I have one last birthday present for you

Chapter one hundred and eighty-four

When she pulled away, Greg immediately grabbed her, pulling her in for a kiss. He kissed away her tears for about a minute or two before letting her go.

"I know that these past few days have been hell for you, particularly because Anna is still missing. I know that you've been worried sick about her, I know how disturbed and uncertain you are about finding her. We all are. This is probably your worst birthday, as Anna is not around. But please, just let me make you happy today. That's all I ask, Vanessa." His nose brushed on her fingers and he looked up at her, watching her eyes which were filled with tears- fresh tears that she couldn't contain.

"Alright, Greg. Thank you," Vanessa said amidst tears, nodding her head and Greg pulled her in for a hug. 

"I really wish Anna were here. I only hope that she's still alive, Greg," she rested her head on his shoulder and sniffed in the air and Greg patted her back.

"I'll just wait for you to get ready, all right?" Greg said, before giving her one last kiss on her forehead. 

Vanessa ran up the stairs to freshen up and emerged from the stairs less than an hour later. She didn't overdress. She wore a puce peplum top over a blue pair of jeans and a pair of sandals. 

"You look stunning," Greg said, assessing her. 

She mumbled a "thank you" and followed him out of the house. Vanessa wasn't her best, and the drive to where they were going was silent, well, aside from the music which was playing in the background. She didn't ask him where they were going, Vanessa rested her head on the side of the car, staring into space. 

"What do you think about seeing a movie?" Greg asked, breaking the deafening silence, Vanessa shrugged in reply. 

"What about skiing?"

Vanessa shrugged again, not glancing at him once. 

Greg touched her thigh, resting his palm on it. "You agreed to let me make you happy today. Let me do it, Vanessa." Vanessa diverted her gaze back to him and gave him a sad smile, nodding her head and Greg smiled back at her.

"Just so you know, I have one last birthday present for you. It's a surprise by the way." Greg was still smiling at Vanessa who was already cheering up.

"Aren't you just full of surprises, Greg?" She said, smiling. This time, it was a grin, which was showing her teeth, except that it wasn't wide enough to form crinkles around the corner of her eyes. 

Greg pulled off at the cinema and got two tickets for them. There were very few people there, Vanessa and Greg each took an empty seat and they sat beside each other. Vanessa placed her head on Greg's shoulder, staring into the space rather than watching the movie. 

Greg got popcorn for them both but Vanessa barely had any of her popcorn. It was a thriller movie- "Choose or Die". Horror movies and thrillers were one of her best but somehow, she wasn't interested in the movie. She wasn't actually interested in anything at all, she'd only agreed to go out on a date with him because he'd put in extra effort to put a smile on her face. Usually, she'd have worn something dazzling. She'd have applied makeup, and worn high heels and a beautiful dress, but she decided to go very simple. She didn't bother looking for any clothes. She picked the first clothes she saw. 

She stared blankly at the screen like a lifeless statue, Greg on the other hand was keenly watching the movie. When she got bored of staring at the screen, she watched him instead. She intertwined her fingers in his, she couldn't help but stare at him in wonder. He looked even more breathtaking as his full attention was on the screen. He hadn't noticed when she intertwined their hands, or maybe he did, but he didn't react. 

Instinctively, she pressed her lips on his left cheek, giving him a slight peck on it and that seemed to do the trick, she got his full attention. 

"Why did you do that out of the blue?"

"I'm happy about the efforts you put in for my birthday, Greg. I really am. Thank you so much, Greg." 

She didn't know how many times she'd thanked him today. She just found herself thanking him. She wasn't used to giving thanks excessively, but with Greg,  it was different. She found herself thanking him now and then.