Chapter 2

Meanwhile, as Travis was in the kitchen, he heard Caly yell and he decided to go and see if she was ok. “Be back in a sec, Eli,” he said. Travis walked into the hallway and he saw her stomping down the hallway, muttering to herself, unaware of him watching her. He watched her for another minute, she looked really pretty in her light blue dress, and kinda cute all angry and stuff. Her auburn hair was pulled back out of her face, with a braided crown wrapped around the top of her head, she had tiny wisps of hair falling gently out of the braid, and smaller braids hanging down into her hair that wasn’t pinned up. Wow, she looks really pretty and grown up today. “Hey Caly, you, ok?” Travis asked just outside the kitchen.

“Oh, um, hi, Travis, I’m, uhh fine” --she stuttered both nervously and excitedly-- “It’s just Garrett and his stupid friend Ryker keep calling me a cub. I’m not, you know, today is my birthday, and I turn twelve.”

“Yeah, I know, Cal, who do you think this big ole party is for, huh?” he teased her.

“I wonder!” she laughed, and he joined in with her. As they were laughing, he kept getting distracted by how pretty she looked while they were talking. Suddenly he stopped laughing and continued to look down at her. She looked up to him and saw that he had a strange look upon his face. Wow, she is so beautiful, he thought. The way she is laughing, with the sunlight streaming through the window highlighting the red and blonde strands in her hair and accentuating and reflecting in her baby blue eyes. Wow. Just Wow. I’ve never felt this way before. 

“Rocky, could she be my mate?” he silently asked his wolf. “Is she the one?”

“I’m not sure,” Rocky responded. “She is very beautiful, and there is no denying some sort of connection, but I can’t be sure.”

“Eli will not be happy about this, she’s his little sister.”

“That she is Travis, so, if she is your mate, it will be a delicate situation to address.”

“I know.” 

Caly began to worry, awkwardly looked down at her feet. “Did I say something wrong? Is there something on my face or in my hair?” She reached up and touched her hair nervously. “Rae! Help! What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing. I think he likes you.”

“Really? You think so? Please don’t play with my emotions right now.”

“Yep, I surely do. There is definitely something about him that I like.”

“Me too!”

“Umm, is everything ok Travis?” came Caly’s quiet and unsure voice through the haze. He looked down at her and she was staring at her shoe, shuffling her feet. She very carefully and nervously looked up at him with uncertainty and questions in her eyes. He wanted to grab her and hug her, maybe even kiss her cheek to take away all that uncertainty. “Umm, yeah, I’m uh, fine Caly, I just...um…. you just….uhh,”--he stuttered, then quickly added,-- “you look really pretty in that dress.” Then he ran off towards the kitchen embarrassed. As he rushed into the kitchen, Eli was still at the breakfast nook helping Ardie eat. He ran to the door, “Uhhh, I gotta go Eli, I forgot, I...um… forgot to do something for my mom. I’ll see you tonight, maybe. Give Caly my gift for her on the table please, thanks.”

“Yeah, sure, but….” Eli responded, at a loss, but Travis was already out the door.

 “Wait…. what….?” Caly thought as Travis ran off towards the kitchen. “Rae! Did he just say I was pretty?” Caly could feel Rae’s approval. 

“Yes, I believe he did.”

 “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, what do I do?”

 “Go after him, silly!”

 “Right, ok!” 

She raced off to follow him, “Travis, hey Travis, wait.” She rushed into the kitchen and saw only Ardie and Eli looking confused. As soon as Ardie saw Caly, he toddled over to her, “Cal, Cal, Cal! Up, up, up!” he yelled excitedly. She picked up her two-year-old brother and gave him a big hug, then she blew raspberries on his neck, and he giggled loudly. After he quieted down, she put him down and asked Eli, “Where’s Travis?”

 “All of a sudden he ran out of here in a huge hurry and he said he forgot to do something for his mom.”

 “Oh,” Caly said sadly.

 “What in the world is going on with you two?” he exclaimed. “First, Travis runs out of the house like a maniac, and tells me to give you his present. Then you run in here like a maniac too, asking about him and where he is. What the heck is going on?”

 “Wait, he said he had a present for me? Well, where is it?”

 “Over there on the table,” he pointed and looked at her as if she had grown a second head. Caly rushed over to the table and saw a beautifully hand-carved wooden jewelry box detailed with a large rose in the middle of the lid and four tiny roses along the corners, connected by thorns, vines, and leaves. She gently opened the lid and inside was a single yellow rose, a beautiful corsage with roses and baby’s breath pinned in it, and a handwritten note. The note read, 

 Here’s a single rose for the prettiest girl I know, and a corsage I hope you will wear at the party tonight when we have our first dance. Happy Birthday Calypso, I hope you enjoy the jewelry box. Use it to keep all your things in, that are just as beautiful as you!

-Travis

Caly’s heart skipped a beat, she read, and re-read the note three times to make sure she didn’t miss anything. “He really does like me, Rae! I can’t believe this! Travis Barnes likes me like I like him!” she screamed ecstatically in her head. “I can’t wait to see him tonight; I might even have my first kiss too! This is the best birthday ever! 

 “Okay, okay, slow down Caly, don’t get ahead of yourself. You don’t need to be thinking about kisses right now.” Rae chided.

 “I can’t help it Rae, I am over the moon happy!”