Oceanside

Chapter 19

Odette

"So you cross them out even though you used his card?" I asked as I scribbled the number on the price tag out with a black sharpie.

"Yeah. He doesn't ever check the card statement though," Natalie replied. "At least around his birthday. He knows I'm buying stuff."

Natalie and Trey had a joint account that they both put their money into. And while most of it was Trey's money he didn't seem to have any problem with her spending habits. And this time it was for his birthday. She explained her tradition was to get him the same number of gifts as his age. This year was thirty. The gifts ranged from small things like a leather wallet to more expensive gifts, such as the long rifle he had been wanting for the past year.

She came over today while Silas was at work with two buckets full of the gifts asking if I would help wrap and decorate everything. I agreed happily. It was nice to have someone over while Silas was at work. The fact that Natalie was my new girl friend was even better.

"Besides this is just what we do for both of our birthdays," she continued with a shrug. "I don't know, I guess it's nice not to know the value of things when you get them. From other people of course."

"I could see that. Makes you not feel bad if it was super expensive." That was a habit of mine. If a friend or relative gave me something too expensive for a holiday or my birthday I always felt bad. Like it was too much.

"That too," she said. "Although I never feel bad when he gets me something expensive." She laughed and I did too.

For the next few minutes we worked on marking out all the price tags on the items while her phone blasted one of her playlists. During the brief moment of silence between us I thought about Silas. Something I always did.

Thinking of Silas was a constant habit that I had picked up within a few days of meeting him. It only built from there. It used to be about how much I liked him or our date. All the little new things that I was noting about him. Now the thoughts were more in depth. Especially with what just happened. Despite not knowing him long—in the grand scheme of things—I was pretty sure I was falling in love with him. I used that to explain the obsessive thoughts and incredibly intense feelings.

Right now I knew he was at work so I wondered what he was doing at this moment. Then I wondered if he was thinking of me. I mentally shook my head at myself. I sounded like a lovesick teenager. But perhaps I wasn't far from that.

"Alright then we wrap it in this." Natalie moved to get the wrapping paper from the kitchen countertop. It was with the mountain of other supplies she has.

"It's white."

She rolled out the paper about three feet, grabbing heavy gifts to hold it in place at the corners. "Yeah but I doodle on it then wrap it."

"You draw on the wrapping paper?" I asked.

She hummed a yes. "Like themed doodles. So it's his birthday so I'll draw birthday cakes and classic birthday drawings."

"Why not just buy wrapping paper with that on it?" I watched as she took a sharpie and started drawing.

"It's cuter this way, more personal." She drew tiny birthday cakes randomly over the white paper. "Plus it's a tradition at this point. I did this a very long time ago, like for his first birthday when I met him. I can't stop now. He loves it."

She finished the large section then cut the decorated paper away from the roll. From the pile she picked the box that had new dress shirts in it and laid it on top.

"Will you tape it close while I draw?" she asked looking up to me.

I nodded. "Yeah sure." I took the stuff from her and started folding the paper around the box.

I watched for a second as she started to draw mini birthday cakes all over the paper. She switched markers so they were different colors, spreading them out randomly. When she was done she cut the paper and passed it to me. I started wrapping while she began drawing tiny present boxes.

"So how are you and Silas? I haven't seen you in a little while. I feel like I'm missing out," she joked.

I smiled. "We're doing good. I was worried staying here might be too much. I mean we haven't known each other for a very long time so I thought maybe we'd get sick of each other or something." I taped the last piece of paper closed then set the gift to the side. "That hasn't happened."

She laughed. "Well that's good."

She handed me the next piece and I started taping again. "And it's weird you know? I've never been in a relationship where I've felt this secure so quickly."

I finished quicker than the last one and watched her draw. She looked very concentrated.

"But it's all Silas. He's so supportive in everything. And sweet. Which is funny because he looks the opposite." I laughed and she smiled. Silas's intimidation factor was insane but the fact that he was as gentle as he was made him contradict himself a bit. "I'm just hoping it continues to go well. Because I like him, I really like him."

"Why wouldn't it?" she asked, handing me the next sheet.

"Were you in a relationship before Trey?" I asked and she nodded. "Then you know how it can shift. It comes completely out of left field sometimes. That worries me is all."

"Well I don't think you have to worry about Silas breaking up with you all of the sudden," she assured. "He's obsessed with you."

I laughed at the exaggeration and she smiled wider, shaking her head.

"No really, you should hear him talking to Trey," she said. "Trey gets so annoyed and I have to smack him while Silas reminds him he was like that with me. It's really cute though. I've never seen Silas like someone this much."

That made me feel better. I had been in relationships where the guy just breaks it off with no reason, well at least the reason was never explained to me. I knew sometimes things just didn't work out but I didn't want to think we were both all in then find out later I was wrong.

For a while longer we kept the same routine. She and I would talk while she drew and I taped. It was impressive how many new designs she would come up with, always switching out the colors to make it bright. Towards the end she and I staked them neatly inside a basket. She nit-picked at it until they were sitting just right.

After everything was done we ended up on the couch watching a movie. It wasn't a particularly sad one but I did tear up a few times. I immediately choked it back knowing the only thing that could be approaching to cause that reaction. I knew my period was due soon but I dreaded it every time. Usually the first two days were the worst. I made a mental note to double check my supplies and if Silas had strong enough pain medication.

Halfway through the movie we paused it to get food but got too distracted by talking to restart it.

"So basically Trey helps Silas when he needs to train a new recruitment," Natalie said. She tucked her short red hair behind her left ear. "It's a lot of physical stuff."

"Like conditioning?"

She nodded. "Kind of. I know they have them run a lot, for endurance. Then there's combat training. I'm not there for a lot of it but sometimes Trey comes home covered in dirt and sweating like a pig." She laughed.

I laughed a bit and scrunched up my nose. "Well I'm glad I don't have that job."

In cheer conditioning was the worst. I loved the sport but anything beyond that was exhausting. I could only imagine the training that goes into protecting others. I knew some from Silas but I was interested in Trey as well. My fathers military background gave me some knowledge but not in the bodyguard part.

She nodded. "Me too."

She filled me in just a little bit more about Trey before we went back to the movie. It was interesting to say the least. I would have to ask Silas more about it. In truth I probably should be asking him anyway. This is what he did for a living, and from our conversations about it before he really seemed to like it. I wanted to know more about him, about his interests. It was only fair. If things were going to continue to progress, if I was going to fall for him more, I wanted to know about all the aspects of his life.