troubled | e.d.

epilogue

tessa

december 15, 11:57 pm

"three minutes," ethan counts down, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and checking the car radio clock.

i stare down at the donut box in my lap, dying to eat one, but we agreed that we'd wait until we each have our free dozen.

the little donut place we promised to get our birthday donuts at is slowly dying out of business, and i really really hope it doesn't go out completely. traditions make life interesting.

"ready to be 20?" i ask, lifting my head to see his face lit up with the atlanta street lights.

he shrugs. "just a year older. good luck being 19. it's the absolute shittiest age."

laughing, i reply, "i've been 19 for almost 24 hours now and i think it's been pretty good."

he hums, smiling a little at me.

it's clear the man is head over heels for me, as i am for him.

for my birthday he got me a pair of vans i've been wanting for months, and a mini botanical necklace that i had been admiring in a boutique window for ages every single time we walked to get ice cream in the city.

i got him season tickets to every atlanta thrashers game this year after i learned about his obsession with sitting in front of a tv and watching hockey for hours upon hours. there's two tickets for every game, so he's going to switch out taking me and cameron, and grayson when he visits.

my dad— on the other hand— surprised the both of us with a spring break trip for our birthdays. he said we can choose wherever we want, and he'll book it. let's just say it was extremely confusing when my super catholic father said i could go alone on a trip with my boyfriend wherever we so please. but i didn't question it and gladly took the offer.

ethan wanted to go to hawaii, but the bahamas looked cooler to me. so we decided to compromise with our second choices— the coast of australia.

"oh!" he suddenly exclaims, looking at the time lit up on his phone. he turns it around and shows me the clock struck midnight.

"well," i sigh happily. "my birthday's over, but yours is just beginning. happy twentieth, baby."

he leans over the center console and kisses me slowly, and in this moment i'm extra glad we both share a time celebration. it just makes it so much sweeter.

he circles around the front of the donut shop again, and i giggle as we pull up to the window and the same lady that took our order five minutes ago appears.

"i would like a free birthday glazed dozen please," he says confidently.

she narrows her eyes at us. "didn't you already come through?"

"well... that was her birthday yesterday," he says, pointing at me. i stifle my laugh. "now it's the sixteenth and it's my birthday."

she rolls her eyes. "can i see a driver license for proof?"

he smugly holds it out to her, and she reads his birthday on it. finally, she sighs and hands it back.
"happy birthday, pull up to the next window and your free dozen will be waiting for you."