew that if he asked for one more day off work from his dad, Mason wouldn't have minded.
"Mila," Mitchell's voice broke my reverie.
"Hmm?" I looked up from my plate and was greeted by Mitchell's penetrating blue-gray gaze.
"Don't do this," Mitchell softly said. "I hate seeing you upset, it's worse when I know I'm the reason." Mitchell extended his hand and placed it over mine. "Cheer up, please."
With pursed lips, I took in a breath. "Hypothetically, if you were to ask Mason to let you have this weekend with me, would he say no?"
"For you? No," Mitchell immediately replied. "But try to understand it from my perspective. I don't want to take advantage of my name, at home he's my dad but at work, he's my boss. I have certain responsibilities I need to uphold or I'll never be taken seriously. I'll just be known as Mason Clarke's son – a privileged brat who's had everything handed to him on a golden platter."
Mitchell's words made a lot of sense, I was unreasonable and should've stepped in his shoes for a moment. I knew Mitchell wanted to prove his worth as more than just the Clarke heir and it was selfish of me to even suggest him staying back longer when he had work.
"You're right," I earnestly said. "I'm sorry I even asked such a thing of you."
"Don't be sorry," Mitchell squeezed my hand. "I want to spend all my time with you too but..."
"Duty calls," I completed his sentence. "I get it."
"Smile, please," Mitchell searched my eyes and requested.
"I will after you leave and stop draining the happiness out of my soul," I teased with a grin.
"Smartass," Mitchell chuckled and shook his head.
Breakfast went by alright; my mood wasn't one hundred percent but it improved after Mitchell explained why he had to leave. Although it still bugged me that he didn't realize it was my birthday, I hated how it made me feel but I also couldn't help it.
Mitchell sensed that I wasn't myself and tried to get me to act normal but he failed. I plastered on fake smiles but he knew me too well to buy into that.
"What time is your flight?" I asked as we finished up breakfast.
"Eleven," Mitchell replied.
It was currently nine-thirty which meant that Mitchell had to leave in a few minutes if he intended on beating traffic to make it on time.
"You need to get going," I avoided eye contact as I spoke and busied myself by clearing the mess on the table. "Or you'll miss your flight."
I stood up and looked around the room, "Do you have everything packed?" I walked over to the bed and picked his shirt I slept in the previous night. "Do you want to take this with you now or should I have it washed and sent over?"
"Mila," Mitchell grasped my shoulders from behind and slowly turned me around. My fingers clutched onto the fabric of the shirt as if it were the thread that held my emotions together. "Look at me."
I slowly lifted my lids and met his gaze. "The shirt..."
"I don't care about the shirt," Mitchell stared into my eyes, "In fact, I brought you a couple of my t-shirt and sprayed your favorite cologne of mine on them so you have enough pajamas to sleep in until I see you again."
I smiled at his thoughtful and sweet gesture. "Thanks for the t-shirts and for surprising me by showing up."
Mitchell cupped my cheek and took a step closer. "You don't have to thank me, anything to make you happy."
Then stay back.
I smiled and leaned into his touch, I suppressed the urge to close my eyes and feel close to him because I knew I'd get emotional and I didn't want that.
"Are you heading back home today?" Mitchell asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, after I grab lunch with Faith and Wang."
Mitchell nodded. "Call me when you're safely back home tonight, alright?"
"Sure," I smiled.
He pressed his forehead over mine and brushed his lips over mine. "I'll see you soon."
"Hmm-mm," I hummed.
He caressed my cheekbone with the pad of his thumb and stared into my wide gaze for a long moment. "I'll call you later." Mitchell pecked me once more and muttered, "I love you."
"I love you too," I whispered back and hated how much my heart ached, I didn't want him to see and feel guilty for leaving so I tried to play it off as cool as I possibly could.
"You're going to see me off like this?" Mitchell asked and his tone wasn't as tender as it was a minute ago.
"Like what?"
"Forget it," Mitchell deeply sighed, let go of my face, and ran a hand through his hair. "I'll talk to you later," he muttered, kissed my temple, and turned to leave.
"Have a safe flight," I forced a small smile and half waved as Mitchell made his way to the door. He glanced at me over his shoulder and a small frown creased his forehead as he stared at me intensely. "Mila," Mitchell paused for a long moment before he turned around and walked back into the room. "Leaving isn't easy for me either, don't make it worse by being... distant."
"I'm not distant," I replied honestly. "I just don't want it to be a tearful affair every time you have to catch a flight. So, the less I say, the better. We've got to get used to this and not allow emotions to get the better of us – this is going to be our life from now."
"You think acting like this is better?" Mitchell retorted and I could tell he grew annoyed. He took more steps towards me with a deeply inset frown. "Leaving on a bad note and being in a weird space with you just fucks with my head more."
I huffed under my breath, I felt conflicted. I wanted to wear my heart on my sleeve and tell him I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the weekend and my birthday with him. But I couldn't be selfish, especially after he explained his predicament and how he didn't want any special treatment at work.
"You're overthinking, Mitch," I calmly said. "We aren't in any weird space."
Mitchell pursed his lips and clenched his jaw. "I've heard that one before," he muttered. "Bye Mila."
I didn't mean to but it seemed I triggered him. I knew his past relationship was anything but healthy and his ex-girlfriend made things worse when distance was between them. I wouldn't have been surprised if she accused him of overthinking and overreacting before – heck those accusations couldn't have been false because Mitchell sometimes had those tendencies.
A relationship connected so deeply was very new to me, Mitchell was the first person I loved so my words weren't meant to hurt him. If anything, I tried to mask my feelings so he wouldn't be miserable seeing me upset.
Relationships are a lot of work!
As I stood immobile in my spot and watched Mitchell take steps away, I felt awful for playing a part in a stupid fight that could've been avoided.
"Mitch," I ran after him just as his fingers wrapped around the doorknob. Mitchell turned around and I threw myself in his arms.
Mitchell stilled and took a second before he tightly wrapped his arms around me, I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms as tightly as I could around him. With my eyes tightly squeezed shut, I inhaled deeply and appreciated his scent that I tried so hard to avoid all morning.
It was comforting yet electrifying to be in his embrace, I craved it and it took a lot of strength not to give in earlier but after our argument and the way he said 'bye', I couldn't help myself anymore.
We held each other for a long moment, Mitchell nuzzled his nose in my hair and breathed deeply before he kissed the top of my head. With my arms still around him, I pulled back and stared up at him. "Since when do you say bye, huh?" I scolded.
"I'm sorry," Mitchell's eyes softened and he kissed my temple. "Bitchell got the better of me."
I choked on a laugh before I rested my head against his chest with my ear right above his heart. "I'm going to miss you."
"Me too, baby," Mitchell rested his chin on top of my head. "But we'll see each other soon."
I gulped and looked back up at him. "We better or else..."
"Or else?" Mitchell raised a brow.
Instead of words, I pressed my lips over his to give him a proper 'see you soon' kiss.
***
I pulled withered flowers out of the vase, tossed stale, murky water over the lawn, filled it with fresh water, and placed a new bouquet in the marble vase. I arranged the blue hydrangeas before I crossed my legs and got comfortable on the grass.
I ran my fingers over the engraved name over the headstone and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Hi, mommy," I whispered and blinked the moisture out of my eyes. "I know it's been a minute but I promise you're in my thoughts and heart every day."
It was two days after graduation and a day before my birthday, the sun sat high in the blue sky and warmth comforted my bare arms. I breathed in the warm afternoon air and proceeded to have a one-sided conversation with mom's grave like I always did when I visited.
"I've been good," I said as I pulled out a bag of M&M's to snack on. "I graduated the before yesterday, I guess I'm officially Dr. Bandera Brinson now."
"Dad was there," I explained and popped a red-colored M&M in my mouth. "Can you believe he knows how to actually smile? At first, it was weird but now it's like second nature to him."
An image of Dad's smiling face came to mind and it made me grin. Over the last year and a half, it was nice to see him look happy for once. "He's really trying to make up for lost time and I finally have the father-daughter relationship I've always craved."
My smile faded and a small lump built in my throat. "Remember when I was seven and watched dad's drop their kids off at school while I took the bus? I cried that night and asked why doesn't my dad love me that way? I thought something was wrong with me - I felt rejected." I paused and popped another M&M in my mouth. "You told me that I have you and that moms can be dads too. You cheered me up as always and promised I'd always have you."
I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat. "I guess that wasn't true," I whispered under my breath and before I got too lost in my emotions, I blinked and shook away my thoughts. "Now Dad is trying to be a mom too. Although he's not that great at it, he's still way too uptight," I softly chuckled. "But he's trying and I appreciate that."
I was about to put another M&M in my mouth but paused and glanced at the bag. A small smile grew over my lips as I glanced at the two M's. "My counterpart M surprised me yesterday, Mitchell showed up in Boston to celebrate my achievement."
"You should've seen how happy I was," my smile widened. "Your Millie Bee actually gets butterflies around him, can you believe that?" I scoffed under my breath. "One cabrón with pretty eyes and dimples makes me blush like a pathetic adolescent in love."
"The Mitchell I described to you at first sounded like a real pain in the ass, I despised him but now," I sighed contently and put a yellow M&M in my mouth. "Now I miss him and was so angry when he left, I even threw a tantrum which isn't really my style."
"Was I wrong?" I glanced at her name engraved in grey stone. "With him, I'm free to act out but I think I went a little too overboard. Mitch always tries to make me happy and can never deny me anything, I feel like an entitled brat for the way I acted with him."
"But," I put up a finger as I chewed down the candy. "In my defense, he forgot that my birthday is tomorrow. Even when I spoke to him last night, not once did he mention my birthday."
"Mitch has a memory of an elephant but he forgot my birthday," I shook my head in disbelief. "You know I'm not big on birthdays, plans in the past never worked out and I always ended up upset or crying by the end of the night. But am I selfish to want to spend it with Mitch this year?"
"Mom!" I was so lost in my thoughts and conversation that I almost expected an answer from her. Sadness wallowed its way into my heart when I turned to the headstone and the only sound I got was the chirping of birds and whistling of the breeze.
My eyes welled and the distraught reminder that my mom couldn't reply settled in. To the world, I must've been an insane person who spoke to herself and a part of me felt that way. However, I couldn't deny that I got a sense of comfort whenever I shared my feelings at her grave.
"Who cares about birthdays anyway?" I whispered under my breath as tears rolled down my cheeks. "I only ever put on a smile for you because you said the day I was born, was the day you got the best gift."
"But now that you're not here, what's the point?" I sniffed as more tears rolled down my cheeks. "It's just another day and I was wrong to expect Mitch to stay behind for a day that I don't even particularly like."
I humorlessly laughed under my breath. "Look at that," I wiped away the tears with the back of my palm. "You're not here but you still have a way of knocking sense into me. That's why I love you the most, mom."
Later that night, I sat in a restaurant with my family for a celebratory dinner. I cheered up a lot more because of my crazy brothers who mostly bickered and roasted each other. The dynamic of my family changed drastically in over a year and for the first time, I finally felt like I fitted in.
Dad was in such a good mood that he even turned a blind eye when my brothers had wine with their dinner. Lots of smiles and laughter went around the table and I was especially touched by the toast Dad gave in my honor.
We got home from the restaurant a little before midnight, I was exhausted and wanted to call it a night but before I could head upstairs, Mandy and Dad stopped me.
"In a few minutes, my little girl turns a year older," Dad grinned.
I groaned under my breath. "You make me feel old when you said it like that."
"You're only turning twenty-four and you feel old?" Dad raised a brow. "I must be prehistoric then."
"Yeah, didn't you have a brachiosaurus as a pet while growing up?" I teased.
"Tyrannosaurus," Dad corrected. "I found his short arms funny."
Together we laughed before Mandy walked in holding a mini chocolate cake. A single lit candle sat in the middle and with her, Eric sang happy birthday as they approached me.
"For she's a jolly good fellow," They sang in unison while I wanted the ground to swallow me – I hated being center of attention.
"Make a wish," Eric smiled and gestured to the candle with his eyes.
I took in a breath, closed my eyes, and since I was content with life at that moment, I wished that my loved ones got what they wanted and always remained happy before I blew out the candle.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Mandy dropped the cake aside and engulfed me in a tight hug.
Thereafter, Eric tackled me in a bear hug and sang happy birthday again in a high-pitched tone. "I told you guys to wait for me!" Dave rushed into the kitchen and looked displeased. "I needed a minute in the bathroom and you started without me."
"You took a lot longer than a minute," Eric pointed out. "We couldn't wait for you to take a fat dump."
"Dude," I crinkled my nose in disgust. "I'd like to eat a piece of that cake, don't make me lose my appetite."
"Happy birthday, hermonita," it was Dave's turn to tackle me with a bear hug.
"Touch my hair and I will snap your finger in half," I warned Dave as he was about to ruffle my hair just to annoy me.
"Can I get a chance to wish my little girl?" Dad whined and with a laugh, everyone gave him way. "Happy birthday, Millie," Dad kissed the top of my head and hugged me.
"Thanks, Dad," I smiled and after pulling away I glanced at my family's smiling faces as my heart swelled with joy and love. "To all of you."
"Can we have some cake now?" Dave eyed the delicious-looking cake.
"Please!" I agreed and the three of us were like little kids ready to attack the cake while Mandy scolded us to wait for plates and cutlery.
The last time I celebrated my birthday at midnight was on the road trip with Mitchell, we were beyond wasted at a hotel suite in Denver. I recalled how he sang a remixed version of happy birthday to me while we danced on the balcony outside his room. It was on that night that I felt our relationship sort of took a turning point and a real friendship developed between us, it was also the first time I opened up and shared a little of my life story with him.
It was almost one am when I bid everyone goodnight and dragged my feet upstairs. I glanced at my phone and a small part of me hoped to see a message from Mitchell, even though it wasn't even ten pm in LA yet, I still thought he might've called or texted at midnight my time.
Stop having expectations, Mila! Mitch is probably busy; he'll call or text before he goes to bed.
I shut my eyes, covered my mouth, and yawned as I mindlessly entered my bedroom. I took one step into the room and froze, my eyes widened and I looked around my bedroom as if it were foreign.
My feet sunk into the plush carpet as I took slow steps into the room, my lips parted and a small frown grew over my forehead when I was greeted by dozens of flowers. Roses and hydrangeas in different colors decorated my room, bouquets sat on every hard surface and smaller arrangements lined my bed, and petals were scattered over the white bedroom bench at the foot.
"What?" I whispered under my breath and inhaled the sweet scent of flowers. I spotted an envelope on my pillow and took quick steps until I reached and picked it up. Inside the envelope was a happy birthday card, I opened the card and read over the handwritten words.
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to my Milo. I wish I was there to remix another birthday song for you but tomorrow is another day.
It must be around midnight right now which marks the first hour of my most favorite day of the year – the day a kind, loving, breathtakingly beautiful yet borderline insane pure soul entered the world. I know you aren't big on birthdays but I want you to celebrate all 1440 minutes and 86400 seconds of your special day.
You probably thought I forgot but how could I forget my Milo's birthday? You're the single most precious person to me, I remember everything. I'm sorry for having to leave and pretend I didn't remember but it was all part of my surprise.
You once told me that you were to visit an amusement park on your birthday but due to circumstances, I will not remind you of, you couldn't make it. Since it's my job to make you happy and grant every wish of yours, I will happily grant one more.
Tomorrow morning, you and whomever you wish to celebrate your birthday with is invited to Orlando, Florida where we will visit Disney World and you can feel like that kid who missed out on rollercoasters again.
I will be there waiting for you.
I can't wait to see your beautiful smile again.
Happy birthday, baby,
I love you,
Mitch (Your Bitchell)
P.S I hope you like the flowers, it's the least I could while a thousand miles away.
"Mitch," I was overwhelmed with emotions, happiness seeped through every little inch of my heart as tears rolled down my eyes.
I should've known he never forgot, Mitchell remembered everything. He pretended to forget just to surprise me and I fought with him. I felt awful but also couldn't stop myself from smiling at the romantic gesture that made me feel like a real-life princess.
I read over the card two more times and each time gave me butterflies, I sat on my bed and started to read over it for the third time when my phone vibrated. Mitchell's name flashed on the screen and I immediately answered.
"Happy birthday, Beautiful."
"I love you," we said in unison.
"I love you too," Mitchell softly chuckled. "I take it you got the flowers and card?"
"You didn't have to go all out," I sniffed and wiped my eyes. "This is the most romantic, sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"You deserve the world," Mitchell replied.
I playfully groaned at how cheesy we were but at the same time, internally swooned and smiled.
"Too cheesy?" Mitchell asked.
"A tad," I laughed. "But I love it. Just don't tell anyone I said that."
Mitchell laughed. "My lips are sealed."
"Thank you," I sincerely said. "For this surprise and making me feel like the most special girl in the world."
"You are mine," Mitchell replied. "The most special and my world."
"Stop," I blushed. "This isn't our style."
"Yeah?" Mitchell teased. "Then let's fight? Or do you want to wait until morning for me to pull your hair?"
"Hmm," I flirted. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."
"I want to see you," Mitchell muttered softly.
"I'm not stripping for you over FaceTime,"
Mitchell ignored me and switched the call to FaceTime. I got into bed and we spoke until I fell asleep. My heart was filled with joy and contentment, and for the first time in forever, I eagerly awaited the dawn of my birthday to arrive.
A/N I struggled a bit with this chapter and hit a bit of a writers block. I hope it was still alright.
Should Mila invite Leo to Orlando?
Let me know what you think,
Till then,
Tina