"Jayden, I'm here! Oh my gosh, you're never gonna believe what I saw on the subway this morning." I squealed, swinging my boyfriend's apartment door open with the she-Hulk ease.

A blast of warmth enveloped me in its snuggly embrace as I hopped over the threshold, leaving the frigid Boston evening behind. My red nose more than welcomed its fiery caress.

I'm warm again!

I chucked off my crimson Chucks and my "Books turn Muggles to Wizards" socks with zeal and proceeded to leap barefoot around my boyfriend's huge apartment.

On second thought... Where was he?

Light jazz drifted from a room out of sight.

I glanced left and right, taking in familiar surroundings.

A messy stack of dirty clothes decorated the thick carpet in the living room.

Well, messy was perhaps a strong word. Maybe his things were simply arranged in an abstract manner as a part of his unquenchable thirst for creative expression?

I caught sight of a Dish Mountain in the kitchen next.

No creative expression, then, but merely his cleaning woman being long overdue.

His familiar cologne tickled my nose, so he couldn't be far.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Come out come out and play! I smell a birthday surprise!" I yelled at no one in particular, smiling from ear to ear.

"I detect another smell.". A voice called out from the floor-to-ceiling curtain beside the panorama window. Then it moved, and Jayden appeared. His chiseled abs of steel now occupied my entire field of view.

Yummy.

My perfect Greek God of a boyfriend.

Le sigh.

That man had abs like Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael together.

I slowly took in his lush blond curls, light-blue unbuttoned shirt, and a careless knot on his necktie.

How much effort did it take to get that effortless look?

Following the scruffy downward trail of his chest hair T-junction, my cheeks blushed in a powerful mix of shyness and hunger.

Jayden was naked from the waist down. He even had his Johnson don a cutesy party hat!

"My dear, I love you to death, but your smelly feet might kill me first." My Poshy-Posh pinched his nose, and we giggled together, his snuggle replacing my now discarded coat.

"And what are you going to do about that, silly?"

"I... am..." Jayden grunted and took me up in his arms as my fingers began braiding his hair. "Going to carry you to the bathroom and we..." He was now planting kisses all over my collarbone. "...are going to have some hot, wet, slippery fun."

Moments later, I found myself in said shower with Jayden's hands everywhere. I allowed him to pamper me as he gently soaped my pale skin and shampooed my frizzy hair.

Soon all my thoughts and my fatigue were dethroned by the whirlwind of sensations.

I could only relish in Jayden's touch on my thighs, tits and everywhere, our little sighs of pleasure mingling under the steam.

***

When the battering ram finally halted, I had to use the wet wall of the shower cabin as support.

Only one of us could enjoy hot water at a time, and in our case, the one had been and still was Jayden.

I was flipping freezing.

And on top of it all, I had to sneeze.

Aaaa... Aaaa...

Dear sneeze, if you gonna happen, happen. Don't put a stupid look on my face and then just leave!

Aaaa-choo!

I quickly turned away from Jayden, positive there was a booger hanging out of my nose.

Now I fully understood how the poor Hot-Stubble Train Man must have felt with his snot-compromised, Coke-sprayed hand this morning.

"You there. I was about to tell you to turn around and bend over, but you already did it for me." Jayden gently nibbled on my earlobe.

My breathing sped up at his comment, and I quickly rinsed off my face.

"Who, me? Are you talkin' to me?" I pulled my best Robert de Niro's voice.

Then I swiveled around and propped up on my tiptoes to kiss him soundly on the cheek.

"Yes, you, you sexy thing. Happy birthday, Iris." He picked up my fatigued form into his arms again as we fled the place of crime and careened towards his master bedroom.

"Thank you, baby. And may we celebrate many more together." I replied as our nose tips gently touched, and he started rubbing me with a huge, fluffy towel.

I chortled when he started paying special attention to my sensitive spots once more.

"Nawww," I meowed weakly. "Uh-uh. No more shenanigans."

He looked at me with puppy eyes, lifting two fingers in the air.

"Nope. No. Not now. No round two. I am steamrollered. My Hump day birthday most definitely lived up to its name!" I hopped into the king-size bed, hiding under comfy black satin covers. My happy grin smiled back at me from the lavish ornate ceiling mirror.

He pressed his lips on my forehead and plopped next to me in utter disappointment. I snuggled up to that oh-so-familiar place between his chin and his chest.

"So, is a birthday girl ready for another surprise?" Jayden kissed the sensitive skin on top of my bare shoulder, which sent pleasurable goosebumps up my spine. "After all, one does not turn twenty-five every day."

"Another surprise? Oh my gosh! I'm freaking out right now. Is it a corgi? Please, please tell me it's a corgi!" My eyes must have looked like blinking UFOs from Jayden's perspective.

The bastard knew how much I wanted a corgi.

I must have pestered him about it ever since we started dating five years ago.

My stupid place didn't allow animals.

"No, Iris. Sadly, it's not a corgi. I booked us a dinner table at Menton." He smiled.

My disillusionment over him not yet being ready for us to share a pet together was replaced by astonishment.

"Men... Menton?" I muttered in disbelief.

That restaurant offered an eight-course tasting menu, with some of my favourite dishes on it... but the price was devilishly high.

"Jay-Jay. They are ridiculously expensive. You didn't have to... Do that." I brought my hand to my mouth, tearing up a little.

"I know how much you love buttermilk soup with shellfish. And, well, they do serve the best buttermilk soup in the whole of Boston. Caviar, milk, and honey included. Only the best for my girl." He beamed at me. "As for the price, it's nothing to worry about. Oh, and... My Mom is coming, too."

A cold chill washed over me. Jayden's Mom did not like me at all.

The feeling had begun to become mutual, no matter how much I tried.

I was a people person. I got along with everyone. Well, almost everyone. I so wanted to get along with her, but...

There was a ginormous gap between me and Cecilia.

A gap that might never be bridged.

I just couldn't be comfortable with her around, and the reason was...

Her Judgy Eyes.

Whenever we were in the same room, it was as if Cecilia held all of me under a mammoth disapproving magnifying glass.

My hair color, my braces, my style choice.

My Bostonite drawl, my passion for illustration, my comic book shop job.

She never tried to understand or accept my choices. She would simply frown at them, wishing me to...

To become someone else.

Was I ever going to be good enough for her son?

Thank you for all the unsolicited advice on everything about me, said no daughter-in-law ever!

Sometimes I wondered whether Cecilia was partly the reason Jayden still hadn't committed to me.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Jayden looked unnerved by my sudden silence. "She called me this afternoon to see what our plans were. She sounded kind of lonely, too, so I invited her to join us. I hope you don't mind. I promise I'll make it up to you. What do you say? It might be an opportunity for the two of you to bond some more, too! Look, she has even gotten you a little something!" He produced a square-shaped gift carefully encased into a fuchsia-colored paper with a pink ribbon.

"Uhm... present? For me? Oh, wow!" My hands went to my mouth.

"I know you wanted a corgi, but I can assure you it's not a corgi, sadly. They don't come in square shapes." He grinned.

"I wonder what it is! Ooh, I hope it's a book!" The impatient kid in me shredded the gift wrapping to pieces. I could never quite wait to find out what mystery the shiny paper hid inside.

What I found was an eggshell-colored cardboard square.

"Gift Voucher – valid for a visit at salon Eva Michelle." I read out the text on it.

"Does it say anything else?" Jayden stretched his neck for a closer look.

I flipped the card. Cecilia's precise handwriting covered it.

Dear Iris

This is a gift voucher for the best hair salon in Boston. Do make an appointment with Michelle Lee. She's a wizard with a pair of scissors. Her cuts are nothing short of impeccable.

Love,

Cecilia

I could hear her voice in my inner ear and contemplated the flowery script of the voucher, suppressing the urge to crumple it.

"So... um... Do you like it?" Jayden's voice trembled in expectation. 

Who could resist his sweet gaze? And, well, I couldn't possibly tell him what I thought of one of the most criticising, manipulative, fake-smile-in-your face vindictive witch I had ever met. 

Because that vindictive witch happened to be his Mommy dearest. 

"I do like it, Jay-Jay. It's... Very thoughtful of her." 

He beamed and kissed my forehead. "Great! So happy that you love the present. Ready to hit the restaurant, then?"

I could see how much it meant to him.

He desperately wanted for me and Cecilia to connect, to get along.

I wished for this to be our special day, and ours alone but...

"Ok." I adopted my best fake smile. "Why don't all three of us go stuff ourselves senseless with that butter soup?"