My birthday is just around the corner and I can't wait for my dad to get here. He's gonna book a night at a hotel, and then we are gonna go out to dinner and celebrate. I've asked him not to buy me anything, but of course, I know he won't listen. I will much rather have him stay a couple of nights than get an expensive present, but I can't ask him to do that. He can't take that many days off from his job.

"What are you thinking about?" Dimitri whispers into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. We're currently sitting in class and tuning the teacher out. He's not teaching us anything important, so it doesn't really matter to me.

"My dad's gonna be here in a couple of days. I can't wait to see him again," I whisper back.

Dimitris sends me a smirk, clearly amused by my enthusiasm. "What is the occasion?" He asks me.

"Oh, uhhh... He's coming for my birthday. I'm turning 18 on Tuesday," I tell him, awkwardly.

"Your birthday is in 4 days and you have not told me yet? Were you even planning on telling me?" He asks me now, annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was a big deal," I say, confused as to why he even cares about such a small event.

We don't talk for the rest of the class, so I'm relieved when the professor lets us go. Dimitri and I part our ways, and I quickly make my way back to my dorm. Emily's actually here when I arrive.

"Hiiii," she says and walks over to me and hugs me.

"Hi, to you too," I chuckle as she squeezes the life out of me.

"It's been so long," she whines.

"I know, I know."

We sit down on her bed and talk. She tells me everything about her and Harry. How everything's going with her family and stuff. I tell her about Dimitri and I. Well, I only tell her that we've become friends, not about the kisses and sleepovers. She looks slightly taken aback as I tell her, and I can't help but feel her closing off a little. Did she not want me to befriend Dimitri? I shake the ridiculous thought out of my head, as we continue talking. Soon the sun has gone down, and the moon has taken over its spot. Personally, I like the moon better.

"Oh, I have to go. Harry's waiting outside," she tells me suddenly and waves goodbye, before heading out the door.

"See ya," I mutter to the closed door.

I spent the rest of my evening watching Netflix and catching up on some studying. I go to sleep at around 2 AM, but it's Friday. That means I can sleep in tomorrow.

*****

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Who the hell are knocking on my door at 9 AM on a Saturday?! I groggily get up and open the door. I can imagine my hair standing in every direction, and my clothes all wrinkly.

"What do you want, Dimitri?" I ask him, yawning.

"I'm buying breakfast," he says.

I roll my eyes and jump back into bed, leaving the door open for him. I've kinda gotten used to his unannounced showings.

"I'm not saying 'Happy Birthday' until your actual birthday. It's a Russian tradition; it brings bad luck if we celebrate or do anything before the actual birthdate. That is why we're just going for ordinary breakfast and not to celebrate you," he explains. I get what he's trying to say, but I honestly just want to go back to sleep. That is apparently not on Dimitri's mind, because I'm scooped out of my bed and am standing on the ground. I pout silently up at him, and he smirks down at me.

"You have 10 minutes to get ready," he says. I roll my eyes again but do as I'm told. I pull on some black skinny jeans, one of my nicer shirts, and brush my hair.

I go outside to Dimitri and we walk in silence until we reach a cafe.

"What do you want to eat?" He asks me, as we sit down at a little table.

"Uhhhh, some egg sounds nice," I tell him, as I skim the menu. "Oh, and a coffee and a Pepsi Max with it," I add.

"Pepsi Max? It's 9 AM, Ruby," he says.

"Hey, don't judge. Pepsi Max is superior in the morning."

"Maybe I should try it then?" He asks me. He is very happy this morning, which I find weird because we didn't exactly leave on the best terms yesterday.

"Yeah, maybe you should."

Dimitri orders the food for us when the waitress arrives.

While we wait for the food to arrive, I ask Dimitri a question that's always been nagging me, "Dimitri, where did you get your scar?"

His whole body stiffens as his eyes meet mine. I let my eyes wander over his big scar that reaches down across his eye.

"Why?" He asks me, his voice cold and hard.

"I've just always wondered," I say quietly.

Maybe I shouldn't be asking all these personal questions. Then again, I barely know anything about him when I think about it.

"Too bad, because it is none of your goddamn business," he snaps.

"Look, I'm sorry. I clearly shouldn't have asked that question, but I won't let you speak to me like that. I have to go now. Thank you for breakfast," I say professionally and walk out of the cafe. Dimitri doesn't even try to stop me, which disappoints me, even though I won't admit it to myself.

*****

I wake up energized. It's my birthday and my Dad's gonna be here in an hour. I've spent the morning cleaning my dorm and now, I'm just reading a book to make time go faster. I'm taking the day off, which I rarely do, so we're gonna have fun today. Dimitri and I haven't talked since Saturday morning, and I can't help but feel a little worried. What the hell happened to him and that scar, since his reaction was that? I'm also worried that we won't figure things out this time. We always do, but I'm still worried.

Finally there's a knock on the door. I jump up and open it.

"Hi, honey," my Dad says, while leaning in for a hug.

"Hi, Dad," I answer and jump into his arms.

"There's a package out here," he tells me, when he lets me go.

"What?" I look around, and sure enough, just right outside my door is a brown box closed off with tape. I reach down and pick it up. There's no address or anything on it, so it must be hand delivered.

"Who is it from?" My Dad asks me excitedly.

"I don't know," I tell him honestly.

"Then let's open it."

We walk back into my dorm, and I find a scissor to cut the tape up. I open the box, my Dad leaning over my shoulder to look. Inside the box is a pair of fluffy pants, a gift card to the campus's coffee shop, a coffee to-go mug with a Gilmore Girl quote on, a Luke's diner cup, a Luke's scented candle, a Gilmore Girl sweatshirt, and 5 fake flowers.

I can't express what I'm feeling right now. I'm pretty sure I know who it's from, but I can't be totally sure. As I pull the fluffy pants up, a pepper spray falls out. Okay, now I definitely know who it's from.

"What is all this?" My Dad asks me, clearly as shocked as I am, if not more.

"I'm gonna be back in 5 minutes," I tell my Dad. He doesn't get to answer, because I'm already out of the door and running toward Dimitri's dorm. That gift means extremely much for me. He didn't just go out and buy some things. He remembered what specific things I liked. All those times I've just ranted about nothing, thinking he wasn't really listening to me, when in reality he was. Otherwise he wouldn't have remembered all those things; the fluffy pants, the coffee, the Gilmore Girl things, and the pepper spray.

I knock hard on the door, when I reach his apartment. As soon as he opens the door, I lean in and hug him. I can feel him chuckle as his arms wrap around me.

"Thank you," I mumble into his shirt, before saying, "I can't stay. My Dad's waiting for me."

"That is fine. Go have fun today," he says into my hair, sending shivers all the way down my spine.

I let go of him and walk about 10 feet, before turning around. Dimitri's still standing in the doorway, as I run back to him.

"Did you forget anything?" He asks me.

"Yeah - this," I say and stand on my toes. I lean in and give him a small peck on his cheek. I know my cheeks are red, but I don't really care right now. After that I walk out of his apartment building and make my way back to campus.