The Minx

My 18th birthday. Kieran took the day off of work to stay home and celebrate it with me. Admittedly, I'd been avoiding him a bit after the kiss even though I still had so many questions. Now that he was home, I had no choice but to face him. Kieran was setting a cake on the kitchen counter as I came downstairs around noon.

"You slept in today. Happy birthday," he said with a carefree smile. He knew I'd been avoiding him. I knew that he knew I'd been avoiding him, but he didn't mention it at all. He was still pretending that everything was fine. I set my arms on the counter as I glanced at him.

"Aren't you going to ask?" I hinted. He perked up at me before going back to the cake.

"Ah, we need candles. Ask what?" he said, feigning ignorance as he turned to look through the drawers.

"Aren't you going to ask why I've been avoiding you?" I clarified. He paused before his hands slowly pulled out a box of candles.

"I'm not going to purposely start an argument with you on your birthday. I'm sure you have your reasons," he answered. I stood up straight as I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"I was scared because I felt something when we kissed. I was conflicted because I'm supposed to go back to Aspen after I stabilize, but... I don't want to. That's what I'd been fighting all this time," I answered my own question anyway. Kieran fiddled with the candles silently for a moment before he set them down on the counter. Finally, he came to stand in front of me. I turned slightly to face him. I watched a range of emotions cross his face as his hands slowly went to my arms.

"You don't want to leave?" He asked unbelieving. I nodded.

"Don't ask me how or why, but after our misunderstandings were all cleared up, I saw you differently. Living here, like a normal person, where I can fit in and I'm not an outcast... that's all I've ever wanted. You going above and beyond to try to make me feel comfortable made me realize how much you actually care about me also. Every touch of yours is comforting to me," I tried to explain. Kieran let out a breath before pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back and relaxed, resting my head against his chest.

"You have no idea what it means to hear you say that," he muttered. I smiled lightly and held on to him tighter.

"I think I know," I replied. He let go of me before he went back to putting the candles in the cake. After singing happy birthday to me, I blew out the candles. After we ate cake, he instructed me to get dressed. Kieran drove us out to the city where he took me to a rundown hole-in-the-wall shop.

"Peter! I need a Lichenburg special with a few extras," he yelled when we stepped inside. I was confused as to what we were doing here. Kieran didn't explain anything to me on the way. A guy who looked to be in his mid-30s came out before motioning us back to an employee's only room. Kieran took my hand with an encouraging smile before leading me back.

"Just take the picture and it'll be done," Kieran instructed, sitting me in a chair in front of a plain backdrop.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, confused.

"Getting your new ID and paperwork," Kieran winked at me before moving out of the way. My picture was taken before we waited in the main store. Kieran talked to the guy a bit while I looked around. A few hours later, Peter handed Kieran a folder in exchange for a wad of cash.

"Driver's license, passport, birth certificate, social security card, the works. Everything in changed in the system as well. She should be good to go," Peter said.

"Thank you very much," Kieran said before taking my hand and leading me out. The whole experience just left me confused.

"How do you know that guy?" I asked as I looked back at the store.

"I've been alive for over a millennium, love. That fox works for the government specifically to help us get new identities when it's time. And you are officially 21 years old, Mrs. DeVoss," Kieran smirked. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Don't tell me there's a marriage certificate in there too?" I asked. I had a sneaking suspicion. Kieran's smile only grew wider.

"Oh my God, there is!" I said in realization as we made it back to the car. Kieran opened the passenger door for me before handing the folder to me. As soon as I sat down, I opened it up. My information was pretty much the same. There was even a high school diploma in there. My name was still Camilla Young on my birth certificate, only the year changed by a few years. My passport, ID, and social security card, however, all reflected the last name DeVoss. There was a marriage certificate in there setting our date of marriage for two years ago. I scoffed before putting everything back. I glared at Kieran.

"What? Our story has to be consistent. You said you wanted to stay here right? All my coworkers think we're married. Might as well have the proof ready," he tried to excuse it.

"You never proposed. We never had a wedding. We never even dated!" I exclaimed.

"I've been looking over you you're entire life. Doesn't that count for something?" He asked. I let out a breath before deciding to just let it go. He's gone through all the trouble to get these, I could let him have my last name. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway. It wasn't like we were actually married.

"You got carried away," I muttered. Kieran only smirked.

"There's one more thing in the glove box," he said. I didn't like the sneaky look on his face but I opened the glove box anyway. I pulled out the small velvet box before opening it. It was a wedding band set for both of us, and it looked expensive. He definitely got carried away.

"You planned this?" I asked knowingly.

"I got those when you came to me. I'd hoped that one day you could put it on, now you have no reason not to... Mrs. DeVoss," he replied.

"Sneaky fox," I muttered before I took the ring out of the box and put it on my finger. I was only wearing it because it was pretty.