Jett

 

I wake up to the delicious smell of breakfast. It takes me a few seconds to remember where I am, because the light filtering in through the windows is not at all how it looks in my own bedroom. Then I remember I’m at a hotel, with Keanna.

Also, it’s my birthday, not that I really care. I haven’t talked about it at all since our flight to Colorado got cancelled. It just doesn’t seem important to care about a birthday when everything else is going on.

I open my eyes and find the rest of the bed empty. I blink a few times and sit up, yawning.

“Good morning,” Keanna says from across the room. She wheels in a cart from room service. There are stainless steel domes on top of several plates that smell like it’s probably maple syrup and bacon. And coffee.

I breathe in the scent of coffee and my mouth waters.

I go to stand up but she holds out her hand. “Nope! Stay where you are!”

I sit back down. Keanna grins at me and pushes the cart of food up to the bed. “Breakfast in bed?” I say as she hands me a tray.

She nods. “For my birthday boy.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that she remembered, even though I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this day. I smile and lean my head up to kiss her. “Thank you, love.”

She pours us some coffee and then she takes her tray to her side of the bed. The breakfast is glorious—pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and sliced fruit on the side. There’s even a number nineteen piped on my stack of pancakes in whipped cream.

“You’re amazing,” I tell her as I dig into my food.

“Nah, I’m just appreciating what I’ve got.”

We eat breakfast in bed and watch some Netflix on the hotel’s TV. When I’m finished, Keanna refuses to let me pick up my own tray. She carries it all to the room service cart and then keeps the coffee pitcher while putting the rest of it outside our room.

We head to the balcony with fresh cups of coffee and enjoy the morning view of the town. It’s chilly here, around sixty degrees, but with a throw blanket and some coffee, it’s really nice out here.

“I like this part of Texas,” Keanna says, cupping her coffee mug close to her lips. “The land is hilly and greener. Not as many people, either.”

“Dallas is pretty cool,” I agree. “I like the landscape a lot. Down at home it’s just flat, hot, dry land everywhere.”

Keanna peers out at the distance. “If our flight hadn’t been cancelled, we’d be sipping coffee while looking at snow-capped mountains right now.”

I look over at her, my breath hitching at how beautiful she looks in the orange glow of the morning sun. “This is good too.”

She smiles and it melts me inside.

“We should do this again tomorrow,” I say. “I hate that your Christmas presents aren’t here, but breakfast on the balcony will be nice.”

“Imagine how I feel,” Keanna says, her lips forming a pout. “I have your birthday and Christmas presents and you can’t get them yet!”

“I don’t need any gifts, baby.” I lean over and kiss her lips, which are warm and taste like French vanilla coffee creamer. “I just need you.”

She rolls her eyes. “You say that every year but I still don’t care. I will always get you a gift because I’ll always want to.”

She chews on her bottom lip and then gives me a look that’s a little nervous. “Actually… I was going to wait until later to do this…”

“Do what?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

She looks like she might change her mind at any time. I nudge her foot with mine. “Come on, tell me. I have to know now.”

She sighs, her cheeks turning a little pink. “I guess I’ll show you. Stay here.” She walks back into the hotel room and emerges a few seconds later with a little shopping bag from the gift shop. She holds it out to me.

“Since I don’t have your real present, I wanted to give you something. It’s kind of lame but…” She drops it into my hand. “I don’t know. Here.”

I take the bag, my heart filling with warmth at how cute she is when she’s nervous. She doesn’t need to be nervous though. I mean it when I say I don’t care for presents and I’m just happy with her. Anything she does get me, I love just because it came from her.

I reach into the bag and pull out a little notebook from the gift shop.

“The real gift is inside,” she explains.

I open the cover. The first page has been decorated with Keanna’s handwriting and little doodles. I read the words she’s written and my heart melts a little.

 

50 Things I Love About You

 

To: Jett

From: Keanna

 

I look up and her and she gives me a bashful smile. “I know it’s lame,” she says quickly. “I just wanted to give you something on your birthday and the gift shop does not have very many options.”

“I love it,” I say. “I love it so much.”

I turn the page, then quickly flip through the entire thing. She’s filled every page with doodles and artwork in addition to words.

“This must have taken you forever,” I say, turning back to the first page.

 

Reason 1:

You saw past all my flaws on the first day we met.

 

“It took a while,” she says, yawning. “I had a lot of fun, though.”

I grin and my heart is beating so fast. All I want to do is read through all fifty reasons as fast as possible. But I also want to take my time, enjoying each one, and the memories they bring up. Like the first one, which takes me back to the day I met her.

She was beautiful and mysterious, and kind of a jerk to me. I smile inwardly. I loved her right from the start, even if I didn’t realize it yet.

“Thank you,” I say, pressing the little book to my chest. “I love this so much. I can’t wait to read them all.”

Her nervous smile fades away. “You really like it?”

“I love it. This is so much better than what I got you for Christmas.”

She sets her coffee cup on the balcony and then throws her arms around me. I pull her into my lap, holding tightly to her and my new notebook.

“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I whisper against her ear. She snuggles closer to me, her arms wrapped around my neck. In this moment, I feel not only one year older and one year happier. I feel complete.

And I know without a doubt that this birthday is the best one I’ll ever have.

 

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