Sweet Nothings Escaped His Lips. They Were Uttered In A Hurry, Frenzied By How Little Time He Had, But

Sweet nothings escaped his lips. They were uttered in a hurry, frenzied by how little time he had, but he had nothing to fear. You were grateful for time you got to spend with him, no matter how short it might have been. Ray was busy. He was always busy with work. But, he would make a point of ensuring that a part of his day would bring him back to you. It was no surprise that he had devoted himself to working ahead of himself to be in your room right before the hour struck twelve. He wanted to be there with you on a day that was blessed. It was blessed to him as it was a day that you were brought into the world to exist.

"Today I'm grateful you're alive. I feel like I'm the luckiest man in the world because I get to be the first person to greet you on a day that is all about you. I'm honored. My heart is beating out of my chest the longer I think about the things I want to say to you on a day like today. A day as special as today. I want to see you smile. I want you to have the best day of your life. I want to give you the best day of your life. If I can grant your every wish today, my life will be worth it. Our life together will be worth it."

Ray's gloved hands were pressed against your face. He was holding your head up just enough that you could take a better look at him, and better yet, not look away. His dazzling eyes were quite enough to captivate you from the start. If he knew that, you didn't have a clue. What you did know is that there was a yearning inside of you that was growing just as quickly as his head.

"I never was one for birthdays. I don't think I could celebrate mine. It never feels like a happy occasion, but that's why I want you to feel like one. I want this to be your occasion of bliss and joy. I want this day to be yours. Yours and nobody else's. Tell me all of your deepest desires. What do you want? It doesn't matter if there is work waiting for me on my desk when I return, I will make sure your day is perfect."

The more time you spent with him, the more you became ensnared in those mint pools. In ways, it was intoxicating. You wanted more and more of it. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that he felt the same. A part of you couldn't bring yourself to admit you'd wished that you could submerse yourself in that pool.

"My God/dess. Say what you want and I will bring it to you. All I want to see is you happy. The smallest smile on your face will be the best gift that I could receive on a day like today. You are the reason I can dream of salvation and the sky. You are a gift to the world, and I don't intend to let you feel forgotten by the world. You are my world. You are my sky. You're my... You're mine. You are mine and I will cherish the ground you walk on until the day I die. Today is just another reminder. A reminder that I will always be happy to celebrate at your altar.*

His praise was gentle, and somehow, his yearning was stronger. Normally, there was hesitance in his voice as his insecurities ate away at him, but today, there was none of that. There was only a look in his eyes that said that he would not be deterred.

Maybe today didn't mean that much to you. Maybe today wasn't a good day because birthdays were always a mixed bag. Maybe today was a good day because it was a day all about you. Ray couldn't say he knew about whatever was running through your mind, but he knew things about you that nobody else did, but that didn't mean he knew you as well as you knew yourself. Those were the things he wanted to know more than anything.

If he could know everything, it would be impossible for people to wrench him away from you.

If you were glued to the hip joint, nothing could tear you apart. That was what he was thinking. It didn't take rocket science to figure that out from the look in his eyes.

Frankly, there were no material possessions in the world you could think of. You knew if you named anything, he would find a way to make it happen. He was that kind of person. It didn't matter if you asked for a cake that was seventeen tiers. Ray was the kind of person who wanted to make sure you got exactly what you wanted.

There were no objects of your desire you wanted to have. The reality was that nothing interested you as a present. There were plenty of things you could've named. Between practical and personal enjoyment, there were a lot of things in the world that were nice. But, would they have meant anything? Would those things make you feel complete? Why would you want anything when you already had somebody in your life who was everything you could have ever wanted?

What more could you want?

"I want you, Ray," you whispered.

"I'm yours," he said. That euphoric looking his eyes made you feel complete. It didn't matter if it was twisted or if the world didn't understand a single word of it. "Happy birthday, my flower. If that is your wish, I will do my best to be a gift worth your time."