"ANNIVERSARY"
"I don't understand the problem," Christina says through the speaker on my phone.
"Because I don't know what day to celebrate!" I say, exasperated. "Our anniversary is coming up, but what exact day is it? The day we met? The day we first kissed? The day we first…"
"Banged?"
"Decided to be together," I correct. I hope to god she's not near her parents or I'm not on speakerphone too. Or if I am that they heard me correct her. "To try and do this long distance thing." Christina is silent for a minute. I can hear her tapping her finger on something, and I know she's actually taking this seriously and thinking it through.
"If I had to choose, I would say the day you decided to make this a thing and not a fling."
"That's what I say, but Tobias thinks it should be the very first time we met."
"Aww. Ain't that sweet."
Truthfully, it's not that important. But after what I gave him at Christmas, I find myself worrying a little. I don't know how I'm ever going to top that, as far as gifts go. I mean, I'm sure we'll do all the usual anniversary date stuff, but I kind of want this to be more. I've always felt that our relationship is more than just 'the usual'.
"How much time difference is there?" Christina asks.
"Almost two weeks."
"Hmm. Why not just have two? A lot of couples celebrate things that were firsts. First kiss. First date. First time they ate sushi together."
"Sushi?"
"Yeah. Sushi. My parents knew this really weird couple… Anyways, I say fuck it. Make in an anniversary month. I mean, damn near everything that means something to you guys happened in August, so why not just do some sort of celebration each weekend?"
Could that work? I mean, we're on break, so school isn't an issue. And I've pretty much been living with Tobias the whole summer, visiting Christina at her parents instead of the other way around. That just leaves Tobias' job, which I'm sure we can work something out with Tori.
"You know, Chris, sometimes you come up with the best ideas," I say with a smile.
"I keep trying to tell you that," she says.
"The whole month?" Tobias raises an eyebrow. "Are you crazy?"
"No. But we can't agree on a date." He runs his tongue along a tooth for a moment and looks up, as if deep in thought. He looks like a little kid when he does this, and I can't stop the smile that spreads across my face.
"Okay, but I get to go last."
"Last? Why? So you can out-do me?"
"Oh, I'll do you," he says, a smile making it's way onto his face now. I slug him in the shoulder.
"Be serious for a second," I say. "Do you like the idea?"
"I do. But how about this? We decide which 'anniversary' is the best, and pick that as our official date?"
"Deal," I say.
"He's gonna win," Christina says as we walk through the mall. "He probably has enough money to buy you your own island. You can't top that."
"His dad has the money," I correct, "And I know. He's such a cheat—"
"Tris!" Christina interrupts. "You could always just blow… his mind and make him forget all about everything else." I look up to where she's stopped and shake my head.
"Chris, you are nuts."
"HAWAII"
"Wake up, sleepy," I say, prodding Tobias in the ribs. He lets out a soft laugh —it's his only ticklish spot— before easing his eyes open.
"Time to get started already?" he asks sleepily. "What time is it?"
"It's time to go on vacation. Put this on."
Tobias comes out of the shower in his aloha board shorts and nothing else. I eye him up and down as he takes me and his apartment in— the latter now decorated in hibiscus flowers, coconut scented candles, and a tiny ceramic tiki hut filled with piña colada.
"What the hell time did you get up?" he asks. "And why are you wearing a grass skirt?"
"Because, we're going to Hawaii!" He raises an eyebrow at me. "Okay, since we didn't exactly leave me a lot of time to plan this first weekend, we're going on a stay-cation."
"Stay-cation," he repeats.
"Well, sort of. I brought Hawaii to us. First up, white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes with whipped cream on top. Sit your happy butt down and prepare to be whisked away." He smiles at me and obliges, sitting on a barstool so he can watch me in the kitchen. I click on the computer, and the Hawaiian station I found starts to play.
I blush as I mess up and completely burn the first pancake, but the rest turn out quite edible. We feed each other, and laugh and talk about nothing in particular. To be honest, it's one of the best moments we've had since the cruise. I feel like this is our life; just us being us.
After a little relaxation I lead him down stairs —complete with our drinks with little umbrellas in them— and he laughs as he sees the plastic kiddie pool I had filled up in the grass between units.
"You can't visit Hawaii and not go to the beach," I say. He hops right in and we lounge in the water for a while, sharing kisses and enjoying our drinks and the warm summer day. Eventually some kids come out, and ask us if we want to have a water fight with them. Tobias gives me that look —the one with the little pout and the puppy dog eyes— and I concede, laughing as he runs around, pelting kids with water balloons and shooting water guns. The thought floats across my mind that he could be doing this with our kids some day, and I don't shy away from it. Instead I smile.
After he's sufficiently worn out, I lead him back in and direct him to the couch.
"Choose," I say, holding my hands behind my back. "Left or right."
"Umm, left." I spin around quickly so he can't see, and put the DVD in— 50 First Dates.
"I figured it was as close to Hawaii as we're gonna get," I say, smiling.
"What's the other one?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."
We snuggle on the couch, stealing kisses and touches. It's so hard to resist him like this, but I have an evening planned, and I don't want to ruin it. So I make some popcorn and sit back down, sharing that and a bag of mixed nuts —coconut dusted, of course— with Tobias. I also refill our drinks. At the very end of the movie I'm tearing up like I always do when she learns she has a daughter. I can see Tobias looking at me out of the corner of my eye, and give him a small smile.
"It's just sweet," I say. "She gets to learn she's in love and has a family every single day. I mean, it's crappy forgetting, but it makes me feel like finding this information out and falling in love with the two of them every single day has got to be the best feeling in the world." He leans in close and kisses me softly on my cheek.
"I hope I make you fall in love with me every day," he whispers. I wrap my arms around him tightly, burying my face in his neck.
We're going to watch Forgetting Sarah Marshall next, but not before I check on the pork in the crock pot.
"I had to buy this, you know. This is a poor excuse for a kitchen."
"And I'm a poor excuse for a cook," he says. "I promise there will be plenty of breakfast in beds. I just won't be cooking them."
"Then who will?" I say, raising an eyebrow. He just smiles.
We take a nap after the movie ends, and wake up just in time for me to finish dinner— kalua pig and cabbage with sticky rice. I've never been crazy about cooking, but this is so good, I might just have to change my mind.
"This was the best trip to Hawaii," he says afterwards. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I say, smiling. "We still have one more stop to make though." I swear I can see his eyes darken right in front of me.
"Close your eyes," I say from the bathroom.
"Why? It's not like I haven't seen you naked," he says from the bed.
"Tobias!"
"Okay, okay. They're closed."
I come out in my inspiration for this whole anniversary— a cute pair of yellow boyshorts with lace pineapple cut outs all over them. I adjust the pink lei so it strategically covers my bare breasts, ruffle my hair real quick and tell Tobias to open his eyes. His smile lets me know how much he approves of what he sees.
"OURS"
"Make sure you wear something comfortable," Tobias calls out to me from the shower. "Especially the shoes." I scrunch my eyebrows, trying to figure out what he could possibly have planned as I get dressed.
We have a quick breakfast at a diner —which is surprisingly empty for a Saturday— until I remember it's not even nine yet. I open my mouth to ask where we're going, but am interrupted.
"No questions!" He smiles, a smug look of satisfaction on his face. I just stick my tongue out at him.
"It's not fair. I didn't make you wait this long."
We pay and leave, pulling up to a strip mall a few blocks away. I raise an eyebrow as we get out of the car, and my heart starts to beat harder as he leads me towards a real estate office.
"I have an appointment with a Maggie Brown," Tobias says to the woman who greets us.
"And you are?"
"Tobias Eaton."
"Right this way, Mr. Eaton." I giggle just a bit. Mr. Eaton.
He takes my hand as we are led to an office, and tells me to wait just a minute outside while he talks to her privately. I give him a look, but he smiles and kisses the tip of my nose. I stand outside like feeling like a child.
It was only a couple minutes, but I still level him with another glare as I'm let back in by Ms. Brown. "Just Maggie," she says as she gestures for me to sit.
"So. We are looking at houses today."
"We are," Tobias says. My heart is definitely beating harder.
"We have a busy day planned. I have ten that fit within your criteria, Mr. Eaton—"
"Tobias."
"Tobias. So I hope you two are ready to get going!" She smiles widely, and so does Tobias. He rubs my back when he senses my nerves.
"We don't have to, if you don't want to," he whispers in my ear.
"No! No. I just, wasn't expecting…this."
I smile as we stand, and follow Maggie to her car.
She talks the whole drive— about school districts. Shopping access. Proximity to colleges and downtown. How long it will take to get to the coast from here. It's so much information to take in.
"This is all listed here," she says when we reach the first house. She hands each of us a piece of paper that, sure enough, has everything listed on it, as well as the specs for the house. "And I've found that taking notes about the houses you see helps you make a decision, so take these too." She hands us each a clipboard and a pen.
"Thorough," I whisper as we follow her into the first house.
This is only our first stop, and I already feel like this is way out of my league. It's no mansion, but it's certainly larger than any house I grew up in. We listen to Maggie tell us about the hard wood floors, original cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, four bedroom, three bath, home theater room, 2,785 square foot with a three car garage and a landscaped backyard home.
"Go on and explore on your own. I'll wait here for you," she says with a smile. I shrug at Tobias and take off down the hallway.
"Okay, first, there's no price listed on this sheet," I say, flipping it over. "I need to know that before I can help you make a decision."
"Why?"
"I just want to know if you're getting a good deal or not."
"We're," he corrects, and I feel the heat creep up my neck. "And don't worry about that. Every one of these is something that is within the price range I gave her. You just tell me if you like it or not."
"Okay," I say softly. I have a feeling this is why he made me wait outside her office; he wanted to double check there weren't any prices listed.
We scribble down notes as we make our way through the house. I have to say, it's remarkable. I peek at Tobias' clipboard and see tub big enough for sex scribbled down and open my mouth.
"Tobias! What if she asks us to share what we liked about the house?"
"Then I guess she'll know, won't she?"
"You are horrible."
We spend the morning driving to various neighborhoods, each house different and beautiful, but still feeling too extravagant. I know Tobias grew up like this though, so I remind myself to take that into consideration. We break for lunch at a small cafe before setting back out.
The next house we head to is a little further away, but it feels like we've left the city all together. It's in a large master planned community, so there are plenty of parks, golf courses, and space to make it feel like we're living somewhere else.
Outside is a mixture of brick and siding, which is different than all the other stucco homes we've seen. It has a large porch, and a driveway that can be accessed from either street, since it's a corner lot. Tobias must see the look in my eye, because I see his wide smile as he looks at me.
Inside is even better.
It's an open floorpan, and it's decorated beautifully. I wonder if we can buy all this furniture with it? We listen as Maggie tell us all about it: three bedrooms and a den, two full baths (with tub big enough for sex) and a half bath, granite countertops and backsplash, hardwood floors, good school district, close to shopping and entertainment, and only twenty minutes added commute time from our starting point: Tobias' apartment. Which places this house halfway between us. The prospect of him being even closer only adds to my love of this house.
I scribble notes like crazy, and even take a few photos with my phone. It's official; I love this house. So much so, that the rest that we see seem so boring, even the more extravagant ones.
We thank Maggie when she drops us back at the real estate office, and climb in Tobias' car with all our notes.
"Well?" he asks.
"Well what?"
"Do you have a favorite?"
"Yeah. But it's up to you. It's your house."
"Our," he corrects.
"Our."
Our house.
"WHAT IF?"
"We can't forget the bag from last night!" I yell out of Tobias' bedroom as I fish a tank top out of the closet.
"You mean the bag of crap?"
"It's not crap! And yes, that bag."
I snag my phone off the dresser and open the app, bringing up directions to our first stop. Tobias jingles the bag of trinkets we bought at the dollar store as I walk out, and I roll my eyes at him.
"You're gonna love this, and that bag of crap. I'll take that," I say, snatching the bag from him. "You grab the cooler and put it in the car. Please." He raises an eyebrow at me before he slips out the front door.
"Turn left here and park," I say near a wooded area. I smile sweetly as I grab the bag of goodies out of the backseat and hop out of the car.
"Is this like a Hansel and Gretel thing? Because I don't want to be eaten by a witch."
"Shh. Follow me." I check my phone and start heading in the direction the arrow is pointing me; it takes close five minutes to reach our destination.
"We're here," I say, and Tobias just stares at me. There's just a couple of young saplings, one stump, and a pile of rocks in this little clearing in the woods.
"Soo…?"
"So…we have to find the treasure." Tobias' eyes light up. He looks around, as if there will be a giant X on the ground, and I laugh. "It's gonna be hidden. Look in the stump. I'll look by these rocks." He jogs the few steps to the stump as I bend down and poke through the pile.
"Tris," he says hesitantly," There's a little box in here. What do I do?"
"Take it out!" I say, running up next to him. He looks at me for a second before reaching in and pulling out a tiny plastic box. I smile and nod at him, and he pops it open.
"There's a tiny Spiderman in here." He pulls it out and looks it over. I hold out the bag of 'crap' to him, and see the realization come over his face.
"It's called geocaching" I say as he rifles through the bag. "You find one treasure, and replace it with another." He picks a tiny Etch-a-Sketch to take Spiderman's place, and smiles as I nod eagerly.
"Wait! You have to sign the logbook," I say, taking out the tiny little notebook and pencil that was also in the box. Tobias flips through to the last date, enters our names, and leaves a note about what was taken, and what was left. I log it on the app too, and we place the little box back exactly as we found it.
"Well?" I ask when we get back to the car.
"This…this is cool."
"Wanna pick the next one?" Tobias smiles as he takes my phone.
When it gets close to lunch time, I pick one that happens to be near the hill we went to on our first date. As we get closer, Tobias seems to already know where we're going to end up, and he smiles the rest of the drive there. We take the cooler out, and hike up to our little spot. It's just as beautiful during the day.
"What's for lunch?" he asks suggestively as I sit down on the blanket we spread out.
"Sandwiches," I respond, trying to keep the smile off my face. He narrows his eyes at me for a second before snatching one out of the cooler.
We lay back and relax after we eat, talking about nothing important and watching the clouds drift by. Somehow, the topic of Zeke and Shauna and kids comes up.
"I actually really like kids," he says.
"I know. I've seen how you can't wait to run out and play with them."
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with that."
"No. There isn't. You're going to be a great uncle." Tobias' smile is so wide, I swear it will split his face in two.
Again, I find myself thinking about him being a father. Since we're already on the subject, I decide to go for it. It's as good a time as any.
"Do you want kids?" I don't look at Tobias when I ask, or as I wait for an answer. He is silent for a long time and I can see his chest moving up and down rapidly out of the corner of my eye. I swear it wasn't doing that a minute ago.
"Do…do you?"
"I asked you first." I look over at him now, and his eyes are shut. Tight.
"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I shouldn't have asked."
"No. Don't be." He opens his eyes and rolls towards me. "I've honestly never put much thought into it. I mean, my first instinct is to say no. I don't ever want to risk turning into…putting my own children…" He doesn't finish his thought. He doesn't need to.
"Tobias, you won't—"
"I know. I know, Tris. I'm not him. I won't do those things. It doesn't mean that I don't fear it, though. We both know he wasn't always like this. Something changed in him and what if…what if it changes in me?"
"It won't," I say, placing a light kiss on his nose. "It can't. You won't allow it."
I reach out and pull him into me, kissing him lightly on the lips. He still feels tense, so I talk.
"I've thought about it. Mostly when I see you." I look up into his eyes now, demanding his attention. I need to let him know what it is that I see. I need him to see it too. "When you played with those kids at the apartment on our stay-cation, I wondered…if that's what it would be like when you played with your kids." My throat suddenly feels dry and I lick my lips, stalling for what I really meant to say. "Our kids."
"Our." He leans forward, resting his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. "Our," he repeats.
It seems like that word is coming up a lot lately.
We find the geocache near our little hill, and head out to one more after that. Neither one of us is as enthused as we were before though, so we agree to head back home. Tobias is silent the whole drive.
I make a nice dinner again and we eat in silence. It's not like we need to talk, but the air just feels…heavy. We probably should talk. Tobias offers to clean up and tells me to wait on the couch. He comes out when he's done and stands in front of me. I look up at him, unable to read his face. I'm just about to ask him why he's just standing there, when he gets down on his knees in front of me. My heart thumps for a second, but he just takes my face in his hands; being down on his knees like this puts us at eye level.
"Tris." His eyes flick back and forth between mine, and my heart starts up again. I watch his mouth open and close, trying to find the right words. "Ours," he finally says. I try to smile but he kisses me so hard, it quite literally takes my breath away.
He moves down my neck, my chest, my stomach. I'm still trying to catch my breath —and failing— as he unbuttons my shorts, and easily slips them off. He kisses up my thigh as I close my eyes, and if I wasn't on birth control, I would swear he wants to get started on ours right now.
"HOME"
We get in the car early and head north. It isn't long until I figure out where we're headed, and look over at Tobias.
"You just had to out-do me by taking us on a real vacation," I say, smiling. He squeezes my thigh, smiling too. We find decent parking near Pier 39 in San Francisco, and Tobias holds my hand as we head towards the crowd of tourists.
The first shop I see has barrels upon barrels of salt water taffy in the window. I immediately drag Tobias into the shop to make our own personal bags. Afterwards, we stroll along, snacking on the candy and just taking in the sights. I convince him to ride the carousel with me, and he convinces me to try a bowl of clam chowder for him. It's definitely not for me.
We watch the sea lions for a while, and make our way into the Aquarium. Fitting for our anniversary.
After a wonderful afternoon, we have dinner at a waterfront bar and grill, and everything is just…perfect. I don't think I could have asked for a better anniversary month.
Afterwards we just stand together, looking out on the ocean, waiting for the sun to dip down into the water. I close my eyes as the breeze picks up and throw my arms out to the side, enjoying the way it whips all around me. A warm pair of arms wraps around me, and I settle back into Tobias.
"Hey," he whispers in my ear, and I open my eyes to see his hand in front of me, a small box in it. I look over my shoulder to a smiling Tobias.
"We said no presents," I say. "I'm not taking whatever that is."
"Yes you are."
"Nope."
"Tris," he says sternly, the smile gone. "Open. It." I narrow my eyes at him and snatch the box out of his hand. It's flat and rectangular. Just the right size for…
"A key?" I say when I open it. I look at it, and this one is cut. I look up to see that shit-eating grin on his face and I cock my head to the side.
"Do I have to guess?"
"Yes."
"Okay. You bought a house," I say. Tobias doesn't say anything, and I search his face for any hint that I'm wrong.
"Wait. Tobias, did you?"
"I might have."
"Oh my god! I'm so happy for you!" I wrap my arms around him and squeeze as tight as I can. "Which one?"
"Do you really have to ask?" I feel myself blush. I also feel that familiar pricking in my eyes.
"Oh, Tobias. You'll be closer now."
"I will." A small smile forms on his face, but leaves just as quickly as he looks out over the ocean. I wait a beat, and we both stare off as the last bit of the sun disappears beneath the horizon.
"What is it?" I finally ask.
"It's just a little scary," he says with a sigh. "Doing all of this. Alone."
"You're not alone," I say, placing my hands on his chest. "I'm here."
"I know you are. But that's not what I meant." Oh.
"Hey. I'm proud of you," I whisper. "I mean it. It will be easy. You'll see." I smile again and feel one of the tears I've been fighting squeeze out.
"I know." He brings a hand up and rubs his thumb over my cheek, wiping it away.
"And don't worry about everything else. It will all fall into place." I look up at him as he smiles, nodding his head a little.
"Okay, okay. Enough of that," I say, wiping my eyes. "You win for best anniversary." He smiles even wider and I lean up to kiss him. I look in his eyes when we pull away, and the way he looks at me, gives me the most amazing feeling in the world.
A/N:
Song: Phillip Phillips - Home
1 year
Weird author's note/PSA time. I was talking with another author on here, and it was mentioned that they weren't getting as many follows or favorites as their earlier stories, even though their traffic is just as high, and I've noticed the same. I don't know if you guys are aware, because this was something that I just recently figured out too, but you can search each fandom by highest follows/favorites/reviews. So PSA: if you like a story, tick those boxes or leave a comment now and then!
That way all your favorite stories have a chance at making their way to the top of that list. And if someone new to the site looks stories up that way, they have a chance at finding a good story that's no longer being updated. (I also found some older stories that I hadn't read this way. Bonus!)
So, no matter what fandoms you're in, give your authors some love! I even realized that I'm guilty of this too, and I'm about to go on a little favoriting spree lol.
Have a great weekend! Hope you guys enjoyed their little anniversaries. *heart*