what came next

four - travis

Taylor was silent on the other end for a long moment, and I wasn't sure if it was because an endearment had slipped out or if she was realizing she was so wrapped up in taking care of Bella that she'd forgotten to take care of herself. I waited, not wanting to cut her off, knowing she'd speak when she was ready.

"I've just..." Her voice was weak, limp. "I haven't celebrated my birthday since I turned nineteen. I kind of forgot it was a thing." 

"Taylor." I whispered, shifting the box in my arms, the wind brushing against my arms. "Do you want to celebrate it?"

"No." Taylor mumbled. "I haven't done enough to deserve a birthday."

"Well." I felt so bad she thought that. "Why don't you open the door, and I'll convince you that you've done enough?"

Taylor's breath caught when she realized what I meant, and she was silent for a moment before I heard her faint footsteps from her side. A minute later, the front door unlocked and swung open, revealing the woman I had driven across town at midnight to see the second it became her birthday. She stared at me, her phone dropping from her ear.

"What are you doing here?" Taylor breathed. "Travis it's midnight."

"It's actually two past." I told her. "It's your birthday." I flicked my eyes down to the box in my hands, the bag on my arm. "So I brought you some things." Taylor's eyes filled with tears and she nodded, shifting aside so I could come in. 

I walked down to the table, placing the cake box down before putting the bag full of birthday presents I'd got her next to it. Taylor was still staring at me like I was a ghost, and the silence stretched on as I looked back at her. I'd thought maybe she'd like the surprise, but maybe she didn't.

"Travis." She swallowed. "No one's ever done something like this for me before." Her eyes glazed over with tears for a moment before she blinked them away, a tiny smile spreading over her lips. "You're fucking insane you know; it's midnight."

"I know." I smiled at her. "You have candles?"

"Uh, yeah." Taylor sniffed, waving her hand over to the drawers. "Bottom one."

Nodding, I moved past her and ducked down to open the bottom drawer. I found a little container of candles and rifled through them, finding a two and a four, probably from Bella's birthdays, along with a lighter. Taking them, I grabbed a knife and then went over to the table, opening the cake box and flattening out the sides. I'd gotten black forest; Taylor's favorite.

Taylor just kept staring as I put the candles in, and then I lit them and looked at her. She went red.

"Don't start singing." She mumbled.

"Don't worry, I knew you wouldn't want me to." I offered her a small smile, and I got a tentative one back. "Go on then." I gestured to the candles. "Make a wish."

Taylor's smile widened and I stepped to the side as she moved closer, leaning over and closing her eyes. I watched as she pursed her lips, blowing the candles out in one quick blow as she wished very obviously hard. She paused there for a moment, and then her eyes opened, blinking up at me.

"Thank you Travis. You don't know how sweet it is that you remembered."

"Taylor." I murmured. "Remembering is the bare minimum. And you don't have to open that now by the way." I motioned to the bag. "Whenever you want."

"Well." Taylor smiled, looking at the knife I'd got. "We have no need for this." Picking it up, she went and swapped it for two forks, placing one into my hand. "Cake tastes so much better when you do it this way."

I laughed quietly, and Taylor grinned as she hopped up to sit on the table. She sat on the edge, legs swinging over the edge as she dug her fork into the cake. I watched as she stuck it into her mouth, smiling at me. I smiled back, and she motioned for me to do the same.