Elenna woke to the smell of coffee.
Sure enough, it wasn't a dream. There was a cup of coffee sitting on the bedside table beside her. It was still warm. Grumbling, she rolled over. It was her birthday, and she hoped to sleep through most of it.
But curiosity and coffee killed the cat, or something like that, and after a minute she sat up on one elbow and reached for the coffee.
No sugar, a little bit of milk, just the way she liked it. And now she was up, she noticed something else on the table.
A card. A birthday card.
Elenna never got birthday cards.
She tore open the envelope with such haste that she damaged the card. It was kind of stupid: a standard cake-and-balloon-filled card. She opened it up.
Elenna looked up, her heart pounding. Rome had written HAPPY BIRTHDAY in the frost on the window.
She ran to it, and threw it open, heedless of the cold.
Rome stood below her window, hopping from one foot to the other to keep warm, and grinning.
"Geez, took you long enough, chica!" he shouted, then nodded to the vehicle behind him. "What do you think?"
Sure enough, it wasn't a dream. There was a cup of coffee sitting on the bedside table beside her. It was still warm. Grumbling, she rolled over. It was her birthday, and she hoped to sleep through most of it.
But curiosity and coffee killed the cat, or something like that, and after a minute she sat up on one elbow and reached for the coffee.
No sugar, a little bit of milk, just the way she liked it. And now she was up, she noticed something else on the table.
A card. A birthday card.
Elenna never got birthday cards.
She tore open the envelope with such haste that she damaged the card. It was kind of stupid: a standard cake-and-balloon-filled card. She opened it up.
Chica,
Happy Birthday, sleepyhead! Rise and shine! You thought I'd forget, didn't you? You wish! I hope you want cake for breakfast and to go ice skating, because that's what we're doing, to celebrate the fact that you're another year older and not at all another year wiser.
I hope you know that I love you and am happy you were born, especially so I don't ever have to say it.
Oh! And as a gift, well, I thought about it a while, and since the Ferrari is in a Federal impound somewhere, I figured I needed another set of wheels. So since I love giving people gifts that are as much for them as they are for me, LOL, I thought I'd get you a card.
Without the 'D'.
Go to the window.
--Romeo
PS: Hurry. It's really cold outside.
Elenna looked up, her heart pounding. Rome had written HAPPY BIRTHDAY in the frost on the window.
She ran to it, and threw it open, heedless of the cold.
Rome stood below her window, hopping from one foot to the other to keep warm, and grinning.
"Geez, took you long enough, chica!" he shouted, then nodded to the vehicle behind him. "What do you think?"