Chapter 53 Wolf Figurine
The mood over the past few days has been dampened. Understandably so, considering it’s the anniversary of his friend's death. But it’s been hard to be around him without being able to cheer him up. So I thought of buying him a gift. The only issue with this is that I don’t have a vehicle to drive. I have enough money for a decent gift, but I need a vehicle.
Which is where Noah comes in to help. Considering I don’t know my way around this town, he’s driving me into town. It’s the first time since I got here that I’ve been outside of the camp. It’s almost weird to be riding in a vehicle again after walking everywhere.
“What are we looking for?” He asks over the wind.
The windows of the truck are down, making the wisps of my hair fly around me. “A gift, something that he’ll like. I haven’t figured out the specifics yet.”
He chuckles, “I was hopeful you’d be more prepared.”
“That’s why you’re here to help me.”
“Well, give me your ideas.”
It’s pretty watching the greenery pass us by.
“I was thinking maybe some shirts, since he’s always wearing old ones. Something to do with cooking. Maybe an apron or a cooking class.” I weigh out my ideas.
He seems okay with them thinking through them while he gets closer to the town. “I think a special shirt is a great one. Maybe like a gift card or something, so he doesn’t have to cook?” He offers his own opinion.
I’m glad we can agree on the shirt, but he does raise a point about the cooking. I know he also enjoys working out, but I’ve heard that their workout gear is top-notch. What workout stuff could he want?
Before I know it, we’re in the small town. He pulls into a spot surrounded by what looks like a strip mall of stores. “Let’s go find some shirts and whatever else jumps out at you.”
We get out of the truck and walk to the nearest store, which happens to be a clothing store. Noah stands out considering how tall he is, but he doesn’t seem to mind the attention that’s automatically on him.
“What kind of shirt are we looking for?” He asks, fingering through some of the hung-up shirts.
“I think something practical that he can wear as a daily shirt. But I don’t know what specifically.”
He holds up a few options with stupid sayings on them, but none of them sound like him. We split up to save time, each looking at opposite ends of the store. That’s when I find the masterpiece. A grey shirt with the words, ‘Real Men Cook.’
It’s simple but funny and very true, especially for him. I grab the shirt and show it to Noah, who approves of it immediately.
“He’s never going to take it off.” He jokes while I buy it. I roll my eyes at his comment, but I can’t fight him about it because he isn’t wrong. It wouldn’t shock me at all if he refuses to take off the shirt until it needs cleaning. It’s heart-warming to know how much something honestly small means to him.
We leave the store, heading to an antique-looking store with an assortment of things. One present down, one more to go.
We walk around the store together, looking at everything. There is a mix of figurines, more clothes, wall decor, and stuff I don’t even know what to call. Noah holds up a small painting of a funny-looking werewolf. It looks more like a gaggift than a genuine one.
“Oh, stop, he would hate that.” I wave him off, walking further down the aisle away from his laughing self.
But then I see it. It sticks out to me like a waving flag. It’s the perfect gift. It looks like it was made specifically for him.
It’s a small wolf statue that would fit perfectly on his dresser. The wolf is sitting in the howling position with a woman next to it. The woman has her hand on the wolf’s back. She looks similar enough to me, and the wolf is almost the same brown color as his wolf. It looks like us.
“This is perfect.” I pick it up and show it to Noah.
He nods with a soft laugh. “Yup, he’ll love seeing himself in wolf form.”
I punch his shoulder. “Are you serious? You don’t think he’ll like it?” I pout looking it over again. I thought it was perfect.
“No, I’m just teasing. I think he will love it. It’s kinda creepy how perfect it is for both of you.”
“I know, right? It’s like it was made with us in mind.” I smile at him, happy to have found the perfect second gift.
The first gift is more practical, but the second gift is more personal. It’s absolutely perfect. I can’t wait to see his reaction. We stop at a dollar store before leaving town, grabbing a shiny blue bag with some tissue paper to cover the gifts. I put them in the bag, trying to ensure he can’t see them from the top of the bag as Noah drives us back to his house.
“Thank you so much for coming with me and helping with everything.”
“Of course. You would have been lost without me. Make sure to tell him I helped with the shirt.”
I laugh at his jest. “Yes, I will tell him that the shirt was from both you and me.”
We pull down the long gravel road that breaks off into his driveway. It’s not surprising when we see Alec come out of the house, looking at us, confused.
“Oh great, protective wolf boy is here now.”
We get out of the truck, me holding the bag for him to see.
“Whose birthday is it?” He asks, coming to greet me with a soft kiss.
“It’s yours.” He looks confused. “Not your birthday, it’s just becuase gift.” I hold it up for him to take.
He grabs it, still looking confused. He looks to Noah, who just shrugs.
“Go inside and open it.” I nudge him forward into the open door.
He goes to the kitchen island and sets the bag on it. I watch as he takes out the paper with a wide smile on my face. It makes me so happy to watch him open my gift. He takes out the shirt first, holding it up to read it. A beautiful smile graced his face. He laughs while reading it.
“I love it.”
“Noah helped me pick that out, so he wants some credit.” I tease.
He sets it aside, then goes to grab the figurine. He unwraps the paper from it, his face conveying his surprise.
“Wow, did you have this made?” He looks over the whole thing, taking in every little feature.
“Nope, found it like that.”
“Wow, it’s perfect for us.” He looks happy with it. I give Noah a told ya so look.
It was worth the shopping trip to put a smile on his face the rest of the day.