Status: completed.
Forever and a Day
un.
On her eleventh birthday he had given her a necklace. It was on a brown piece of cord, and dangling from the center was a heart smaller than a half-dollar. Engraved on that heart, that almost made it look like a watch, were the words “Yes” and “No”. In the center of the heart it read “Love Me” with an arrow that spun around pointing to the different answers.
“Oh! Tuck, it’s beautiful! I’ll never take it off!” Zoey exclaimed, hugging her best friend as he turned beet red.
“I knew you’d like it and I wanted you to have it before your party tomorrow,” Tucker said quietly, knowing the routine.
Whenever one needed to talk to the other, if one was scared (usually Zoey), if one was sick or hurt, or if one had a problem that they couldn’t talk about around other people or during the day, they would sneak out of their window, down the tree that was conveniently placed next to their window, across the lawn, to the other tree also conveniently next to the other one’s house, climbed up and tapped on the window. Now, Tucker had wanted to see the look on Zoey’s face himself when she opened her present from him. He was very proud of himself; he’d saved up his allowance for months when he first saw the pendant and his mom had helped him put it on the brown cord and wrap it up in the box.
Currently, they were sitting Indian-style facing each other on the window seat in Zoey’s room. Zoey reached up and fastened the necklace around her neck, letting her brown hair fall back into place and stuck her neck out for Tucker to examine it. He smiled his approval and she leaned in to hug him again.
“Zo?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you love me?” Tucker asked shyly.
Zoey smiled at Tucker and getting an idea, she looked down at her necklace, turning it until the arrow pointed to the word “Yes”. Tucker’s smile reached his eyes, and for a brief second, their world was lost as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers as he’d seen his dad do to his mom so many times before.
“Forever?” Tucker asked quietly.
“And a day,” Zoey promised.
They stayed like that, talking for another hour before Zoey started yawning more and more. Tucker said goodnight to her and climbed down her tree, Zoey watching him sprint across the lawn and scurry up his tree and out of sight. She sighed and looked down at her necklace again. This was going to be the best birthday, ever.
That was the last birthday that Zoey got to spend with Tucker.
“Oh! Tuck, it’s beautiful! I’ll never take it off!” Zoey exclaimed, hugging her best friend as he turned beet red.
“I knew you’d like it and I wanted you to have it before your party tomorrow,” Tucker said quietly, knowing the routine.
Whenever one needed to talk to the other, if one was scared (usually Zoey), if one was sick or hurt, or if one had a problem that they couldn’t talk about around other people or during the day, they would sneak out of their window, down the tree that was conveniently placed next to their window, across the lawn, to the other tree also conveniently next to the other one’s house, climbed up and tapped on the window. Now, Tucker had wanted to see the look on Zoey’s face himself when she opened her present from him. He was very proud of himself; he’d saved up his allowance for months when he first saw the pendant and his mom had helped him put it on the brown cord and wrap it up in the box.
Currently, they were sitting Indian-style facing each other on the window seat in Zoey’s room. Zoey reached up and fastened the necklace around her neck, letting her brown hair fall back into place and stuck her neck out for Tucker to examine it. He smiled his approval and she leaned in to hug him again.
“Zo?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you love me?” Tucker asked shyly.
Zoey smiled at Tucker and getting an idea, she looked down at her necklace, turning it until the arrow pointed to the word “Yes”. Tucker’s smile reached his eyes, and for a brief second, their world was lost as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers as he’d seen his dad do to his mom so many times before.
“Forever?” Tucker asked quietly.
“And a day,” Zoey promised.
They stayed like that, talking for another hour before Zoey started yawning more and more. Tucker said goodnight to her and climbed down her tree, Zoey watching him sprint across the lawn and scurry up his tree and out of sight. She sighed and looked down at her necklace again. This was going to be the best birthday, ever.
That was the last birthday that Zoey got to spend with Tucker.