I woke up the following day, a firm chest under my cheek, my legs tangled with Jeremiah's. I couldn't help but smile, joy coursing through me. I fixed my gaze on Jeremiah's face, his barely parted lips allowing tiny snores to slip past their barrier. I giggled to myself because I planned on telling him he snores, and I know he's gonna fight me. I placed a kiss on my boyfriend's chest, a trail toward his neck following; I was bored, and I wanted him to wake up.

It took until my lips reached his that he woke up, and when he did, he grumbled, "No morning breath."

A perplexed look plastered onto my face. "What?"

I was rolled off of Jeremiah as he got up off the bed. I grunted as I rotated, my eyes sticking to him as he grabbed his car keys. He mumbled something short of a 'be right back' before slipping into his slides and a sweatshirt and leaving.

I inched towards my phone on the nightstand, grunts of effort leaving me as I wiggled on my stomach. I reached for my phone, my tongue poking out as I strained. And I almost had it until Jeremiah reappeared.

"Ki, what are you doing?" Jeremiah detoured to the nightstand, delivered my phone to my hand, and continued to his final destination...Wherever that was.

"What are you doing?" I shuffled into a sitting position, my back now resting against the stack of flattened pillows. I crisscrossed my legs, the cotton of the sheets resisting against my sweats.

A stream of water and a spitting sound ensued before Jeremiah poked his head into my bedroom from the adjoined bathroom. His speech was garbled by the toothbrush hanging from his mouth. Brushing my teeth."

I grimaced as I watched toothpaste dribble down his chin. "Right after you wake up?" My eyes were fixed on the droplet settled just above the dip in his chin. "Okay, I need you to get the toothpaste situation under control," I blurted with a sigh.

Jeremiah disappeared back into the bathroom, the sound of running water drowning out his movements. "Sorry. Didn't know toothpaste ground your gears," he called from out of view.

"What have King and I told you about saying that?" My forehead fell into my palm with a chuckle. "But anyway, is this because of what you told me about your mom?" I asked as I recalled our conversation from yesterday. Knowing a reason behind one of his quirks felt comforting.

"Bingo." Jeremiah stepped back into my view, a beaming smile on his face. "You never noticed I've never had morning breath?" He joined me on the bed, him now delivering me a minty fresh kiss.

"Uhh," I trailed. We'd just recently started spending nights together, and not one of those times was I concerned about his breath. Still, that raised questions in my head, questions like why it was never a problem. And then it hit me. "Did you wake up before me just so you could brush your teeth?"

A goofy grin was the first response I got. When I smacked Jeremiah's knee, he graced me with a verbal one. "I'd set the alarm for five-thirty or something like that, brush my teeth, then go back to sleep." He shrugged with such nonchalance, yet his lips were still stretched wide, teeth barely peeking through the part.

"Oh my goodness," I choked out, my hand covering my mouth as I attempted to stifle a laugh.

"What?" His smile shrunk as his eyebrows started to pinch in confusion.

"Nothing, J." A chuckle slipped through. I grabbed his face between my hands before bringing his lips to mine in a tender kiss. "That's so strange, yet so charming at the same time." I kissed him once more before continuing, "So, I assume you partook in toothbrushing secrecy every time we've spent the night together?" My lips quivered as I attempted not to smile.

"Don't you let that laugh out," he ordered, his finger jabbing at my chest. "Why you getting on me for having proper oral hygiene?" His arms crossed over his chest as his nose rose in the air.

"I said it's charming! Proper oral hygiene is sexy." I dramatically pouted my lips and did my best to smize as I looked back at him over my shoulder.

"That is not sexy, my beloved Kiara." In one swift movement, he pushed the side of my head, my opposite cheek slamming into the mattress with a muted thud. "Not sexy at all," he chided.

I let an irritated groan escape me as I pushed myself up from the mattress. There was no adaptive give under my hands, no smooth glide across the sheets—not like there was in Jeremiah's bed. Instead, my hands stayed firm and in place. "I cannot stand you."

"It's great that we're both sitting down, then." A dry kiss met my cheek, my head angling away from his in protest. "I'm gonna ignore that while I make us breakfast."

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "I can never stand him."

I scrolled through my phone for a few minutes before following Jeremiah's lead to the kitchen. I padded into the kitchen and set to work alongside Jeremiah. Now, I know that my man can throw down in the kitchen, but I had to make sure he made my pancakes just how I like them. Not that he didn't every other time, but still, I had to be sure.

Half an hour later, our food was done, and we were sat on the couch watching Shameless and munching on our meals. I had my plate resting on my bent knee, one hand steadying it while the other pushed the fork around. Syrup separated and mended as the prongs moved through the substance. "Aside from secret toothbrushing and cute snores, what else should I know about you?"

"I do not snore!" Jeremiah cried in anticipated protest. "And definitely not cutely."

"Uh, you do," I argued. I let my head go limp over the back of the couch before I began mimicking what I heard this morning. My last snore devolved into a laugh.

"I don't snore," he denied.

"I love you, but you do." I pursed my lips as I nodded at him with a solemn gaze. "Don't worry. I'll get you nose strips for Valentine's Day." I reached out and rubbed his arm in mock comfort.

"I don't snore!" He jerked away from my touch, the trigger for my fit of giggles that followed. "But, speaking of Valentine's Day—"

"Ooh, yeah, what are we doing?" I moved my plate to the table in front of us, a slight clink sounding at the contact. "You should let me know; I can go half on whatever it is. Oh, unless it's a surprise—"I cut myself short this time.

Jeremiah's brows were raised in amusement when I looked at him. "You sound like your sister?"

"I sound like my sister," I echoed a millisecond later.

I shook myself out of my head before asking, "What about Valentine's Day?"

"It's also my birthday, and my parents want to go out to dinner." Jeremiah took a brief pause, a pause that allowed my thoughts to swirl. "And I want you to come."

"Did you say that your birthday's on Valentine's Day?" I blinked once. Twice. "I know that's not the point, but how could I not know that? That's Friday! That's five days from now!" I took a deep, steeling breath. "This is such short notice to do something extravagant."

"Extravagant?" Jeremiah's hands waved in front of him. "No, baby, all I need is you, me, and my parents at dinner on Friday night." He took my hands in his and squeezed.

"If you're sure," I conceded. "Where are we going, and what time?"

"The Met. Probably around seven if I know my parents."

"The Metropolitan Grill?" My eyes widened, my mouth watering at the sheer mention of the restaurant delivered from Heaven. "Your parents have good taste."

"They pride themselves on that." Jeremiah let out a scoff accompanied by an eye roll.

"Right," I dragged. "Well, know I'm here if you want to tell me what that was about." I clapped my hands together as I readied myself to clear our plates. "At least your birthday will be nice and chill." I dragged my hand against his thigh as I stood up from the couch.

A few days later, I found myself turning the key I held to my best friend's house. The lock clicked open, and I took a few tentative steps forward. "Ri?"

A few moments of silence passed before Adrienne's dark locks fell into view. "Kiki?" Her face poked out next. "What are you doing here?" She revealed herself and clomped down the stairs, her arms wrapping me in a hug.

"I'm here to help you pack," I offered with a smile.

The once filled walls were now barren, holes left as a memory of the pictures that used to hang there. All that was left was the overwhelming beige that Adrienne and Ricardo never planned on painting over. The plush carpets that used to cushion the hardwood floors were nowhere to be found. Boxes lined the walls, the stacks reaching half the length of the wall.

My eyes pulled from the house that's not a home and found themselves back on Adrienne. There was a quirk on her lips as she raised her eyebrows at me. "Why are you actually here?" Her arms crossed over her chest.

"Is it that hard to believe I'd be here to help?" Adrienne angled her head towards me. "Alright, yeah. I need your help."

Adrienne followed after me as I wandered into the living area. Out of all the furniture that used to adorn the space, all that remained was a burgundy armchair and an old futon. "Help with what?

"Jeremiah's birthday is on Friday," I stated.

"He was born on Valentine's Day?" Adrienne crossed to the seat and plopped down, it sliding against the hardwood floors. "I feel like I'm in your apartment."

"Unnecessary," I chided with a pointed finger in her direction. A chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head. "And yeah, but I just found out the other day!"

"Okay..."

"So," I dragged, "I need your help planning something for him on such short notice."

"How am I supposed to plan a Kiara-level birthday celebration in three days?" Adrienne threw her head back as she whined. "You love to get ten-tier cakes and a million balloons and chocolate fountains—"

"This is not a Kiara-level birthday extravaganza," I interrupted. "He wants something lowkey—"

"You're not lowkey. "

"—so I only really need help with planning and ideas."

"That's the whole thing, Kiara," Adrienne deadpanned. Her eyes rolled in her head, yet a smile betrayed her. That slight tug of her lips was all the answer I needed. "You owe me three days of packing."

"Ain't no problem," I responded.

Adrienne sighed before she moved to get up. "But, I'm gonna need some wine for this. You?" Her profile came into view as her head turned.

"Absolutely." A smile tugged my lips as I kicked off my shoes and pulled my legs under me.

Adrienne and I settled on the futon. We both held our glasses close to our chests, the bottle sitting just in reach for our inevitable refills.

A peaceful silence settled over us for a moment. We took a few sips of our wine as our eyes swept over the empty walls. The wall to my left looked much different than on New Year's Eve. There was no TV in sight, only the holes that once held the mount.

"I feel like it's the end of an era." I turned my gaze to Adrienne, a reminiscent smile on my lips.

"That's because I think it is," she offered. Her lips quirked upwards, the rim of her glass meeting them as she took a long sip of her wine.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Adrienne's eyes looked around as if she was drinking in the barrenness of it all for the first time. "I'm engaged and moving; Desiree's almost done with clinical, you're in a committed relationship for the first time in forever...."

"...And it feels like those college days are long behind us, huh?" My glass found my lips as my shoulder drooped with a sigh.

"Another lifetime ago, really," she agreed. "But who's to say we didn't have some growing up to do, right?" Although the ringing of her laugh met my ears, I couldn't miss the unmistakable tone of longing in her voice. Whether it was longing for the days to come or those we didn't spend enough time appreciating, I wasn't sure.

"College us was so fun! The world was our oyster, and nobody was there to tell us no!"

"Kiki, you had a private jet that could take you anywhere on this oyster you wanted to go." Adrienne's eyes fell over me, the ghost of a smile gracing her lips as she shook her head.

"True." A moment of silence passed between us before we burst into a fit of giggles.

"But forreal, I had no direction, and you were jet-setting around the world with Sienna giving attention to any male that walked. Aren't you even a little glad that we aren't those people anymore?"

I took the finishing sip of my drink before my lips grasped the rim of the glass between my teeth. The beginning of college was a simpler time—I had everything I could have ever wanted. Well, almost everything.

I responded after a moment, "Who would I be to say no?" I chuckled smally before I grabbed the wine bottle in front of me, ready for my first refill of many.

"We'd be the same exact people if we said no." Adrienne sunk back into the couch with a small huff. "But anyway, don't we have a birthday event to plan?"

"Yes, we do!" A smile that felt forced presented. "Like I said, it's not a Kiara-level occasion, but it has to seem like it is."