In Fate's Hands

-3 Months Later-

“Ethan! Come on! Stop messing around and just show me!” Riley whined as I lead him from my car to his house, blindfolded. He’s been blindfolded since the end of school, and he’s starting to get irritated with me. I held in my laughter as Ian and Nick followed behind me, carrying presents.

“We’re almost there, I swear.” I said, kissing his neck as I opened the door to the house, letting Ian and Nick in first. Riley had no idea they were here; they do a pretty good job at keeping quiet.

I carefully lead him so he wouldn’t recognize it as his own house. Hell, I even lit a shit ton of candles so it wouldn’t smell like his house.

“Where are we, Ethan?” He asked as I sat him on a chair. “And why is there an overabundance of vanilla? Are we at one of those stupid romantic getaway places, because I swear to God if we are-”

“No, no, no.” I laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out soon.” I kept giving him my vague answers. He stuck his tongue out at me and I flicked it with my own while there was no one in the room.

He laughed. “That was it?”

I bent down to kiss him again, giving him everything I had, which was obviously more than he was expecting, because he jumped a little bit before giving me the equivalent back.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I pulled away from Riley slowly, making it seem like it wasn’t anything urgent. He smiled after I stood up and turned around, seeing Ian, Nick, and Riley’s parents. My cheeks got warm when I realized what his parents just saw us doing.

“Ready?” Nick mouthed to me.

I nodded, the gestured my chin over to Ian and Riley’s parents. They gave a thumbs up.

I flipped the switches so it was completely dark in the house, walking slowly towards Riley, making sure not to kick anything.

When I got to his chair, I leaned down to his ear. “Ready?” I asked.

“I’ve been ready.” Riley said, sounding relieved.

I smiled and tugged off the blindfold.

Riley looked around, confused, until the lights turned on and a huge “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” rang throughout the room.

He gasped, covering his mouth, looking like he was about to cry tears of joy.

The whole living room was decorated in streamers of his favorite shade of blue with purple and pink balloons to match. There was a huge cake set out on the coffee table, three tiers at least, created by Ian, colored with frosting to match the decorations with splashes of lime green. Seventeen candles topped the cake, all ready to be lit. The setting was completed with the nice sized pile of presents on the floor by the cake, the smallest of them from me.

Riley ran into my arms. “Is this all from you?! Did you do all of this?” He asked, sounding ecstatic.

“I did decorations and colors and Ian did the cake, naturally.” I said, looking down at his beaming expression. I couldn’t help but be just as happy. It’s contagious.

“I helped with the frosting!” Nick said, smiling, feeling important.

“Yes, yes you did.” Ian said, giving him a quick seductive glance.

His parents cleared their throats, and they turned bright red.

Riley’s eyes found the presents and he almost lost himself. “All those are for me? Really?”

Everyone nodded.

He looked back up at me and planted a kiss on my lips. “I couldn’t possibly take those.”

“Shut up! Stop being so modest and accept them. Honestly. Put yourself before everyone else at least once a year.” I said, messing up his hair. “Besides, I wouldn’t let you not accept them anyways, and I’m sure everyone else is behind me with that.”

He laughed, looking at everyone else, and they all nodded. He sighed and threw his head backwards. “This is so unfaaaairrr.”

“No it’s not. Now sit down.” Nick said, handing him two colorfully wrapped boxes. “Those are from Ian and I, with a little bit of money pitched in from Ian’s aunt.”

“Awww Aunt Sue? I’m going to have to hurt you two.” He said, trying to glare at them.
“Just open your presents!” Ian and Nick yelled.

“The yellow one’s from me.” Nick said.

Riley rolled his eyes, picking up the yellow one and setting the purple one on the floor.

I laughed a little at the spectacle going on between them, sitting in the chair with Riley, squishing him slightly.

Riley ripped the fluorescent yellow wrapping paper off of the first box. He opened the box and gasped, holding up a pair of bright green skinny jeans. “Aaah! I should’ve known you were getting these for me! Neither of you would wear these.”

“Why do you think we had you try them on?” Ian asked, smiling from ear to ear.

“Because you’re the same size as me and you’re too lazy to try stuff on yourself.” He said, sticking his tongue out, folding the jeans and putting them back in the box. He got out of the chair, making me fall over a little bit, and hugged Nick tightly. “Thank you so much.”

They let go of each other and Riley turned to sit back down.

“Come on, now, Ethan, move.” He said, putting his hand on his hip.

“Move your feet lose your seat. Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean you’re gonna be treated like royalty.” I said, smirking. “And just because I love you doesn’t mean you’re always gonna get what you want from me.”

Riley sighed, cheeks slightly red, and plopped down on my lap. I grabbed his waist and scooted him all the way back so he was leaning against me, keeping my arms wrapped around him.

“Ethan! Now I can’t reach my presents!” Riley laughed.

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Ian said, grabbing his purple present from beside the chair.

“Thanks, Ian.” He said, grabbing the present, “accidentally” elbowing me in the ribs. I pinched his side and made him squeak, earning laughter from everyone.

“Now don’t tell me. Is this the shirt I tried on, too?” Riley said, tearing the purple paper and throwing it behind him, hitting me in the face. I grabbed it and stuffed it down the front of his shirt.

“Ethan, Riley, please. Maturity levels, please.” Riley’s mom said, hiding her amusement.

Riley reached and got the wrapping paper out of his shirt, throwing it on the ground. I just smiled and started playing with his hair.

He opened the box and it almost fell off his lap. He just barely caught it and held up one of the multi-color checkered Van’s slip-ons.

“SHOES?! Seriously?! The ones I tried on, too. I’m so clueless…” He rambled. I squeezed his midsection to me, resting my head against his back. “This is too much.” Riley said, closing the box.

“No rejections.” Ian, Nick and I said in unison.

“Buuut…guyysssss, this is so much money. You really didn’t have to spend that much on me.” Riley whined, throwing a hissy fit in my lap.

“They didn’t cost me a penny.” Ian said, smiling.

“How could they not?! These shoes have to be at least 50 dollars.”

“Stole ‘em.” I said in a hushed voice, which earned me a glare from Ian and Nick.

“This is where Aunt Sue comes in. She works at the shoe place and gets discontinued shoes free. That just so happens to be the last pair they had in stock.” Ian said, smiling, proud of himself. “Oh, and there’s some peanut butter cup cookies at the bottom, homemade, as always.”

I swear I heard Riley sniffle.

“I have it too good with you guys.” Riley said, laughing a little. He turned his head to look at me. “Can I get up and hug Ian?”

“I would much rather hug you.” I said, squeezing him tightly again.

“But it’s not your present yet. You can hug me all you want when I open yours.” He said.

I sighed, smiling, releasing my arms from around him. “Fine.” He’s going to like my present a lot more than Ian’s anyways, at least part of it.

He flew off my lap and basically suffocated Ian. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!”

Ian laughed and hugged him just as tightly.

The night went on like that, Riley getting gift cards and cash from his parents, the shirt that he did try on from Nick, and more cookies from Ian in a little festive container. I question that boy sometimes.
Ian and Nick began fighting over who got to light the candles on the cake.

“Why are you arguing about that so early? Riley still has one more present to open.” His mom said.

They stuck their tongues out at each other and sat on the couch.

Riley grabbed the box wrapped in gold.

“This is the only one from you?” He asked me.

“Yup. Just that one.” I said, pulling him down so he was sitting sideways across my legs, his feet a couple inches off the ground. “And don’t worry, this didn’t cost me anything.”

He gave me a disapproving look as he looked at the box, shaking it, hearing nothing rattle inside. He took another look at it, and took the wrapping paper off slowly, not ripping it at all. He took the top off the box, and tears brimmed his bottom eyelids as he smiled.

Inside the box was a crudely drawn and colored heart, drawn on the bottom of the box.

“What is this supposed to be?” Riley asked quietly.

“It’s my birthday gift to you. I give you my heart.” I said just as quietly, pushing his hair from in front of his eyes. "It's in a box so you never lose it."

His tears started falling as he still wore that warm, sweet smile. He leaned down to kiss me.

Riley pulled away from my lips, sniffling, wiping his eyes. “This is the best gift I’ve gotten, not only tonight, but of all the gifts I’ve ever received. I’ll hold onto it for the rest of my life.”

I kissed him again, hearing sniffles coming from Ian and Nick behind us.

“I love you, Ethan.” He whispered, his hand on the side of my face.

I pulled him into a tight hug, feeling tears falling down my cheeks as well. “I love you, too, Riley.”