I Eat Oreos

18

Kayla

It was Jesus' birthday, finally! It was my favorite day of the year. We always had fun with our guest and even those in the town who weren't staying with us would come for our annual Christmas party at night.

Over the last two weeks, Gavin and I spent a lot of time together. Some days, he would go back up to South Carolina to work. He still had to keep money in his pockets. Mama also paid him to work on some things around the house.

He took me ice skating, which he was terrible at, and every weekend we would go and see the newest movie that was out that week. Often times at night, he and I would go outside and talk about anything and everything.

I'd noticed the changes in his attitude toward so many people. He went over to the parking lot to work on Willy's car often. Through that alone, they'd gotten closer.

I was happy seeing him finally seem to relax and enjoy himself around other humans instead of isolate himself.

A few days before Christmas, while Gavin was at work, I went out to find him a gift. I found it to be the hardest to find men a gift because I didn't get exactly what kinds of things they liked other than sports. After some major research, I decided to get him a basket full of his favorite things. It wasn't much, but I knew Gavin wasn't big on material things anyway.

On Christmas, my family always gave the guest that was staying with us gift cards. I would go out and buy gift cards from several different places. I always did places like Target, Starbucks, gas stations, and the grocery store.

It was so nice to see all the people excited over their Christmas gifts. I wasn't one to get a lot of gifts on Christmas, nor did I mind that. I had everything that I needed already and wasn't looking for more things to possess.

As I spent time with my family, and Gavin spent time with his, my anxiousness built up. My dad noticed this as we sat around in the living room section of our hall in front of the Christmas tree.

"You lookin' a bit antsy. You got somewhere to be?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. I gave an apologetic smile.

"I just really want to give Gavin his gift," I admitted. Mama's lips turned up hearing that. Daddy squinted his eyes at me.

I wasn't one to actually pay much attention to guys. I'd been in one relationship that was about 6 months. Other than that, it was almost like guys didn't exist. So, my daddy's curious look was understandable.

"Then go ahead and give him your gift," he said with small smile. A huge smile came across my face and I got up and hugged both my parents.

I ran to my room to get the basket. I had bought a blanket to put over the items so he wouldn't be able to see them at first.

When I got downstairs, he was sitting with his cousins looking quite peaceful. He was still in his pajamas which was a cute sight to see. I stood at the entrance of the living room for a second, not saying anything. I wanted to let him finish his conversation, but also wanted to stare at him a little bit longer.

It wasn't long before he looked toward me and smiled. He excused himself from the conversation and came over to me.

"Merry Christmas!" He said cheerfully. We had already texted each other Merry Christmas, but it was nice to do it in person.

"Merry Christmas! I got you something," I said, lifting the basket a little. His eyebrows rose in curiosity. I was still a bit nervous that he wouldn't like it. There was always that possibility. I knew he'd be nice to me if he didn't, though.

"I got you something too. Let's go to my room," he said. I followed him down the hall and entered the room he shared with his cousin and Layton. When we got in, he stood in front of me with a small smile on his face.

"You can go first," he said. I put the basket on the bed. I stared down at it and looked back up at him expectantly. I gestured for him to look into it. He took one last look at me before slowly taking the blanket off.

"This blanket is so soft. Can I have this too?" He asked smiling. "It's all for you," I assured him. Once he finally opened it, that cute grin of his spread across his face. He immediately went to grab the Oreos. I also got him tickets to see the Hornets, the dvd of his favorite show (King of Queens), popcorn, other snacks, and a toy Jeep.

"This is amazing!" He looked so genuinely happy and I was very much relieved. "You pay so much attention to me. I've never met someone who remembers things like this. Other than my Uncle and cousin, of course." He turned and gave me the best, warmest hug of my life.

"Now for what I have," he said sounding a bit nervous himself. He opened the dresser drawer and pulled out a rectangular, black box. It was obviously jewelry. He opened the box and the first thing I noticed was the word "Pandora" written on the inside of the lid. Inside, lay a beautiful diamond heart shaped necklace with a pearl in the middle.

I was frozen in place. I couldn't find the words. I wasn't disappointed or upset with the gift, but more so, I was concerned. I knew Gavin wasn't in extreme poverty, but he most certainly wasn't overflowing with money.

His face fell once he realized I wasn't saying anything. "Do you not like it?" He asked and I could hear the regret in his voice.

"I can get you another one. Or a ring, or bracelet—"

"No, Gavin. It's beautiful. I love it. But- but how much was it?" I asked.

His cheeks flushed red. "It doesn't matter."

"Gavin, you just paid for your uncle's arrangements. You're constantly spending gas to go from here to South Carolina. We've been going out and doing things."

"And I can't afford this, right?" He interrupted. "I'm just too poor to be buying gifts like this," he said with a hint of aggression.

"I didn't say that," I corrected. "It was implied," he argued. I sighed and took the necklace. Staring down at it, I knew it was gorgeous but not worth it.

"Please Gavin, just take it back." He shook his head firmly. "No, I bought it for you and I want you to have it. It means a lot to me that you have it. I'd spend a million dollars on you if I had to."

I couldn't help the warmth in my heart and smile that came across my face when I heard that. He was being too sweet to chastise.

"You don't have to. I'm not impressed by fancy things. I like you for you, not how much money you have."

"I just don't want you to think that I couldn't take care of you or that I don't have enough—"

"Stop the foolish talk. I know you would take care of me one way or another. I trust you," I said sincerely.

I hated to know he felt so insecure about being with me. Unfortunately, I had a feeling it stemmed from his mother leaving him for some rich guy.

"Kayla, it still boggles my mind how much you care about me."

"You should know it's because God cares so deeply about you. More than I even can." A small smile came across his face and I could tell it hit something in him.

I looked toward the desk next to the bed and the mysterious key was on top.

"Hey, did you ever find where that goes to?" I asked. "No, I actually forgot about it," he said, picking the key up. A thought crossed my mind.

"Why don't we find where it leads?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, why not? We can just be back here for dinner," I stated. He looked a bit weary.

"What if we don't find anything." I didn't say anything for a second. Something in me was pulling me toward the key. The Holy Spirit I assumed.

"I feel that we will. Even if we don't today, we can continue. There's something obvious or we're just not noticing right now."

He looked contemplative for a moment, then said, "alright, let's do it."

A little Christmas adventure was on the way.