This time, she was sitting next to a kid without front teeth, and an old man without his dentures. She pulls his last present, which he had specifically told her to open on the plane ride home, from under her, carefully unlocking the seat tray as to not disturb her snoozing cabin mates. She takes out the items in the bag, puzzled at her findings.
There were four things, each attached with a short letter.
Candy:
She greedily rips open a bag of sour gummy worms, indulging in the flavor. There's a little plastic baggie attached to the bag of worms, with chocolate kisses and a note inside.
"Dear Beca,
I mean, my kisses are surely better than these chocolate ones, but they'll have to do. There are about twenty pieces of kisses in here, enough for one each day we're apart and extra for days you need it. Plus, I got you sour gummy worms, since they're your favorite, and I can be a cool boyfriend sometimes.
Your nerd,
Jesse"
A flannel:
It was a maroon color, closely resembling the Treble signature shade. It was about two sizes too big, well worn, and smelled strongly of Jesse. She recognizes it instantly and inhales the familiar scent, immediately finding comfort in its smell. There was a note pinned on the pocket.
"Dear Beca,
Well, you've probably noticed that this isn't new. I just figured that because you end up stealing all of my clothes, I'd just give you one of your favorites. It looks better on you, anyways :-)
Your nerd,
Jesse."
A can of Swanson chicken broth:
She tries not to cuss out loud. The "what the fuck"'s going through her head are very loud and clear, however. A single strip of tape joins the letter and can together.
"Dear Beca,
Because I can't be there to keep your dark, cold heart heated, here's some SWANSON (Haha, get it, Becs?!) chicken broth to keep you warm. You know, make soup or whatever. I can make a dirty joke about being "inside" of you, but knowing you, you probably aren't going to touch this can ever again out of embarrassment. Sigh. I can never do anything right.
LOL just kidding, I am the king ;-)
Your nerd/king,
Jesse"
And a corgi stuffed animal:
The corgi had golden fur, just like the one in the mall. The smile on her face grows exponentially.
"Dear Beca,
I know you were expecting a real puppy for Christmas, but I personally don't think we're ready for that quite yet. For the meantime, here's a toy. You can pretend it's me or an actual puppy or something. Just something for you to snuggle with at night or when you're feeling down, I guess.
Your nerd,
Jesse"
She stares at the objects before her, fighting to keep her laughter inside. She reaches into the bag to find one more note.
"Dear Beca,
You probably want to kill me now, right? I really hope you liked these presents, weirdo. I thought long and hard about each one of them. Hopefully they're all as cheesy as I intended them to be. You know me, the king of all nerds.
Also, no movies! I know, I know, this must come as a great shock (really!). I guess you can take a break from your movication, but if you're ever feeling the great need for a movie, you know where to reach me. I've already got a nice list waiting to be sent to your inbox.
I'm sorry I made you sing that duet, but if it makes you feel any better, you looked really hot in that dress... Wait, is this inappropriate to include? Oh, and you sounded amazing. As usual.
Two weeks without your snoring is gonna suck, but I think I can survive. Thank you for an amazing time this holidays, Beca. And, thank you for putting up with me and my weirdness. You made the happiest time of the year even happier, which I didn't know was even possible. I am so unbelievably lucky to have you in my life.
Love,
Your nerd, Jesse"