It's been about two months since that close call in March. A lot of times I try not to think about it, especially today. I believe that's the last thing anyone would want to do on their birthday. My birthday doesn't strike me as that much of a special occasion. It's a day celebrating the fact that I survived life, and grew older, for one whole year. Even so, ever since we moved in together Hayley has always had a cake on the table next to my present before I woke up in the morning.
That being said, it feels like routine when I open my eyes this morning on May fourteenth. I drag myself from the bed to the bathroom where I turn on the shower and begin my morning routine. A normal t shirt and jeans are pulled from the hanger and onto my body. I walk out of my room without thinking, and step onto something that crinkles loudly. Startled, I glance down to find a bouquet of roses left specifically in front of my door.
I pick up the arrangement delicately, retrieving the white card from around one of the stems. My eyes run over the card as I open my mouth to speak.
"Hey Hayley, did Sergio come by this morning?"
She pops her head out from behind the kitchen wall, hair drawn up into a ponytail, a grin on her lips.
"He sure did. He called my phone bright and early about an hour ago at six. I was told to open the front door and forget he ever came here."
I smirk at her. She can be such a blonde sometimes.
"So why did you tell me he was here?"
She sticks her tongue out at me. "Because I don't care."
I shake my head and chuckle, returning my focus to the small card in my hands. Sergio's delicate script is written across the front.
'Pack your bag for a night of surprise. Come outside. Get ready for your joyride.'
Too curious for my own good I pull back the curtain to the window facing the parking lot. Lone behold Sergio's Kia Soul sits turned off. The man himself slouches asleep. His head lays atop his hands against the steering wheel. Somehow I knew he hadn't left after dropping the flowers off.
"Has he been parked out there all this time?" I turn to question Hayley. She places a stacked plate of my favorite breakfast onto the table, taking the other near our front door.
"Yep. I told him to go home or crash on the couch, but he didn't want to ruin the surprise."
I shake my head, letting the curtain drop from my hand.
"Do me a favor and fetch his special self from the car to come eat in the house."
She chuckles, leaving the plate meant for him on the table next to my own.
"As you wish birthday boy."
Not two minutes later Sergio comes trudging in. A hazy smile decorates his perfect lips.
"Good morning birthday babe," He draws out. I chuckle at the new nickname, chewing on my favorite breakfast.
"Good morning to you too. Now where is this joyride going to take us?"
Sergio seats himself across the table. His bronze skin seems to glow a bit brighter this morning.
"That would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it?"
I catch the barest glimpse of Hayley eavesdropping from the kitchen nearby. She scrambles the eggs in the pan. A light smile paints her lips.
"I'm okay with that," I mumble. Sergio waggles his finger at me, picking up his fork in the other hand.
"You're the one that doesn't care for your own birthday. That means I get to care about it enough for the both of us, and because of that you don't get to know until we get there."
His voice is laced with glee, and knowing.
Hayley joins us at the table now that her breakfast is finished. Her eyes dart between the two of us before she bursts out into a fit of laughter.
"You two act like a married couple already the way you're glaring at each other like that."
My mouth drops open at the same time Sergio's does.
"Married? Do you really think so?" He speaks before I can compose myself. Hayley winks my way. She better not say what I think she is.
"Yes I do. In fact I give you two by the end of the year before one of you proposes."
I compose myself quickly now, shutting my mouth to formulate a possible excuse to save myself from this. Then I see Sergio's face. I see the hope in his expression, the dream in his eyes and I realize something. There's a high chance Sergio Heron might actually want to marry me.
Out of curiosity I pull out my cellphone and pay a visit to Kay online. Hayley continues her teasing banter once she spots the cellphone in my hands. I shoot her a wink, and she smiles back in approval. My heart seems to skip a beat once images of myself and Sergio together flutter through my mind.
About an hour later Sergio and I sit curled in my bed, too content to attempt to move. Even so I feel his growing protest beside me when he continuously fidgets in bed. He doesn't want to stay like this all day. He made big plans for my birthday today, but he won't force me to participate. That's another thing that makes me love him a little more.
"When was this joyride scheduled for anyway?" I whisper into his ear. He lifts his head up lazily, eyebrows raised.
"Half an hour ago."
I hum in contemplation.
"Do you mind helping me pack my bag?"
He jerks up, a sudden energy injected into his being.
"Seriously?"
I go to my closet and retrieve a new set of clothes to pack inside my backpack. Sergio grabs my deodorant and a lighter off my desk.
"What? You didn't expect me to let your magnificent birthday planning go to waste now did you?"
Sergio grins wildly. He takes my bag from me and stuffs the two items in.
"I surely hoped not."
Less than twenty minutes later we're inside Sergio's Kia. He pulls out onto the crowded Atlanta highway, heading away from the city. I wonder where he's taking me outside the city. It's not long before I catch sight of the green sign marking the campground ahead. Sergio reaches out to take hold of my hand over the console. His eyes dart to the sign and he pulls off on the exit leading to it.
"Worth the wait?" He questions happily, further confirming my guess.
I look at the mass of foliage whirling past us. A bit of excitement builds from the bottom of my stomach. I always did like camping.
"How did you know I would like camping?"
Sergio opens his mouth, forehead pinching adorably as he speaks.
"Well you see I remembered that small story you told me about when you went camping. You seemed to enjoy it immensely when you told the story. I thought you'd like to do it again."
I smile to myself. He actually remembered that silly little story I told him all those months ago. I never expected him to remember it, but in all honestly I'm glad he did. We pull into the parking area of the designated campground a few minutes later. It's simply beautiful to say the least. The grounds themselves are covered in thick, soft looking grass surrounded by a shroud of woods. There's only one tent set up out of the entire campground, and I know without a doubt that it is ours. Blue, dark violet, and silver colored balloons are attached to the top part of the decently sized gray colored tent. Outside of the tent lays a plaid, blue and green blanket I assume will be used later on in the evening.
I turn back to pull Sergio into my arms when I see him pulling a cake box from the trunk. He has a silly grin on his face while he saunters over. I suppose he's wasting no time.
"Are you ready to enjoy your finally enjoy your birthday?" He questions, discarding the cake box onto a small wooden table near the plaid blanket. He ducks into the tent and comes back out holding paper plates, plastic utensils, a bottle of wine, and two wine flutes. I eye the bottle curiously.
"Living life dangerously are we?" I ask, gesturing to the wine.
Sergio sticks his tongue out at me, fishing his hand unashamed into my pocket for my small knife I always carry. He would no longer have a left hand if he was anyone else besides my lovely boyfriend.
"I figure it's about time I had my first legal drink seeing as my twenty first birthday was back in March. I wanted to wait for your own twenty first before I did though."
He jabs my knife into the cork of the bottle, yanking it out in one smooth motion.
I lean back onto my hands and watch him set everything up. I don't think I'll ever grow tired of simply watching him move. Or blush, or mumble my name in his sleep, or have me assist him in putting on shirts even though he's fully capable of doing it himself. Hell I don't think I'll ever grow tired of loving him. Sergio could be my soulmate if I believed in such a thing.
My focus snaps back to him once I hear the flick of the lighter being lit. He holds the cake in his hands, a skillfully decorated blue and round desert, out towards me. White candles form the shape of a twenty one across the surface. I can see the pride in his eyes as he looks upon the creation. He must've made it himself.
"Happy Birthday love. Make a wish," He prompts me, holding the cake a little higher. I chuckle and blow out the candles in one huff. He sets the cake down onto the blanket while he giggles and goes for the cutter he brought along.
"I'm surprised you didn't break out into the Happy Birthday song," I tease. Sergio rolls his eyes at me, cutting the first piece and putting it into my hands.
"Would you like me to do it now?"
I shake my head quickly. Sergio shoves at my shoulder, an unhappy frown forming on his lips. Perhaps I responded to that a little too quickly. Never the less, I pull him into my lap by one arm around his waist. He squeals at the sudden motion, developing a death grip on the paper plate holding the chocolate cake slice identical to my own.
"So, what did you wish for?"
He pokes the fluffy desert with the edge of the fork, devouring the bite in a second. I dip my finger into the frosting on my slice and sneakily drag it across the side of his cheek. Sergio's eyes go wide as saucers and he turns, quite ticked off, towards me.
"You didn't."
I grin. "I did."
I see Sergio raise his own plate but I don't block him fast enough. The chocolate frosting and cake smash onto my face and into my mouth and nose.
"And that's why you don't put frosting on me," Sergio proclaims. I blink the frosting out of my eyes to glare playfully at him. He has no idea what storm he's brought upon himself now.
My arms come tight around his waist to lock him against me. I flip him onto the ground, seating myself above his hips. His eyes lock onto mine and I know he's working out exactly what I'll do in response. He shouldn't have to guess; I always do the same thing every time he retaliates against me.
I bring my lips down onto his in a rush, allowing my fingers to find refuge within his natural waves of black hair. Beneath me he mumbles against my lips. More than likely it's in protest about the cake being transferred onto him. I couldn't care less.
I embrace him atop the blanket. The afternoon sunlight beats through my clothing. I open my eyes for a quick second and catch sight of his smooth face blemished by icing and cake bits. I break out into uncontrollable laughter, falling along the side of him. Our legs remain wrapped around one another's.
"It's not funny," Sergio pouts adorably. His forehead is pinched like it always gets when he's irritated or embarrassed. I lick my thumb to wipe a bit off of his cheek out of an attempt to lighten his mood. When it smears it more I bite back a laugh and peck his cheek over the icing.
"It actually is."
He pushes away from me to lift the hem of his shirt and wipe his face clean. The glimpse of his flat tan stomach makes my heart pound against my chest
"What are you looking at?" He snaps defensively at me. I grimace.
"Oh nothing at all," I hum. Sergio doesn't buy it. Instead he chooses to clean up the aftermath of our miniscule cake war. I settle down onto my back to watch the clouds float above me.
"I'm sorry I made you mad," I speak out loud, hoping it'll reach Sergio from within his petty anger cloud. I know I shouldn't have to apologize, but I don't want to be stuck in an argument all day.
I hear the plates drop back into the container they came from, and Sergio sigh.
"You don't need to apologize. I got angry and out of hand earlier. I'm sorry."
I tense, ready to move to his side in the next five seconds to check on him. This isn't like Sergio to get out of hand, even beneath understandable circumstances like me smearing icing all over him. The touch of him lying down beside me startles me from my thoughts. He tucks his head between my arm and chest.
"Are you sure you want to camp today? We can go home. I don't mind at all," I prompt him worriedly.
The top of his hand pats my stomach.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry. Hey do you want to take a dip in the lake?"
I lift my head up to inspect the area around us. All I see for what appears to be miles is thick foliage and trees.
"There's a lake?"
Sergio pulls himself away from me for the second time in the last hour. He extends a hand down to me and helps me up from the blanket. I take hold of his hand as he begins to walk towards the edge of the woods.
"Lead the way."
It takes about twenty minutes of walking through the humid, wet woods before we finally break out into a beautiful clearing. It's small to say the least, and covered by thick green grass and wildflowers. At the center of it sits a small lake surrounded by naturally formed brown rocks. Glittering colorless water shines in the sunlit falling evening. The entire place is secluded from the campsite. I wouldn't be surprised if the owners didn't know about it at all.
"How did you know about this?" I ask aloud, walking forward to the lake. Sergio drags behind me. He releases my hand to tug his shirt off.
"I researched it online before I planned to take you here. One of the people who frequently camp here says he stumbled upon a hidden lake some twenty minutes east from the site. I loosely followed his directions a week ago and voila. Here we are."
We reach the perimeter of the perfect little water formation quickly. I tug my own shirt off now, and shimmy out of my jeans promptly. It's a perfect day for May; warm enough for swimming.
I'm the first to slide into the surprisingly warm water. Naturally formed pebbles rub slickly against my feet as I settle against one edge of the lake. Sergio removes his pants slowly, eyes averted, and slips in without speaking. Uneasiness spreads from my core. Something is definitely up with this man, which begs a question. Why won't he tell me outright?
I wade over to him slowly. He keeps his arms wrapped around his bare chest as if the water is freezing.
"Sergio?"
His head snaps up startled. I hold my hands up, chuckling uneasily.
"Love what's wrong?"
He shakes his head. A clearly forced smile slips onto his lips. I recall only a few times when he's used it on me, and none ultimately worked out for his betterment.
"It's nothing Ty. I told you, you don't need to worry. Let's enjoy your birthday."
I sigh out loud, rushing forward to take him into my arms and hold him flush against my chest. The water splashes up between us. I lay my head along his shoulder, my lips close to the skin of his neck.
"Tell me what's wrong. Please."
His head bows. "There's nothing wrong Ty."
I run my hands along the sides of his waist mercilessly. In response Sergio breaks out into involuntary jerking and tries to slither out from my grasp.
"Are you going to tell me now?"
He shakes his head quickly, gasping for a good breath. I press my lips against the side of his neck. All the while I keep up my tickling attack. After a few minutes he gives.
"Okay! I'll tell you. St-stop okay!"
I release him and wade backwards until I find a resting place among the rocks. He swims easily towards me, settling himself atop my lap. His presence alone causes a calm feeling to pass over my entire body.
"Go on," I prompt him, beginning to rub comforting circles against the lower part of his back.
"I'm transferring to another college," He blurts out all at once. I stare at him for a moment, processing his words to ensure I understood them correctly. Then, when I realize his entire behavior all day was based on this small decision he made on his own, I burst out into uncontrollable laughter once again.
"What's so funny?" Serg questions. A slight offense edges his tone. I take his head between my hands and plant a hard kiss on his lips.
"That's why you've been acting weird all day?"
"More or less," Sergio mumbles deflated. I grin.
"And you thought I'd be mad when I found out?"
"More or less," He repeats shyly.
I shake my head, biting my lip to hide the huge smile I want to show.
"Silly man. Where are you transferring to?"
"There's an art institute only thirty minutes from here," He starts. I can hear the passion rising in his voice. "I'm going to keep the apartment, and I'm going to drive there every day. Nothing much is going to change besides me not being around as much."
I nod my head to show I'm listening and understanding.
"Okay, make sure everyone at this place understands one thing though. My babe, is my babe. Therefore don't touch, look, wink, flirt, compliment, hold, wave, or stare at my babe even if it's to admire his clothes or hairstyle. That's my job."
Sergio smacks my bare chest causing a loud noise to echo throughout the empty woods. I laugh out loud at the startled look on his face.
"You know you don't have to worry about anything like that," He pouts. I brush his wet hair away from his smoldering eyes.
"I know. I'll simply have to pop up every now and again to ensure all those other promiscuous artists don't think you're unaccounted for."
Sergio sticks his tongue out at me. I lean forward and kiss it before he can lurch away.
"Are we good now?"
Sergio nods happily, splashing a bit of water onto my face. I release him from my arms in shock.
"Very good," He laughs gleefully. I confine him within my arms again, dropping us both backwards into the depths of the lake.
"You know you never answered my question from earlier," Sergio questions me sometime later back at the campsite.
"Oh? I forgot. What was it?" I answer, fully knowing what he means. Sergio pokes a finger into my chest to let me know he doesn't buy my forgetful act for a minute.
"I asked what you wished for when you blew out your candles," He states flatly.
I draw him closer to my chest on the blanket. The scent of the lake backed by my own floods my sense as the stars twinkle above us in the clear night sky. I don't believe I could've asked for a better birthday than the one he's given me today.
"I didn't wish for anything," I state flatly. Sergio's forehead pinches in confusion. The eyes I get lost in more often than I care to admit crinkle around the edges.
"Why not?"
I lean forward and press my lips passionately against his own.
"Because Sergio, I already have everything I could've ever wished for."