Sleep slowly released its grip on her as she stirred in bed. She could feel something soft lightly laying on her cheek. Her hand wandered up, eyes still closed, to touch it. She held it up, carefully examining it as she opened her eyes.
“Rose petal?” she whispered to herself. Sitting up in bed revealed a plethora of tiny red flower petals. Pushing the covers aside, she followed the small trail of them along the floor. Justin stood in the kitchen, quietly singing to himself.
“You’re up early,” she smiled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“And you’re not supposed to be up yet.” He walked over to her and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Happy birthday, babygirl. Now go back to bed. I’m making breakfast.”
“I’ve had your breakfast before. It comes in a box. And you pour milk over it. There is no ‘making’ to it.”
“Be nice or I’ll eat it all myself.” He walked back into the kitchen, starting to softly sing once again. Abbey turned and sauntered back into bed. Just as she was drifting back to sleep, Justin came walking in with a tray of food. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Abbey, happy birthday to you.”
He set the tray in front of her, a small candle stuck into a stack of pancakes. She grinned over at him before blowing it out.
“What’d you wish for?”
“Nothing. I have everything I need.” She reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling him to sit next to her. “You made this?” She surveyed the plate - pancakes, fresh fruit, and milk.
“Well, technically.”
“Are these those frozen pancakes that have been in my fridge since Thanksgiving?”
He laughed. “Yah, but I cut the fruit all by myself.”
“It’s perfect, Justin. This is the perfect way to start the day.” She leaned over, burying soft kisses in the nape of his neck.
The day had been exquisite. He took extra care in making sure that everything made her smile. From breakfast to dinner, everything had been perfect. Her head rested against his chest as they stared out the window.
“Thank you for today.”
“It’s not over yet.” He released her from his grasp and grabbed something from his pocket. As he brought his hands back up, she saw the silver necklace glimmer in the moonlight. It was a small and simple heart that hung sideways. He placed it around her neck and kissed her shoulder. “I wanted you to know that you have my heart.”
She smiled as he continued to place kisses on her neck and shoulder. “You’re too good to me.”
“It’s because I love you.”
“I know, I love you too.”
He spun her around to face him. “I really love you, Abbey. I mean, just saying it doesn’t seem enough.”
She placed one hand behind his neck and slowly brought her lips up to meet his. Breaking their embrace, he guided her back to the bed. He grinned slyly unbuttoning his pants and inching towards her.
They stayed together, kissing, hugging, loving, caressing, making love for hours. Before he drifted off to sleep, he softly began to sing, his fingers running through her soft hair.
I’m gonna love you
Like nobody’s loved you
Come rain or come shine
High as a mountain
Deep as a river
Come rain or come shine
*****
Sleep had not yet overtaken her as she lay there against Justin’s warm chest. When the phone rang, it was almost as though she had been expecting it. A few short responses later, and she was up out of bed.
She threw on a sweatshirt and jeans, covered her messy hair with a beanie, and grabbed her shoes.
“Don’t go tonight. Call him back and tell him you’re not coming.”
“Justin, I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”
“I already miss you.” She smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
“One hour,” she whispered as she got up from the bed.
There he sat, as always, writing in the small notebook that rarely left his sight. He rolled his neck back, stretching and looked out the window. He smiled when he spotted her across the street. She half-waved and made her way into the coffee shop.
“You certainly don’t look any older,” he quipped.
“You better tell me that when I’m 40,” she laughed.
“Okay, so, yah, happy birthday. I just got you this little thing. It’s just. . yah, open it.” He handed her a small box and watched as she carefully pulled back the wrapping. She opened it to find a small butterfly figurine. She turned the small knob on the bottom and it began to play.
She recognized the song, closing her eyes and smiling as it played. “Clair de lune,” she sighed.
“Do you like it?”
Her eyes opened quickly.
“I love it. Thanks, Josh.” She kissed him on the cheek and rewound the knob, allowing the music box to play once again. “I can’t stay long tonight, though. I told Justin I’d only be here for a little while.”
“I don’t understand how you two ever hooked up. You do realize you two are exact opposites.”
“And opposites attract,” she laughed. “I don’t question it. He just makes me happy.”
“Oh, I know. I’m glad you two have each other. He’s a good guy.”
“You are too. All we need now is a good girl for ya and everything will be kosher.”
“I’m too busy for a girlfriend. I could never give her the time and attention she needs.”
“You sound so sad when you say that.” She brought her eyes down to catch his line of sight.
A smile covered his face once again. “I’m not, really. The right girl will come along eventually. I somehow doubt it will be at a coffee shop at three in the morning though.” He laughed, looking around at the desolate establishment. “I should head home. I’m actually pretty beat tonight.”
She grabbed the small box and walked towards the door, JC not far behind. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
“Yah, but lemme give you a ride home. It’s cold.”
“This isn’t cold. This is slightly chilly. I like it like this.”
“Come on, I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”
“Then I’ll just ignore you,” she laughed and began walking down the street.
“Abbey, indulge me just this once?”
“Sorry, Josh. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He rolled his eyes and walked to his car. With a quick glance back, he sighed to himself and headed home.
As she strolled down the street, the cool night air felt soft against her face. This was her favorite time of the day. Everything was peaceful and caliginous. The only substantial amount of light came from an occasional passing car. It was only a 10-minute walk from the coffee shop to her apartment, but it was just the time she needed. Random thoughts ran through her head. And she smiled to herself thinking about how lucky she was. She had an amazing boyfriend that she loved, and he obviously loved her back. There was her beloved childhood friend that somehow still had a touch of that boyish charm. Freelance photography took up much of her spare time, but it was something she loved. Life was as close to perfect as she thought she would ever get.
She took a deep breath and sighed. Stepping off the curb to cross the street, she lost her footing and tumbled forward. Tumbling forward into a blinding light, and then just darkness.
Chapter 4: Remnants of Life
Take Me Home!
