Paper Cranes

"Okay! The dishes are all in the dishwasher!" Jared announced proudly as he shut the door to the machine. A smirk plastered on his face. I rolled my eyes as I wiped the dining table. We just had a nice and filling two hours Thanksgiving meal with my parents which were surprisingly well-behaved. They didn't argue or anything like that except for the moments where mum recounted the embarrassing stories of my pre-school, elementary, middle and high school years. Oh yeah, Jared got a good kick out of those stories. I was trying to hide my red face from all of them and quietly ate the food on my plate.

Although, it was a very good thing to see my parents liked him. Both of them communicated well with Jared and Jared seemed quite fond of them too. It was kind of weird to see their reaction around a guy I'm dating, because when it was Keith, they were totally disapproving everything about him but with Jared now, it was like his some precious son-in-law. The thought of Jared and I getting married scared the shit out of me. I wasn't prepared to commit myself that much to anyone yet. I just wasn't prepared.

As I washed the cloth, and left it to dry over the sink, I felt Jared's burning eyes. I turned around to find him leaning against the table, arms folded across his chest, a sly smile playing on his face. "Yes, Mr. Leto?" I asked, going towards the cabinet to take out a few home-made chocolate chip cookies. Then, I made my way over to Jared and fed him one. He took a small bite from it and chewed slowly, still smiling.

"What?!" I asked, uneasy as I took a bite from the same cookie.

"Come over here, you," he extended his arms and pulled me closer to him, his forehead rested on mine, blue eyes piercing into mine. He rubbed his nose with mine and I did the same, the Inuit kiss. I looked through the corner of my eyes and found my parents at the living room, watching some television program. I fed Jared with the cookie again which he took the whole remaining piece in one bite. "These are so good!" he mumbled through his mouthful.

"I know! It's my grandmother's recipe. I had still yet to get that recipe from mum," I said.

"And then, you can bake these delicious cookies for me everyday," he joked. I gasped. "Everyday?!"

He nodded. "Yup. Everyday."

I rolled my eyes and ate one of the cookies. The chocolate taste melted on my tongue. It was pure bliss. "You wanna go out and sit on the porch?" I asked suddenly.

"Why not," he spun me around and put his hands on my shoulders before pushing me out of the kitchen and towards the front door, passing my parents who were engrossed with the television. As we opened the door, a cold breeze blew past us, sending chills down my spine. I didn't realize it was that warm inside the house. I sat on the porch swing, my favourite spot in the house since I was a kid. Jared sat beside me and wrapped his arms around my waist as I leaned against his shoulder. The swing swayed forward and backward in a slow motion. I was wearing my lime green sweat pants and the windbreaker which came along with it. Jared was wearing a blue t-shirt, underneath it a white singlet and on top of the t-shirt, a grey hoodie. He was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants as well.

I glanced up to the black velvet sky which was decorated with nothing but a shining white moon and diamonds of stars sprinkled randomly across it. It seemed so surreal. I ate another piece of cookie, feeding Jared again. "It's so beautiful tonight," he muttered in a husky voice.

"I know," I whispered, inhaling a deep breath which was mostly concentrated with the smell of his cologne.

"But you are the most beautiful," he grinned, kissing the side of my temple.

"No, I'm not! Nothing can beat a sky like this," I gestured towards the sky. He sighed and tucked the lock of black hair to the back of my ear. I turned to him, still resting on his shoulder. He smiled - a smile which seemed to say 'I feel so lucky.' He tapped the tip of my nose and I wriggled it as a response. It was always my reaction whenever he did that. He leaned in closer for a kiss, his soft lips taking mine, coaxing me into a fantasy which I could stay forever. My eyes fluttered shut, as my hand moved towards his shoulder and then his neck, holding onto it. One of his hands had moved under my chin, holding me still. I felt myself melt into his arms. I could stay like this forever if I could.

As our lips parted, I heard myself let out a soft whimper. He chuckled and strokes the side of my face with the back of his index finger. "Come to LA with me for the week," he proposed.

"The whole week?!" I asked, slightly shocked.

He nodded. "But I got my work," I said.

"I know," he sighed. "But… I just want you to come down to LA with me. I want you to see how it's like there. How life's like. And I just want you there," he confessed.

"But… Jared… I got my responsibilities. I have a job. I can't just take a week leave before the holidays," I said. "Can't I just go during the Christmas holidays?"

"But Christmas we're going to be in Louisiana," he pleaded.

"Which is the same isn't it?" I said.

"No. It's just…" he paused. "Different, okay?"

I gave him a suspicious glance and turned back to look at the plants in front. I didn't know what to say. I mean, I wanted to go, of course I didn't mind going to LA. I had never been to LA. And to spend a whole week with Jared and to see where he lives was great but it was just… I had a job. I had never taken any time off before except for the time where I was in the hospital but other than that, I had never taken a leave from work.

Jared was quiet, waiting for an answer. Cars rolled past the house. The sound of rustling leaves dancing on the pavement. The lighted houses around the neighbourhood. It all just added up to a feel of home and somewhat a perfect life. I got up from Jared's grasp. "Give me a minute," I said and ran into the house.

I picked up the phone and dialed Winona's number. She picked up after the third dial. "Hello?"

"Win! It's me!" I said immediately.

"Hey, girl! How are you and your lover boy doing?" she asked.

"Good. Good. Everything's good," I answered.

"That's great, Ro! Enjoy yourself!" I could feel her smile.

"Okay. Question. Jared wants me to take a week off from work to go to LA with him," I spilled the main question.

"Wow! For what?" she asked, curious.

"I don't know… he said something about he wants me to see how life is like there and all that," I replied, scratching the back of my neck.

"Then, go!" she said.

"What?! But I got work! And it's just one more week of work before the Christmas holidays," I retorted matter-of-factly.

"So?" She paused. "Come on, Ro. You never take anytime off work before. You're a consistent and hardworking person. I don't think Kate would mind that much if you take a week off."

"You really think so?" I asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. Just go with Jared to LA, have a great long Christmas break! You deserve it, Ro."

I chuckled. "Thanks, Win! I'll leave Kate a message now," I said.

"Okay. I'll talk to you sometime soon then?"

"Yup! Bye Win!"

"Bye!"

I clicked on the phone and dialed Kate's number. Surprisingly, she picked up. "Kate Johnson."

"Kate! Hi! It's Rowena Harris," I answered.

"Oh, hi Rowena. Something wrong?" she asked.

I took in a deep breath. "Erm… nothing's wrong, Kate…" I took a short pause. "I was just wondering… erm… is it okay if I want to take a week off before the Christmas break?" I asked, crossing my fingers.

"Of course it's okay!" She laughed, easing my tensed muscles. "Rowena, you never ask for any time off! So, it's okay. Go ahead, take a week off!"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, thanks Kate!" I smiled.

"No problem. Hey! Listen. I've got to go now," she said.

"Oh… of course. Sure. Thanks again Kate and good night!"

"Good night, Rowena." The line went dead. She must really be in hurry or something. I shrugged and placed the phone back to its place before running back out to Jared. He was still sitting on the porch swing, lost in his own thoughts as he stared at the empty road.

"OKAY!" I burst out, standing in front of him, interrupting his train of thoughts. He stood up. "Really? Because I just…"

"Yes. It's fine!" I smiled.

He took my hands with his. "Thank you Ro!"

I shook my head and leaned in to give him a peck on the lips. He grinned. "What was that for?"

"I don't know." I shrugged.