reputation

Birthday Mornings

December 13, 2017.

Four - Taylor

Be back in an hour tops.
- Emma (8:36)

That was what the note stuck to Taylor's forehead when she woke up had scrawled on it in Emma's loopy handwriting. She took the sticky note and sat it on the bedside table next to the alarm clock that read quarter past nine. Just as she went to push the covers off, Emma walked in the room holding a large pastry box.

"Lay back down. I wanted to do breakfast in bed for your birthday."

Taylor did as she was told and laid back on the pillows. "Thank you, baby. I really appreciate it."

"Well I really appreciate you. I want you to have the best birthday possible."

"It already is."

Emma leaned over the bed to kiss her before sitting the pastry box in her lap. "Well, I'm glad. You'd better eat and get dressed. We have things to do today."

Taylor sat up and looked down in the box at the half dozen assorted muffins Emma had bought and smiled at the thought of having them for breakfast with Emma. If doing something two years in a row constituted a tradition, eating birthday muffins was their newest one. She opened the box and let the smell of fresh baked goods fill the room. "Does that list include muffins and each other?"

"Muffins, yes. Eachother, not right now. Right now you have to go try on costumes for the tour." Emma smiled and turned around to go into the closet. "What kind of thing am I supposed to wear when we go out with your friends tonight?"

Taylor looked back down at the box of muffins and pushed them to the side and got out of the bed in one quick motion. She followed Emma into the closet and looked between the two dresses that had been laid out. "Those would work. I like the blue one."

Emma picked up the sparkly blue dress and held it up to her body. "You think so?"

Taylor nodded her approval. "Will you go with me to the fitting today?"

"If that's what you want then I would love to. We need to hurry though. Tree said you should have left an hour ago."

"Did she come by?"

Emma shook her head and slipped on a thicker sweater than what she had on earlier. "She gave me her number for when she wants you to wake up because apparently you're kinder when I wake you up than you are when she wakes you up."

"When she wakes me up it's always because something is wrong."

"That's fair. Are you going to take something to eat with you? I'm not really sure how long things like this take."

"No, I'm probably going to wait to eat until after." Taylor said while flipping through hanging sweaters. She waited for Emma to say something and, upon hearing nothing but silence, looked back to make sure she was still in the room. Emma was in the room, the doorway to be more specific, and was looking back on the bed at the box still sitting on the bed. Seeing the concerned look on Emma's face, she quickly amended her statement. "I'm not really that hungry."

"Are you sure? We have time to eat, it's not really that big of a rush."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Taylor looked away from Emma, feeling her face heat up as soon as she had said it. She was almost sure Emma could tell she was lying.

"Taylor."

"I'll eat after."

Emma scowled and looked back at the pastry box. "You need to have something before we go out for the day. It doesn't have to be a muffin. I can make you whatever you want. Do you want something different?"