Page 37 of From Me to You

“Wait for me,” Jay said as he walked up to talk to one of the staff. He came up to me a few minutes later and said, “Come on.”

We followed the guy that Jay was talking to earlier as he led us up a spiral staircase upstairs. “Everything is ready for you inside, sir.” The staff told us, pointing to a huge wooden door on the right.

“Thank you,” Jay replied as he raised his palms to cover my eyes. “Close your eyes, sweetheart.”

I heard him open the door as he led me in. The sweetest smell greeted me.

Jay took his hands away from my eyes. “Surprise,” he said softly.

I gasped as I took in the room before me. It was a small room with an open balcony facing the waterfront. The décor from downstairs continued, but the walls had ivy creeping over them from the open balcony. Ornate gold picture frames littered throughout the wall, making the room look like something out of a different era. But that wasn’t what made me gasp. It was the hundreds and hundreds of pink flowers arranged throughout the room. There were flowers of every imaginable kind—roses, tulips, hydrangeas, peonies, and even dahlias. It was breathtaking.

“Jay, this is all too much,” I whispered. My eyes shone with unshed tears as I looked at him. No one had ever done something like this for me before.

“Shhh. You deserve it,” he said, bringing a finger to my lips.

“This must have cost a fortune. You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to take you somewhere nice for a long time now,” he said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I finally made some extra cash from the last gig, so it’s not a big deal.”

“I love you,” I said as I gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Come on,” he said, pulling up a chair for me. The table was adorned with candlelight and pink rose petals laid out intentionally in beautiful patterns.

“Thank you,” I said as I sat. “And thank you for doing all of this. You don’t know how special it makes me feel.”

“You are special,” he said as he took the seat in front of me.

I blushed. This boy was everything a girl could dream of and more. I reminded myself how lucky I was to have him in my life. As mine. All mine.

“But, Jay, this is all too much. I don’t want you to spend your money like this again. I know you won’t admit it, but you need it for the band.”

He looked sheepish. “Yeah, I know,” he mumbled.

“I am perfectly fine with the not-so-fancy dates you take me out on. In fact, I love them. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about dates. All I want is to be with you. It doesn’t matter where. So, promise me you won’t waste money like this.” I placed my hand on his.

“Okay,” he agreed, squeezing my hand.

“But this deal is only temporary. When you become a rock star earning millions, I expect you to spend at least a thousand dollars on me every day.” I joked.

He laughed. “When I become a millionaire, it’s all yours, sweetheart.”

After the yummiest brunch I have ever had in my life, we packed all the flowers into the car as we headed off to a women’s shelter. I decided I wouldn’t need all these flowers. It would probably make someone’s day if they received them. I kept one of each flower and made a small bouquet for myself, as a memory. I also took three small bouquets for Aunty M and the girls. I also decided to take one more for Jay’s mom because she liked flowers.

We ended up on the beach later that day, enjoying a soft serve as we listened to the melodic crashing of the waves. I was sitting with my back against his chest, relaxing in his comforting embrace. The sun was just starting to set, and the sky was cast in a warm yellowish hue blended with a pinkish glow. It looked like the sky was alive.

“What’s the one thing you can’t live without?” he asked.

“You,” I said.

“No. But really?”

“It is you. I simply cannot imagine living without you.”

Jay’s eyes softened as he gave me a long, hard kiss.

I giggled. The ice cream spilled everywhere on my lap. I pulled away and tried to clean it off as best as I could. But he wouldn’t let me. He brought my fingers to his lips and kept trying to suck the ice cream off. I got up and ran toward the water, trying to get away from him. I made a big mistake because he was on me in two quick strides. He wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off the water.

I laughed. “Jay, let me go.”