I've always felt indifferent to my birthday, it was just another day and I saw no reason for it to be made a big deal about. When I was little, Mom and my grandparents always organized little parties with my family, spoiled me with lots of gifts, and allowed me to eat as much sugar as I wanted. However, as Mom's Alzheimer's progressed, I no longer anticipated my birthday and was never in the mood to celebrate.
But today, on my twenty-fourth birthday, I felt different for the first time in what felt like forever. I was up bright and early to catch a flight to Orlando to meet Mitchell to celebrate. He suggested I invite whomever I wanted and the only people I could think of were my brothers and Leo. Unfortunately, neither of them was able to make it at such short notice, my brothers had prior plans that couldn't be canceled and Leo said he had work to do and couldn't get away.
I understood their reasons, I was aware of my brother's day plans so I expected them not to accompany me but I had a feeling Leo just made an excuse. I didn't push him or insist he join, I told him I understood and hoped I'd see him soon. I was a little disappointed but was glad that Faith, Owen, and Wang were joining us, while I took a flight from New York, Wang flew from Boston.
A part of me felt guilty for not spending my day with Dad or Mandy but Mitchell and Mandy seemed to develop a new friendship since class day because she knew all about his plans and told Dad. They agreed that since I spent my birthday with them in Spain the previous year, I shouldn't have felt bad and instead did what made me happy. I was pleasantly surprised that Dad insisted I enjoy my day with Mitchell and my friends.
The flight from New York to Orlando was a little over two hours, I landed at MCO at nine am and the twenty minutes in the cab to reach the resort we were to spend the night at went by quickly thanks to a call with my grandparents.
It was my first trip to Disney World, Dad planned a trip years back when I was a lot younger but because of Mom's health, I didn't make it. I visited Disneyland in California with Mitchell and it was great but I was more excited for this trip – or I was just more excited to see Mitchell again.
As I neared the resort, I tried calling Mitchell to let him know that I was on my way but it went straight to voicemail, I guessed there was a network issue or his battery died so I didn't think much of it. Instead, I got through to Faith.
My lips parted and I stared wide-eyed at the resort, it didn't feel like I was in Florida anymore but Hawaii. I was surrounded by palm trees among other rich plantations and luscious lawns. Along the pathway, I was greeted by a white rabbit that hid among the shrubs.
"Trust Mitch to go all out," I muttered under my breath as I made my way through the green oasis that sheltered the front desk, gift shops, and restaurants.
Rattan and cane chairs and sofas with beautiful cherry red cushions and textiles sat on floors of polished flagstone giving me the impression that I was in Hawaii. I looked around the vast lobby and admired every little bit of décor but searched for one particular pair of eyes.
"Mila!" My name was called and I turned around to be greeted by Faith who frantically waved her arm to and fro with a huge smile on her face.
A smile grew on my face as I rushed towards her, I didn't even notice Owen who stood beside Faith with a large rose gold colored, personalized helium balloon with the words Happy Birthday Mila written on it.
"Happy Birthday!" Faith cheered and engulfed me in a tight hug.
"Another year older," Owen teased and handed me the balloon after I pulled away.
I playfully elbowed him, he dramatically winced and half crouched over. "I'm still younger than you."
"Happy Birthday, Mils," Owen laughed and hugged me tightly.
"Thank you," I smiled at the pair but my eyes couldn't help but wander in search of one specific person.
Where are you, Bitchell?
"It seems Mila only wants to see one person," Faith wiggled her brows and wore a teasing grin.
"Hmm?" I turned my attention to her. "No, I'm so happy to see you guys," I looked around the room again and grew a little anxious. "But where's Mit-"
"Right here," my sentence cut midway as two strong arms circled my waist from behind and a very familiar scent made its way to my nostrils.
"Happy birthday, Beautiful," Mitchell whispered and pressed a chaste kiss on the sweet spot behind my ear.
My heart raced and a wide smile grew over my lips as I managed to turn in his hold and stand to face with him. "There you are," my grin somehow grew wider and I took a moment to admire his handsome face.
Mitchell grinned and cheekily winked, "Here I am."
To annoy him and shut down his cheeky reply, I poked one of the dimples on his cheek and pouted. "Aw, I missed these guys."
Mitchell's smile quickly faded and was replaced with a feigned scowl as he pushed my finger away. Before I was able to retort, Mitchell's hands that were still on my waist, yanked me forward and he engulfed me in his warm embrace.
"I feel like I'm intruding," Owen's voice reminded me that we were in public and weren't alone. I was so happy to see Mitchell again that the minute I was greeted by his scent, heard his voice, and made eye contact with him, everything else blurred.
I think I might be done for.
I tried to pull back but Mitchell tightened his arms and held me for a second longer before he let go. My cheeks warmed a little by the public display of affection in front of Faith and Owen, and the smiles they wore didn't help my feeling.
I cleared my throat and took a step away from Mitchell but one of his hands fell to my waist again and pulled me to his side. I didn't resist and enjoyed the feel of his palm that grazed over my exposed stomach from the cropped top I wore.
"Hasn't Wang arrived as yet?" I asked and looked around the room again. "His flight was two hours before mine so I assumed he'd be here already."
"He's here," Faith replied. "He went off with Kate to get a snack."
I had no idea Mitchell invited his younger sister, Kate and I also didn't know that she and Wang were friends. Everyone met a little over a month ago at Faith and Owen's wedding party and while they got along, I didn't think they reached the 'grab a snack together' stage.
"Kate's here?" I turned to Mitchell.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I hope it's not a problem I extended the invite to Katie and Greg?"
"Of course not," I smiled and was glad that Mitchell invited his sister and cousin, Greg, whom I got along well with too. "I'm glad you did."
"Obviously she doesn't," I turned my attention away from Mitchell and was greeted with a pair of emerald green eyes. "Mila must be sick of being around you after spending ten days with you on a yacht."
"Here we go," Mitchell muttered under his breath.
Kate was three years younger than Mitchell and just completed a veterinary science degree in London. They were close but shared a typical bickering sibling relationship, Mitchell loved his sister dearly and always looked out for her. They not only shared different personalities but didn't resemble each other yet still looked like siblings. While Mitchell was very tall, had blue-gray eyes and darker hair than his sister, Kate was average height at around five foot seven with shoulder-length golden brown hair, a small petite face to match her frame, and green eyes that complemented her olive skin tone.
"Happy birthday, Mila," Kate gripped my hand and pulled me away from Mitchell before she smiled warmly and hugged me.
"Mila!" Wang's cheerily greeted and it was his turn to hug and wish me happy birthday.
Pleasantries were exchanged and I was informed that Mitchell's cousin, Greg, and his girlfriend Hayden were freshening up in their room. It felt good to be around some of the people I held dear yet it still felt incomplete without Leo or my brother's presence.
"Are those jellybeans?" Mitchell glanced at the bag in Kate's hand. Mitchell held out his palm like a kid starved of sugar and silently asked Kate to share.
"Get your own snacks," Kate slapped his hand away and purposely put two jellybeans in her mouth. "You said you didn't want anything" She then grabbed what looked like Mitchell's wallet out of her purse and handed it to him. "This is yours, if you find a few bills missing, don't panic, I took it," she grinned widely.
Mitchell didn't say anything, he merely took the wallet, put it in his pocket, and shook his head. It was heartwarming to see the big brother side of him who gave into his little sisters' demands.
"Do you want to freshen up?" Mitchell asked me.
I nodded and opened my palm for him to hand me the key to our presumed shared room. "What's our room number?"
Mitchell glanced at my palm for a second before he met my gaze with a raised brow. "I'm coming with you."
"Oh?" I raised my brows and dusted invisible dust off his chest. "Rather confident, aren't we?"
Mitchell examined our surroundings and worried for no reason, everyone was engrossed in their own conversation and I spoke in a tone so only he could hear. "Behave," Mitchell warned under his breath. He cleared his throat, turned his attention to the others, and announced we were heading up for a few minutes.
"I hope you mean a few minutes," Owen teased but there was a sense of seriousness to his tone. "It's almost ten am and if we get any later, we'll only be able to go on one ride."
"Relax, I have no intention to ri-" Mitchell abruptly cut me off by covering my mouth. "Mila just needs to freshen up, we'll be back in a few."
"We're waiting here for you," Wang called and shot me a knowing look.
With one of his hands still over my mouth, the other went around my shoulder as Mitchell walked me away towards the elevator. I glared and tried to tell him to remove his hand but Mitchell played ignorantly so I licked the inside of his palm.
"Mila!" Mitchell exclaimed with a look of disgust before he removed his hand and childishly wiped it on the sleeve of my top.
"What?" I innocently stared at him. "I thought you like it when I use my tongue."
"Not like this," Mitchell removed his hand and placed it in his pocket.
"Would you care to elaborate further?" I smirked and raised a brow.
Mitchell brought his mouth to my ear and huskily whispered, "I'd do more than just elaborate," he paused and pulled away to look at me with a small smirk. "But later."
"Mitch, Mitch, Mitch," I tutted and shook my head. "Am I here just so you can ride me in front of Mickey and pals?"
A middle-aged couple walked past us and seemed to hear because the woman looked at us a little peculiarly before she scurried off. Mitchell took in a deep breath and stopped walking, he gripped my shoulders and turned me around to face him. "Can you do me a favor?"
I rolled my eyes. "We're together Mitch, I wouldn't call a blowjob a favor."
Mitchell exasperatedly sighed. "That's not what... I have two requests –"
"Anal is a hard limit," I quickly cut him off. "The only asshole I love is you and that's as far as I'll ever go."
"Mila," Mitchell scolded and I did my best not to laugh at his flustered and annoyed state. "Can you not say anything dirty and try not to sexualize anything Disney related for the remainder of the day?"
"Don't you want to pull a Goofy and do it doggy style?" I lifted both brows and suggestively grinned.
"Mila," Mitchell looked at me in dismay and grabbed my hand. "Let's go before your mind thinks up ways to ruin my childhood even more."
"You're just bitter cause Buzz Lightyear can make me scream louder than you," I muttered.
True to our word, Mitchell and I took less than fifteen minutes before we were down again with everyone else. I changed out of my jeans and put on shorts instead before I applied enough sunscreen, French braided my hair, and put on a pair of sunglasses.
Greg and his girlfriend Hayden were down before us, it was the first time I met Hayden but it seemed she already knew me. Greg was more than happy to inform me that the handful of times he met up with Mitchell, all he did was talk about me. Mitchell's ears turned pink and I made sure to point it out which made him even more embarrassed.
"It looks like we're the only single ones here, Jimmy," Kate said to Wang and if Mitchell didn't tell me during one of our calls that Kate and Josh called it quits, I would've been surprised. Mitchell mentioned that Kate didn't want to talk much about it and their family gave her all the space she needed. She put up a brave front but he knew his sister well enough to know that she was heartbroken – even though she and Josh ended it on good terms and decided to maintain a good friendship.
"If Leo is joining us, he'll be in the singles club too," Wang added and glanced at me.
"Mila's friend?" Kate mused. "Is he still to arrive?"
Arrive? I haven't even heard from him today.
I shook my head, "no, Leo won't be able to make it." I pushed aside the disheartened feeling and plastered on a smile. "But it's fine, I'll be part of the singles club with you guys too."
I took a step towards Wang and Kate but Mitchell held me back, he gripped the end of my braid and gently pulled me back towards him. "No, you won't," his tone matched his stern stare.
"Alright, let's go before we miss all the good rides," Owen clapped his hands together and led the way.
"Behave yourself, Mitch," I warned as we filed out of the hotel.
"Yeah, Mitch," Greg elbowed Mitchell with a smirk as he caught up with us. "I saw what you just did."
I suppressed my laughter at Mitchell's reaction, he looked like a kid who did something wrong. He quickly composed himself and flipped his cousin off in response, Greg typically laughed, grabbed Hayden's hand, and walked off.
"He seems serious about Hayden," I mused.
"I hope so," Mitchell replied. "She's the nicest girl he's ever dated and she makes him happy."
"Is that how you know someone is the one?" I teased.
"Not quite," Mitchell replied seriously. "You have a way of torturing me to the point of wanting to tear my hair out yet," Mitchell paused and stared at me warmly. "You're the one."
Umm...
I froze - I didn't know how to react. I knew Mitchell loved me and the thought of him out of my life was something that I couldn't grasp. But hearing him call me 'the one' felt a little...overwhelming. I gulped and stared wide-eyed into his sincere gaze, I didn't want to offend him or give him the impression that I didn't see a future with him because I did but on the same token, titles like that scared me a smidge.
"Mila!" I internally let out a breath of relief when Faith called my name.
I blinked and salvaged the situation before Mitchell got too lost in his thoughts and a misunderstanding was created. "Yeah, but not everyone is a masochist like you," I teased with a grin before I caught up with Faith.
I was the only person out of our group who was at Disney World for the first time, Wang visited when he was very young so he didn't remember a lot. Faith visited with her high school friends as for the LA gang, they visited way too many times and Kate said she'd been on every single ride.
Since Kate was the one who knew the amusement park the best, she suggested we visit Magic Kingdom first and made a list of the best rides. It seemed being organized ran in the Clarke gene because Kate booked everything in advance, she made sure to get us lightning lane access and spoke about making reservations for certain rides.
Disney World truly felt like magic on earth, the minute I entered the park it was almost as if I entered a Disney movie and my friends made me feel like the main character. Faith and Kate insisted I wear a tiara and got me a sash that had the words Birthday Princess printed on it. Owen handed me the balloon he got and even though I felt like the center of attention, I quite liked the childlike feelings I got.
"Are you alright?" I looked at Mitchell with concern. He hated heights and a lot of the rides were at high heights, Mitchell appeared a little pale and suddenly went quiet.
"Perfect," Mitchell forced a grin and brushed his knuckles against my arm.
I raised a brow. "You don't look so perfect."
Mitchell raked his fingers through his hair. "Rollercoasters and all these rides aren't really my thing," he admitted. "And I don't get why Katie insists we have to start with Space Mountain."
Space Mountain was possibly Magic Kingdom's most thrilling ride and Kate said it was the best way to wake up and brace ourselves for the rest of the day.
"I thought you guys have been here over a dozen times, I figured you'd be used to all the rides by now," I mused.
"Just because I visited, doesn't mean I went on all the rides," Mitchell clarified with a pointed look of dismay at his sister. "Most if not all our visits were because of Katie and how my dad can't say no to her."
"Daddies really can't say no, Mason to Kate," I paused and wore a taunting smirk. "And you with me."
Mitchell quickly looked around to see if no one heard and when he was satisfied, he glowered at me. "I'm not –"
"Don't be a baby, Mitchy," Katie cut him off. "This ride doesn't have any inversions or large drops and I'm sure Mila will hold your hand if you get scared."
Mitchell glared at her in response while Greg and Owen laughed at Mitchell's nervousness. "Don't make me regret inviting you."
I offered Mitchell my hand and even though I pitied him, I still found his reaction cute and a little funny. "You can hold my hand."
Mitchell glanced at my hand then up at me with the same annoyed expression. "Don't entertain Katie, she's already enjoying this way too much."
Mitchell overreacted because he quite enjoyed the ride, he didn't scream as I expected, in fact, he barely even smiled or showed any reaction to the ride. Hollywood Studios was also on the itinerary, so Katie rounded up the best rides at Magic Kingdom and squeezed in a little show for us to visit before we moved on to the next park.
We rid Splash Mountain which was a great way to cool off before we moved onto Thunder Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and finished off with Pirates of the Caribbean. I made pit stops to take pictures with the many Disney characters, from Cinderella to Mickey's clan. I truly felt like a kid and couldn't believe I missed out on this experience when I really was a kid.
After we attended a musical show, we grabbed lunch and made our way to Hollywood Studios. According to Katie, a lot of the thrilling rides were at that park and I was already pumped with adrenaline while my counterpart looked as if he would've preferred to be anywhere else right then.
"If you hate this so much, why did you plan this day?" I asked Mitchell as we walked through the park that resembled Hollywood Boulevard.
"Because I knew you'd love it," Mitchell replied.
I intertwined our fingers and leaned in closer to him. "You didn't have to put yourself through hell just for me." I grinned, "you're already doing that by just being with me."
Mitchell chuckled playfully bumped his shoulder against me. "You give yourself too little credit."
"Are you saying I don't give you gray hairs?" I raised a brow.
"Firstly, I don't have any gray hairs so don't jinx it," Mitchell sternly said. "And sometimes you do but you said so yourself, I'm a masochist."
I laughed at his answer and caught him off guard by pressing a kiss on his cheek. "You can be adorable when you want to."
"Hey," Mitchell warned. "Don't call me adorable."
"Both of you are adorable." I was startled by a voice that came from behind and when I glanced over my shoulder, I spotted Wang and Kate who seemed to have become best friends in the last couple of hours.
"I adore you Mila but I disagree with what you and Jimmy said," Kate feigned a disgusted look.
"Aw," Mitchell cooed, let go of my hand, and made his way over to Kate. He rested his elbow on her shoulder and scorned, "Is little Katie jealous that I haven't given you any attention? Do you want a hug?"
"Ew!" Kate pushed him away and wore a real look of disgust this time. "No, hell no! And I am not your personal leaning pole, get away from me!"
To annoy her further, Mitchell ruffled her hair and rested his elbow on her shoulder again. Kate was beyond annoyed and even childishly said she was going to tell Mason about Mitchell's annoying antics.
"Siblings," Wang laughed and shook his head as he caught up with me. "Can't say I hate being an only kid."
"Siblings are fun when you're the oldest and have personal servants for life," I evilly grinned. "Now I miss Beavis and Butthead."
My attention was completely diverted, I clapped my hands like a seal and excitedly hopped in my spot when I noticed Toy Story Land. A huge Woody figure stood high and tall and leaned on the name of the attraction, I spotted Rex further in who stood tall on what looked like a giant stack of Jenga blocks.
"We have to go there!" I glanced at Mitchell with doe eyes. "And I need a picture with Woody."
"Shameless," Mitchell shook his head. "After eating Mr. Potato Head, you want to meet his best friends?"
I scowled bitterly at Mitchell for not letting the Mr. Potato Head incident that happened while I was under the influence of marijuana go. "The only reason that happened was that you gave me po-"
"To Toy Story Land we go," Mitchell quickly cut me off and I was too excited to care about exposing him in front of our friends and his sister.
"Cute," Faith grinned from beside me while I stared wide-eyed in wonder at the life-size Toy Story props. "You look like an excited five-year-old right now."
"I'm not sure about the five-year-old part but I sure am excited!" I gripped her arm and excitedly grinned. "Look there's Al's Toy Barn! And there's Jessie, and oh my God, it that Dash as a rollercoaster?!"
"And Buzz!" I was so excited that I believed Faith when she said I looked five. "To infinity and beyond," I childishly did the Buzz Lightyear pose. "We have to go on the Slinky Dog ride."
"Has all your food digested?" Owen asked and Faith elbowed him. "Ow!" Owen rubbed over his rib, "I'm just asking the responsible adult questions, I don't want Mila to be sick on her birthday."
"Whatever Mila wants, Mila will get," Mitchell chipped in. He glanced at me with a warm grin, "it's her day after all."
"In your vocabulary, every day is Mila's day," Greg chuckled before he coughed out the word 'whipped' to tease Mitchell.
As promised by Mitchell, everyone did as I wished and even though he hated rollercoasters, he went on the Slinky Dog ride with me. It was the least thrilling but I had the time of my life, the entire setup looked like Andy from Toy Story built it with Tinkertoys. We spent more time than allocated but it felt too short. We headed to Toy Story Mania and played a 4D interactive Toy Story game that was set in Andy's room.
I took tons of pictures with the gang and was reluctant to leave but we had lots more to cover before the end of the day. We started mild and everyone enjoyed themselves, we headed to Star Tours which were Star Wars themed rides. We went on what was apparently Disney World's most ambitious ride yet, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Thereafter, we went on the Rock 'n Roll Coaster, it was by far the scariest rollercoaster and when we were done, Mitchell looked as if he were about to be sick. We took a small break and had ice cream for a while before we went on the last ride of the day.
"No fucking way," Mitchell stated and tilted his neck to look at the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
"It's the last ride," Greg tapped Mitchell's shoulder. "You've done well all day, don't back down from this one."
With a clenched jaw, Mitchell shrugged Greg's hand off and glared. "I said no fucking way."
If I asked Mitchell to go on the Tower of Terror, it would be heartless of me. It was possible the scariest ride of the entire park. It was known as an accelerated power drop, the anticipation as the dark tower slowly moved up to one hundred and thirty feet was nerve-wracking itself, add in a quick drop, I knew Mitchell wouldn't have enjoyed it at all.
"You don't have to go on this one," I sincerely told him.
"Seriously?" The shock was evident in Mitchell's tone because for the first time, I didn't convince him to do something he didn't want to.
I nodded. "Yes, I don't expect you to go up a hundred and thirty feet and then get dropped."
Mitchell gulped and the sound of screams as the tower dropped behind made his eyes widen. I was pretty amped to go on but Mitchell looked like he was ready to leave.
"This seems like one of those times you'd rather give birth through your di-"
"Yeah," Mitchell quickly cut me off as I was about to use the line he used when we visited the Skywalk at The Grand Canyon. Mitchell inched closer and took my hand in his, "are you sure you want to go?"
"Hell yeah," I replied instantly. "It looks like a lot of fun."
"Of course, it does," Mitchell sarcastically replied.
"Go on, I'll stay back with Mitch," Greg said.
"Yeah, the fear of heights runs in the family," Kate laughed. "These two wusses screamed the first time they were in an elevator."
"Katie," Greg began and Mitchell completed his sentence. "Shut up."
"Alright, let's go amigos," Wang looped his arm through mine. "I'm ready to scream my lungs out."
Owen was a bit of an adrenaline junkie so he looked the most excited while Faith appeared a little scared. I told her to sit this one out too but she insisted she was fine and wanted to try it out.
Butterflies swarmed my stomach and I buzzed with excitement while we drew closer to the entrance. Wang looked as if he was about to chicken out but we got this far so with a little nudge, I pushed him forward.
I might've needed a hearing aid after we were done, Wang didn't lie when he said he was going to scream his lungs out. He gripped onto mine and Faith's arm so tightly when we dropped that it left a red mark. Faith looked like she was about to be sick, Hayden, Owen, Kate, and I were filled with adrenaline and if it weren't for the long lines, we would've gone again.
Wang's legs were like jelly so Faith and I helped him walk back to where Mitchell and Greg stood. Mitchell suppressed his laughter while Greg burst out laughing as they took in Wang's and Faith's pale faces.
"I could hear you from all the way here," Greg laughed before he checked on Hayden.
"You're alright?" Mitchell gently caressed my arm once Wang was strong enough to stand on his own.
"Great!" I smiled widely. "No offense but that was the best ride I've ever been on."
Mitchell looked at me peculiarly for a moment before he shook his head with a small laugh. "None taken."
Evening approached way too quickly, I wished we could've visited more parks but twenty-four hours was too little to accomplish that. I made it a point to plan another trip to visit the parks I didn't see and the rides I didn't get a chance to get on.
Mitchell informed everyone that he reserved a table at a restaurant, the dress code was formal and everyone needed freshening up, so we headed to our rooms and decided to meet in the foyer at eight-thirty.
Typically, the suite Mitchell and I shared was no short of luxury. The room was airy, spacious and had bespoke furniture and amenities. The day felt short but long at the same time, my body felt tired but my mind was wide awake.
"Want some company?" Mitchell's hands circled around me from the back as I undid the braid in my hair. "If we shower together, we could save time."
I leaned into him and the warmth his body offered relaxed my muscles. "I'm all sweaty and gross."
"Let me get you more sweaty," Mitchell spoke huskily in my ear before he gripped my earlobe with his lips. "I promise I'll help you get clean before dinner."
The idea was tempting but we only had an hour before we were to meet for dinner and I knew if I caved, we would've been late to my birthday dinner.
"Hmm," I groaned under my breath and squirmed out of his hold. "Tempting," I wrapped arms around his neck and pressed a loving kiss over his lips. "After dinner I expect dessert."
Mitchell sighed in disappointment. "I enjoy sweetening my mouth before dinner but as you wish, Milo."
"You're so dirty," I teased and before Mitchell could grab me again, I ran off to the bathroom.
Once I was out of the shower, Mitchell was in a playful mood and I ran around the bed a couple of times so he couldn't rip my towel off. He pouted like a little kid when I scolded and told him to get ready while I got dressed.
I straightened my hair sleek for a change, wore minimum, nude makeup, and dressed simple yet elegant in a long, black satin spaghetti sleeve dress that had a thigh-high slit and finished the look with a pair of heels.
"Wow," Mitchell who was already dressed and waiting for me to finish up, glanced up from his phone screen with his lips parted and eyes wide. "You never fail to take my breath away."
"Stop," I waved him off with a tiny little blush.
"I have something for you," Mitchell said and I watched him get up from his seat before he made his way over to me.
Mitchell already got me a lot of stuff from the park gift shops, he got me a Woody, Jessie, and Mr. Potato Head plushie. BHe also got me Mrs. Pott's tea set, a Beaty and the Beast rose, and music box. The ever so observant Mitchell watched my every move and anything I admired in the gift shops, he purchased.
"You've spoiled me enough," I rolled my eyes.
"No such thing," Mitchell dismissed my statement and pulled out a square, black velvet box.
"Mitch," I began to protest but Mitchell completely ignored me.
"I don't know if you've ever seen my mom's wedding ring," Mitchell began. "It's a family heirloom, it belonged to my great grandmother and consists of rubies and diamonds."
Uh, where is he going with this? Play it cool, Mila, there's no need to overanalyze this.
"Rubies are quite significant to Clarke's," Mitchell muttered as he opened the box. He pulled out a sparkling choker necklace and a shiver ran down my spine from the feel of his fingertips and the cool metal that touched my skin. "So, I thought this was fitting for my significant other."
Mitchell gently clasped the piece of jewelry around my neck and it was my turn to be left breathless by the beauty of the necklace. It was simple, intricate, and simply stunning, the necklace was composed of oval-shaped faceted rubies and links encrusted with round white diamonds mounted in platinum. I didn't even want to think about how much it cost him; all I knew was that I felt it was way too much.
I brushed my fingertips over the necklace in awe of the beauty. "Mitch... this is too much."
Mitchell gripped my bare shoulders and stared at my reflection in the mirror. "Nothing is too much for you." He pressed a gentle kiss on the side of my neck. "Besides, rubies and diamonds are like fire and ice, hot and cold – opposites that complement each other, kinda like us, don't you think?" He grinned.
A soft chuckle escaped my throat and even though Mitchell splurged way too much, I couldn't insult his gesture, the thought behind his gift, and mostly his love by denying the gift. I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. "Having you is more than enough for me but thank you, I love it."
Mitchell pulled back and pecked my lips, "and I love you."
Butterflies swarmed my stomach and I didn't know how but I fell in love with the tall, blue-gray-eyed man in front of me more and more with each passing day.
"Are you ready?" Mitchell asked and I nodded. "Let's go before everyone's minds go wild."
"Oh, one more thing," Mitchell quickly added and handed me the velvet box. "The matching earrings are in here, put them on so we can leave."
Wasn't the necklace enough?!
"Mitch," I stared at him in dismay.
"Happy birthday, Baby," Mitchell innocently grinned and captured my lips with a gentle, chaste kiss.
*After dinner*
Dinner was great and it was even better to have everyone I held dear with. Mitchell truly made me feel like some princess and I didn't know how I could've measured up when his birthday arrived. When Mitchell and I were sort of nemesis, he went out to make my birthday special so I couldn't have been surprised when he went above and beyond now.
"I am so stuffed," I sighed and tapped my slightly protruding belly from our eight-course meal.
Mitchell placed his large palm over my stomach and chuckled. "Cute."
"Don't do that," I slapped his hand away and looked around to make sure no one noticed. "You're going to give everyone wrong ideas."
"So, let them think I put a baby in you, we know the truth," Mitchell teased.
My jaw dropped and I could tell he had one too many drinks just by how bold he was. "Stop."
He leaned in and goosebumps coated my skin as his warm breath brushed over my ear and neck. "Besides, I plan on doing a trial run when we get back to our suite."
"Get a room, guys!" Kate whined from behind us. "And one far from mine."
"We already do," Mitchell glanced at Kate and winked.
"Ugh, gross!" Kate scrunched her face in disgust.
Cool air was welcoming as we waited for our cab to take us back to our hotel. Lighthearted chatter went around before two cabs pulled up and we made our way over to the cars but came to a halt when a woman bumped into Mitchell.
"My bad, I'm sorry," the dark-haired woman with hazel eyes and tanned skin quickly apologized.
"It's alri-" Mitchell was cut off when the shorter woman's eyes widened and her red lips parted.
"Mitchell Clarke?" Recognition was clearly evident in her voice as she openly checked him out in front of me. "Pardon me, Mr. Clarke."
With a frown, I looked between the pair and I grew a little concerned when I noticed Mitchell's perplexed and surprised expression. His grip on my hand tightened and that made me more anxious.
The woman who was dressed smartly in a pants suit glanced my way before she plastered on a smile and turned her attention back to Mitchell. "What are the odds? You never called but I bump into you here."
"Do I know-" Mitchell's brows furrowed.
"Ouch," the woman placed a hand over her chest. "Not calling after a night together is one thing but completely forgetting me... that's another kind of low."
She turned to me. "Be careful with this one, it's easy to fall for those eyes and charms but as great as he can make a girl feel, he can also make you feel worthless the next day."
"Anyway, no hard feelings," she checked me out and her eyes remained longer on the necklace around my neck. "I guess we might mean something different to him. I'm sorry for intruding," she glanced at Mitchell. "Take care, Mr. Clarke."
As I watched her walk off, everything around me blurred and her words ran in my mind like a marathon. I had a hundred questions, my heart raced and my skin prickled from the information I just heard.
"Mila," Mitchell called my name but I couldn't look at, let alone speak to him at that moment. I needed a minute to myself or I was going to explode.
"Mila, hear me out," Mitchell coolly spoke but I refused to have this conversation in front of everyone.
I unwrapped my hand from his but he quickly grabbed it back. I glared up at him and harshly tried to get out of his hold. "Don't," I said between gritted teeth.
"Mila, listen..."
I didn't know what to think and didn't want to jump to conclusions but the way the woman made it sound felt like a knife was twisted in my heart. I ignored Mitchell and decided to take a moment to calm down and clear my head before we spoke. I ran off to the cab to get away from everyone, the last thing I needed was pitiful looks.
"Mi-" Mitchell called but Kate cut him off. "Mitchy, don't. Give her some space."
"Mils," Faith ran after me and before I was able to shut the cab door behind me, Wang and Faith got in with me.
A/N firstly, I'm so so sorry for the late update. I struggle with anxiety and this last week it's been at its peak, I needed to take some time off. But I'm beck and will try to get more updates out.
So, do you guys think Mitch cheated? Or is it a big misunderstanding?
Let me know your thoughts,
Till then,
Tina