Take Me Back

12 - Niall

February

Today was Jenna's birthday, so I woke up earlier than usual to make her breakfast. Her favorite was pancakes, so I started to make the batter. I decided to add some sprinkles so it would be colorful. I smiled as I stirred together all of the ingredients, knowing she would appreciate the small gesture. After the pancakes were off the griddle, I brewed her cappuccino she drank every morning and added some whipped cream to the top. I waited a bit, but her breakfast was going to get cold, so I put some candles on the stack and brought them into her room.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jenna, happy birthday to you!" I sat down next to Jenna and sat the plate down on her lap.

"Aw, thanks love. You remembered?" I kissed her on the cheek and brushed the pad of my thumb over the spot.

"Of course I did. You love your birthday more than anything, how could I forget?"

"True. Birthdays are just so fun! Plus, I don't have to make myself any breakfast. That's always a plus". She leaned up and planted a warm kiss on my cheek. I nuzzled her forehead with my nose and rested my head on hers.

"Happy birthday, love. Now, eat your pancakes before they get cold".  I stood up to go into the bathroom, but a tiny hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Lay with me. You keep me warm". I smiled and turned back to the bed, watching her enjoy breakfast.

Later that day, we went out shopping so she could treat herself. We drove to the shopping center, where we walked around for a bit. Actually, she did more shopping for me than she did her.

"Come try this shirt on, Ni. I think it would look really good on you". I rolled my eyes, but walked over to the rack she was standing at. I took the hanger from her and kissed her forehead. 

"Birthday girl. Get yourself some clothes, or shoes, or whatever you want. I can style myself, thank you very much". She slapped my arm, but headed over towards the women's section. A few minutes later, I came out of the dressing room wearing the shirt she had picked out for me. "Ta-da! Happy now?" I did a little spin for her.

"I am, thank you very much. You look very handsome. Now, let's get out of here before I die of boredom. This place is too fancy. I want to go to the vintage shops downtown". Jenna had a knack for thrifting. It wasn't like she couldn't afford regular clothes, she just thought they were too mainstream. So, we ended up back in the car, driving to the whole other side of the town.

"See, look how much cooler this is!" She picked up a worn-down sweatshirt from a bin and pulled it towards her tiny body. "It's sick!" I nodded my head in agreement as she put it in our cart, already overflowing with clothes. We never really went shopping, but when we did, we tended to go a little overboard. After checking out, we hurried home to prepare for the party. We were having a joint celebration with Harry, because his birthday was the week before Jenna's. The boys were all coming too, which was nice since we were all best friends. 

"Stop trying to sneak a look at the cake. I told you it's a surprise". I scolded her as she backed away from the kitchen, sighing.

"And I told you I hate surprises! Can't I just pretend to be shocked when you bring it out?" I shook my head at her, and she scrunched her nose in disapproval. "I'm going to get ready. Let me know if you need help".

"I think I can handle putting chips in a bowl and straightening throw pillows, but thanks for the vote of confidence".

Our other celebrant came first, as usual. Harry always came early, because he thought it was disrespectful to arrive late and tried to avoid it at all costs.

"Where's the birthday girl? I want to say hi to her before everybody else gets here". I pointed towards her bedroom and he gave me a smile. Sometimes it bothered me that Harry and Jenna were so close, but then she always gave me that look that reminded me she was here to stay. At least we had the same friends, and I knew Harry would never try to do anything like that anyways. Around ten minutes later, Liam arrived, and Louis and Zayn came shortly after. Once the whole crowd was here, I grabbed her from her room and told her we were ready. A chorus of birthday wishes came from the boys, and she smiled with glee.

"Thank you, loves. Now, can we eat the pizza? I'm starving!" Everybody laughed, and we went into the kitchen to eat. We shared drinks and jokes while having food. 

"Do you remember when we first met Jenna and I took her bra on accident?" Louis asked the crowd and got a roaring of laughter in response. "I swear, she looked like she wanted to slit my throat the whole rest of the day!"

"Yeah, and then you had the audacity to ask me if she was single!" I teased him. "Of course I lied and said no. First of all, I was greedy and wanted her for myself, and secondly, she hated you at first".

"Hate is a strong word. I would say strongly disliked". Louis opened his mouth to say something, but shook his head and laughed. 

"Alright, don't forget we're celebrating Harry too. That means we have a reason to embarrass him as well. How about that time we all thought he was in love with Louis?" I remembered that time once Zayn brought it up, and snickered. On the flip side, Harry did the opposite. His face went hot, and I saw he was uncomfortable, so I swiftly changed the subject. 

"Let's have cake, yeah? I got it special ordered for you two, so you better like it!" I stood up and opened the fridge door, taking out a sheet cake. I set it down on the counter, and immediately they all burst into giggles. Printed on it was a terrible selfie Harry and Jenna had taken on my phone when they stole it. She cradled her head in her hands and playfully punched me.

"I hate you so much! Why would you put that on a cake?"

"Oh, shut up. You know you love me". I kissed her, resulting in "oohs" from the gawking boys. I glared at them, making them laugh even harder. "Who wants which slice?" Liam took first dibs, picking the weirdest area.

"I want one of their eyebrows!" We all just stared at him with our mouths open, not knowing what to say.

"You heard him! Give the man an eyebrow!" Everybody laughed, resulting in more funny requests.

"Can I have a nose?"

"I'll have the corner, please"

"I WANT HARRY'S MOUTH!"

After we finished the cake, it was time for Jenna to open her gifts. From Harry, she received an old book nobody else knew the name of but her. She seemed pretty excited about it, though. Zayn got her a new vinyl, Liam gave her a gift card, and Louis gave her some makeup because "Girls like that sort of thing, right? The shop clerk told me my girlfriend would love it, so I assumed it would be fine". Finally, it was time for my gift. I handed her a tiny blue box, and when she unwrapped the bow, a few tears came to her eyes.

"Are you proposing to her again, mate? I think once is enough". Liam slapped Lou's arm, signalling for him to be quiet. Actually, inside the box was a small necklace. On the pendant, our initials we engraved in the birch tree in Juniper were now engraved in the silver. She wrapped me in a big hug, telling me I chose the right thing. Jenna turned around and I did the clasp, attaching it around her neck. The boys were still obviously confused, so I explained it to them. They definitely thought it was cheesy, but we both knew the meaning in our hearts. 

a/n: hey! im going to be updating slower because i started school again. anyways, next chapter will be wedding prep, and then after that ill do a time jump to the ceremony. anyways, make sure to comment and vote, love you all!