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I hate surprises.
Especially when I don't know what the surprise is. Everyone had been dodging my questions regarding the surprise saying that I'll get to know what it is after school but this wait and curiosity is killing me with each passing second. Everyone except for me know what the surprise is and that's totally not fair. I feel so left out.
"Quit pouting. You making cute faces won't result in us telling you what our plans are." Ridge snickers, throwing his arms around my waist as we all walk out of the school gates, heading for my surprise. When we reach the parking lot, Ridge opens the passenger seat door for me, gesturing me to get inside.
Tanner and Em have given him strict orders to keep me away from my own house until they one of them specifically say so. Huffing, I bend down to get inside but stop when I see another black envelope on the seat. I throw my bag in the backseat and stand up straight with the letter in my hand.
"There are more sweetheart." He gives me a cheeky grin.
I roll my eyes at him and open it.
I like you because you are bold and confident.
"That I am." I give him a soft kiss on his cheek, getting in the car. He laughs at me, getting in the car himself. We buckle up and then he peels the car out of the parking, heading for the road.
"So now that I'm forbidden from going to my own house, can you please take me to get some ice cream?" I ask him.
"Sure." He nods, taking hold of my hand, placing it on the center console. "Whatever you want."
"If that's the case, then tell me what the surprise is please. This curiosity is killing me." I whine, playing with his fingers.
He glances my way for a second, then looks back at the road, snickering. "Sorry babe. I cannot. I wish I could but I don't have a death wish. You know how scary Emilia can get with her threats."
I roll my eyes at him. Of course Em has threatened him. "I'll buy you food." I provide.
"I'll buy you double the amount of food you're offering me if you stop asking me what the surprise is." He counters, looking at me with amusement. Since he had offered me food, I succumb to his deal and settle down in my seat more comfortably.
"Only because you offered food, I'm letting thi-" The shrill voice of a phone ringing stops me. I look at Ridge's phone on the dashboard ringing, Em's name flashing on the screen. Hurriedly, i pick it up and answer the call.
"Can we come now?" I ask, my patience running thin.
I hear Em laughing on the other side. "Yes you can honey."
"Okay bye." I say and hang up immediately. "My house. Now!"
He laughs loudly at my behaviour. "Your wish is my command."
Five minutes later we are parked right outside my house. Hastily, I step out of the car, picking my bag from the bag seat simultaneously. I see a lot of cars in my driveway which means everyone except for me is there. With long quick strides, I'm standing right in front of my house, ringing the doorbell continuously, leaving Ridge behind me.
The door opens slowly, revealing all of my friends at the door. My smile slips from my face, a confused look crossing my mind. "This is my surprise?"
"I do not give such dull surprises honey." A familiar feminine voice says from behind my friends. They make space for me to get inside, and then I see that it's my Aunt Veronica standing there with a big smile on her face. I run towards her and launch myself in her arms, hugging her as tight as possible. She laughs and wraps her arms around me, her familiar scent surrounding me with her warmth and love.
I pull away from her and start attacking her with my questions. "Oh my god, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be in Australia now? When did you even get here? You should've told me that you were coming. And where's Nathan and you baby boy, Dave? Are they with--"
"Lydia, sweetie, breathe." She shakes me a little, stopping me from speaking any further. She cups my face in her hands, kissing my forehead.
"Still the same. Impatient and restless." She laughs heartily. "I came here because I missed you and that careless brother of mine. Also, I'll be here for a month and yes Nathan and Dave are here too. They are in the living room, waiting for you to come home."
I pull her in a tight hug, burying my face in her hair. "I missed you so much."
I pull away from her and head straight for the living room to see all of my friends already there, talking with each other.
I spot Nathan standing near the kitchen door with dad who's holding Dave in his arms.
"Nate." I call out, walking towards him quickly, tackling him in a hug. He staggers a little bit, surprised I guess but recovers quickly, wrapping me in his embrace.
"I missed you too, bunny." He laughs, kissing my head affectionately. Oh how much I missed this nickname. Nathan is Aunt Veronica's husband. They got married when I was six. I remember him calling me bunny ever since I won in a costume competition when I wore a rabbit costume.
I pull away from him, my attention on the little kid in dad's arms. Dave. They adopted him three years back when Aunt Veronica' best friend died in a car crash. She died but Dave survived somehow. And since Aunt Veronica couldn't conceive a child, they adopted him.
I take him from dad's hold, settling him in my arms, kissing his soft cheeks. His blue eyes stare at me as he gives me a smile. "Hello Lee."
Since he's only three, he cannot pronounce my name that clearly so he calls me Lee every time he sees me.
"Hi baby boy." I coo, kissing his face. "You're so cute." He giggles, laughing with me as I tickle his sides.
"Come on, it's time to cut the cake" Erica comes from my side. She starts making silly faces at Dave who's laughing loudly, his cute giggles making everyone laugh along with him.
"Cake. I want cake." He says, pinching my cheeks. "Lee, can I get cake?"
"Of course honey. You can have all the cake." I giggle at his question.
"Excuse me, stop spoiling my child Lydia. We can no handle another you in the family." Nate exclaims, crossing his arms across his chest.
"You're just jealous that your kid will tun out more awesome than you." I stick my tongue out at him. Dave copies my gestures, doing the same.
"Yes daddy, we eat cake." He mumbles, hugging me tightly. "Lee gives me cake."
I laugh at his innocence, kiss his head and then put him down on the floor. He runs away yelling cake, making everyone laugh. Whiskey runs towards me, jumping on top of me. I notice that he's wearing a birthday hat, which is sparkly red in color. I hug him hard, scratching behind his ears. "Hi buddy."
He barks in response, nuzzling my cheek with his nose, licking all over my face. Giggles escape my mouth, when he uses his paws to hug me, as it tickles my skin.
I pull away from him, kissing his head once. Standing up straight I walk towards the living room where everyone's waiting for me. I see a beautiful rainbow cake on the table, with white frosting on top and my name on it.
"I baked this." Erica announces excitedly.
"I already love the cake." I exclaim.
I cut the cake, while everyone sings the birthday song for me, well it's mainly Dave who's singing loudly, standing one one side and Whis on the other, wagging his tail. After we are done with the cake fiasco, the adults retreat to dad's room with Whis and Dave trailing behind, leaving my friends and I in the living room.
I sink down on the couch next to Ridge, resting my head on his shoulder, sighing in content. "Ah, I'm tired."
He kisses the crown of my head. "One thing is still left."
I lift my head up to look at him. "What?"
He stands up from his place, taking my hand in his. I get up as well, giving him a confused yet excited look. I open my mouth to tell everyone that we'll be back in a few minutes but notice that everyone's busy talking and laughing, so they won't really notice us gone.
Ridge and I walk upstairs to my room silently, the anticipation of what he wants to give me tying my stomach in knots. When we reach my room, I close the door behind me.
"What do you wanna give me?"I take a step towards him, toying with my bottom lip.
He shoves his hand in the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a small wooden box. I take it from his hands, examining the box. The size of the box resembles that of a ring. My breathing increases, heart starts beating loudly when I make eye contact with him. He gives me a soft smile, gesturing me to open it.
I bite my lip, taking a deep breath. I open the box to reveal a silver ring which has tiny crystals all over it's surface. Carefully, I take it out of the cushioned box, the delicate ring shining in my hands as light hits the diamonds. I'm mesmerized by the beauty of this. Completely awestruck.
"This-you a-how-I- oh my god." I stutter out. I'm left speechless by his gestures. "This is so beautiful."
"Look at the underside of the box." He whispers. I do as he says, and I'm again surprised when I see the words engraved on the box.
I like you because you feel like home.
I read that sentence like ten times before looking up at him. He gives me a smile smile, his hands lifting up to frame my face. "I know that we just started dating and this might feel too soon to you but I just wanna say that I like you a lot. I admire you a lot. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."
I giggle, putting my arms around his waist, the ring and the box held in my hands securely.
"And this is not a promise ring because I don't know what the future holds for us, but for as long as we are together, I'll never make you feel less loved." He whispers, kissing the crown of my head.
I close my eyes, savoring the feel of his lips lingering on my forehead. I want him to say those words to me, but I don't want to. Because we are not ready for that yet.
"Thank you so much for this." I whisper. I want to say more. Those three words are on the tip of my tongue but I cannot get them out of my mouth. And I think it's better.
I sigh, ducking my face in his chest and stay there for a moment, trying hard to contain my smile. I fail.
"What?" Ridge asks, managing to make me look at him.
"Nothing. I'm just happy." I shake my head and bury my face into his shoulder.
"No, tell me what it is?"
How do I tell him how happy I am to be here, in his arms? How lucky I am to feel him close to me. I'm flabbergasted and in awe by his mere presence.
I know that I'm not in love with him yet. But I know that I'm slowly getting there. I know I'm gonna fall for him at some point. And that scares me shitless, but it makes me happy too. He makes me happy. I want us to stay this way forever. Happy. Content. Like I'm dreaming.
"It's nothing. I'm just thankful to have you in my life." I whisper.
Except, nothing means everything.
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And we are done with this chapter! Share your thoughts with me!
Next update soon!
Till then,
Stay Safe and Stay Happy! <3