I spent the morning of my birthday changing the water from the flowers in Niall's room. Somehow I pictured this special day to be more exhilarating, but now was not the time for celebration. Everyone was still grieving over Gabe's funeral that had taken place yesterday, and I was in no position to remind my friends that I was born this day 18 years ago.

I didn't blame anyone for forgetting, maybe next week would be a better time to celebrate it. Besides I had greater worries, poor Janet had slept in Niall's hospital room almost every night, on the chair by his bed. We both missed a couple days of school, and we didn't care about the consequences. Janet confessed that it was her fault that Niall was in the hospital and Gabe was gone. No matter how we tried, we couldn't convince her otherwise.

Niall was doing better and now wore a neck brace. If all went well during the next analysis in a couple of hours, they could discharge him by tomorrow morning. Niall hardly knew Gabe except for seeing him a few times, still he was heartbroken over his death. I learned that Niall's reason for driving out to search for Janet was out of worry for her drunkenness, he regretted leaving in the first place...Interesting how that turned out.

Izzy and Zayn showed up with the baby. Janet took Rhea so the siblings could talk, meanwhile Zayn and I were about to head to the cafeteria.

"Oh wait, B. I think Niall wants to tell you something," Izzy called out.

Niall could barely speak loud enough for any of us to hear. Walking to his bedside I leaned closer.

"Happy Birth-day," he whispered.

How he always remembered, even in this state was a mystery to me. I gently squeezed his hand as I articulated a thank you and walked outside.

"Are you okay, Brynn?" Zayn asked.

"I don't know…there's just been…so much has happened it's hard to digest," I replied as we slowly walked towards the elevator.

Even though Zayn and I had a 'phase', he was the person I loved to vent with. He always gave me an honest answer, just like Louis, except he was around more. Even at school it seemed impossible to talk to Louis lately. I think he was nervous to leave for boot camp right after graduation and be so far from Lilah. Zayn remained as brother figure to me and Janet. Izzy was lucky to have him.

"So, off topic, how are things between you and Izzy going?"

"Well, I've been helping her with Rhea as she's been studying for all these exams to get her diploma. I'm sure she's told you that she won't be walking with you on graduation day, but at least they cut her a break."

I agreed with Zayn, although I wondered what she would do now.

"And how are things as far as your 'relationship'?"

"I know at first, I was drawn to her out of sympathy for her situation. But now as I've gotten to know her, my fondness for both her and Rhea have grown. I dare say she's the one I'd like to 'settle' with," he smiled.

"Now 'settle' as in there is no one else to peak your interest, so you're 'settling' for her'?" I asked worried.

"No Brynn, 'settle' as she's the ONE I see myself marrying in the near future," he shocked me.

Another one followed by Louis' wedding; is everyone getting married? Was it the new fad? Regardless, I shared my friend's happiness as if it were my own. Especially when it came to this group, I felt each tear and laughter.

"Now tell me, how much ground did Harry shake with his visit here?" Zayn turned the tables.

"Oh God, that was so unexpected. He was the last person I thought to ever see at the restaurant."

"So…how did you feel?"

"I can't even describe it. It was like a cluster of all these emotions. I had missed him and it was great to see him, but at the same time I wanted to slap him and pour hot coffee on his lap."

"You would never do that."

"But I fantasized about it for a minute! You know that feeling you get when you pass by the old house that you grew up in…that's what it kind of felt like. The warmth and the good memories that lure you to come in and stay for a while, but then you remember that you now live somewhere else and it's hard to drive away."

"That's quite the analogy, sounds rough."

"I dreamt of the day I'd bump into him, or that he'd call me to tell me that he moved back. But I was so unprepared that day, and for the first time he was difficult to read. Before he left he gave me the impression that he was looking for another chance…"

"What did you do?"

"I told him how happy I was with Liam," I said taking a seat at one of the tables with a cup of tea.

"Speaking of Liam, you know how at first I didn't like him…well I was wrong. But you already knew that. He's good for you. How has he been handling all of this? Did you tell him about Harry?"

"I did but very little. Why bore his ear off with Ex-history? And you know how self-controlled he is, yet I swear his chest puffed up when Harry introduced himself at the funeral."

"I'll admit that was a gutsy yet mature move," Zayn nodded while sipping his coffee.

"Sometimes, or usually, I feel like Liam hides his emotions so well that it makes it hard to know what he's thinking."

"You ever wonder if he does that to protect you or himself?" Zayn brought an interesting point.

"That would make sense, but I don't want to have a relationship with a robot."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No and I should. I will, next time I see him."

"Just don't bring up the robot comparison. Even I wouldn't take that lightly," he winked. "But let me ask you, are you happy? Do you think you made the right choice of Liam over Harry?"

Flashing before my eyes were the memories I had made with both men. And while I had more recent pictures of several romantic dates with Liam, I also had many that led to a gigantic moment in time with Harry. Which only meant that if my 'gigantic moment' with Liam happened soon, he would blow Harry's out of the water.

"Yes, I'm happy with Liam," I smiled as I felt all fuzzy just thinking about him.

---

I drove over to Janet's house the day after the dreadful reunion at the hospital. Liam, who had taken a week off, had just checked on her for the 10th time but she was still sleeping. He told me she had fallen into a traumatic depression and worried that this could destroy her and her chances of going to nursing school if she didn't get out of it soon. I gave him a huge hug; I needed it as I too felt emotionally drained.

I always felt revived and secure in Liam's arms. I knew I owed it to him… I owed him the truth.

"So you know that guy at the hospital that came with Louis and Lilah…that was Harry."

Liam cleared his throat, "Was he the same guy at the restaurant earlier?"

"Yes, he came to visit me."

"What did he want?" His voice was serious.

"Just to see how I was doing I guess."

"How did you feel?" Liam slowly pulled back to read my reaction to his question. "How did you feel seeing him again?"

"I was shocked. I didn't know he was back."

"Would that have changed anything? Would you perhaps have gone to see him?" I could tell where this was going.

"No," I responded, although it didn't sound convincing.

"No? If given the opportunity…I mean I know that he was your first and I can never take that place but… should I be worried for any reason at all?"

"No of course not!"

"So you can honestly say that you feel stronger feelings for me than you do for him? Have you truly gotten over him, because I know that's what hindered our relationship in the beginning?"

"I love YOU Liam, not him. I love YOU and want to be with YOU," I said staring into his eyes hoping he would believe me. Yet he seemed to have a hard time wrapping his head around my words.

---

Crazy to think almost a week had gone by and I hadn't even begun packing. I drove back home and all I wanted was to soak in a warm bath for an hour; it was the least I could do for myself on my birthday. It was almost 11 o'clock in the morning and yet I felt so tired. I dragged my feet through the house and up to my room and as I opened the door, I had to rub my eyes and wonder if I was in the right house.

My room had bouquets upon bouquets of gorgeous wild flowers in different colored vases everywhere; on my night stand, book shelf, dresser and desk. When I looked above the dresser I caught sight of a banner that read "Happy Birthday!" The flowers by my nightstand had a card in it although I already knew who they were from.

"Thank you for trusting me and giving us a chance. I apologize for my attitude a couple days ago but know that you made me the happiest man alive when you said those 3 simple words. Happy Birthday my love! -Liam."

I smiled and insisted on observing and smelling each floral arrangement. All I wanted for my birthday was to be snuggled up close to Liam and forget about everything up to my mother's wedding. I had just received a text from yours truly telling me to get ready that he was going to pick me up in a couple of minutes. But I didn't want to go anywhere, still knowing Liam and how he never disappoints, I played along.

Wearing a leopard print tank top with a pair of red shorts and black flats, I kept my hair down as I felt a potential headache approaching. I felt super sensitive, probably because I was ovulating. I wouldn't be surprised if I cried on my own birthday…and not of happiness.

I heard a knock at the door.

"Hey you, come here!" I pulled Liam inside and locked my arms around his waist. "I love you so much," I said breathing on to his chest.

He was definitely my cozy new house, looking very cute in his beige shirt and dark green shorts. Liam walked me to his truck and said we were driving towards Temecula. I wondered what we would do over there but I trusted him.

It didn't take long for him to notice my bummer mood and he took out a can from the back of my seat to hand to me.

"Redbull? Isn't this stuff like poison?" I smiled.

"No, despite what you've heard. I think it's the 'pick me up' you need. It's your BIRTHDAY! You should be excited not sulking!"

"I know, but you can understand why," I listened to him anyway and began sipping on the odd flavored soda.

He shared it with me but he was already hyper, thank goodness! He cranked up the radio to his favorite pop/punk rock songs and was singing away while slightly head-banging to the side to get me to smile. He also made silly faces for my entertainment and soon I had cheered up alongside him. At a red light, he stole a quick kiss before changing shifts again.

His hair was soft and uncombed, but it went with his carefree personality today. Just then I was reminded what I wanted to talk to him about and knew I had to wait for an appropriate time. We pulled into an entrance that read Temecula Valley Wine Country on one of the signs.

"Are we going wine tasting?" I asked eagerly. I wasn't a fan of wine but the idea was stunning.

"No, what do you think I want to get you drunk on your Birthday?" he nodded.

He kept driving on this dirt road that brought us to a secluded yard. There I spotted another truck at a distance. He pulled out his phone and started driving slower.

"We're coming up. Start it now," he told the other person.

And as we got closer I noticed a huge basket and an enormous purple blanket, or so I thought. It began to inflate and I jumped up in my seat, feeling the effects of the Redbull finally.

"We're going in a hot air balloon ride?" I beamed.

Liam just smiled, pleased to see my enthusiasm. "Remember that pilot friend I told you about. He's also a certified balloon pilot."

Even the casket had a happy birthday banner. Liam introduced me to Greg, who was closer to Kevin's age, and I just marveled at how cool this giant balloon looked as the fire shot up filling the last of its crevices.

"You guys ready?" Greg announced untying the ropes.

Liam gave me a lift and climbed in. Greg fired up the burner and soon we began to float off the ground. He continued to explain the simple mechanism of how the gas from the propane tanks flowed through the burner to produce the flames and fill the envelope, aka the balloon, with hot air as it was lighter than cool air and so on. It was absolutely one of the coolest things ever.

The hot air coming from the burner felt strange, like I was standing a little too close to a heater. But mixed with some colder random winds, it wasn't so bad. Liam had his arm around the back of my waist as we both gazed out to the vast sky and busy streets. We saw plenty of vineyards and even spied into people's homes. Liam never ceased to amaze me.

He pulled out a white squared jewelry box and said, "Happy Birthday, Brynn."

Just the fact that he had more was making me feel like I didn't deserve all this spoiled treatment. Regardless, I opened the box and found his dog tags.

"Your dog tags? Haha!" I had a huge smile and quickly took out the necklace to put it on while bouncing on my feet.

I don't know why it just seemed so exciting to me. Like a military 'promise ring' or something. I had heard of stories of girls receiving them from Janet, and I thought it was such an honor. Now my time had come.

"But wait. Read it before you put it on," he said patiently.

I paused and raised the tags to my face but noticed there were 3 things on this necklace. In between the two tags was a silver ring. It was a simple little band but when I looked closer the band was shaped like a itty bitty spoon. And on the head was a cute little diamond.

"This is unbelievable! How did you find something like this?" I gawked.

"It took some searching but…it's a promise ring. I'm old fashioned. And I wanted you to have something to remind you of how much I LOVE YOU… and how serious I am about us," Liam confessed while taking the ring off the necklace.

It wasn't an engagement ring, it was too soon for that, but it was just as sweet and beautiful. Even better than the dog tags and mind you I was thrilled about those as well. I'm 'Liam's girl'; I liked the sound of that. After an hour of sailing by the clouds we arrived back to our launch site. I thanked Greg for his wonderful service and he said he was equally excited to be a part of such a cool moment in Liam's life. Apparently he saw him like a nephew.

"So what else would you like to do today?" Liam asked as we got back in his truck.

"Because the hot air balloon and the ring simply wasn't enough, right?" I chuckled.

"Seriously, is there anything you can think of that you'd like to try?"

I could think of ONE thing, yes, but there was something else. "Do you play pool?" I perked up a brow.

"Of course. Do want to go shoot some pool?"

"I don't know how though."

"Then I'll teach you," he smiled.

We had arrived at pretty friendly looking bar not too far from my house. It took me what seemed like forever to get used to shooting the damn stick; always missing and making a poor shot. I almost wanted to give up and use my hands, but Liam was so patient with me. He was a very good teacher too might I add. When I finally took a decent shot I jumped up and down a little too proud of myself.

"See, I knew you'd get it!" he laughed.

Now we could actually play a game. Soon he began to show me some tricks, and who knows how long that would take but it was still fun trying. Liam went to the bar to get another beer. I noticed he had a high tolerance for alcohol, not that he drank a lot but I had never seen him act stupid or drunk before.

Meanwhile, I heard two men mumbling at another table. When I glanced over I could tell they were beyond drunk and giving me suspiciously dirty looks. One looked like a child molester if you asked me. I searched for Liam, who was still waiting on his beer, and I grew nervous as I was now aware of the two strange men.

Suddenly I felt as though I was standing there naked. Maybe today was a bad day to wear red shorts. Did they draw too much attention? Liam came back and I watched the two men get up and leave. Thank God! I told Liam how uncomfortable they made me feel and I saw his chest puff up again as he looked around to spot them. I thought he was about to turn into the Hulk or something; that would be kind of hot.

We kept playing and soon I forgot all about it. The jukebox had stopped and Liam took out some quarters to make his over. I was studying my next move, analyzing how to get that eight ball to the right corner pocket. Out of nowhere the creepy man came back and stood near the table, observing the setup with me. I acted cool as I gave a flat smile. He had an almost empty beer bottle in his hand and walked closer to wear I was.

His face gave me the chills and it was daylight outside. How was he so hammered? I slowly began to walk the other way and couldn't spot Liam with the bar in the way. I walked around to the other side of the pool table and pretended to find my shot. As I bowed down with my stick the other guy showed up right next to me; too close if you asked me. I stood up, personal space definitely invaded.

"HEY!" Liam shouted. He slid right in between the stranger and I, placing his hand on the table. "Why don't you step back away from my girl, Sir!" he ordered with a clenched jaw.

"Oh is this here YOUR girlfriend…Sir?" he mocked, fearless. "Tell your girlfriend her ass looks delicious in those cherry bottoms."

"Don't disrespect her. Now get out of my face before..." Liam's voice grew deadly.

He turned around to signal it was time to go. I heard the bartender call out the drunk man's name, trying to get his attention to stop, but I was already disgusted by his nasty words along with his nasty looks.

"Oh wait! Are you a soldier or something?! You can kiss my ass you lousy piece of shit! You're a disgrace to this country! Bunch of fuck ups! You and your slutty girlfriend should just get on out of MY bar!" the man growled.

Liam's eyes fired up in an instant. Within seconds I saw his fist clenched as he turned and swung the man in the face while holding his arm out to shelter me. I stepped back but the guy's friend jumped in and clumsily punched Liam's mouth when he wasn't looking. Liam grabbed hold of his arm and in a swift maneuver pinned him down with his knee on the guy's back. The bartender ran over and apparently had more sympathy for the jerks than us.

"Please get out of my bar. I'll handle this."

Liam got up as I collected my things and we walked out hand in hand. I felt awful for Liam getting punched. Those bastards deserved so much more. I couldn't understand why the bartender didn't defend us.

"Remind me to never take you into a bar again," he smirked while wiping his wounded lip.

I stopped him and held his face to get a better look at his mouth. It was bleeding a bit, but I was sure the other guy's hand hurt more. My handsome hero certainly put them in their place.

"Why did the bartender kick US out if we didn't do anything?" I asked confused.

"Not everyone likes the military. It happens, as you can see."

Liam tried smiling even though it hurt him a bit. It was a good time to head on home. I stared at my ring on the way. The day turned out pretty amazing and action packed. I kept throwing little jokes at Liam's heroic transformation and kept calling him Captain America. Though he insisted on correcting me, saying that he was a Marine not a fictional Army character. It was time to find this Marine's soft spot.

I talked to my mom and only gave her good reports; I didn't want to alarm her in anyway. She wished me a happy birthday and told me a few fun activities they had done over there. They had snorkeled, gone horseback riding, kayaking and looking forward to a ferry ride over a bioluminescent bay. I was jealous, but I had also bragged about my presents.

Liam and I hung out barefoot in the living room with my snuggly blanket. I don't know why but I enjoyed watching scary movies from time to time, just to feel the rush I guess. So I made sure to close all the curtains to add on to the spooky atmosphere. Liam made fun of me because on the very scary parts I'd cover my ears and hum. It was distracting and made him laugh as opposed to keeping up with the suspense of the film.

Soon I was cuddled up on his lap like a stuffed animal. The blanket covered us like a cocoon and every time I started humming Liam would tickle me to get me to stop; I hated being so ticklish. The moment was perfect. I was mush in his arms and in a daze with his dreamy eyes and smile.

"Can I ask you something?" I interrupted.

His smile grew wider.

"You know we've tried a couple of times to have sex and something always seems to happen. I know you love me, but, this is going to sound retarded…do you even want to?"

"What do you think I'm gay or something?" he chuckled softly. "Because I'm not!" he quickly asserted.

"I know that, silly."

"Honestly though, the fact that you were younger did make me a little nervous. You wouldn't believe the things I've heard with these high school girls and the guys at base. I was afraid of the risk, having been recently promoted. They don't even promote guys to Staff Sergeants till they've served at least 10 years!"

That helped me understand him more. "Sometimes its hard to know what you're feeling because you're always so 'in control'."

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way or doubt how much I love you."

"Oh I don't doubt it. Your actions have always spoken louder than your words. I just wish I heard more of your words and what you are feeling."

"I will work on that," he smiled. "So I'm feeling like I want to kiss you now, if you must know."

"And I'm feeling like what's taking you so long?" I smiled back.

We lost interest in the ending of the movie; it was stupid anyway. As we began kissing, I climbed on top to face him. I could sense him letting his guard down. Normally his kisses were so calm and laid back but even that had spiked. He was pulling and biting on my lip; his tongue was untamable, whipping and circling in my mouth. He even slid it across the roof creating a tickling sensation that made me shudder.

That was a new sensation and I told him to do it again. We were still covered under the blanket that now felt like a sauna, but his cool hands kept caressing my back. I helped pull his shirt off and he assisted with mine; our skin already warm and delicate.

I felt as though we were back in the hot air balloon basket, from how hot I was. Then I imagined how exciting it would be to make love in the air like that, but surely we'd crash if no one was tending to the actual burner. It was inspiring just thinking about it.

Soon I was bare-chested before my enchantingly handsome boyfriend. He was so good at mixing tender and aggressive kisses with hand gropes. He began stroking my hair and back at the same time which gave me a different set of tingles and felt so nice. This time around, it was unlike my experience with Harry because it wasn't driven by mad lust, just love and affection. It didn't feel dirty and kinky, even though I'm not complaining on how fun that was. This was a different kind of special I can't explain.

Maybe because I wasn't just sitting back and having everything done to me like an observer. This time I was equally engaged in this hands-on exploration, not to mention I was always a very curious person. The first time I was way too nervous to even touch 'it', but not now, still a little bashful of course yet determined.

Along with Liam's new found vulnerability came an even cuter side to him; a side that accompanied my timid giggly girl complex. I'd chuckle at the sensation and realization of his manhood underneath me and he'd laugh and make a funny comment. We were both blushing but enjoying the innocent flirtation. He didn't turn too childish on me as he kept those fiery hot kisses coming. Everything felt so comfortable and right, I even forgot how embarrassed I used to be when topless…not like that happened often.

I remembered thinking that Harry was like a ravenous demon in bed; everyone enjoys a dark fantasy now and then. But Liam was more like that strong angel girls also dreamed of being with; both equally attractive and mystical.

"I need to uh…shift," he smiled while turning red again.

I don't think I ever stopped giggling. Liam stood up and adjusted his shorts a bit. I sat back intrigued while biting down on a fingernail. If Liam was the archangel of my fantasy than I had to play a fun role too! So I thought of Aphrodite, the goddess of love with the power of seduction. To think roleplaying wasn't my thing.

I stood in front and began to unbutton him. He raised his hands up, allowing me to do so, a little surprised. Off went everything and before me stood this sculpted Marine, limited addition. I was stunned and unsure of what to do next. I mean I knew what TO DO I just got shy.

Liam raised my chin and began to kiss me softly again. He led me back to the couch where we lied down together covered by his cape, our blanket. All four hands slid the rest of my clothes down and there we were…finally ready. He nibbled over my neck down to my collarbone as I began to feel him penetrate. I wasn't frightened at all.

Each thrust sent shockwaves throughout my body; flaming hot at the beginning and icy cold throughout my fingers and toes. I gasped and bit my lip several times, it hurt since this was only my 3rd time. But he was steady and careful. Our eyes were constantly locked on one another and our smiles assured that everything was ok.

It felt like we had been naked for hours. Liam's controlled habits proved to be quite handy preventing me of any scare as he 'took care of things' with impeccable timing. The best part was our snuggle fest afterwards, wrapped like a burrito and falling asleep in each other's arms.

Wow! What a great birthday!

Notes

LIam's too cute. I want one!

Sorry for the delay darlings! I had an itch and dyed my hair Auburn! :)

Hope you enjoyed this long chap. xoxo