It hadn’t felt like a real birthday until she set her eyes on the cake and they began to well up with emotion. How many years had she spent celebrating or even forgetting her own birthdays because she didn’t have anyone to spend them with? How she had looked forward to this one, to finally be with someone and have a good time only to think she had missed out because of what had happened.
Yet here was this wonderful man bringing her a cake and acting like a prince. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she held back a strangled sob as the tears began falling.
“I-It’s beautiful..” she managed to get out, her mouth spread wide into a smile. “Oh Jack..Sir Prince Jackson..”
Oh god, he’d made her cry. Even though Jack could tell they were happy tears, it still wasn’t what he’d wanted, at all. Biting his lip, he carefully set the tray down in Katelynn’s lap, and took a seat close beside her on the couch.
“It’s what you deserve, my love.” He put his arms around her and hugged her as best he could without upsetting the tray. “Even if it’s l-late, I still wanted you to have something special.”
He nodded toward the single candle. “D-do you want to make a wish?”
Leaning into his embrace, she soaked up every moment of this; the atmosphere and the feel of his arms. He had truly made this so special for her and he probably didn’t even realize how much.
She nodded against him, wiping her eyes as discreetly as she could and feeling rather silly for getting so emotional. “Yes though I won’t tell you what it is~” she teased, sniffling lightly as she retracted from his embrace.
Closing her eyes, she made her wish, remembering the night of New Years when they had done the same and sent off their lanterns. I can’t help but wish for the same thing; hope that I’ll always be able to stay by Jack’s side and make him happy. He deserves it so much and I ended up failing this year..but next year for sure. We’re going to get married after all. So please, grant my wish! I’ll do my best on my end. Don’t ever take Jack from me.
Taking a deep breath, she blew the candle out and smiled, hoping it would really come true. Then she picked up some icing from the cake and smeared some on his nose, giggling a bit.
Jack, who had been watching Katelynn blow out the candle with a soft smile on his face, sat back in surprise as she dabbed the icing on his nose. “Wh-what was that for? My love, I put a lot of effort into decorating that for you …”
As he talked, however, his hand came creeping toward the cake. While he was surprised, he wasn’t really bothered – he’d known the icing would get messed up anyway, and he didn’t want to spoil her fun. As long as they didn’t ruin their clothes, he didn’t mind being a little silly.
Jack Maple 