𝟐𝟔

♕

𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑠'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑣

"Happy Birthday, Mamma!"

Aurora looked up from her computer and smiled at Ariella and I's position. We were sneakingly peeking our heads into her home office with huge grins on our faces.

'Thank you, princess.' Aurora mouthed before lifting a finger to her lips and quietly shushing her daughter, reverting her attention back to whomever she was on call with.

Ariella and I giggled, allowing Aurora to finish up with work as we headed over to the kitchen.

It had been a month since everything with Aurora's parents went down.

She didn't want to stay in the town any longer after Mr. and Mrs. Romane's appearance.

After the funeral, Aurora was quick to pick up tiny belongings from her nonna's home before we made our way back to the city. Even though we were back home, Aurora and Ariella still mourned, we mourned together, and we continued to because although Nonna's body was rested beneath us, it didn't mean that the absence of one's soul is just suddenly forgotten.

Aurora had been doing better, of course not fully recovered, but she has made so much progress; with her wine consumption, her overworking habits, and her grief.

It didn't matter if there were nights where I would awake from sleep to hear her soft cries. The fact that she was allowing those emotions to flow out was better than letting them build up. So when it did happen, I wrapped my arms tightly around her and gave her the security of crying without judgement. She'd cry herself to exhaustion and eventually sleep.

And I would be there for her every single night.

Today was a celebration, something that I've been planning for. After everything that has happened. . . all I've wanted is to see that beautiful smile form on my lover's face.

"Can I try the icing? What if it's too sweet?"

I looked down at Ariella with a knowing look, playfully rolling my eyes at her doe-eyed facial expression.

"We've been down this road before, Sunshine." she giggled as I picked her up, setting her down on top of the counter.

"But—"

I tsked and adjusted the party hat on her head, "Nope."

And then I bopped her nose with my pointer finger.

Laughter came from behind us and I was quick to flip my body around, recognizing the voice immediately.

"Happy Birthday!" Ariella and I screamed once more with the utmost excitement.

The blonde, dressed in a pair of black sweats and a plain grey tank, smiled at the both of us. She tickled Ariella after luring her in with a forehead kiss before her arms wrapped themselves around my waist.

"Thank you, amore." she mumbled, pecking my lips.

I could only grin, "It's nothing, my love."

And it truly was nothing, just yet.

"Yuck!"

We both turned to look at Ariella's disgusted face, falling into a fit of giggles together.

"I'm sorry, princess." Aurora pouted, delivering a cheek kiss to the young blonde.

Ariella blushed, "You're forgiven."

"What flavor is it?" Aurora questioned, nodding her head towards the homemade cake with a smile.

It was a chocolate fudge cake that had strawberry filling. I wanted the cake to be simple but enjoyable for Ariella so that she felt included, so I allowed her to frost the cake with buttercream, which she honestly did very good at with my assistance, and place the chocolate strawberry atop the cake. It didn't matter that it wasn't perfect. I knew that Ro would appreciate the teamwork no matter what, as long as it came from her two favorite girls.

"Wanna try a piece?" I grinned, itching to grab a knife in order to cut her a slice.

I desperately wanted to see her reaction to the combination that Ariella and I had come up with.

"Of course I do." the older blonde mumbled, releasing my body from her grasp so that I could cut us all a slice of the, hopefully, masterpiece.

Only the best for my woman.

After cutting three slices and placing them all onto glass plates, we headed into the living room to watch the live action Maleficent film. It'd just recently come out and Aurora wanted to see it.

So we sat in the warm living area; plates full of cake in our laps, the glow of the fire place reflecting from our faces, and grins on our faces as we walked down memory lane with the nostalgic movie choice.

Suprisingly, Ariella didn't fall asleep to the movie. I'm sure it's because she was just as excited for today as any of us.

Once the movie was completely over, I, more like Ariella, hurried Aurora off to the bedroom with only a simple task; dress as cute as possible.

As the clueless woman disappeared behind the door, Ariella and I were quick to take action.

♕

𝑎𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑟𝑎'𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑣

I bit down on my bottom lip with a sigh. It's been a while since I've been completely dressed up. I was never insecure in my looks, but something about today was different.

My hair was curled and sat loosely over my shoulders. The pink, lacy dress that I wore hugged my curves perfectly as they were paired with a set of gold heels. I hadn't done much makeup— just a little gloss, blush, and mascara.

I felt beautiful and yet something was off.

Maybe it was that I was actually turning thirty which would be a huge milestone in my life.

Or maybe I'm still not fully confident in myself.

Before I could dive too much into my overwhelming thoughts, a note slid from underneath the other side of my door.

I furrowed my eyebrows and walked toward the white piece of paper that sat on the floor, picking it up from below my feet. It was a white notecard that had a light blue ribbon tied around it.

I cracked a smile once seeing the familiar handwriting of my girlfriend.

This must be her surprise for today.

It was obvious that she was planning something.

Was I aware of what it was? Of course not. That would just ruin the experience for all of us.

The card read;

I'm sure you look stunning, my love. Your carriage awaits you outside ;)

I giggled at the small but thoughtful letter, laying it down atop my vanity before reaching for my handbag.

I observed myself in the mirror once more before leaving, whispering slight affirmations to myself with the help of my lover's written words.

And then I was off down the stairs.

The house was quiet. Much quieter than it was an hour ago. There was no sound of Ariella's tiny foot patters as she ran into the kitchen to tease Iris who was baking desserts in the kitchen. It was a current thing that happened in our home. Ariella would catch Iris baking up a new recipe that she'd grabbed from her mom's handmade book and would pester the woman about if she could help by "trying" it.

It often led to a tummy ache, but who would ever say no to such a sweet face?

The memory of my girls made me smile to myself.

I really am a lucky woman.

With a deep breath, I opened the front door and immediately froze.

When she said carriage I expected it to be an exaggeration. Never did I think that a white, dream-like carriage that was supported by a brown horse would actually be standing in front of my house.

My breath got caught in my throat and I all of a sudden was starstruck.

The familiar sound of Iris' melodious laugh echoed from in front of me.

"You getting in?"

♕