Twenty For A Dozen

|| Epilogue ||

|| Epilogue ||

They were all crazy. Batshit crazy. Is bat shit considered crazy? Kira was going crazy.

She slid open the backyard door, having to close her eyes against the strong gust of wind that blew her hair astray. When she opened them again, the dark backyard was lit with lights draped over the evergreen outlining her fences, and in the midst of it all was... West.

She had known what to expect, obviously. Coy smiles and cryptic messages had given her enough indication, but Kira didn't want to hope against all hope, let her believe in the deepest of beliefs, yet there he was, his bluish eyes twinkling, challenging her and the stars above. Heavens, she was done for.

She was cautious as she stepped forward, daring not to break eye contact, or blink lest when she looked back, he would be gone.

"Hey."

Her heart was beating in her esophagus right in her throat, and Kira swallowed harshly. She wasn't choking on air, there were just so many unwritten emails and text messages, so many unsaid words, so many feelings that hadn't been acted upon, that she couldn't speak.

She was beyond it all. There wasn't enough time given by life to deny herself what she wanted - what they both wanted, and deserved.

The lump disappeared, and her walk shifted to a sprint until she almost knocked West over in a hug. Maybe she wasn't the perfect fit for him. Maybe her chin hit his shoulder at just the most painful angle, but she didn't care.

"Hello! Oh, my goodness, how are you? We haven't talked in ages, how's work? Are you back? What is this?" Word vomit seemed to be her go-to reaction, apparently.

West let out a hearty laugh before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her so tight she forgot how to breathe. "God, have I missed you."

Pulling away with a cheeky smile, Kira said, "Hey! Don't you be praying to God when I'm trying to speak to you!"

"I'm terribly sorry! You, Kira. I missed you. And I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm doing great." Such a vanilla response. But it was what she needed.

And they didn't add the ending - now that you're here.

They were both drowning, falling deep into each other's eyes, but then they were soaring, high on each other's smiles. Giddy, Kira looked around at their surroundings. The wind had stopped blowing with it's previous gusto, and now she could see, illuminated by the fairy lights, a table in the centre of her backyard.

Atop it was a large gift box, and a small cupcake with the number twenty-one atop it as a single candle.

"What's all this?" Her voice was full of awe. West loosened his grip on her slightly, and tucked her into his side instead. Making a grand, sweeping gesture, he grinned that classic West grin. Kira's eyes fixated on his dimple and there was a sudden unyielding urge to dip her tongue into the groove.

Before she could do something embarrassing and ruin her evening, no, life, West lead her to the table with her hand held firmly in his."This, is your birthday present. Now shush, and open your gift."

A helpless giggle escaped her lips, but she obediently took a seat and accepted the bag.

"What... exactly is this?" Confused, she pulled out a basketball keychain. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

She was red down to her toes. Grateful for the cover of the night, she coughed lightly. "Well..."