Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,118
me.
I ripped the hot pink paper off and was presented with a box similar to the one my bracelet had been in. Unconsciously, I fingered the soft cord material on my wrist. I never took it off.
I swallowed and lifted the lid off, lifting a slender gold chain out, with a small gold key on the end; a gold heart was beside the key.
“Here’s where I get really cheesy,” Jared smiled, his cheeks growing redder. “I wanted to get you something special. Something with meaning.” He fingered the charms on the end of the long chain and said, “This symbolizes that you hold the key to my heart. Only you… always.”
“I- I-” I stuttered. My voice thickened as tears threatened to consume me. “That’s so sweet, Jared. I can’t thank you enough.” I handed the necklace to him and turned around, pulling my hair up to bare my neck. “Put it on me?”
He didn’t answer; I just felt the cool chain touch my skin. He clasped it and then kissed my neck.
I let my hair drop back down, and swiveled back to face him. “I love it,” I fingered the chain. “It’s perfect. You are perfect.”
“No,” he shook his head and played with a piece of my hair. “I’m not. No one’s perfect. But I try.”
“Thank you, Jared. I love it,” I leaned over and kissed him.
“Good,” he let out a sigh of relief, “I was worried you wouldn’t like it.”
“I would love anything you gave me, because I would know how much thought and care you put into it. You’re a special man, Jared,” I kissed the cleft in his chin.
“You’re the special one,” he breathed, cupping my cheek and pulling me towards him so that we were forehead to forehead.
“Hey!” Rollo called and tossed a rolled up napkin at our heads. “Stop looking at each other like lovesick puppies and cut that cake! I need cake!”
I laughed and looked into Jared’s warm brown eyes. “I think Rollo wants cake.”
“We have to sing happy birthday, first,” Jared swung his head in Rollo’s direction.
“Then get those candles in there and sing!” Rollo cried.
I busted out laughing. I don’t know what I would do without Rollo to keep me sane and make me laugh.
Jared stuck twenty candles in the cake and pulled a lighter out of his pocket.
As soon as they were all lit, they began to sing.
I blushed at the loud, off-key, way they sang the song. But despite my embarrassment, it was perfect.
I blew out the candles and didn’t bother making a wish.
Everything I hadn’t known to wish for was with me in this room. I didn’t need anything else.
38
“DON’T YOU JUST LOOOOOVE MOVING DAY!” Rollo cried, clapping his hands together and jumping up and down, enthusiastically.
“I’m sure, if you don’t have to lift any furniture, it’s wonderful,” Holden grumbled as he and Jared carried in a couch.
“You have bigger muscles than I do. I can’t strain myself,” Rollo laughed.
Holden rolled his eyes.
Jared and Holden twisted the couch at an angle to fit it through the door.
“I can’t believe you got your parents to agree to let you move on in,” I said, picking up a box and carrying it into the apartment.
Rollo followed me with empty arms. Figures.
“I think they were sick of me complaining about the dorm and figured this was the only way to shut me up,” he chuckled. “Lads!” he called to Jared and Holden.
Lads? I shook my head. Only Rollo would say something like that.
“What?” Jared looked up.
“I don’t want the couch there. I want it here,” Rollo pointed to a different spot.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Holden cried, picking up an end of the couch again.
“Don’t be such a pussy, Sharky,” Karlie said, breezing into the apartment with a bag of plates and utensils Rollo had bought at Target.
Holden muttered something under his breath, low enough that we couldn’t hear.
Louder, Holden said, “I don’t know why you didn’t get the furniture store to deliver this shit. Don’t they do it?”
“Of course they deliver,” Rollo scoffed. “But why would I want to do that, when I can have you two studs do it for free.”
“Of course. Why didn’t I realize that,” Holden rolled his eyes again and I thought they might just roll out of his head.
They put the couch down and before Rollo could appraise the new location, they were out the door.
Karlie began to take the packaging off the plates and put them in the dishwasher.