Just box after box of lipstick.
“Is there a note?” Mom asks.
I find it at the very bottom. A small white envelope, as usual. I open it, his familiar handwriting scrawled across the card.
Merry Christmas. I bought you every shade of lipstick Chanel carries, so you can create your own million kisses in your lifetime. Hopefully you’ll share some of those kisses with me.
Love,
Crew
“I’m keeping him,”I announce, making my mom laugh.
“You definitely should,” she says, her gaze on the pink bag sitting on my lap. “He chooses well.”
“I picked out the bag. I told him if I could have any Chanel bag, I wanted it to be pink,” I admit.
“You’ve always loved pink. And the lipsticks. That’s very romantic. He understands you, doesn’t he?”
“I guess he does.” For the first time, I feel understood.
Utterly and completely.
“I need to call him.”
“Go on, call your boyfriend,” Mom urges as I get up, the purse clutched in one hand and my phone in the other. “You’re going to see him today, correct?”
I stop and turn to face her, suddenly sad. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“Oh, darling, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Go be with him. Spend your birthday with him. I know that’s what you want. I’m grateful we had last night together. And this morning.” Her smile is sad. “I’ve wasted too much time being upset with you and your father when I should’ve inserted myself into your life more. I’m sorry about that.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I tell her. “Not anymore.”
She shakes her head. Sits up straighter. “Go call him. I’m sure he’s waiting to hear from you.”
Smiling at her one last time, I dash off to my bedroom, closing the door for privacy. I FaceTime him and after a couple of rings, he picks up, his handsome face filling my screen. He’s a little more disheveled today compared to yesterday. His hair is rumpled and stubble lines his cheeks and jaw.
I hold the pink bag up in front of me, showing him.
“You got it.”
“I love it.” I drop the bag onto the bed beside me. “And all the lipsticks. You really bought every color Chanel makes?”
“All four hundred of them. Didn’t you notice how full of lipstick that box was?”
“There were lipsticks in the bag too.”
“That was a special request. They don’t normally put anything in the bag when you purchase it. I bought it from another salesperson by the way. A much kinder, older woman who helped me,” Crew explains.
“I love it.” I pause, the words heavy on my tongue, and he sends me a knowing look.
“Don’t say it, Birdy. Not now, when we’re FaceTiming each other.” His smile is smug. “Save it for when we’re actually together.”
I burst out laughing. “How did you know?”
“Because I feel the same way.”