[Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.]
Being with Oliver was nothing short of magical. He did have magic but he didn't know it yet. It enveloped Kayla's life that she wondered how since the day she was born, she managed to live without him.
She didn't know that she searched and yearned for anyone. She didn't know her life was missing something until she met him and things became complete.
Her birthday this year was the best because Oliver was there with her.
She woke up in the morning to see Oliver with a birthday hat and a cake in his hands, singing Happy Birthday. On the cake was a drawing of a raccoon. Of course, he couldn't not do anything that would piss Kayla off.
"Aww, Ollie! This is amazing! Thank you!" She hugged his neck and he smiled back. "Anything for you, Hastings. I would do anything to make you happy."
Then her friends called her one by one to wish her a happy birthday. Loui, her best friend in the entire world wrote her an entire collection of poems which she published one copy only for her. The poems were beautiful like anything Loui wrote would be short of creativity.
Rory gave her a portrait she painted of Kayla. Blaire bought her a gold ring. Her sister, Evie sent her the most beautiful sky-blue earrings. She remembered. Jack and Rosa surprised her with boba tea and sponsored her lunch and they gave her a watch with the note, "So you'll always be on time."
She laughed at the message. That was supposed to be Oliver's line. Speaking of the professor, he had surprises for her.
One of them included her being blindfolded and being led somewhere.
"Where are you taking me, you asshole!? If you are planning on killing me I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable life!" She huffed, their hands intertwined as he walked in front.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Hastings now trust me. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that a long time ago you raccoon." Came his reply.
"I swear to god Ollie! If I fall you will…."
"Ssshhh. Trust me, Hastings. If you fall, I'll catch you. Trust that." The words seemed to ease her a bit but she yelled all the way there. Oliver listened to everything with a grain of salt and sighed when she threatened to cut off his balls. This was his life with the raccoon.
"Wait. Stop here." He told her, standing behind her. Kayla stopped. "Remove the blindfold, love." He whispered, his hot breath on her neck. Without hesitation, she removed the covering and when she did, a loud gasp escaped her lips.
"Oh my God." Her palm covered her mouth. It was a cabin in the middle of a forest. The cabin was big but it still had the campy feel to it.
"How did you…. How did you know?" Her words came out breathy.
"You said that you wanted to live in a cabin one day. We both still have work but during the holidays we can come here, away from the world, away from reality. Do you like it?"
Tears filled her eyes, "This is wonderful. This is…" She could spend the rest of her life here, with him. "You are wonderful."
"Another nickname. I must have graduated again." He chuckled softly and she hit his arm.
"Let's go inside!" She dragged him into the cabin. She still couldn't believe that he bought a cabin for her.
"The cabin is in your name, Hastings. It's yours." He handed her the keys. "You didn't have to, Ollie. You didn't." She whispered but he enveloped her lips.
"I had to. You deserve the stars and moon because what is the sun compared to all the constellations and stars around you, Hastings?" Kayla just stared into his eyes, unwilling to look away. "Nothing, Hastings. Nothing." He answered.
She opened the door to the cabin and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god!" She squealed, roaming around the cabin.
The room was enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass walls, which offered breathtaking views of the dense greenery outside, while natural light filtered through the canopy above. She imagined waking up and seeing this. Wouldn't that life be nothing short of perfect?
The space had a sleek, earthy vibe with dark wood flooring, soft gray and beige furniture, and various plants strategically placed to blend the indoors with the outdoors.
The bookshelf had both Percy Jackson and Harry Potter books, in every edition. On the 13th, he gave her her very own wand so she would put it on top of the shelf where it belonged.
A staircase with minimalist black railings led to an upper level, and there was a large glass. Suspended from the ceiling were elegant, spherical pendant lights that created a warm, ambient glow. A large, built-in fireplace and a television mounted above it.
In the middle of the room, a unique design feature stood out to her: a small pool of water, seamlessly integrated into the floor. The pool was covered with a sturdy glass pane, which served as the base for a sleek, rectangular coffee table.
The kitchen was big and equipped with everything she would need and their room overlooked the green of the forest. If it rained or snowed they could watch Mother Nature in action.
"Check the backyard." He nodded his head in the direction.
"What's there?" She stared tentatively at him.
"Go see." Hesitatingly, she went to the backyard only to see a small artificial lake but beside the lake was something that looked icy.
"It's not finished yet." Kayla almost jumped when she heard his voice. "After you took me to the ice skating rink I wanted to build one for you but it would take time, I was told."
"I am insanely lucky that I am your first girlfriend because the woman you would have dated and will marry hit the jackpot. I must have saved the universe in my other life to be with someone like you." His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Oh really, Hastings? I thought you said I was the blueprint of every asshole in history." He hummed and she blushed.
"I don't recall. I don't think I said that."
"Are you sure? Didn't you say you pitied the person I would have married? Said it could never be you." Oliver teased her again and she scoffed.
"You're just making up stories. I said those things because you were an asshole. You'll forever be an asshole but only my asshole." Her head rested on his chest. "I hate you, Ollie." Oliver laughed, stroking her hair.
The next surprise was what drove Kayla to insanity. They made a stop at home and when she got in the first thing she saw was a cello. Not just any cello, but her custom-made cello. She choked, blinking rapidly to stop the tears from flowing.
"This…. You just love making me speechless." She sniffed.
"It was hard finding a sky-blue cello but it was worth the trouble to see your reaction. Everything about you has always been trouble and I signed up for it."
"Fuck you." Kayla beamed touching the strings. "I'll play for you." He nodded taking a seat and he watched her get on her knees to play.
His Hastings. His world. His heart. The reason why he could breathe. She was his life. He would go through everything he went through if it meant being here in this moment with her. One second of knowing her, and touching her was worth hundreds of years of pain.
"This is the last surprise, Hastings. I promise." Kayla grumbled, pouting her lips.
"Just how many things did you plan!?"
"As many as it takes to see you smile."
"Cheesy," she snickered but they arrived in a field and her eyes widened when she saw an air balloon. "No! Hell no! I am not getting on that thing!"
"Hastings," he exhaled sharply. "Don't be difficult. You won't fall. It's safe."
"No, it is not! I can't go on that thing!" Oliver stepped in front of her, cupping her cheeks. "I am with you, always." Under the moonlight, his eyes glowed almost putting the color bronze to shame. He looked like a god.
Her lips quivered watching him assure him. Watching him go out of his way to make her happy. What did she do to deserve him? Yet she was lying to him, deceiving him that they had a future. That forever was possible.
"Even when the moon and sun collide, I'll still be here. I will never let go. I will never let go of your hand, for in it I found peace." She promised silently.
"There is no version of the world that I won't be with you, Ollie. It doesn't even exist."
He kissed her tear away. She didn't know when she started crying. "No version at all. You were made for me. Forever. Not even death can separate us." He held at his hand for her and she took it.
"Don't let go, Ollie."
"Never." They boarded the air balloon and the attendant set everything up. She closed her eyes, leaning into Oliver.
"You have to watch. That's the surprise. You have to watch or it would all be for nothing. I won't let go. Never." She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She would do anything for him.
The view before her was breathtaking. The world seemed so small this high above the ground. The city lights reflected in her hazel eyes. Oliver realized that her eyes reminded him of the orange that tainted the cloud during dusk. So transparent, almost glass-like.
"It's beautiful."
"It is." His eyes never left her face.
Kayla jerked when she heard a loud noise. "It's okay. Look at the sky."
She raised her head and her mouth formed an, 'o'.
Fireworks erupted in the sky. Blue fireworks and after each one, a letter formed until the last one and spelled out, "Happy Birthday, Kayla."
She turned to face him only to see him staring at him. "Happy birthday, Kayla." His voice was so soft that her heart melted. Her name on his lips was a prayer. A melody she wanted to record and hear on repeat. If he said it wrongly, the world would end. That was the amount of care he put into the name.
"I hate you, professor. Why do you have to make my heart melt every single time!"
Oliver's lips tugged upwards. His arm was around her shoulder and she placed her head on his shoulder. "I hate you, Ollie."
For the first time, Ollie didn't say it back, because he felt so many things for her but hate wasn't one of them anymore and he was afraid of what that meant.
When the whole world couldn't see him, she saw him. Reached out her hand in the darkness and pulled him out. He thanked whatever entity that created them for sending her to him. He kissed her forehead, fingers lacing each other.
"Forever, Hastings."
Her heart constricted at the words. "Forever, professor."
Just two people soared above the world and had so many feelings that their hearts almost burst.
"How do we get down, Ollie?" she asked.
"Well…."
"Well, what!? Are you insane!? We could reach the stratosphere you imbecile!?" she let go of him, yelling.
"You raccoon, I was just kidding…." Like always they would fight each other. This was there forever.