As he stared up at me, I was instantly brought back to the night in their backyard so many years ago. Their mom had thrown me a birthday party, inviting all of the kids from the neighborhood, and my mom had gotten me a beautiful pink dress that I was so excited to show everyone. We didn't really have the money for nice things like this, so when I finally did get something this nice, I thought I looked like a princess.

But that night.. Jake truly made me feel like one.

Little by little everyone started going home as the sun went down, but Jake stayed out in the backyard with me, playing along with whatever games I wanted, which of course was princesses and dragons, considering I felt that I finally looked the part. He was never one for games like this, so today felt extra special.

I climbed to the top of their playhouse (or that night, what was considered the "forbidden tower") as he stood below promising how he would always save me. I watched him as he climbed up, feeling my heart race as he finally met me at the top.

That year, when everyone asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told them I didn't know, but really I was just too embarrassed to say how much I just wanted to kiss him again. Even that young, I had thought about it every day after I had kissed him at the wedding, just hoping that one day, he would do it back.

"Do you see that right there?" He said, pointing up at the sky, I looked up, trying to see what he was talking about.

"What is it?"

"That's the brightest star in the sky, but tonight it's yours because it's your birthday." He said, smiling back at me. Back then I was silly enough to believe it, and innocently enough, I think he did too, but I would never forget how that made me feel.

In my mind, he had given me a star.

"Look!" He gasped, pointing next to it. "A shooting star!" And just like that, I saw a bright light flying by us. I had never seen a shooting star before, I had always thought they were just make believe. My heart jumped as I felt him grab my hand.

"You have to make a wish." He whispered. "Close your eyes." I squeezed his hand tight, closing my eyes, wishing for so many more nights like this with him when I felt him quickly kiss my cheek, gently pulling his hand away.

"Happy birthday, Jaime." He said softly, giving me a nervous smile before he quickly climbed back down.

To this day, it was my favorite birthday ever. And I knew that I would always consider him to be my knight in shining armor.

And then I just couldn't contain myself anymore. I quickly ran out of my room, down the steps, skipping two at a time until I felt my bare feet against the cold dewey grass, hastily stumbling their way over to him. He flashed me a wide grin as I jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him into a passionate kiss. I instantly felt him kiss me back, his fingers tightly tangling themselves into my hair, holding me close.

All of my birthday wishes had finally come true.

When I backed away, was he beaming, carefully wiping my eyes.

"Those are happy tears, right?" He asked. I nodded, giggling to myself. He stared back at me eagerly, anxiously awaiting his answer, but just for a moment, for younger me, and every night she stayed up wishing for this, I just wanted to savor this moment with him, but I could tell he grew more and more restless with every passing second of uncertainty.

"Yes." I finally sighed. "I'll be your girlfriend." He instantly pulled me back into a passionate kiss, his lips curling into an ecstatic grin, eventually unable to contain his giddy laughter.

"Can you come back with me now?" I asked, grabbing onto his blazer, never wanting another night to end that didn't leave me to wake up to him the next morning. He smirked back at me as his eyes moved down to my feet.

"Oh, Jaime you don't even have shoes on." He laughed, shaking his head. "Come on, get on my back." He said, squatting down. "There's.. one more thing I have for you." I couldn't even imagine what else he could possibly have in mind. This was more than anyone deserved, but I didn't fight him on it, hopping onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck. I held on tight as he leaned down, grabbing the bag he had set out behind him and began walking across the yard and out towards the field.

I nuzzled my face into his neck, taking in his sweet smell that would soon become my own with the way I just wanted to wrap myself within him. I heard him giggle, making my heart jump. I was convinced I would never get used to him, and I prayed I never did.

I finally looked up when I felt him stop.

Our tree. Of course.

"What are we doing out here?" I asked as he helped me down. He smirked back at me, and then went into his bag, pulling out a blanket, laying it out across the grass. Without saying a word, he lied down, patting the spot next to him, flashing me another adorable smile. I lied down close, cuddling myself into his arms as he wrapped one around me.

"This is beautiful." I whispered, looking up at the sky. With how dark it got out here, the stars shone extra bright, making the sky look like a sea of glistening diamonds.

"Oh, you see that one?" He said, pointing up to the sky, leaning his head against mine. I nodded, cuddling closer.

"That's the one you gave me for my birthday." I laughed to myself. He turned to me, his eyes getting wide.

"You.. you remember that?" I nodded, peeking back up at him.

"Of course I remember that. It's the best gift I've ever gotten." His smile grew as he looked back up at the sky.

"Oh my god look!" He gasped, pointing above us as a flash of light flew across the sky. A shooting star.

"You have to make a wish." He said, taking my hand. I looked back up at him, unable to contain my smile.

"I already got my wish." I whispered. He looked back down, his smile growing.

"Me too." He sighed, reaching over, pulling me into a gentle kiss.

"You know.. that night at your birthday party, I.. I wanted to kiss you. Like.. really kiss you. But.. I chickened out. I had been thinking about it all night, just waiting for the perfect time, and then.. we were finally alone, and.. I choked." He said softly.

"Not entirely. You still kissed me. And.. it was the best birthday I ever had. Because of you." He bit down on his lip, trying his best to contain his smile as he kept his eyes forward.

"Jake.."

"Yeah?"

"Do you guys.. still have that old playhouse?" I asked, sitting up to face him. He propped his head up, eventually nodding.

"I think we do." He said, reaching his hand out for me, helping me up. I held on tight, now pulling him through the field, racing back to their house and into their backyard until we finally found the old playhouse tucked further back.

"It's so much smaller than I remember." He sighed. I maneuvered my way in, climbing to the top, the view not so different from what I remembered with him still staring back up at me. He eventually climbed his way up, doing his best to fit at the top with me.

"Oh, we were so little." He laughed. "I remember there being so much more room up here when it was just the two of us."

"Me too." I sighed, taking this opportunity as an excuse just to get closer to him. His hands moved to my waist, pulling me up against him.

"Am I getting a do over?" He asked. I shrugged, giggling to myself.

"If you want one.." I said, leaning in closer. He then reached his hand up, gently caressing my face, pulling me into a deep, tender kiss.

And in that kiss, I felt everything.

Everything that had built up within me after all these years, every minute I had spent dreaming about the day that he would finally be mine, and now he was. I could feel it creeping its way to the surface, the only word that could truly describe how I felt for him from the moment I first laid eyes on him, but as long as his adoring lips were drawn to mine in such a fervent embrace, it stayed bottled up, deep down within. But the moment he set me free I knew that that word would drip from my lips as effortlessly as he made me feel it to my core.

The he backed away, and I felt it escape.

"Jake, I lov-"

"I love you, Jaime."