Hobi finished sanding the gift he’d spent hours whittling over the past three days. He was pleased with the final product. He found a clean strip of cloth and wrapped it around the tiny present. Hopefully, he could find Nuri if he sought her out early enough this morning. Seeing her today was very important to him. He headed to the kitchen before the sun had risen.
He was standing outside its doorway when she came shuffling slowly down the hallway from the servants’ quarters. He rushed forward, glancing around to see if they had an audience.
They did not.
Good.
Beaming, he saluted her almost silently, “Happy Birthday, Nuri!”
Her eyes grew wide as she peered up at him in surprise. “Thank you, Hobi.”
“I have a gift for you,” he whispered.
Those obsidian orbs grew wider still. “You do?”
He nodded and held the package out to her. She accepted the tiny gift with one hand. With her other, she unwrapped it to unveil a perfectly carved lily. It had been whittled from a piece of white cedar. It smelled amazing, but its appearance was even more delightful. She gasped as she gazed down at it.
“This is for me?” she queried in disbelief.
“Yes. I made it especially for you.”
“You made it!” she gasped in wonder. “For me?” Her eyes sought out his.
He nodded. “Of course. It’s your birthday present.”
Tears flooded her eyes. No one had ever given her a birthday present before.
“It’s beautiful! I love it!” she exclaimed softly as she clutched it in one hand and threw her other arm around him to give him a hug.
But she pulled back instantly, knowing her action had been completely inappropriate. If anyone had seen her, she would be severely punished. She’d been so overwhelmed with awe and gratitude that she hadn’t been able to rein in her impulse to touch him. To thank him. For seeing her. For loving her. For expressing his affection in such a stunning and time-consuming way.
“Hobi,” she breathed as those tears escaped to trail down her cheeks, “thank you. So much.” She stared down at the white lily in her hand. “This is the first present I’ve ever received.”
“What?” Aghast, Hobi stared down at the tiny girl.
She nodded and met his gaze with her own. “I’ve never been given a gift. Unless it was edible,” she finished as an afterthought.
“You should be showered with gifts,” he murmured.
Her eyes probed his as her heart melted at his sweet words. He glanced down at the lily in her hand. Then he reached out and caressed one wooden petal lovingly.
“This lily is you. Pure. Lovely. Stunning beauty.”
As his eyes traveled back up to her face, he watched a drop of grief ripple across her countenance. He frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” she exclaimed too quickly. “I must get to work. But…thank you, Hobi, for this gift. Nothing could ever be more precious to me than this lovely lily.”
He bent close to her and breathed his final words across her skin. “That is exactly how I feel about you.”
Every time she looked at that lily, those wonderful words would echo in her heart.
