"I'd pay to see that shit," Jase says.
Ryan and Donna clean everything up while Mark, Jase, and I continue to tease each other.
When we decide to watch a movie, Donna calls it a night. She's tired from the drive, but we will have all day tomorrow to hang out. While Ryan gets her situated in the guest bedroom, Jase, Mark, and I get comfortable on the floor and turn out the lights. We pull the pillows off the couch and chairs and huddle under blankets. Ryan returns and slides under my blanket, and we cuddle as we watch 'The Breakfast Club.'
By the time Allison throws the bologna and cheese on the statue and proceeds to make a sandwich out of Captain Crunch and Pixie Sticks, Jase and Mark head out. Once they're gone, I roll over and face Ryan, the only light being the flicker of the TV. I tangle my legs with his and snuggle in close.
"Thank you."
"For?"
"Your mom and the cake," I say with a grin.
He kisses my nose and says, "Anytime."
I slide my hand under his shirt and run it up his smooth back. "I love you."
He doesn't say anything; he only kisses me. It's all I need as I melt into him. I can taste the sugar from the cake and he caresses his tongue with mine. I grip onto his shoulder and wrap my leg around his hip. Grabbing onto my thigh, I tangle my other hand in his hair. He rolls on top of me and runs his palm up my side, under my shirt.
We've done this before, and I let myself relax because I know that he knows when to stop with me. I trust him, and I know he would never push me. I feel warm under his touch, letting him wrap me up in it. He makes my heart beat faster, and I just want to be close with him. I love what we have together, and I love him.
It's been two weeks since I told him my secret, and he hasn't once looked at me differently. When he said to me that it didn't change anything, I didn't believe him at first, but now, all I can do is trust him and what he says.
Ryan runs his soft kisses up my neck and then pulls away. "Come on," he says as he holds out his hand for me. "I want you in my bed, under my sheets."
I smile up at him before he grabs me and takes me upstairs.
Donna insisted we go to Common Grounds for breakfast while Ryan goes to the gym. She said she wanted to see where I worked, so when Ryan left, we got ourselves ready and I drove us to the coffee shop.
The place isn't too busy when we arrive. We walk up to the counter and I introduce Donna to Roxy.
"So, you're Ryan's mom?" she says with a smirk, and I know she wants to mention his hot-ass, as she does every time his name comes up, but thankfully, she keeps her couth.
"Yes, it's so good to meet you."
Donna doesn't look fazed at all by Roxy's unique style and her cobalt-blue hair.
"Likewise. So what are you girls up to today?"
"We're just here for breakfast," I tell her.
Donna and I give Roxy our order and when she hands us our drinks and muffins, we make ourselves comfortable on one of the cozy small loveseats.
"Thank you for driving up here. It really means a lot me," I tell her as I sip my hot tea.
"Well, I'm glad Ryan called me to tell me it was your birthday."
"Sorry, if it was last minute notice, but he didn't even know until last week."
She gives me a warm smile and says, "Well, I'm happy to be here. It's so good to see the two of you. I've never seen him so happy. All he seems to talk about when I call him is you. So, I take it you guys are getting more serious?"
It's not awkward for me to talk to her about Ryan. We talk about our relationship almost every week. Even though I haven't known her very long, she gives me the maternal support I've never had. She's been easy for me to let in.
"Yeah, I mean we love each other. I try not to think about it too much, but I sometimes worry about what will happen after I graduate."
"Well, have you thought about where you want to go?"
"I don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. I have to go where the job is, and I have no clue what company will offer me a spot. That's what's so unnerving."
Swallowing a bite of her muffin, she asks, "What does Ryan say?"
"We haven't talked about it. I've never mentioned it."
"You have to follow your dreams. I don't see Ryan standing in the way of that."
"I really do love him."
"I know you do," she says as she reaches for my hand.
"I don't know if I could ever leave him."
"Don't let your dreams fade away. Whatever happens, I know you two will find your way through it."
I smile at her words and hope that she's right. I know Seattle has a few outstanding ballet companies. I've expressed interest in a couple; I just hope that one of them will offer me a spot, but at the same time, I've always dreamed of New York. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fantasizing about dancing in the city.
"Well, dear, Ryan told me to not get you anything, but..." She reaches in her purse and pulls out an old weathered box. "I didn't wrap it, so technically, it's not an official present."
When she places the box in my hands, I look at her in disbelief. "Donna, I can't."
"I've had it for years, dear. It's just an old, dirty book, but I saw you reading it at Christmas, so I thought you wouldn't mind having a copy."
I open the box, and I know it's the original publisher's box. Pulling out my favorite book from my childhood, I open it up to see the publishing date is 1935.
Shaking my head, I say, "But this is a collector's edition. How...?"
"When I was a little girl, I loved this book. My grandmother bought this for me when she found it in a rundown antique shop. I bought a current published version for the kids that I keep out, and when I saw you reading it, I figured you would appreciate having this version."
When I start to shake my head again, she places her hand on top of one of the original prints of Frances Hodgson Burnett's book, 'A Little Princess,' and says, "Like I said, it's an old book that has been sitting at the top of my closet for years, doing nothing but collecting dust."
Tears prick my eyes when I think about what this book was for me when I was growing up. In a way, I felt a lot like the girl, Sara. She believed herself to be a princess, and even though her world was falling apart at the hands of someone else, she pulled through, despite the cruelty she suffered. I hadn't read it in years, but when I saw it at Donna's house, I read it again and found it to be just as meaningful as an adult as it was when I was a child.
I set the book in its box on my lap and lean over to hug her. "I can't tell you what this means to me. Thank you."
"Thank you for accepting it."
When she sits back, she smiles and says, swiftly taking the focus off of her non-present, "So, tell me, when do you find out about your audition?"
Placing the cover back on the box, I say, "Today, actually. It should be posted this afternoon around five."
"Either way, I am so proud of you."
Hearing those words from her, every time she says them, fills little empty places in my heart. I never got to hear those words from my parents, so hearing them now does tremendous things to me.
"Tell me about this production. How many dances will I get to see you in?"
"You're coming?" I ask.