ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Cross Pov

“Wakie, wakie, birthday boy,”

Was what woke me up from sleep the next morning, we got to our cabin in Skaneateles lake, yesterday early, and had time to explore before we retired for the day, we went to the Charlie major nature trail on a bicycle, Katherine had complained all through the way, and kept cursing at me for making her suffer, I had a feed day laughing at her being angry because she was cute, I expected her to sleep in because even after we came back I didn’t let her sleep until the early hours of today, she was an early riser which I wasn’t, I hated waking up early.

“Are you going to get up or do you want the candle to burn out”

She asked and I opened my eyes to see her holding a cake, wondering where she got it from, I sat up on the bed.

“Good morning princess, where is the cake from?”

I asked rubbing my eyes to clear off sleep, I glanced at the time and it was already past nine am.,

“I went out and got it from a shop down the way,”

“What? That’s risky, you don’t even know your way around here,”

I scolded, I should have known when she left but I was too busy sleeping.

“It’s fine, I already saw the little bakery yesterday, and it wasn’t hard to locate now make a wish and blow off the candles,”

She commanded and I complied without arguing further, I clapped my hands together and made a wish before blowing out the candle.

“Happy Birthday Cross,”

She whispered before kissing me on the lips and then my cheeks, she spooned some cake and urge me to open my mouth, I did even though I don’t like cakes, I didn’t want her to feel bad since she worked for it and was thoughtful enough to get it, she also eats from it.

“Thank you, princess,”

I said wiping my mouth clean with a paper towel.

“You are welcome, I made breakfast,”

She said getting up from the bed, the cabin was a single room apartment with a tiny living room, tiny kitchen, and also a tiny restroom, it was cozy and honey despite its small state.

“Go take a bath so that we can eat or are you going to spend your birthday in bed? And also your mom called I told her you were still sleeping,”

She disclosed.

“Okay, I will call her back when I finish taking my bath,”

I said as I walked into the mini bathroom and took a bath and brushed my teeth by the time I came back, I met my phone ringing but before I could pick it up.

“Right, I better call her back or she will be mad,”

I said picking up my phone and dialing my mom’s number already preparing myself for another ear full, first I didn’t pick her call, and again I let her second call go unanswered, Arizona was three hours behind New York which means it was still early in Arizona and the nagging woman has already called twice, she always does that on my birthdays and God help me, she mostly scolds me and tells me to do what’s right, thank God for this time she wasn’t going to nag me to get married because I was already married.

“Happy birthday baby boy,”

She said when I picked the call.

“If that’s all there is,”

I mouthed rolling my eyes.

“What did you say?”

“I said good morning ma, and thank you,”

I lied.

“I called before and your wifey said you were still asleep and that you guys are having a weekend getaway,”

She said excitedly.

“Ma, why are you so excited, and why are you up so early, it’s basically six am back home,”

“It’s not too early to wish my son, stop misbehaving, anyway I will forgive you because for once you are doing what’s right,”

“Whatever ma,”

“Okay, I will let you go back to your wife, just know that I expect one thing from you before the year runs out,”

“What’s that?”

I asked even though I already had a clue if what she wanted and damn well, I was right.

“Of course a baby, a baby news will be the best present you will give me for giving birth to you,”

“Ma!, cut it out will you, Katherine and I just got married and we are just getting to know one another, a baby should not be the main issue here,”

I said, lowing my voice so that Katherine won’t hear what I was saying, she was out on the balcony.

“A baby is perfect at any time,”

My mom stubbornly responded and I fought the urge to hang up on her, I just kept quiet and listened to her rumble on and on.

while I was on the phone with my mom, I watched Katherine set the table on the balcony, she wasn’t good at lots of things but cooking wasn’t one of them, the few times she had cooked even Nora had agreed that she was good which is why Nora allows her in the kitchen.

“Mom, I have to go, Kathy is waiting for me, we have to eat breakfast,”

I said cutting my mom off after she has been going on for a while.

“Alright, enjoy your day and don’t forget all I said, and say hi to your wife for me,”

She said and hung up without waiting for my reply, I walked to the balcony and sat down opposite of her, she smiled at me, the atmosphere, the beautiful woman in front of me all felt right, I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my thirtieth birthday, this was perfect and I am glad that I decided to bring us here.

“This tastes delicious,”

I complimented while eating.

“I know thanks, but eat in silence,”

“Kathy! Nora has influenced you,”

I accused but she just laughed and continued eating, I ate in silence too, not wanting to be on her bad side,”

“Thank you for the food and the cake,”

I said when we were done.

“You are welcome, so what are we doing today?”

“I wanted us to take a look around the whole place as there are a lot of things to see here, and by evening make a campfire, it’s been a while I have gone camping,”

“Sounds like a lot of fun so count me in, sorry I couldn’t get your present, I will give it to you when we get back home,”

She said as she stood up to clear off our plates, I joined her.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“It’s okay, this is really enough, at least this year I had someone to celebrate with, last year I went to work and my birthday and later went for a drink and that was it,”

“Well, that’s one pro of being married then,”

“Yup and another is that I get to do this,”

“Do what?”

She asked turning to face me, I pulled her closer to me and claimed her lips with mine in an intense nerve-wracking kiss, her ability to melt into my touch every single time always heighten my wanting her, even though I had her all through the night before I wanted her again.

“No, we can’t, we have to get moving,”

She said pulling off and licking her lips, that didn’t help either.

“Pretty please, it’s my birthday,”

I shamelessly begged but the little witch shook her head in refusal.

“I know it’s your birthday, but still no,”

“I have been a good boy,”

I persisted but today wasn’t my lucky day.

“No, you have not,”

She replied walking away from me to where our clothes were kept, I watched her as she changed into a flowery pink gown, she removed the rubber bands she had on her hair and let it down, her hair was another part of her that I liked, though her eyes were still my favorite.

“Are you going to get dressed or are you going to stand there all day drooling?”

She asked, I eyed her and went to dress up too and we were out of the cabin and going towards the downtown.

“Where are we going to?”

She asked after a while, “I thought you had that figured out,”

I said still sucking at her refusal.

“Come on, don’t be a kid, you just turned thirty,”

She joked.

“Whatever, we are going to Gallery fifty-four, I want to check out some artwork there, then afterward we can go anywhere you want,”

“Ohhhh, I want us to go for a boat ride,”

She disclosed and I nodded in agreement.

We spent most of the day exploring the town and making new memories, and when we got back we went boating, it was fun having someone around me on my birthday, now we sat around the campfire talking about anything and everything, it was fun and a refreshing change of a ten years pattern, the last time I had someone with me for my birthday was eleven years ago when Ginna and I had gone camping, we newly started dating then, we broke up before my next birthday, even though my mom always tells me to come home for my birthday, I always refuse. these days I hardly thought of Ginna, Katherine occupied my mind for most of the time, and surprisingly, I didn’t mind, I watched her as the campfire danced over her pretty face, how I thought we wouldn’t be able to make a match was beyond me, she was wide for her age and even though she annoys the hell out of mine, she was the sweetest person I have ever met, and it would be so easy to fall in love with her if only I had a heart.

“I will be right back,”

She said getting up and heading towards the back of the Cabin before I could ask where she was off to, I waited for her to be back but after five minutes, I stood up to go check on her.

“Kathy? Katherine?”

I called as I walked through where she went but there was no sight of her.

“Maybe she went into the cabin,”

I thought out loud, but before I could walk back, I heard her scream and turned around.

“Katherine?”

I called but she didn’t answer me, I got scared and walked through the woods, I wondered what she wanted to get from the back of the cabin in the first place, I looked around walking towards where I heard her scream.

“Katherine!!!” What the fuck, you scared me,”

I yelled as I found her, I yanked her into a tight hug, she looked both scared and shocked.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked as I pulled back checking to make sure she was alright, I looked around but there was no one in sight, I wondered what made her s team and on top of that she looked frightened out of her.

“Are you okay?”

I asked again looking her over.

“I am fine,”

Came the soft whisper, I let out a sigh of relief.

“Please don’t do that again, do you know how scared I was?”

I asked pulling her back in for a hug.

“I am sorry,”

“Hey, big girl, don’t cry, let’s go back inside,”

I said pulling her along but she couldn’t move her leg, that’s when I checked her leg and saw that it was bleeding.

“Katherine!! What the fuck?”