Double Life: The forest is with you

A/N: I did say this was going to be later than the other two but here it is! btw, this was what I was doing when Nic volunteered to be the first character ever to talk and to make a poem-like post from her perspective. I´ve been wanting to write this one for a while and I think it turned out ok. 

Happy Birthday, Saku!!! <3

***

“How long have you been here?” his voice hoarse with sleep

“Just a little while… You can go back to sleep” her voice was calm but there was a hint of humor in it

“No! I wanted to be the first!” he said still a little sleepy, she stared at him, he noticed the gift bag next to her bed “seems like I won´t be” he looked back at her

“You are… well, more like you will be…” she chuckled as she sat on her bed with crossed legs

“What about that?” he pointed at the gift bag

“Natasha and one of her gifts, remember what happened with the last one…? Hers is… just… I don´t know, not real”

“Alright –he got out of the bed and taking his backpack he sad on her bed- you´ll have to excuse the wrinkled bag –he opened the zipper of his backpack as he spoke- but I had to fit it in here” he took out a large purple gift bag. She smiled with the corner of her mouth. Out of the gift bag he took out a small box, he opened it, it was a cupcake, and he put a candle in the middle of it and lit it. His eyes seemed to smile as her eyes became warm. He started to sing the happy birthday as he held the cupcake in front of her.

“Make a wish, Nichole” he grinned as he finished, she stared at him with a small smile and then blew the candle, his smile grew. He took off the candle and gave her the cupcake, she too it and broke it in tow pieces

“Thank you” she gave him one of the pieces.

“There´s a few things in this bag –he said- so, just reach in it and no peeking!” he said, she smiled a little shaking her bowed head and proceeded to put in her hand, she felt many boxes, she picked the first she touched and took it out, it was  a small silver box with a purple bow, she opened it, there was a little triangular white object, she took it out and observed it.

“That was my very first guitar pick, I was around ten, it´s sort of my lucky charm” he chuckled to himself “Happy birthday!”

“Thanks” she smiled and enclosed it in her hand

“Pick another” he said, she reached in, this time it was a bigger rectangular box, it had a pair of leather gloves, she gave him her half-smile as she wore the gloves, then, once again, he made her take out another box, inside there were many tiny multi-colored lollipops.

“I know you have a sweet tooth”  he said and she smiled with the corner of her mouth. Once again, he made her get another box, she put the things she took out, in front of her and between them.

“I had never opened so many presents” she commented looking between herself and Josh.

“Once for every year you didn´t get to celebrate it” when he spoke like that his eyes gleamed as if they smiled. Nichole felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of her, her eyes went wide and her lips parted a little

“The cup-cake, the guitar pick, the lollipops, the gloves, the scarf…”

“Because I ended up keeping a couple of yours” he grinned and she nodded at his interruption

“…the hat, the socks…” she couldn´t help but to chuckle

“Yup, because you haven´t lived if someone doesn´t give you clothes and specially socks in one of your birthdays … you had to have the crappy gifts too” his grin was still there and her usual half-smile was now a complete one

“The pillow…”

“Once again, no offense but you have crappy pillows here”

“I don´t use them much but I might now”

“I hope”

“…The drawing pencils and pastels, the hairpins. Are you sure these aren´t too expensive?”

“You don´t ask that about a gift” he said, she shook her head

“…the book –she keep pointing to each item as she said it- the phone strap, the shampoo” she laughed quietly

“It was so funny what you did to Aaron and that little bottle of shampoo”

“I assure you, I´ll smell like you tomorrow” she lifted the small bottle of shampoo in a cheers manner

“Ok, now for your other five years…”

“I´m turning 17 not 18”

“The shampoo doesn´t count –he said reaching into the bag –here, four of the presents are in this box” he handed her a box was wrapped with gift-paper, carefully, she opened it, when she saw what it was she stared at him

“I can´t take this”

“Yes, you can”

“No, Josh…”

“I know you can´t give me your phone number –he interrupted him- so I thought I should give you a number, oh, and you can add in it the chip of your current one, it takes two, so it´s ok. My number´s already there” he smiled

“But…”

“You know I can afford it –he rolled his eyes- and… I put in it the three new songs I made for the art project, you can take a peek of them”

“I´ll wait” she said above a whisper staring at the phone on her hands… It was not just that. “Thank you, Josh, you didn´t have to”

“I wanted to…but wait –he hurried before she could say something else- there´s your 17^th gift to be opened” he took out the final box, it was a green shiny box with a white ribbon. She opened it and took out the bracelet in it. She stared at it, she´d never seen nothing like it. It was a silver chain with dangling tiny leaves all around it.

“Are these real?” her voice was quiet as she observed the tiny leaves covered by a transparent resin

“I know how much you love the woods and I see how you´re always looking at it from the window of the classroom… I figured you´d like to have a piece of the woods with you for when you can´t be there” he smiled somewhat shyly

“You went to the woods?!” her eyes seemed worried as she stated that.

“I didn´t go on my own and I went by day, with permission, I went to the part of it that´s by the road”

“Who did you go with?” she was touching one of the leaves with the fingertips of her gloved hands

“Aaron… I convinced him to come since this was for a project, he assumed it was for the Art Club… I went home last weekend and as I bought the gifts I took the leaves and had it made” he explained

“Did you cut the small leaves yourself? –he nodded- how?” her voice was no longer audible

“Well –he dragged the word- it´s a secret” he said and felt her arms around him, he hugged back but as he did so, she pushed herself away from him

“Thank you very much Josh, I…” she was smiling a bright smile

“Did you like it?”

“I have the woods with me. I love it” she said with warm eyes as she lifted it to her eyes to observe the shades of green, yellow and orange leaves

“Let me put it on you”

“It´s ok, I´ll do it” she hurried to say leaning away, he furrowed his eyebrows

“You have surprised me… I prefer not to –she seemed to fumble with the words- risk your safety… sometimes when I´m… like this –she took a deep breath –I go back to my original –she sighed- I hurt people” a flicker of pain crossed her features.

“Hey, we´re celebrating! Do you really don´t want to listen to the songs?”

“Nope, I want to hear them live” she said as she put on her bracelet

“Ok –he smiled and glanced at his phone. It was over an hour and a half later –time to go get ready”

“Alright, I´ll walk you out” she started to get up

“…Can I take a picture with you?” his eyes went from her face to his phone and back to her

“Sure” she said after a moment. They sat on the edge of the bed and leaned closer as he took the picture, he smiled and she had her half smile. After that, she walked him out of the girl´s dorm where she thanked him again and gave him a small hug in which he whispered “Happy seventeen birthday” to her ear.