I stared at the new fallen snow on the ground, I could see my breath in the cold air. I rubbed my hands together to try and get some warmth through my fingertips. The weather had been dreary for the past few days.  All missions had been halted due to the snow, so we had been at headquarters for several weeks now. I gazed at the scenery going over what had to be done today when suddenly, I felt something cold and wet hit my cheek. I looked up to see… no one. I scanned my surroundings trying to figure out what could have hit me. I did not see anything or anyone nearby. I shrugged my shoulders and continued my trek down to the mess hall, when I felt another object hit the back of my head. I quickly whipped around and there was the culprit.

                        ‘Iris!’ I yelled. I heard a giggle and I turned around to see her blond hair glimmering in the sunlight. I quickly started packing snow to make my own snowball and retaliated. She stopped laughing as the snowball hit her in the face. She looked at me with surprise in her eyes and her smile quickly returned to her face. I could not help but smile myself, her smile was contagious. I quickly bent over to pack another snowball, but before I could finish, I felt a force push me to the ground. I looked up to see Iris, laughing and grabbing her sides. I began to laugh too. Iris was such a fun person to be around, she had become my best friend since our days in the training corps. She offered me a hand up.

                        ‘I’m glad I found you,’ Iris said breathlessly.

                        ‘What’s up?’ I asked curious.

                        ‘Well Commander Hange wanted to see us. Something about Captain Levi’s birthday coming up…’

                        ‘Cappptaaiiinnn…. Leeevvviii’ssss bbbbiiirrrtthddayyy?’ I stuttered out. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

                        ‘Lex, are you ok? You are blushing. Ohh…that.’ Iris grinned teasingly.

                        ‘ Stop… Iris…’ I mumbled turning more red.

                        ‘Well, what are you going to get for the Captain?’ Iris asked. ‘I mean it is HIS birthday afterall…’

                        ‘I hadn’t thought about… I did not realize it was so soon.’ I bowed my head feeling embarrassed that I did not know the Captain’s birthday.

                        ‘Well, what does he like?’ Iris asked.

                        ‘I know he likes black tea and collects tea leaves.’ I replied.

                        ‘Let us see about getting permission to go to the city to get him a gift then! C’mon let’s go see the Commander!’ Iris said as she tugged on my arm. And so, we trekked back to headquarters and headed to the Commander’s office. When we arrived there the door was closed. We stopped in front of it and we could hear muffled talking. Iris softly knocked on the door.

                        ‘Come in!’ We heard a voice answer.

            We walked in the office there was Commander Hange with rest of Levi Squad. Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie. They stared at us in surprise, and we stared back.

                        ‘Lexi, Iris, come in!’ Said Hange. I looked around at the rest of the group. Armin and Eren both smiled friendly smiles at us, Mikasa just stared blankly. Rest of the squad just looked at us curiously.

                        ‘What are they doing here Commander? They aren’t part of Levi squad.’ Jean asked impatiently.

                        ‘Yeah, they aren’t part of our squad,’ Connie chimed in.

                        I could feel the blush slowly rising to my cheeks again. What were we doing there? I wondered.

                        ‘They’re here on my behalf because they have also assisted Captain Levi as per his request. They were also in the top 10 of their training corp group.’ Hange replied smiling at us. ‘Come in, sit.’

            Iris walked in and grabbed my hand. I silently was dragged in behind her. Iris sat next to Eren and I sat next to Armin. I shyly glanced up at him and Armin just smiled back.

                        ‘We’re glad to have you.’ Armin said kindly.

                        ‘Thank you.’ I replied quietly.

                        ‘Now, as some of you may or may not know Captain Levi’s birthday is coming up. I’ve called you here for this meeting today so that we can plan a small get together for him.’

                        ‘Um Commander Hange, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ Eren interjected.

                        ‘Hm? Why not?’ Hanged asked surprised.

                        ‘Its just that the captain doesn’t really like parties.’ Replied Eren.

                        ‘It is not a party; it is a small gathering. It is different.’ Hange argued. ‘So Eren, Mikasa and Armin, I’m putting you in charge of getting Captain Levi to the location. Sasha, Connie, and Jean, I am putting you in charge of food. And Iris and Lexi, you will be coming with me to town to gather decorations for Captain Levi’ Hange looked around at everyone smiling.

                        ‘Commander…I really don’t think this is a good idea…’ Eren mumbled.

                        ‘Oh come on, Shorty needs some fun in his life. And your assignments are an order.’

                        ‘So, we have permission to raid the food wares?’ Asked Sasha.

                        ‘Yes, you have my permission to raid the food wares.’ Hange replied looking bemused.

            ‘Meat here I come!’ Sasha yelled and ran out the door.

            ‘Hold up potato girl! You can’t eat all the meat before the party!’ Jean yelled and ran after Sasha.

            ‘You guys wait for me!’ Connie said and ran after them. Hange laughed at the sight of them. Armin, Mikasa and Eren all stood up as well.

            ‘We’d better think of a plan to get the captain to the party.’ Armin said.

            ‘Well, you’re the best at coming up with strategies.’ Eren grinned and knocked Armin on the shoulder. Mikasa followed along quietly, smiling slightly. As the rest left out the door, I looked at Hange and they smiled at me.  

            ‘Let us go ladies!’ Hange said and pushed us out the door. We prepared the horses, and we were on our way to town.

                        As we entered town, there was much more hustle and bustle then on a typical day. People were preparing for the holiday season, decorations being put up, all sort of food smells. I looked around in awe at everything. Everyone seemed so cheerful this day, I was greeted everywhere I went. Normally there was a bit of a cold attitude towards the scouts but today was different. We were greeted by many people; it was a nice change of attitude. I walked around taking in all the sights and smells.

            I wonder what sort of tea I should get for Captain Levi…I wonder what type he likes… I thought to myself.

            “Lexi? Lexi? LEXI? Are you ok?’ Iris asked in a concerned voice. I realized I had been lost in thought again and I realized my name was being said. I looked at Iris.

            ‘Yeah, sorry I’m fine, was just wondering what all we should get for Captain Levi’s party.’ I replied.

            ‘Let us go look around! Wait a minute where is Commander Hange?’ Iris asked out loud. We both looked around and did not see them.

            ‘I guess they went into a shop, you go on ahead Iris and find the Commander, I have a stop I need to make.’ I spoke.

            ‘You sure you’ll be fine on your own? I do not want you getting lost like last time.’

            I blushed bright red. The last time we came to town I had gotten lost and needed help from Iris finding my way back. Iris just chuckled her melodic laugh.

            ‘I’m kidding Lex, calm down. We’ll meet back here in say an hour?’

            I nodded my head and waved at Iris, as she headed the opposite direction. If I recalled correctly there was a small tea shop around here, run by a sweet older lady. They had all kinds of tea, surely, I could find something the Captain would like. I walked around in search of the tea shop and eventually I found it. I could smell all the different variations of tea and it smelled wonderful. I walked into the shop and saw rows upon rows of different teas. I looked around in awe and could not believe so many types of tea existed. As my eyes wandered, they fell upon a little old lady behind the counter.

            ‘Come in dear, come in. Don’t be shy!’ she remarked. I walked upto the counter slowly and then I realized I had no idea what type of tea the Captain liked…

            ‘What can I help you with my dear?’ The little old said politely.

            ‘Well, I’m looking for a gift…’ I mumbled.

            ‘What’s that? I cannot hear you dear. These old ears are not what they used to be. So speak louder.’

            ‘I am looking for a gift.’ I said a little louder.

            ‘What’s that? I still cannot hear you!’ The old lady replied.

            ‘ I said I am looking for a gift!’ I said louder.

            ‘Oh a gift? Well, you are in the right place. And who is this tea for? For a friend? For a lover perhaps?’ The old lady said and gave me a small wink. I could feel my cheeks growing warm. I could not imagine the Captain being my ‘lover,’ I covered my cheeks with my hands. The old lady chuckled.

            ‘Do not be embarrassed young lady. A lovely little thing such as yourself surely has many young gentlemen coming after you. When I was your age, I had my fair share of young lads coming after me.’ She smiled at me. ‘Surely there is a special someone you have in mind?’

            I felt myself blushing more. I shook my head quickly and grabbed my long brown ponytail and began fiddling with it out of nervousness.

            ‘No, no there is no one.’ I said quietly. The old woman looked at me with incredulity not believing my words and frowning slightly.

            ‘Well, whatever you say young lady. Now what type of tea are you looking for? I have some lovely oolong tea I just got in. We also have chai tea, green tea, jasmine tea. So, what will it be?’ the shopkeeper inquired. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed because I had no idea there was so many types of tea. I did not know what to pick nor did I know what the Captain liked to drink. But wait, I recalled a recent memory. I remembered overhearing a conversation between Commander Hange and Captain Levi about beverage choices.

            I prefer black tea, with no additives. Adding sugar or milk to the tea makes it lose its flavor and is too sweet.  I remember the Captain saying.

            ‘Do you have any black tea?’ I asked the old woman.

            ‘Of course, I have black tea. What type would you like?’ The old woman asked. I looked at her with wide eyes. I had not realized there was different types of black tea too. I had no idea what type of black tea to get.

            ‘What would you recommend?’ I asked the shopkeeper.

            ‘Well, we have some lovely black jasmine tea I just got in this morning.’ The woman wandered to the back and came back with a short ladder. She slowly climbed up the ladder to retrieve the tea. She slowly climbed back down. I heard the ring of the clock tower and realized an hour was closing in. The shop keeper handed me the tea. I turned it over in my hand searching for a tea leaf, and I found one. I lightly sniffed it and it smelled heavenly. I hoped that Captain Levi would like it.

            ‘Thank you, ma’am. How much do I owe you?’ I asked.

            The old woman smiled and shook her head. ‘It’s on the house. Just don’t forget to give it to that someone special.’ She said and winked at me. I guess the woman could see through my lie after all. I returned the smile and quickly left the shop. I headed to the center of the market and looked around trying to find some sign of the Commander or Iris.

            ‘Lexi! Lexi over here!’ I heard my name being called. I turned around and spotted Iris and Commander Hange. Iris was waving at me and Commander Hange was smiling at me. They both had their hands full of bags of items. I could see shiny and sparkly items gleaming in the sunlight.

            ‘Let us go Lexi! It’s almost time for the party!’ Hange said. I quickly walked to where they were, and we went to find where our horses had been stabled. We put the bags on the saddles and mounted up. Then we were off, heading back to headquarters. We arrived back at headquarters just in time before the party.

            Iris and I took our horses and Commander Hange’s horse and put them in the stable. Iris get looking at me inquisitively. I glanced at her back.

            ‘What Iris?’ I asked quietly. ‘Is there something bothering you?’

            ‘I was just wondering where you went while we were in town is all. You just disappeared. The Commander nor I could find you for a while.’

            ‘Ah that…’ It figures she would notice. I thought to myself. ‘ I was just catching up with an old friend.’ I lied.

            Iris looked into my eyes as if searching for something. ‘Lex, you really are a bad liar. I’ve known you for 4 years now and can always tell when you are not telling the truth.’

            I sighed. Of course she knew I was lying. I could not put anything passed Iris.

            ‘No really I was seeing an old friend.’ I repeated and smiled tentatively. Iris continued staring at me and then shook her head.

            ‘Alright, if you do not want to tell me what you really doing that’s fine. It’s not my business anyway…’Iris mumbled under her breath sounding slightly hurt. I walked over to her and gave her a slight squeeze on the shoulder. ‘Let us go get ready for this party.’ I said trying to cheer her up. It seemed to do the trick. She grinned widely.

            ‘I’ll race you back to the barracks!’ She said and before I could react, she had taken off running.

            ‘Hey that’s not fair! You got a head start!’ I shouted at her and took off running myself. Iris looked behind her and stuck her tongue out at me. I just laughed. We arrived at our room and quickly began to wash up. We only had so much time left before the party started and we were dirty and sweaty.  No time for a bath. I thought disappointed. I went over to where my mirror was and grabbed my brush.  I started brushing through the tangles out of my hair, wincing slightly at the pain at the pull of the hairbrush. I sighed. This was hopeless. I looked back in the mirror feeling slightly defeated due to how messy and full of tangles my hair was. When I saw in the reflection of the mirror a petite face glancing back at me. I looked up and saw of course Iris. She was glowing and looked lovely. She had on a white button-down shirt, a long brown skirt on and a blue sweater on over her white shirt. She had let her light blond hair down and her blue eyes were sparkling with excitement.

            She sighed. ‘Honestly, Lex, you’re hopeless when it comes to these types of affairs.’ She grabbed my hair brush out of my hand and gently began brushing through my mess of a hair. I grimaced slightly in pain from the pulling of the hairbrush. Iris put the hair brush down momentarily and went to the bucket of water nearby, she dampened the bristles with water and then began brushing my hair again. She looked at me in my reflection and smiled.

            ‘You’re missing something. Let me see here.’ Iris pulled out a pink ribbon from her sweater pocket, she swiftly tied the ribbon in my hair.

            ‘There, now to find the perfect outfit.’ Iris said.

            ‘Iris I do not really have anything formal.’ I said slightly embarrassed.

            ‘That’s where you are wrong. See when you were off on your own little adventure today, I found the cutest little dress shop.’ Iris grinned and pulled out a black dress. I gasped.

            ‘Iris, you should not have bought this! This must have cost a fortune! I cannot accept this. It’s too much.’ I said in disbelief.

            ‘Lexi, you’re my best friend. Please wear it for me?’ Iris implored slightly puckering her lips and looking at me with her big blue eyes. I sighed. She was doing that face. I could not say no.

            ‘For you…’ I relented.

            ‘Yay!’ She exclaimed and quickly handed me the dress. ‘Now hurry and put it on. It is almost time for the party.’ Iris left the room, so I could get dressed. I sighed again and held up the dress against me. It really was a pretty dress. I quickly took off my casual clothes and washed my arms in the wash basin. I also washed my face. I quickly put on the dress when there was a knock at the door.

            ‘Hey Lexi! Come on! It is time to go!’ Iris said at the door. She looked in on me and mouth opened slightly. ‘Lexi, you look absolutely beautiful.’

                        ‘You really think so?’ I asked.

                        ‘Absolutely. Now let us go enjoy the party.’

                        ‘I’ll catch up, you go on ahead. ‘I said. Iris looked at me questioningly and I motioned for her to just go. She shrugged her shoulders and headed off in the direction of where the party was to be. I went back into my room and grabbed the little gift box that was sitting on my desk. I grabbed my red sweater and put it on, and I put the small box in my sweater pocket. My palms were sweaty, and my heart was beating slightly faster. I hoped the Captain would like my gift. I gave one glance around the room and then strode out the door. When I arrived at the mess hall, I could not believe my eyes. The tables were decorated with festive candles and streamers. There was a huge feast prepared at another table. There was meat, potatoes, vegetables of all kinds. Everything smelled hearty and delicious. Iris came to greet me at the door.

            ‘Come on Lex, we have to finish decorating the cake.’

            ‘Cake? ‘

            ‘Yes Sasha, Jean and Connie baked a cake for the Captain.’ Iris replied smiling at me. She grabbed my hand and led me to another table. There it was a small round cake made of chocolate and had red frosting on it that read ‘Happy birthday Captain Levi!’ There was also an array of candles on top of it.  I helped Iris add some more swirls and flowers to the cake. I looked down at the finished product and smiled. It looked lovely. Suddenly, I could feel something moist and slimy on my cheek. I wiped my cheek where I felt it and looked at my hand to see red. I looked up to see Iris bent over in hysterics. I quickly grabbed some of the red frosting from the bowl and smeared it on Iris’ nose. We both continued laughing.

            ‘Hey, you two, quit messing around!’ Jean said as he looked at us with disapproval. We looked up to see Jean, Sasha, and Connie. The Commander was there too. Jean looked annoyed but Sasha and Connie were both laughing. Suddenly, I felt a sudden push behind me and before I knew what was happening my face ended up in the red bowl of icing. I quickly looked up to see the Commander doubled over in hysterics. The whole room was laughing too.

            ‘Sorry Lexi, I couldn’t help myself. That icing looks good on you!’ Hange wheezed. Next thing I know, I look to see Mikasa, Armin, Eren and Captain Levi standing in the entrance of the mess hall. They were all looking at me trying not to laugh except for the Captain. My face grew even hotter after realizing the situation I was in. I wanted to disappear. I quickly covered my face with my hands and then realized the mistake I had made. I pulled my hands away from my cheeks and looked down at my hands. They were now covered in red too. I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder and turned around to see the Captain.

                        ‘Here.’ He murmured and handed me his handkerchief.

                        I felt my cheeks grown even hotter as I took it from him. ‘Thhhannkkk youuu.’ I stuttered out.

                        He nodded and looked around studying the room. ‘So what was the big emergency that I needed to be here shitty four eyes?’ He asked glaring at Hange.

            ‘Nothing, there is no emergency.’ Hange exclaimed beaming at him. Levi gave Hange another look but before he could say anything, we all said ‘SURPRISE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPTAIN!’ Levi looked around the room once more and spoke

            ‘Hange, you cannot keep your shitting mouth shut, can you?’

            ‘Nope!’ replied Hange bemused. ‘Let the party begin!’ There were cheers throughout the room as people began to gather around the Captain to wish him happy birthday. I quietly stepped away from the crowd so I could finish cleaning up my hands and face. I glanced at the Captain and was still flushed from earlier. I hated that he saw me that way, yet it did not seem to bother him. I sighed. With all these people around, I did not know how I was going to get my present to him.

            ‘Lexi come and sit with us.’ I heard someone calling me. I looked around to see it was Armin. He smiled at me and so did Eren who of course was sitting right next to him. And on his other side was Mikasa. She as always had no expression on her face. She was so quiet all the time. Iris was also at the table, so I decided it was ok to go over. I walked over and looked at Iris, she smiled at me and motioned me to sit down. I did so.

            ‘How did you all convince Captain Levi to come here?’ I asked. Armin, Eren and Mikasa all looked at each other as if sharing a secret.  Armin spoke first.

            ‘Well, we told him it was an emergency and that the Commander needed him to come immediately. But him being the Captain it took a lot of convincing. I still do not think he believed us. But he ended up coming anyway after much persuasion.’ Armin concluded.

            ‘Yeah the Captain is too smart to fall for such an obvious ruse.’ Chimed in Eren. Mikasa nodded in agreement. I chuckled softly and shared a look with Iris. She also laughed.

            ‘Yeah, I should kick your ass for that Jaeger.’ A voice said. I looked up to see Captain Levi and Commander Hange as the walked to our table with a plate full of food and cup full of drink. I quickly looked down at my food as my face began to grow hot again. Damn my face for giving me away. I heard a chair slide back and Iris nudged me in the ribs. I looked at her irritated rubbing my ribs when she pointed to my other side. I glanced out of the peripheral of my eyes and saw Levi, putting his plate down next to me. I gulped and my palms begin to start sweating. I could not believe he was here sitting next to me of all people. I wiped my palms on my dress and went back to looking at my food. I could hear Iris sigh next to me. He is the captain; I am not planning to do anything. I thought to myself.

                        I continued to look down at my food and eat in silence while the others chattered around me. I shyly looked up to steal a glance at Levi, he looked handsome tonight. He was dressed in a black suit and his trademark cravat. His hair neatly combed, and his shoes polished. This man was beautiful, and I had loved him secretly for the past four years now. Ever since I had met him. I knew there was more to this man than what he let on. He was a kind and caring individual, even if he never showed it. But I could see him for who he truly was. A soft smile came to my lips as I watched this, in all my 25 years of life, I had never felt this way about a person before. I did not realize how long I had been staring, and I realized he was watching me all the same. I had done it again. I had been lost in thought and had embarrassed myself again. I quickly looked away but could still feel his eyes lingering on me.

            The night progressed, people were laughing, talking, and sharing stories. Their bellies full of wholesome food and drink. Their cheeks were rosy with drink, everyone seemed to be having a great time. Time seemed to move quickly and before I knew it the evening was drawing to an ending. I still had to find a way to give the Captain his gift, I drew in a sharp breath, slightly panicking. I had not been able to get him alone, not that I had guts to do it. My thoughts were interrupted by a voice though.

            ‘Oi brats, thank you for the party but you need to go to bed. It is getting late.’ Levi said and began to move from his chair. Everyone groaned, but someone interjected before Levi could move much further.

            ‘Wait a minute shorty! The kids worked on this party just for you! You can at least stay for your own birthday cake!’ exclaimed Hange as they grabbed Levi by the shoulders and shoved Levi back into his chair. Everyone looked at Hange in disbelief, no one ever touched Captain Levi.

            ‘What the hell titan romantic?’ Levi said glaring at Hange. Hange just smiled at him and motioned for Sasha and Connie.

            ‘Bring in the cake!’ Said Hange. Sasha and Connie bound out of the room in a flash and came back just as quickly as they left. Soon Sasha and Connie reentered with the cake brightly lit up with candles, singing. And everyone soon joined in, including myself.

            ‘Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Captain Levi!! Happy birthday to you!’

            ‘Blow out your candles and make a wish Captain!’ Eren exclaimed.

            ‘Yeah, do it!’ Echoed Connie.

            Levi sighed and looked at all the eager faces and proceeded to blow out the candle. Everyone cheered and clapped. And the Captain did something he rarely did, he smiled.

Sasha cut the cake and Connie passed out the pieces and Jean began clearing plates and dishes. Mikasa, Eren and Armin also started helping clean things up. Iris and I helped wash the dishes. Even the Commander and the Captain stayed behind to help clean up. As soon as everything was cleaned up (by the Captain’s standards) people began to leave. I wiped my wet hands on a cloth and then I reached into my pocket to look at the gift box. I sighed. The evening was over, and I had not given Levi his gift. It did not seem that I would be able to this time, maybe next year.

            Everyone had left for the barracks and it was just me and Iris left. We quickly finished up and headed out the door. But what we did not realize was that there was still one more person left. The Captain was still there cleaning. We looked at each other and quickly walked back to help, but as we did, the Captain had already closed and locked the door to the mess hall. Uh oh, we are in trouble. I thought to myself.

            ‘Captain, we are so sorry, we did not realize that you were still here otherwise we would have…’  Iris began.

            Captain Levi held out his palm to stop her and he shook his head. ‘It is fine. Do not worry about it. Just get to bed.’

            ‘Yes sir!’ We both said in unison and did our salute and began walking away. But then I remembered the gift. I turned to Iris and said, ‘go on, I’ll catch up.’

Iris looked at me inquisitively and then looked at Levi. She seemed to piece two and two together and gave me a mischievous smile. ‘Good luck.’ She mouthed and began to jog away. I felt my cheeks grow warm for the fiftieth time that night.

            ‘Um Captain…’ I began.

            ‘Thought I told you to call me Levi.’ He murmured. ‘You look beautiful tonight by the way.’

I blushed harder. ‘Levi…I have a gift for you…it is nothing special but…I had hoped you might like it.’ I dug into my pocket and pulled out the small box with the tea leaves in it. I held out my hand and Levi took it.

            ‘A present? For me? No one has ever given me a present before.’ He said quietly. He silently unwrapped the bow and lifted the lid from the box. He studied the tea leaves.

            ‘Um the old woman at the shop told me it was jasmine…’ I mumbled. I looked down at my feet.

            ‘It is.’ He confirmed, ‘how did you know I collect tea leaves?’

            ‘Eren told me by mistake one time…he told me he heard a story once from when you lived in the Underground and beat a man at an arm-wrestling contest. He told me that he heard the man said you could um…have your way with his wife…but chose to take some tea leaves instead…’ I kept looking at my feet and could feel the heat rising to my ears. Levi was quiet for a minute.

            ‘Well, I am not sure where Eren heard the story from, but it is true. ‘He said quietly. Then silence again. I felt a finger underneath my chin as it was lifted and looked up with wide eyes to see Levi studying my face.

            ‘Thank you.’ He said gently. ‘That black dress suits you. ‘

            ‘Thank you…’ I said quietly, my heart hammering in my chest.

            ‘I have something for you as well.’ Levi said. He put the gift box in his pocket and dug around in it to pull something else out. It was a single red rose; my eyes grew wide in awe. It was beautiful. Levi did something, I was not expecting. He took the rose and gently tucked it behind my ear. He was so close now. I f could feel his hot breath on my cheek. My heart was beating ever faster, and my palms were sweating. Was he aware of the affect he had on me? I gazed into his steely grey eyes.

            ‘Thank you, Captain,…’ I said breathlessly.

            ‘I thought I told you to call me Levi,’ He murmured.

            ‘Happy birthday Levi…’ I said softly. Levi quickly closed the gap, and his lips were on mine. My eyes widened in surprise, I was not expecting this, but I did not stop him. The kiss was soft and tender. His cupped my cheeks gently in his hands. He was so gentle, it felt like he was afraid I was made of glass. My hands were tangled in his hair. His hair was soft and smooth, I tugged gently at his hair, wanting more. But he broke away, and said,

                        ‘Come on, I’ll walk you back to your barracks.’ I nodded still in a daze. He held out his arm and I took it. My face was flushed with excitement, it was not my birthday but today was a special day. We arrived at the barracks too quickly and I was disappointed. We gazed at each other and Levi kissed me once more. This kiss was just as soft and tender as the last but did not last quite as long.

            ‘Goodnight Lexi,’ He whispered into my ear.

            ‘Goodnight Levi…’ I murmured. And with that he left. I slowly walked to my room; my face flushed with contentment. I fumbled around for my key but before I could, Iris opened it. She looked me up and down and slowly grinned at me.

            ‘What kept you?’ She asked teasingly. And then she saw it, the rose in my hair. ‘Oh my god, did that really come from who I think it came from?”

            I sighed there was no denying it. I nodded. Iris squealed in excitement.

            ‘Tell me everything!’ She said excitedly. I shook my head.

            ‘I do not kiss and tell.’ Iris gasped and covered her mouth. Oh shit now I’ve done it.  I thought to myself.

            ‘Now you really have to tell me!’ Iris said.

I shook my head again, ‘Goodnight Iris.’ I said grinning at her. I quickly began to undress into my underwear and took the rose and put it on my nightstand. Iris grumbled.

            ‘You’re no fun Lex.’

            I shrugged. Iris looked at me with one last disappointed stare and sulkily climbed into her bunk. I pulled her blanket up to her chin and kissed her on the cheek. I smiled at her and she tiredly smiled back.

            ‘Night Lex.’ Iris murmured.

            ‘Night Iris.’ I replied as I climbed into my own bunk. As soon as I knew that Iris was fast asleep, I quietly got up and went to my nightstand. I grabbed the rose and inhaled it deeply. It smelled so sweet. I quietly crawled back into bed and laid the rose beside me.

            Happy birthday Levi. I thought one last time before drifting off to sleep.

           

           

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