114. How Could I Forget? 🎂

My phone vibrated. I received a text from A.B. It was an entire itinerary for the day.

I looked up from my phone. "This is for today? As in the seven hours left before midnight?"

A.B. smiled at me, "I made plans for tomorrow, too. Originally, I planned to split everything up between today and tomorrow, but when you said you don't have any plans, I went upstairs to set everything up for today."

I put one hand on my hip. "What if I don't want to?"

A.B. asked, "Pottery? Escape Room? Virtual Reality? Mini Golf? You can't say those don't sound fun." His facial expression put a smile on my face.

I repeated, "We're doing all this in seven hours?"

"To be precise - six hours and thirty minutes." He glanced at his phone. "Whatever we don't finish, I expect for you to reimburse me. All these activities are non-refundable."

I grinned, "I see what you did, sir. You're trying to make sure I go along, but I'm a no woman. So, you--" I stopped myself. I really do talk too much. Now, I know I sound crazy to him.

"A what woman?" A.B. inquired.

I shook my head. "Nevermind. We can go now." I turned around, headed for the door.

A.B. stepped in front of me. "What does that mean? A no woman?"

I put my phone away as I stared into his eyes. "It means I'm in charge. If you don't like it, then you'll try to either persuade me to do things your way or leave me for good. But if you like it, you'll do what I'll say."

A.B. scratched his head. "That sounds like a game."

I smirked, "Then call it a game, because I have said yes to just about everything you want to do; everything you ask me. Unfortunately, it's not working out for me."

"And that's why you think saying no to me will work?"

I clapped my hands. "Correct."

"Jamie, that sounds like you're not being honest."

I argued, "Monica did it, and she got everything."

A.B. thought before replying, "You're not Monica, and I'm glad for that."

I was ready to make my second point, but I ended up laughing. "You're glad that I'm not my cousin?" Okay. That sounded a lot better in my head.

A.B. sighed, "I'm not saying that being a-uh-a no woman doesn't work. It just doesn't work on me. I've had the pleasure of getting to know you, Jamie. I like what I know about you, what I continue to learn about you, and I can't wait to find out more about you." He continued, "I like your awkwardness, your boldness, your silliness, your friendliness, your carefulness, your helpfulness. You have a heart of gold. You're kind and thoughtful. You're a hard worker which is a rare trait to find these days."

How can he give me all these compliments without giving me the heads-up? It helped that no one else was around to hear this.

"Do you know what else I like about you? I like your eyes, your lips, your laugh, your voice, your body, the way you walk, your scent, the way you dress, your disguise as Jae, your music, your performances... I like that when you're curious about things, you ask. I like when you get mad, because you never take it too far. I like that you listen, I like that you're getting serious about your faith, and that you are comfortable around me. I like who you are, because there is no one else like you. That's how I know you were made for me."

I slowly closed my eyes. "You like a lot about me."

I felt his hand on my cheek. "I could change 'like' into 'love' but you're trying to be a 'no woman' by making us late to our pottery class."

I quickly opened my eyes. "I could change that 'like' into a 'love' but you got your hand on my face."

A.B. removed his hand. "I like when you try to be mean, too. Just say you like when I touch you."

I loudly gasped, "Between you and my cousin--"

"I hope you know that Monica doesn't talk about you as much as you talk about her; especially, now that's she's engaged. C'mon, let's head to the garage. I'm driving."

I stood still with my mouth wide open. That's it! I'm not speaking or thinking about my cousin anymore. Again, this is my story!

I yanked the keys from A.B.'s hands as I beat him to the garage. When I opened the door, I stared at shelves full of can goods and boxed food.

A.B. cleared his throat. "The garage is over here."

"I knew that! I was just testing you. Be a leader. Not a follower unless you're following Jesus Christ. Amen."

A two-hour pottery class went by fast. There were about 10 people in the class from kids to senior citizens. The instructor called me a professional and complimented my glass mug. It came out cuter than A.B.'s "dysfunctional" mug. I don't even think it can be described as a mug.

The Escape Room turned into a comedy hour. The first ten minutes we were focused and serious. Upon the eleventh minute, I pushed the wrong button, triggering an alarm that meant stop but I kept on going. This resulted in a failed mission. The employee gave us a second chance, but we still couldn't crack the code. In my opinion, it was an impossible mission. By the end, my bladder was trying to ruin me. I finally escaped to the restroom.

Next, we spent thirty minutes in a virtual reality game. I don't know if I enjoyed pretending to shoot A.B. more or being able to run around a room, wearing gear and holding a plastic gun more. My team won and A.B.'s team lost by 10 points. It was so much fun, but I was definitely...

...feeling the aches and pains all over my body.

Finally, we made it to the mini golf place. It was fun, but you'd think it was a school field trip night. Our put-put game lasted no more than fifteen minutes which I was glad for, because my stomach was being a distraction.

Then, A.B. said the magic words. "Let's go get something to eat." I think he heard my stomach, though.

A.B. stopped at a burger restaurant and found a parking spot away from the traffic.

"We could've ate back at your place," I said to him.

A.B. shook his head, "The way your stomach was growling, I don't think so." He handed me the burger out of the bag.

I giggled as I unwrapped it. I couldn't wait to chow down.

A.B. prayed before we both dug in. We ate in silence. We ended up leaning our seats back and rubbing our bellies.

"That was good," I stated.

"It definitely hit the spot," A.B. added.

I said, "Well, we have just under two hours left. You planned everything perfectly."

"We gotta make it to our last spot." A.B. got back on the road.

I asked him, "Are we doing something else? What could possibly be open after ten on a Sunday?"

A.B. grinned, "It's a surprise that I think you'll like more than me."

I disagree.

We arrived at a massage spa, and my body started to cheer. As soon as we entered the building, I felt the masseuse hands on my back. I closed my eyes as I rested on the massage table. God please bless A.B. for this. I really needed this. Honestly, I'm going to make getting a massage mandatory moving forward.

From neck and back, arms and hands to legs and feet, I was ready to curl up in bed.

"How do you feel now?" A.B. asked me.

I pointed at him while wearing a smile. "You outdid yourself, sir. We have about thirty minutes before midnight."

"If it's not too much, I was hoping we could watch a movie to end another day of The Adventures of Jamie and A.B."

I looked away, making the most exhausted facial expression. This man had way too much energy.

"What do you say?" A.B. asked me.

"Okay," I replied in a high pitched voice.

We made it back to A.B.'s house ten minutes before midnight. When we walked inside the house, I noticed the corner of the rug in the living room was turned over. Strange.

"Does someone else live here?" I asked him.

"No," A.B. immediately denied. "Let's go to the media room."

We went upstairs, down the hall, past the game room inside the media room. The popcorn machine was full. The remotes were within reach with blankets ready for me to get under.

I kicked off my shoes and dived onto the soft leather sofa.

"You don't want to sit in the movie theater chair? I bought it specifically for you."

I arched my brow at A.B. "Sir, this sofa is in the middle of the room, in front of the TV. That chair is way over there in the corner."

"You're exaggerating." A.B. sat next to me on the sofa. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV. "What streaming service or movie do you want to watch?"

"Ohh, something funny or even a cartoon," I suggested.

A.B. went to Disney+ streaming platform.

"Ohh, let's watch the new Power Rangers movie."

A.B. left Disney+ and went to Netflix.

"Wait. I gotta go to the bathroom." I hopped up and ran out the media room.

"To the right!" A.B. shouted.

I lightly laughed as I made my way to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I returned to the media room. A.B. had a bucket of popcorn and two lemonade drinks resting on the small tray in front of the sofa.

I quickly sat down and got comfortable.

A.B. pushed the play button. Halfway into the movie, I was holding back tears.

A.B. asked, "You watched Power Rangers as a kid, right?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. I was always the yellow ranger. What about you?"

A.B. chuckled, "I didn't have a favorite."

So far the movie was everything Power Rangers was like in the 90s. Then, A.B. paused the movie and stood up.

"It's almost over. Where you going?" I asked him.

"I'll be right back."

As I waited in the media room, I realized that I haven't touched my phone since I've been hanging out with A.B. But I can wait until I get back to the Rivers' Residence. I softly exhaled as I rested my head on the sofa. This has been one of the best days of this New Year.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!"

I watched A.B. walk in the media room, carrying a small round, lavender cake. He held the flashlight on his phone over it.

I can't believe I forgot about my birthday. I immediately grabbed my purse and retrieved my phone. It was 12:15 a.m. January 2nd. My birthday. I covered my mouth as A.B. continued to sing. Then, he sat next to me and placed the cake in my lap.

"Happy birthday, Jamie."

I removed my hands from my mouth. "Has my life been so crazy that I forgot my own birthday?"

A.B. rubbed my shoulder. "It's okay. I had a feeling you forgot when you said you didn't have any plans for tomorrow. Despite everything that has happened, I just wanted to make you feel better and show you a good time. I hope you had fun."

"Thank you, A.B." I picked up the cake. "This is so pretty. I've never had a purple cake before."

"I hired someone to get this room setup and put your cake in the refrigerator. I didn't want to set an alarm, because you might get suspicious."

"I can't believe you did all this." I put the cake on the tray in front of me. "This is the best birthday ever." I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I had a great time."

A.B. rubbed my back. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Thank you so much." I slowly released him before quickly gaining the courage to kiss him on the lips. Yes, I did it!

A.B. looked surprised. He said, "Is it my birthday, too?"

We both laughed.

A.B. picked up the remote. "Let's finish the movie. Then, I'll take you back home."

He is definitely an experienced man, but I'm a fast learner. I looked over at A.B. as he wore a smile on his face. I'm onto you, Mr. Bravos. Trying to give me a memorable birthday. Whether we end up together or not, I'll make sure he never forgets me.