I help set the table while Mira pulls Skylar into the guest room. I assume she’s showing him whatever she got for me or my mom for Christmas. He went shopping with her earlier in the week and has been tight lipped about whatever it was that she bought. I usually don’t like surprises, but the look on her face when she tells me that she got me something that I’m going to love makes my heart skip a beat. She is really the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.
As soon as we finish dinner, Skylar decides to just take my car to his parents’ house and come back in the morning. I really want to go see his mom and dad, but it’s really nice to just be home with my mom and Mira. It feels natural for Mira to be here and she seems happy about it too.
All three of us hang out in the living room, watching Christmas movies, until Mira can’t hold her eyes open anymore. My mom heads to bed first, giving us some privacy. Mom set up the guest room for Mira, and as much as I want to sleep with her, I have never disappointed my mother and I don’t plan on starting now. I kiss her gently on the corner of her mouth and she smiles at my touch, which of course makes my pants seem tighter and tighter by the second.
“Come on, Pea. Let’s get you to bed. I want to show you some stuff tomorrow.”
“Okay. Let’s go,” Mira says, standing up and beginning the short walk to the guest room. My house is a cape cod. Two bedrooms on the second floor and one on the first floor. I can see why my mom liked it so much growing up. She could keep an eye on me since my bedroom was right next to hers.
I tuck Mira in bed and give her another kiss that almost didn’t stop. I’m okay with little kisses here and there, but when she sucks my bottom lip between her teeth and nibbles gently, it almost makes me forget about respecting my mother and her house. With one more small kiss, I back away and head up to my room, which is the same since I left for college last year.
Looking at the pictures scattered on the walls, I realize how fast time flies. I say a silent prayer for Mira to love her gift and to make her my wife one day.
The next morning, I’m wakened up by the smell of coffee and bacon. God, it’s good to be home. I take a quick shower and head downstairs, ready to take Mira on a tour of my hometown. I peek in the guest room only to find the bed perfectly made and her nowhere in sight. When I get to the kitchen to ask my mom if she’s seen Mira, I’m stopped in my tracks.
At the stove, dressed in jeans, a tight black sweater and bare feet, is my Mira. She has her ear buds in, listening to music, dancing around while she cooks breakfast. No other memory of Mira, ever, will top this one. This is every man’s dream. To find his woman happily making him breakfast.
I sneak up behind her, swaying my hips in time with hers, catching her off guard and she jumps. Pulling the ear buds from her ears, she turns to face me, placing a kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“Go in the living room with your mom and catch up. I’ll call you guys when the food is ready.”
“Wait, my mom is awake and she’s letting you cook?”
“Yeah. She’s been up for about an hour. I asked her if I could cook and she hugged me, thanked me for being perfect for her son, and went into the living room to watch the news.”
Giving Mira another kiss and thanking her for being perfect for me too, I walk into the living room to join my mom. She looks so happy. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her since Dad passed away.
“Morning, Ma,” I say, plopping down on the love seat, across from the recliner she’s sitting on.
“Morning, baby boy. Did you see your girl in there cooking for us?”
“I did. She’s amazing.”
“I agree. She’s a very special young lady. I can see how much you guys love each other. You guys remind me of your dad and me. We met in college too, you know. He was the love of my life. Just seeing you guys makes me so happy that you’re going to experience that kind of love. Not everyone gets that. You’re a very lucky man, Daniel. I hope you know that.”
Peeking around the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room, I see Mira plating breakfast, still dancing to her music.
“Yeah, Ma. I know.”
Breakfast was amazing. Mira can really cook, but then again, who can screw up bacon? After I washed the dishes, my mom told us that she would drive us over to the McBrides’ house to see them and pick up my car. Since Skylar isn’t answering his phone yet, it works out great.
We pull up to Skylar’s parents’ house and we tell my mom goodbye. She knows we won’t be out late, since every year on Christmas Eve we always watch “A Christmas Story”. It’s kind of a thing we do so my dad’s memory lives on. It was one of his favorites and we had been watching it every year since before I can remember.
I walk up to the front door with Mira on my arm and walk right in. When you’ve spent as much time with the McBrides’ as I have, acting like a guest is never allowed. They would be pissed if I knocked and waited for a response. Mira and I take our shoes off in the foyer and I holler out to whoever is here.
“Hey guys. Merry Christmas.”
“Danny, is that you?” Skylar’s mom yells from somewhere in the house.
“Yeah, Ma. It’s me. Mira too.”
“I’m in the kitchen getting dinner ready to go in the oven. Bring that girl over here and let me see her.”
“Are you ready?” I whisper to Mira.
“Should I be scared?”
“No, Mrs. McBride is great. She’s like my second mom. The whole family really took me under their wing after my dad died. So, she just wants to see her son’s girlfriend.”
Mira nods and I walk us into the kitchen. I don’t see Skylar anywhere but his mom is elbow deep in a turkey’s ass. This is what I look forward to the most this time of year. My mom always does a big Christmas Day event, and the McBrides’ come over to our house, but Christmas Eve is theirs. My mom never came to Christmas Eve dinner here before, she always had to work or something else. She would pick me up when she got off, even if I was asleep, so I could wake up Christmas morning in my own bed.
I walk over to my second mom and place a loving kiss on her cheek and tell her how much I missed her. Once she finishes giving the turkey a cavity search, she washes her hands and walks over to Mira, pulling her in for a motherly hug. She pulls Mira away, still holding onto her shoulder and a large smile comes across her face.
“I’ve heard so much about you from Sky. He says that you and Danny are perfect for each other. I was a little skeptical until just now. Mira, honey, you are beautiful and you and Danny look wonderful together.”
“Thank you.” Mira’s blushing, reminding me of her Christmas gift. I had to push it to the back of my mind because I’m so anxious to just give it to her, but I’m holding out until tomorrow morning when we can be alone.
Skylar comes walking in the front door. He has a leash in his hand and then I see his dog, Sassy, walk in behind him. Hanging the leash on the hooks by the front door, Skylar and Sassy walk in the kitchen. Skylar grabs a box of cereal from the top of the fridge and Sassy looks up at him like she’s starving to death. As soon as I see Skylar pull a few pieces of colored cereal out of the box, I know exactly where he’s going with it. I can’t help but laugh.
“Sassy, if this is purple, eat it,” Skylar says and without fail, Sassy eats the piece of purple cereal.
“What?” Mira asks, confused.
“Sassy can tell colors. She’s a genius dog. Watch. Sassy, if this is yellow, eat it.”
“Dude, you’re just telling her to eat it. She doesn’t care what color it is. Dogs are color blind,” I laugh.
“No. You’re wrong. I’ll prove it. Sassy, if this isn’t red, eat it.” Sassy gladly eats the blue piece of cereal.
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing,” Mira says, getting closer to Skylar and Sassy.
“I know right? She’s the best,” Skylar says. I don’t know who’s dumber right now, Skylar for thinking his dog can tell colors, Mira for thinking Sassy is a genius like Skylar or me for sitting here listening
to this nonsense.
“Okay, Sky. Of all the dogs in the world, Sassy is the only one who isn’t color blind and understands human talk.”
“Dude, don’t hate that my dog is smarter than you. Isn’t that right Sassy?” Skylar rubs Sassy behind the ears.
Laughing, I walk toward the front door.
“Hey, you’re not leaving are you?” Skylar asks, looking panicked.
“No, I’m just running to the car to get the gifts. I think we should do an earlier exchange so Mira and I can get home before my mom gets there. Go back and play with the genius dog and I’ll be back in a minute.”
I walk back in the house, carrying presents for the entire McBride clan, and find Mira and Skylar sitting in the living room. The tree is decorated beautifully and all lit up. The fireplace is lit, casting a romantic glow in the living room as the sun is setting. I wish I had a fireplace at my house. I might be kind of jealous that Skylar gets to experience this with Mira and I won’t. Not until we get our own place with a fireplace. What? Shit. There I go again, getting ahead of myself. Calm your shit, Danny.
We decide to open presents before dinner this year, which is a first for us. Skylar’s parents got me the typical presents that I get every year; cologne, clothes and a few gift cards. I got them the typical stuff too; fishing gear for Skylar’s dad and a few romance novels and a gift card for his mom. I used to just get her the books, but ever since she got a kindle, she found a whole new world of Indie authors and you can’t buy their books at the bookstore. She has a recent obsession for biker romance novels written by some author she describes as “kick ass”. I don’t hear her swear very often, but when it does, it cracks me up.
I got Skylar a new helmet; one he’s been whining he wanted for weeks. I made him not buy anything for his bike, but wouldn’t tell him what it was. I found a guy on campus that sells helmets cheaper than the stores. Skylar got me a pair of riding gloves and a camera to attach to my helmet so I can video while I’m riding. I’ve wanted one for years and I’m a little pissed that it’s winter and I can’t go test it out just yet.
Finally getting to Mira, I hand her a box similar to the size of Skylar’s helmet box. When she opens it, the smile that comes over her lips melts my heart. I picked out a helmet for her. She’d been saying she wanted her own helmet that was girly and not like the all black one she wore when we went out. When I saw the black helmet with a hot pink pinstripe and small pink stars, I knew it was made for her.
She kisses me on the cheek and thanks me for knowing exactly what she would like. I can’t help but feel prideful knowing that I got her something that she really wanted. As we’re getting ready to stand up and head to the table for dinner, Skylar hands Mira a small black jewelry box.
“What’s this?” Mira asks.
“Just a little gift from me. I wouldn’t forget you, Sweets.”
“I know, but this is so thoughtful, Sky,” Mira says as she opens the box. When it’s fully open and she looks inside, she gasps.
Inside the velvet box is a necklace. It’s a thin silver chain with a charm dangling from it. I can’t make out exactly what the charm is, but it looks like a heart inside of wings. Mira runs to Skylar and pulls him in for a tight hug, thanking him over and over for such a wonderful gift. Apparently, Skylar and Mira had gone shopping a few weeks ago and they stopped at a tattoo parlor so Skylar could get his eyebrow pierced, when Mira saw a design for a tattoo she fell in love with. The design is very similar to the charm. My stomach turns a little but Mrs. McBride calls us in for dinner and all is forgotten.
We finish dinner at record pace. We say our goodbyes, grab my keys from Skylar and head back to my house. My mom is getting snacks ready when we walk in the door.
The rest of the night is perfect. Mira and I cuddle up in my dad’s recliner and we both pass out watching the movie. As my mom is walking upstairs to go to bed, I hear her say something from the bottom of stairs. It sounds like she tells us goodnight and to embrace the love we share, we don’t have forever. I pass out without questioning her.
The next morning, I wake up before Mira. She’s still sleeping soundly on my chest. I carefully maneuver her off of me so I can get up to get her gift. I quietly run up the stairs, and into my room, I grab my overnight bag, and throw it on the bed. Before I dig in to find it, I go into the bathroom to relieve myself. Washing my hands and walking out of the bathroom, I run smack into my mom.
“What are you rushing around for, Daniel?”
“I wanted to give Mira her gift in private, that’s all. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, baby boy, that’s perfect. I’ll take a shower and meet you downstairs.”
“Great. Thanks, Mom.” I kiss her on the cheek and go back into my bedroom.
As soon as I have the box in my hands, I can feel my chest tighten. The whole reason I went with a watch is because I didn’t want to be cliché. Watching the way she reacted to Skylar’s gift has me second guessing myself. Taking a few deep breaths, I calm down enough to get over my petty ass fear. This isn’t a competition with Skylar.
I hit the bottom of the stairs and see that Mira isn’t on the chair anymore. I look in the kitchen and she’s not there either.
“Mira?” I loudly whisper.
“I’m in here,” Mira responds from the guest bedroom.
I walk in the bedroom and find Mira sitting on the bed, holding a small box with a blue bow on top.
“I wanted to get your present,” Mira says, blushing. Her blush has to be one of the most adorable things about her. The girl will make a complete ass out of herself when out in public, but put her in an awkward situation, she instantly turns pink.
“I got yours too.” I walk over and sit across from her on the bed.
“Will you open what I got you first, please? I’m really nervous,” Mira says. If this girl only knew the mini panic attack I almost had upstairs.
“Yeah, Pea, that’s fine. Hand it over.” I put my hand out, reaching for my gift, which she slowly puts in the palm of my hand.
Taking my time, I take the bow off and open the lid of the box. Inside, I find a small pendant of an angel. It’s beautiful. Mira must have taken my silence for something else, because she starts rambling.
“You hate it. I’m sorry. I thought it was perfect. It’s a little thing I found at Hallmark. You’re supposed to put this angel on the inside frame of your bike and she’ll always protect you. It was a really sweet story the woman told me about her husband who wrecked and the bike was totaled but he walked away without a scratch. I thought of you. I thought if you wrecked and something happened, I would be devastated. I just wanted to get you something special,” Mira finishes, putting her head down to look at her lap.
“Mira, this is the most amazing present anyone has ever given to me. As soon as we get back to Ann Arbor, I’m putting this angel on the cruiser. I love that you worry about losing me. Well, not that you worry, but to know how deeply you would be affected. I would lose my mind if anything ever happened to you. I love you, Pea. This is the most perfect gift. Nothing else would have been more perfect.”
Mira jumps forward, crashing her lips to mine and showing me exactly how much she loves me. As she’s reaching for the draw string on my pajama pants, I remember we’re at my mom’s house, in her guest room. I slowly pull back, immediately missing the way she feels in my arms.
“Don’t forget about your gift. Here,” I say, pushing the box toward her.
She accepts the gift and wastes no time ripping into the paper to expose the box that the watch is nestled inside of. Looking up at me through her lashes, she smiles and pulls the lid off the box. When she pulls the watch out, she looks at it, tears forming in her eyes.
“This is beautiful, Danny. I love it.”
“Turn it over and read what it says.”
The tears that are sitting in the corner of her eyes start to spill down her face. She reads the words and clutches the watch to her chest, looking at me, smiling.
; “Do you like it, Pea?”
“Danny, I love it. I feel the exact same way. I think to myself everyday that I’m so lucky to have you and to have met you so early in my life. Not a lot of people get to find the kind of love we have and to find it so young is a blessing. You being in my life makes me so happy. You’re not just my boyfriend, you’re my best friend. And I love this watch so much. Every time I look at it, I’ll think of this moment and how much you love me.”
Mira unclasps the back of the watch, immediately putting it on and I realize she’s not wearing the necklace from Skylar yet. The box is sitting on the dresser in the guest room. The fact that she couldn’t wait another second to wear my gift while Skylar’s is sitting here, untouched, makes my heart flutter. She really is mine. I don’t have to worry about anything. This girl loves me and belongs to me.
“This is the best Christmas in a long time. Thank you,” I say.
“Danny, this is the best Christmas ever. I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life and here you are, giving me the best present ever. I’m so happy.”
Chapter Ten
Since Christmas, we’ve been inseparable. Mira basically moved into the house that I share with Skylar. There wasn’t much point in her staying at the apartment anymore, especially since the majority of our senior year we have the same classes. It makes studying a lot easier. It’s kind of like our little group -- Mira, Skylar, Kylee and me -- have become a family.
Mira and I both decide to sign up for six week classes at the end of our last semester to give us extra brownie points, just in case we decide on going to grad school. I haven’t thought much of it, but Mira is strongly considering it. She sent an application to the University last week.
They say the whole point of dating is like an interview process, to find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. I know in my heart that Mira is that person. I can’t imagine not being with her, marrying her, having children with her and starting a life with her. I want to leave the University being engaged to her, I just have to find the perfect time.
Inception Page 7