what we do best

part ten

Tristan calls me the night before his birthday.

"I'm having a birthday dinner thing with my family tomorrow. I'd love it if you could come," His voice is high with anticipation.

"Of course, I will. I'll make sure Zoey's with a friend tomorrow night. Are you sure it won't be weird with me there?"

"It'll just be my moms and my brother and sister. They got back from college this weekend. Is that okay?"

"It's your birthday, Tristan. I'd harness the moon and stars if you asked me to."

+++

I'm sure it would be all romantic for me to do what Tristan did on my birthday and show up at his house at midnight, but Tris asked me specifically to not do that.

"Be original," he'd said.

I wait on his front porch and watch him see me from his bedroom window. He bounds down the stairs and out the front door.

"Happy birthday, Tristan," I laugh as Tris jumps into a hug. I hold out the gifts I'd prepared for him the evening before and Tris kisses me fast and hard before taking them. We sit down on his porch and he opens his gifts giddily, like a child on Christmas.

Arranged neatly is a bouquet of flowers from a garden my mother had tended to before she died. I make sure something blooms every spring. Mrs. Wallace's book is tied to the bouquet with a flower bookmarking the page of the poem Tristan loves so much. Tris digs deeper in the paper bag and small slips of paper fall through his fingers.

"Read those when you need them. They're all the reasons I love you," My cheeks burn because I can feel Tristan's smile through to my heart.

"I'm gonna go put the flowers in water," Tris kisses my cheek and laughs. "You're so warm."

"Shut up!" I shove him inside. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see the spitting image of Tristan, but he's got curly blonde hair instead of brown.

"Hey, man. Josh," Who I'm assuming is Tristan's brother extends a hand for me to shake. "Ollie, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Man, Tristan's crazy about you. He's been walking around with a permanent grin on since I've been home," Josh claps me on the back and laughs, the same dimples as Tristan's appearing on his cheeks.

"Is that Ollie? I want to meet him!" A girl's voice shouts from inside. I hear the protests from Tris coming from inside, the girl struggling past him onto the porch.

"Don't talk to Josh and Addie! They'll corrupt you!" Tris trips down the porch and stands between me and his siblings. "I am so sorry."

"Pleasure to meet you!" Addie envelops me in a hug. She's shorter than her brothers, standing a little taller than me. "I've heard so much, and I've only been home for, like, a week."

"Okay, we're leaving now! Bye!" Tris hauls his backpack onto his shoulder and takes my hand running down the sidewalk. Once we're far enough down the road, Tristan turns and smiles at me.

"Your family is very friendly," I tell him, squeezing his hand.

"Jesus, they're a lot. And, for the record, I did not tell them all about you. Although I would've if you were okay with it. But my moms got to them first," Tris shakes his head.

"It's okay, I don't mind. But what exactly have they heard about me?" I swing our linked arms.

Tristan turns beet red and smirks at me. I kiss his knuckles, and then step up to kiss his cheek. We reach the front of the school and he kisses me long and slow before the bell rings.