A request (a few, in combination, actually)
Mature content ahead. :)
He'd given her the bracelet the same day as the early birthday celebration he had planned at the pop up bar. It was after a disappointing loss and before she was scheduled to fly out, unable to be with him on her actual birthday, but he was in relatively decent spirits, which she attributed to his close friends being in town and his determination to leave what happened behind and throw her a great party.
When they eventually made it back to the house, they were both slightly drunk and sleepy, but they stayed up to get the car keys back from Ross, who'd driven it home and after he left, Travis asked her to hang tight for a minute.
All Taylor dreamed about was getting into pajamas and passing out, so she felt herself get slightly annoyed by his request.
"Honey, I'm exhausted. And I'm sure you are, too. Can't we wait until the morning?"
He looked slightly wounded, but he nodded. "Yeah, of course we can."
Instantly, she picked up on the hurt in his tone and in his eyes and she shook her head, springing up from her sprawled out position on the sofa.
"I can definitely stay up a few minutes longer. Show me," she grasped his hand.
"You sure?"
"Mhmm, yeah. It's obviously important."
"Little pre-birthday present," Travis confided, kissing her knuckles. "Thought I'd give it to you tonight since we had the party."
"Well, if you had said that in the first place..." Taylor teased lightly, "I'm excited now."
"Okay, hang on, baby, let me grab it. It's upstairs."
He bounded up, two at a time, and when he came back down, he was absolutely beaming. Whatever it was, he was certainly psyched for her to open it, bouncing on his feet like a kid waiting to open gifts left under the tree.
His hands were behind his back and for a good minute or two, he seemed almost nervous to give it to her, the initial anticipation dying down a little as she saw the wheels turning at an alarming speed.
Travis was just about the most self-assured man she'd ever known, so when the anxiety showed up in his eyes or his body language, it was a big deal.
"Hey," she implored him quietly, gesturing to the cushion next to her, "whatever it is, I'll absolutely love it. I can guarantee you. Okay?"
Their eyes met. She loved looking in his so much because they flashed everything he was feeling, the complete gamut of emotion. They changed colors, too, depending on his mood. A grey-green when he was in damp spirits, a vibrant aquamarine when he was happy, a darker, more intense blue during times of concentration. After they'd made love, a kind of indescribable cloudy mix of sky and sea; twin storms that made her stop in her tracks when they focused on her.
All she saw was love. Love, that cut through the off chance she wouldn't like it, love, so pure and intense, it bowled her over.
Travis took a long, rectangular box out from behind him, placing it gently in her hands.
"Before you open it...it's kind of what I wanted to give you before."
She laughed at how mysteriously vague he was being. "What? What did you wanna give me before?"
"Open it," he commanded without any bark, "and you'll see."
Carefully, she lifted the lid of the box and when she pulled up the paper to see what was nestled within it, a hand flew to her mouth.
