Paper Cranes

The two weeks without Jared's presence passed by faster than I expected it would. Christmas was coming up and the people in the office were busy rushing through closing the last few cases and were preparing for the upcoming holidays. Everyone was talking about what Christmas gifts to buy for whom, whether they had done their grocery shopping for Thanksgiving yet. Winona and I were waiting by the elevator, a soft tune of Jingle Bells were played by the reception area. "So, lover boy's back in town huh?" Winona asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," I couldn't help but smile at the thought of Jared being in New York within two hours or so.

"Got any plans?" she asked as we entered the elevator.

"I'm going to surprise him by preparing a dinner for the both of us. He thought we are going out for dinner but most likely he's been working the whole day, so I think it's better if we just stay in and relax instead of going out," I said. Winona nodded in approval. We took the crowded subway and I was back in my apartment, half an hour later. I dumped my bag into the bedroom and fed Sparkie. "How's your day, Sparkie?" I asked, tapping gently on the fish bowl. It swam around in circle before gulping down its food. I popped in a No Doubt's CD into the machine and went for a shower.

"Okay! Cooking time!" I clapped my hands together, looking at the open refrigerator. I took out all the ingredients required for tonight's dinner and started with the salad. First, I washed the vegetables, then fixed the dressing before mixing them together and left it in the refrigerator to chill. The next task was to cook the vegan spaghetti. After throwing in the spaghetti noodles into the boiling salt water, I started with the sauce. It didn't take long before I was done. I let out a sigh of relief at the completion of the main course and glanced over at the clock. There should be another fifteen minutes or so before Jared arrives. I went to set up the round dining table, candles and a bottle of wine with its glasses, plates, forks and spoons were lined up neatly. I went back into my bedroom and fixed my hair into a ponytail, straightened my blue sweater and black sweatpants.

I ran back to the kitchen, I had forgotten about the tomatoes. I chopped them up into slices and mixed it with the rest of the salad. Done! I checked for the desert in the fridge and the blueberry cheesecakes were still intact in their boxes. I looked around the apartment, taking out the CD from the player and arranging the stack of magazines on the coffee table.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I squeaked and ran towards the door, ripping it open. "JARED!!!!" I pounced on him, arms wrapped around his neck as his was wrapped around my waist, laughing at my excitement. "I missed you too, Ro," he said as I slowly pulled myself away but left my arms around his neck. Nothing much changed about his appearance except for that his hair was dark brown now and he was still cleanly shaved with his ocean blue eyes sparkling under the fluorescent lights. He was smiling widely back at me. He leaned in and those pair of soft lips which I had yearned for came crashing with mine. It started off as a gentle kiss but gradually grew into a fiery and passionate one. I felt my knees buckled weakly beneath my weight. He pulled away and my eyes fluttered open, staring straight into his enticing blue ones which were merely inches apart from mine.

"Do you want to go inside?" he asked with a slanted grin across his face. I nodded and we went inside the apartment. "Wow!" he gasped. "You prepared dinner?!" he asked, shocked.

"Yep!" I nodded proudly. "I just thought since you had been working the whole day and then you had to fly all the way here. You're most probably exhausted, so I thought it'll be for the best if we just stay in and eat and relax," I explained.

He put his luggage by the side of the couch and pulled me in for a hug. "Thank you, so much Ro. This is great," he said, head rested on the top of mine and he gave me a peck on my forehead before we parted. He took off his grey trench coat to reveal a casual black sweater with a white shirt inside. I went to take out the bowl of salad from the fridge and divided the spaghetti. He came over and sniffed the food loudly. "This smells delicious!"

I smiled and he helped me with bringing the food over to the table. As he uncorked the wine bottle, I lighted the candles. "Ooo… candlelit dinner, eh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just part of the package," I replied. He chuckled and poured some wine into each of the wine glasses, he raised his glass and I raised mine. "To a great upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas time!" he clinked his glass with mine. I giggled and drank a sip of the red wine.

"Dig in," I said and gestured to the food on the table. His eyes seemed to have twinkled before he took a forkful of lettuce and ate it. I watched him and waited for his response. He was trying to buy his time, trying to annoy me but it didn't work.

"This is one heck of a salad!" he exclaimed, taking another forkful. I smiled proudly and ate the salad.

"So, you will come to Thanksgiving dinner with me?" I asked.

"Yeah. Of course, I'll go with you, Ro. Don't worry," he said with a supportive squeeze on my hand. We were done with the dinner already and were now enjoying the cheesecakes. "Thanks, Jared."

He smiled and leaned in suddenly, giving me a kiss on the lips, his mouth still had cheesecake in them. I felt him grinning through the kiss. He pulled away. "Now, that's what I call dessert," he teased. I blushed profusely at the comment and took a bite of the cake.

"You seriously look adorable Ro," he said, reaching over to wipe off a small stain of whipped cream from the corner of my lips. All I could do was smile timidly back at him. "Oh… before I forget," he started. "Will you come to Louisiana with me for Christmas?" he asked.

I stared at him. "You want me to spend Christmas with you and your family?!" I asked.

"Yeah. Why not?" he said in a carefree voice.

"But… you're sure?" I asked.

"Of course, I'm sure, Ro." He smiled reassuringly.

"Okay," I muttered.

"What?"

"I said okay. I'll go with you," I mumbled slightly louder. He jumped out of his seat and kneeled down beside me, taking my hands with his. "Thanks, Ro!" He kissed the tip of my nose before colliding with my lips. It was a strong and wanting kind of kiss. One which made you believe this was your Prince Charming. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as his hands traveled to my waist and the small of my back. I felt myself lost balance and I fell on top of him. Our bodies were glued against one another. Our lips had parted and we were both laughing at what had just happened. I could feel his hot breath against my face as his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Erm… Jared…" I whispered in an uncertain voice.

"Hmm?" He tugged the loose lock of black hair behind my ear.

"What are we doing?" I asked dumbly, I could feel the warmth from his body. He looked straight into my eyes. Those pair of enticing blue eyes which could kill anyone who looked directly at them for a long period of time. His lips crashed with mine within seconds and I felt myself being rolled over and he was on top of me now. I held onto his firm shoulder. I wasn't really nervous or anything like that. In fact I was actually very much relaxed. I felt his hands lingered its way under my sweater and I gasped in surprise.

"Do you trust me, Ro?" he asked suddenly, eyes locked with mine.

I thought for a while. "I do," I whispered. He smiled and his lips connected with mine once again, taking me into a whole other dimension.

***
I hid my face against his bare chest. The sound of his pulse pounded against my ears. I had one arm around his abdomen which my fingers were tangled with his. He had an arm draped around my bare back. "Ro?" he said suddenly, breaking the ten-minute long silence.

"Yeah?" I was still hiding my face against his chest, staring at the digital clock on the bedside table.

I felt him stroking my long hair. "I know you may think this sounds illogical or too fast," he paused. "But… Rowena, I love you," he said.

Immediately, my head raised and faced him directly. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness around us. He had a small smile across his face. I studied those eyes for affirmation, was he really telling me the truth? The pools of pastel blue sparkled as the flame within them danced merrily. I smiled in return and pushed myself closer to him. For the first time, I initiated a kiss between the two of us. It was real, it was passionate, and it was mind-blowing. I pulled myself apart. He was grinning widely now. "I love you too, Jared," I whispered. He gave me a peck on my lips and pulled me closer to him, my head leaning against his shoulder as the time between us seemed to have froze for the two of us.