nineteen

2.8K 65 24
                                    

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY, CLEO!

I won't lie, this chapter kicked. my. ass.

It took me over a week to write it due to writers block lmfao so please leave your critique! It'd be much appreciated ❤️

————————————————

I feel different this year

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.



I feel different this year.

I didn't wake up this morning hysterically crying over the guilt I feel for my mother's death like I have every year prior.

Quite the contrary, actually.

I woke up with a smile on my face. I jumped out of bed with a determination to make my twenty-fourth birthday the best one I've ever had.

I showered, shaved, moisturized and slipped into the new dress James bought me for today.

The pale yellow fabric had small pink flowers scattered all over it and fell delicately down my curvy figure, stopping just past my knees. The slit in the skirt stopped about halfway up my thigh, exposing my leg and the straps tied at the top of my shoulders.

My thick ginger waves cascaded carelessly down my back with twists pulled into my moms barrette that dad gave me when I turned sixteen. I paired the outfit with my nude strappy heels and, of course, the necklace that James got me. I haven't taken it off since the day he put it on me.

I stroke the necklace softly, sighing to myself as the less... pleasant memories from that night fill my mind.

Although Kol's bite was now completely gone, I still had to work through the trauma of what happened. James had offered to heal me with his blood, to which I gladly accepted. I didn't want another reminder of Kol, once again, trying to force me into a lifestyle that I didn't want yet.

Now, there's absolutely no trace of it to be found, like it never happened in the first place.

We haven't heard anything else about him since that night, no matter how hard James and Steve looked. He was like a ghost, gone without a trace.

But I know Kol better than that. He's hiding. Laying low, formulating a plan and waiting for the perfect time to make his next move.

I shake my head, pushing the thoughts out of my mind as I stare at myself in the mirror, running my hands down my sides to smooth out the flowy material. I turn slightly to check how the back looks and can't help but smile to myself at just how flattering the dress really is.

James really knows how to shop for me.

He never said anything about what he had planned... just to 'put the dress on and be ready by eight' followed by a stern glare that left no room for argument.

The First (18+)Where stories live. Discover now