Welcome to New Haven (80 page)

How does he make everything look so damn sexy?!

A pair of black sweatpants and a plain, navy blue, T-shirt and his hair still wet from the shower.
 

“Hi babe.” He said as he beamed his pant melting smile.
 

“Hey there, sexy.” She whispered. She didn’t want his parents to hear what she said to their son.
 

“Happy birthday.”

Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for a knee quivering kiss.

He tasted like strawberries, pancakes, and Alex.

“I missed you.” He said as he pulled back, gazing into her eyes.

His big, deep brown eyes and his thick black eyelashes.

Staring right into her.

Seeing her.

“I missed you too.” Holly said as she regained control of her legs and walked into the house, Alex leading her in.

Dev came through to greet her in the hallway and squealed in excitement.

“Holly! Hi!” She said in a high pitched tone.

“Ears, Dev” chuckled Alex.
 

“Sorry. I’m just sooo excited!” Dev bounced with a huge grin on her face.
 

“Really? I would never have guessed.” He said, laughing at his sister.
 

“Oh shush, Alex. Come through Hol.” Dev practically dragged Holly through to the dining room and sat down.

Alex held onto Holly and as he sat, he pulled her onto his lap.
 

“Here are yours…” She said to Dev, handing her a gift bag. “And these are for you, Alex.” She said as she placed his bag on the table.
 

“You didn’t have to buy me anything.” Alex said, as he saw that his bag was full.
 

“Yes I did, and I wanted to.” She said as she stroked his face. “Because I love you.”

Alex pulled Holly’s mouth to his for a deep, loving kiss.

“I love you.” He said as he released her lips.
 

“Open yours first!” Dev said, bouncing in her chair.

She seemed more excited about Alex’s gifts than her own.
 

“Open your card first, and then these. They’re more…practical.” Holly said as she bit her lip nervously.

Alex opened his card first.

On the front, it said ‘To my amazing boyfriend’ It was covered with hearts and pictures of presents.
 

He opened it to read the message.
 

To my Alex,

Have an amazing 18
^th
Birthday today.

You deserve so much happiness and joy,

Not just today, but everyday

And I hope you get everything you wish for

And more.

You are my all.

I love you…forever.

Holly.

XxxxX

Alex looked up at Holly, an emotional tear in his eyes.
 

“You’re my everything.” He whispered.

Dev was wiping her cheeks.

“It’s too early guys; I’m a mess here! Open your presents!”

“Sorry, Dev.” They both said and giggled.

Alex opened the first gift.

It was a monogrammed personalized leather style covered book.
 

The design was and old English style ‘A’ in a decorative square, in the bottom right corner.
 
It had ‘Alex’ in cursive writing underneath.

He opened the cover and took a sharp breath as he saw the paper inside.

It was Arches watercolor paper! It was his favorite paper to work with.

“Wow Oh my God!” He was stunned. “How did you get a book of this? With my name on too!”
 
He was amazed because he’d only thought the paper was available as separate sheets or sold in packs.

Holly had gotten it personalized too.

“Um…I didn’t. I got that made. I could only get the paper in packs so…Do you like it?”

“Like it? I
love
it! How did you know this was my favorite to draw on?”

Holly grinned.

“I pay attention.” She said with a smirk. Alex had said that to her, on their first date, when she asked how he knew she would be needing chocolate in a few weeks.
 

Holly passed him the next present. Another of
 
his favorites.

A tin of sixty Faber Castell polychrome color pencils.

She really
did
pay attention.

Alex didn’t open anything else before he pulled her lips to his.
 

“Babe, I know they cost a fortune…” He said, slightly narrowing his eyes in feigned annoyance, whilst stroking her hair.
 

“You’re more than worth it.” She said, which made his chest ache. “Now, open this one.”
 
She reached into the bag and brought out another that felt like a book.
 

He tore off the paper.

The black cover had ‘18+’ in silver printed in the center.

As the book was closed, Alex saw that the edges of the pages had a word printed.
 

‘Recuerdos’ memories.

He opened the cover, and his breath hitched as he saw a handwritten message on the onside, with a thin coating to protect it.
 

Happy 18
^th
Birthday, Alex

Make some good

Memories

Love, Holly

Xx

There was also a pink kiss print.

Alex looked to Holly’s mouth and smiled.
 

“You kissed this.” He said, and she nodded.
 

On each page, her handwriting had been printed.
 
They read around the page, leaving room in the center for pictures or scrap items. The two top messages read ‘Date’ and ‘Memory’. The bottom two read ‘Where is it?’ and ‘Who’s here?’

You had this made too, didn’t you?” It was a statement rather than a question.
 

“You got this
before
we were together too.”

Holly flushed.

“Yeah, I designed it the Tuesday before we went to Riss’ house. I picked it up after taking Em to the airport.

"“So you were going to give this to me, with your kiss inside, regardless of what happened between us?” Alex felt so much love for Holly; it was actually painful. If he hadn't had spoken to her via chat, in Tech class, or if nether of them knew how the other felt, she was still going to give this to him, with her kiss, showing him she had feelings for him.

His eyes misted again, and Holly ran her fingers over his cheek.

“It was kind of a way to say I liked you…without telling you.”

Alex hugged her tight, and she wrapped her arms around him as he lifted his face to lightly kiss her soft, full lips.
 

“Three more.” She whispered.

“You’ve gotten me too much already.” He said.
 

“I love you…and besides…you’re only eighteen once. Here.” She handed him another.
 

“I love you, babe.” He smiled lovingly at his strikingly beautiful girlfriend.

His gift was a bluetooth smartphone printer.

“To go with your memory book.”

“I wouldn’t have…how did…? Oh my God! You’ve thought of everything!” He chuckled in amazement.

Holly smiled, and then he saw she looked a little nervous.
 

“Here.” She handed him a small wrapped box.

When he opened it up, there were two silver rings inside.

”I had one made smaller for me. I guessed your size, so I hope it fits. They go on the hand you write with, I think.”

Alex took the rings out of the box. He tried his on the middle finger of his left hand. It fit perfectly. He took her right hand and slid the ring on her finger.

His stomach was filled with butterflies with the thought of putting a different ring on her finger…on the other hand.

Soon. But, even that’s not soon enough.

He looked at their hands as he held her right with his left, and he smiled.

“What do the numbers mean? They look like coordinates.”

Holly smiled secretively.

“I’ll let you find that out for yourself.” She winked. “Last one, and this is the fun one.” She chuckled.
 

As Alex opened the box, he laughed loudly.

“Nerf guns!”

“If Ben or the others annoy you, you can fire these at them. I got two so you can either play together or have double the fire power.”

“Thank you so much, babe.” He said, his breath catching in his throat. “I love everything, and I love you…forever.” He said, and he crushed his lips to hers.
 

Holly’s fingers snaked into his hair as she pulled his mouth harder to hers, angling her head to deepen the kiss. Her tongue entered his mouth, tasting him.
 
Her hot, moist lips feeling like heaven against his own.

One of his hands held her close to him, around her waist, as the other slid to her thigh. His fingers digging into her leg with enough pressure to cause her to squeeze her thighs together.

He knew what that meant.
 

There was a noise as Dev cleared her throat.
 

“Did I say too early? I’m pretty sure I did.” She said with a sniffle.
 

“Dev, what’s up?” Alex asked as he and Holly were both concerned for her.
 

“Nothing. It’s beautiful to see you two like this.” She said as she perked up.
 

Dev opened her girly, glittery birthday card that read ‘To My Best Friend On Her 18
^th
Birthday’, which Made Dev beam with delight.

She pulled out her first gift which was a vintage style pansy blossom bracelet.
 

It had olive green glass beads and a collection of a blue flower, a leaf and berry beads.
 
The lobster lock and extension chain had the designers’ stamp disc on the end.
 

“Oh my God it’s gorgeous!” Dev squealed.

She practically screamed when she opened her platinum diamond studded hoop earrings.
 

“Holly! Oh my God!”

When Dev opened her gift card, she froze.
 

“You didn’t…” Said Dev, in shock.
 

“I did.” Holly replied.

Alex looked between the two girls, a puzzled look on his face.
 

“What? What is it?” He asked.
 

“The dress I was looking at. The bandage dress. They didn’t have it in my size.”
 

“You just need to try it now, in case it needs any more alterations.”

When the girls had gone shopping, and Dev had seen a gorgeous mid thigh length bandage dress in deep red. It had thick straps and a square neckline. She was deeply upset that the dress wasn’t available in her size, or in of the other stores. Holly bought the dress, secretly, and had taken it to a dressmaker for alterations base on the sizes Holly knew Dev wore.
 

Dev reached across and pulled Holly into a stranglehold of a hug.

“I have a free period before lunch. I’ll get a cab and pick it. I can’t wait!”

Dev teared up when she opened her last gift.

Holly knew Dev loved fairies and sparkly things, and had seen her collection in her room. This gift was perfect for her.

It was a large glitter globe with a base that looked like an enchanted garden with tiny butterflies and ladybugs among the trees and flowers. Inside, sat on a daisy, was a dark haired fairy wearing a short, lilac, jagged hemmed dress.
 
She was holding up a silver ’18’. Dev shook the globe and gasped as she saw hundreds of tiny D’s and V’s swirling and swimming inside.

Another custom gift.

“Oh Hol, it’s so beautiful.” She said in barely a whisper as she wiped more tears from her cheeks.
 

“Thank you.” She cried as she tackled Holly again.

Evie and Rami walked into the dining room, and the twins proudly showed them the thoughtful gifts from Holly.
 
Evie and Rami said that much they loved how Holly had known exactly what both Alex and Dev would like.

They especially like the rings Alex and Holly wore.

“What do the numbers mean?” asked Rami. “They look like coordinates.”
 

“That’s what I said.” Said Alex.
 

“For where?” Evie asked.
 

“Alex will have to find that out for himself.” Holly chuckled.
 

“I’ll check on my iPad.”
 
His parents had gotten him a new one for his birthday.

Rami passed it over so Holly didn’t have to get up off Alex’s lap. Alex brought up Google Earth and searched by coordinates, and it zoomed in on their school.

Holly smiled, and he saw her blush.

“Is it…?” He narrowed his eyes in thought. He realized exactly where it was and gazed into Holly’s eyes.
 

“I have a good idea where it is.
 
The corridor…the spot you almost walked into me when we first met.”

Holly nodded as her smile grew bigger. Evie placed a hand over her mouth and one on her heart.
 
Her eyes filled with tears of emotion that threatened to spill over.
 

“Aww!” Said Dev. That’s so romantic. Holly, that’s so beautiful.”
 

Alex embraced her tenderly. She had gotten the location of their first meeting, captured forever in the engravings.
 

“I’ll make us all coffee.” Evie said as she left the room, still choked up from the romantic gift.
 

Both Alex’s and Dev’s phones beeped.
 

“Ben. Hmph.” Said Dev.

B: Happy birthday dude! Now you’re finally an adult. Like me. :D

A: Thanks, man. :)

B: Mom’s borrowing my car, she’s dropping me off.

Be there soon.

“He’s on his way over.” Said Alex. “I’ll go change.”
 

As Holly got off his lap and helped him put the gifts away in the bag, he kept hold of her hand to take her with him.
 
Dev followed to put her things away too.