Falling For The Smiths

19.

CHAPTER NINETEEN | CONFESSIONS
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I groaned, leaning back in my seat, and glared at what I thought was the back of Aaron's head.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" I demanded.

I heard him chuckle. "You'll see."

"How will I 'see' if you put a blindfold over my eyes?" I retorted.

"You'll think of something," was his response. "I mean, you always do."

My fingers itched to tug away the black cloth, but I knew it would spoil all the fun. So I breathed in deeply and let them take me wherever they wanted to.

"We're here," Mathew announced after a little while.

I felt my pulse quicken at the sound of his voice. Reaching for the door handle, I was surprised to find the door already open.

"Here, let me help you," said Aaron's voice.

A hand closed over mine and I let him lead me out the car and across the smooth cement. Keys rattled and I heard the creak of a door opening.

"Where are we?" I tried.

No response. Groaning, I stopped in my tracks stubbornly.

"You could be kidnapping me for all I know," I pointed out.

Mathew's chuckle filled the silence. "Okay, okay, we'll take the blindfold off. And for the record, we're not kidnapping you."

I felt Aaron let my hand go and the cloth dropped from my eyes. Blinking, I adjusted to the light streaming into my vision.

"Surprise!" yelled multiple voices at once.

My eyes widened at the people grinning at me in the Smiths' living room. Mom and Dad were smiling gently from their seats on the sofa, and Samantha and John stood next to them, grinning widely. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were beaming, and Thomas and his niece, Lizzie, were approaching me.

"Happy birthday, Tessa!" said Thomas, wrapping me in a hug tightly. "I'm so proud of you. You've grown to be a beautiful young woman. You're so strong, Tessa, so ambitious."

I scoffed playfully and pulled out of the hug. "Oh, stop it, Thomas. You're just saying that because it's my birthday."

"Ah, you caught me, but that doesn't make it any less true." He winked.

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Thank you," I mumbled.

Lizzie cleared her throat, making me turn to her. She revealed the box she'd been holding and pushed it into my hands.

"You didn't have to get me anything," I protested. "The both of you coming was a gift enough."

"Stop being so polite," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Just open it."

I bit my lip, examining the sparkly wrapping paper, before I sighed and tore it off. Inside was a large silver box bordered with golden leaves. My fingers trembled slightly as I clicked it open and lifted the lid up gently.

"Oh my god," I whispered in astonishment.

The inside of the box was lined with purple velvet. A bunch of Polaroids were scattered around, bordering a stuffed teddy in the centre. It looked like any other teddy - cuddly brown fur, adorable black eyes and bright pink paws. But I recognized it; the teddy Lizzie and I had found as kids.