by Robin

Eighteen-year-old Trixie Belden felt the excitement running through her. She and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Jim Frayne, were in the city, about to spend a weekend together. It was her birthday present from him.

As they rode the elevator up to the penthouse which Jim’s adopted parents owned, Trixie thought back to the letter that arrived on her birthday, three days earlier.

She had been waiting to hear from Jim, hoping he would call with birthday wishes. Instead of a phone call, she had found a letter with a dozen roses when she got home from school. Quickly tearing the envelope open, she read it through, squealing with delight about the news. Jim had invited her to see a Broadway show in the city and they would spend the weekend sightseeing. The letter also said her parents had agreed to the trip.

Now, their weekend together was just the beginning.

“Are you all right, Trix? You’re awfully quiet.”

“I’m fine.” Trixie squeezed Jim’s hand. “I’m just excited.”

“So am I.” Jim returned the gesture.

The elevator jerked to a stop and the doors opened. They took a few steps and Jim unlocked the door to the penthouse. They stepped inside carrying their bags. Trixie stood still as she looked around, stunned. She hadn’t been in the penthouse since Mrs. Wheeler had gone into a redecorating frenzy and was shocked at how elegant it had become.

There were two couches facing each other with a glass table between them. A fireplace graced one end of the room, flanked by two recliners.

“Wow,” Trixie said.

“That’s what I said the first time I was here,” Jim said, setting his bag on the floor. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

“All right.” Trixie set her garment bag and duffle bag beside Jim’s and followed him.

As they stepped further into the main room, Trixie saw a bouquet of dead roses. “Jim, when was the last time your parents were here?”

“It’s been a couple weeks, I think.” Jim grabbed the bouquet of roses and tossed them in the garbage. “I hope that’s all that’s bad here.”

“Have you found other things in the past?” Trixie asked as they moved toward the kitchen.

“Well, I came here one weekend around midterms needing the quiet to study. I had brought some food with me. So, when I went to put it in the refrigerator, I found a moldy peach sitting on one of the shelves.”

“Ewww.”

“Exactly. That peach made a quick trip to the trash.”

After a tour of the penthouse and Jim pointing out Honey’s room for Trixie to use, they changed their clothes getting ready to go out to dinner. Trixie slipped on a black skirt and a blue blouse that matched her eyes.

Making her way back to the main room, Trixie stopped short. Jim was wearing a dark suit looking more handsome than ever before. But his clothes didn’t surprise her. It was what he was doing. Jim was lifting up cushions and moving pillows around.

“What are you looking for?” Trixie asked.

Jim’s head jerked up to look at her. “I’m trying to find my keys. I lost them somewhere.”

“I’ll help you look.” Trixie moved toward the furniture and started searching. She glanced at the table next to the entrance and saw the keys were there. “Jim?”

“Yeah?” He looked at her hopefully.

“Where did you put the keys when we came in?” she asked with an impish grin trying not to laugh.

Jim straightened up. “We came in and I dropped them on the table.” He turned and saw the keys on the table. “Is my face red now?”

Trixie moved to Jim and gave him a kiss. “You are perfect.”

Jim returned her kiss. “Thanks. Come on, let’s go to dinner.”

“All right.” Placing an arm around his waist, they left the penthouse.

*****

That night after dinner, Jim and Trixie took a walk through the park, enjoying each other’s company. They weren’t able to spend as much time together as they would have liked due to the distance of Jim’s college from Sleepyside, where Trixie was in her last year of high school. Trixie nestled her head on Jim’s shoulder as he kept his arm around her waist.

“Jim, thank you for this weekend. It’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.” She leaned in closer to him.

Jim kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

A woman approached them, carrying a camera. “Where’s the museum? I need the picture to take back to Florida for my grandchildren.”

“It’s about three blocks that way,” Jim said pointing out of the park. “Head that way and you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you so much. You are such a kind gentleman,” the woman said and hurried in the direction Jim had pointed.

“You are such a kind gentleman, and so helpful,” Trixie mimicked.

“I don’t know how much I helped,” Jim said looking at his watch. “The museum is closed at this time of night.”

“At least you sent her in the right direction.” Trixie smiled knowing that was just how Jim was. Always willing to help others.

“Come on. Let’s head back.” Jim put his arm around her shoulders.

“Okay.” Trixie tried to stifle a yawn. “I am tired. It’s been a long day.”

As they continued through the park, Trixie heard rustling behind a grove of trees. Sensing movement, she stopped and stared into the darkness. Her curiosity aroused, she let go of Jim and moved toward the trees. She heard footsteps behind her and knew Jim was following.

They were almost to the trees when they heard someone yell, “We’re out of toilet paper!”

“We need to beat it then!” another voice yelled.

Trixie stopped as she heard people running. She looked at Jim. “This has been 0 strange night.”

“I can’t argue with you,” Jim said as they made their way back to the path, hand in hand.

“And I really don’t want to know what’s going on.”

“You're giving up a mystery?” Jim asked incredulously, stopping. Releasing her hand he looked around. “Someone call the papers. This is breaking news.”

“Stop goofing.” Trixie playfully shoved Jim. “Come on.”

“All right. Let’s get out of here.” Jim took her hand again and gave it a squeeze.

*****

Late that night, Trixie tossed and turned in bed. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t sleep. After trying everything she knew to tire herself out, she decided to see if the couch was more comfortable. As she quietly slipped out of the room, she saw a small patch of light coming from under the door of Jim’s room. Moving silently, she put her ear to the door and heard pages being turned. She assumed Jim was studying. His finals were coming up and he would be finishing his third year of college.

Turning, she made her way down to the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch. She pulled the afghan off the back and covered her legs with it. As she sat there, she thought about her last days of high school.

I have finals coming up too, along with the prom and graduation, she thought. I can’t wait to go to the prom. The night is going to be perfect with Jim and I going together.

Before her thoughts could go any further, she heard movement coming from the bedrooms. She watched Jim come down the hall wearing a pair of shorts, his chest bare. He moved into the kitchen and disappeared from view.

Trixie got to her feet and moved toward the doorway. She watched Jim standing by the sink filling a glass with water and her heart seemed to stop. He was everything she dreamed he would be.

Jim turned away from the sink and stopped short. “Trix. Did I wake you?”

Trixie shook her head. “No. I couldn’t sleep.”

Jim moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“Why are you having trouble sleeping?” Jim asked, concerned. He brushed a curl behind her ear. “You looked and sounded exhausted earlier.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I haven’t been able to get comfortable.”

“Come here.” Jim took her hand, set his glass on the counter and led her back to the living room. He sat down on the couch and pulled her down beside him. “Stretch out.”

“Jim,” she said hesitantly.

“Come on. I promise I have no ulterior motives.”

Trixie looked at Jim skeptically, but stretched out on the couch with her head in his lap. Jim took the afghan and covered her with it. As she lay there, she gazed up at Jim’s face. He gently brushed the curls from her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair.

“Close your eyes and try to sleep. I have a busy day planned for us tomorrow.”

“Oh, really,” Trixie said and tried to stifle a yawn. “Like what?”

“Does it really matter what it is?”

“No. Just as long as we’re together.”

“Absolutely.” Jim kissed the top of her head as she closed her eyes.

*****

The next morning, Trixie rolled onto her side pulling the cover up under her chin. She let out a sigh and tried to drift back to sleep. After a few minutes, she realized it wasn’t going to happen and rolled onto her back.

As she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Jim peering over the back of the couch. He smiled. “Look who finally woke up.”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning to you,” Jim said. “How did you sleep?”

“All right.”

“Well, when you’re ready to get going for the day, there’s food in the kitchen if you’re hungry. There’s milk and cereal along with some pastries.”

“When did you get food?” Trixie asked, puzzled. She didn’t remember anything being in the refrigerator the previous night.

“This morning after my run.”

Trixie looked closely at Jim. He didn’t look as if he had just returned from a run. “How long have you been up?”

“Several hours. It’s almost ten, Trix.”

“What?”

“It’s true.” Jim moved around the couch and sat at the other end. “I got up about five, saw you were sound asleep, so I headed out for my run. When I got back and got cleaned up, I realized there was nothing to eat, so I made a quick trip to the store.”

Trixie pulled herself to a sitting position. “I’m sorry, Jim.”

“For what?” Jim asked, puzzled.

“All I’ve been doing is sleeping when you’ve had this whole weekend planned.”

“It’s okay.” Jim smiled. “We got in late last night and it took a while for you to get to sleep. It’s understandable.”

Trixie pushed the afghan off her legs. “Let me get cleaned up and then we can continue with your itinerary.”

“All right.”

Trixie gave Jim a quick kiss and hurried to the bathroom.

*****

Later that afternoon, Trixie and Jim made their way down the street, looking in shop windows. They had checked out several museums and had picked up some gifts for their families back home. Trixie had been excited when she found a slinky for Bobby, something he had been asking for since playing with one at his friend’s house.

They returned to the penthouse and quickly prepared to head out for an evening on the town. Jim was taking her to dinner before the Broadway show. Trixie quickly slipped into the silky, white, spaghetti-strapped dress, which barely grazed the top of her knees. The last time she had worn it was Valentine’s Day, and Jim had commented how beautiful she looked in it.

Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she knew she was ready for her birthday dinner and show with Jim. Giving her curls one last brush, she grabbed her purse and went into the living room to wait for Jim.

A moment later, she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Turning, she smiled because Jim looked so handsome. He had slipped into a black suit with a light blue shirt. A black tie completed his outfit.

Jim looked up and stopped short when he saw her. He smiled. “You look gorgeous.”

“You look handsome yourself.”

He moved toward her, leaned down and gave her a kiss. “Are you ready to go?”

“I’ve been looking forward to it since I received your letter.”

“Then let’s go, our chariot awaits.”

Jim helped Trixie slip into her coat. He turned to her and offered her his arm. They rode the elevator down to the lobby and exited the building.

Trixie stopped when she saw a limousine and a man standing by the open back door. She looked up at Jim. “Is this for us?”

“Of course. It belongs to Wheeler Enterprises. Dad let me borrow it for the night.” He looked curiously at her. “How else were we going to get to dinner and the show?”

“I didn’t know,” Trixie admitted.

“Let’s go.”

They moved to the limousine and Jim held her hand as she slid into the back seat. Trixie moved over making room for Jim and felt something hard on the seat. As the back door was closed, she pulled out what she was sitting on. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what it was. She couldn’t believe it was in the back seat of one of the company’s vehicles.

“What are you doing?” Jim asked.

“I found this,” Trixie said slowly holding out the vibrator.

“Whoa.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“I don’t want to know what it’s doing here.”

“Me either.” Trixie put in on the floor and moved it to the side with her foot.

Leaning back, Jim wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “I love you so much, Trix.”

“I love you too.”

Jim kissed the top of her head. “I can’t believe you will be graduating in a few short weeks.”

“I never thought the day would come. It seemed like high school was never going to end.”

“High school will be ending, but you’ll be going to college in the fall.”

“Let’s no talk about school,” Trixie said quickly. “It’s my birthday and those two things don’t go together.”

“No problem.”

Trixie closed her eyes, enjoying the time they were together. She didn’t want to think about college.

They enjoyed dinner at a French restaurant before going to the theater. Trixie wasn’t really paying attention to the stageplay. Her interests were aimed more toward being with Jim.

When the intermission arrived, Trixie got to her feet and stretched. She looked at Jim and saw he was staring at her with a smile on his face.

“What?”

“What what?” Jim asked, smiling.

“Why are you staring at me?” She leaned against the seat in front of her.

“Can’t I look at my girlfriend?”

“Of course, but you’re acting funny.”

“How is that?” Jim asked, looking perplexed, but smiling.

“I can’t explain it. But it’s different.”

“I’m not surprised that you noticed. There is something on my mind.”

“What is it?” Trixie wondered if something was wrong.

“Have a seat.”

Trixie looked at Jim as she settled in her seat. Jim seemed serious and that bothered her. He reached over and took her right hand in his right. Giving it a squeeze, he said, “I love you so much.”

Trixie smiled. “I love you too.”

“Well, because you mean so much to me, I wanted to get you something special for you for your birthday.”

“I don’t need anything else. This weekend was enough.”

Jim smiled. “I knew you’d say that.” He reached inside his jacket with his left hand. “But I got you something anyway.” He pulled out a long rectangular box wrapped in blue paper. “Happy birthday, Trix.”

Trixie took the box in her hand and slowly started to unwrap it. Once the paper was off, she saw it was a blue velvet box. Glancing quickly at Jim, she opened it.

She felt her mouth fall open. Inside the box, on the black velvet was a gold bracelet with a single charm, a heart. Fingering the heart, she flipped it over and read the engraving, ‘Love always, Jim.’

Trixie looked at Jim through her tear-filled eyes. “Thank you. It’s beautiful and I love you too.”

Jim leaned over and kissed her as the lights dimmed. Jim lifted the bracelet out of the box and clasped it around her wrist. She rested her head against his shoulder as the show continued. She knew it was the best birthday she had ever had.

*****

Later, when they returned to the penthouse, Jim pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Keeping an arm around her, he turned the radio on and they began laughing as they heard “Tequila” being played.

Jim quickly switched the station and found a ballad that they could dance to. Trixie wrapped her arms around Jim’s neck as they swayed to the music.

“If you’re hungry, there are some pretzels in the kitchen.”

“I’m fine.”

“So am I.” Jim leaned down and kissed her. “Happy birthday Trixie.”

*****

The next morning, Trixie woke to her feet being cold. Pulling them close to her, she tried to get them warm under the covers. As she moved, she realized she wasn’t sleeping in a bed. Forcing her eyes open, she saw an arm sticking out from beneath her head and knew it wasn’t hers. It was then that she felt an arm wrapped around her waist. Jim’s arm, she thought dreamily.

At that moment, she felt Jim tighten his hold on her waist pulling her closer to him. She knew he was waking up. Feeling a kiss on the back of her neck, she said, “I’m awake.”

“How did you sleep?”

“All right.”

Trixie carefully rolled over to face Jim. He took the arm that had been around her waist and brushed a curl behind her ear. “I’m glad we were able to spend your birthday together.”

“Me too.”

“But we should get going,” Jim said. “It’ll take a couple hours to get home.”

“Then you’ll be heading back to college.”

“I know. But it’s only a few more weeks. Then, we’ll have the entire summer together.”

“We should get cleaned up then,” Trixie said sitting up and getting to her feet. “I’ll hurry so you can get cleaned up too.”

“Okay.”

Trixie hurried to the bathroom. As she stared at her reflection, she realized she hated the thought of saying good-bye to Jim, even if it was only for a few weeks. Each time they said good-bye, it seemed to get harder. She knew she had to be strong. She thought, if I can get through this, I can handle anything the future will bring.

*****

Late that afternoon, Trixie stood by Jim’s car, waiting as he said good-bye to his parents and Honey. As she waited, she fingered the bracelet Jim had given her the night before. The ID bracelet, which he had given her in Iowa, was also on the same wrist.

“Hey,” Jim said getting her attention.

“Hey, yourself.”

Jim moved toward her and took both her hands in his.

“Promise to call?” she asked.

“Always, as long as you promise to be careful and not get involved in anything dangerous,” Jim said. “When I get back before the prom, I want to find you in one piece.”

“I promise.”

Jim cupped her face in his hand. “I love you, Beatrix Belden.”

“I love you, James Winthrop Frayne.”

Jim leaned in and gave her a kiss. When they finally broke apart, Jim said, “I need to get going.”

“I know.” Trixie didn’t let go.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Jim kissed her again. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Trixie let go of Jim’s hands. “Drive safe and study hard.”

“You study hard, too.” Jim gave her a kiss on the cheek then climbed in the car.

Trixie squeezed his hand through the open window as he started the engine. He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. Letting go, he gave her a wave and pulled out of the driveway.

She watched the man she had loved for five years return to college life. She knew it would only be a few weeks until they were together again, but that didn’t change the sadness she felt with him gone. She wondered if Jim would feel the same way if she had to leave. She thought, hopefully I’ll never have to find out.

The End

Disclaimer: This is an unauthorized fan fiction site and is not affiliated with Random House in any way. No profit is being made from these pages.