RED NOTES AND KISSES-Chapter 107: FRIDA -

"Laz, where are we going?" Frida asked as he guided her into the jet.

"No questions, Frida... it’s a surprise," he replied, turning to her with gleaming grey eyes.

She hugged him from behind, her voice teasing. "But I don’t want a surprise... I want to stay in bed with you."

Giving him puppy eyes, she sent a wave of electricity straight to his core.

"No touching," he said firmly, placing her in the seat opposite his.

She folded her arms, pouting. "But I want to touch you."

He groaned, his patience thinning. "Frida."

"And I want to kiss you," she added with a sly grin.

His insides practically turned to butter.

"And I want to do really bad things to you," she confessed, her wide eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Yes, but it’s your birthday. You just want to spend it... fucking?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly, her gaze unwavering.

He turned to stare out the window, arms folded. "But I think you deserve better," he mumbled, clearly flustered.

Wait. Did he actually blush?

She couldn’t help but gush inwardly at how adorable he looked, then picked up a magazine to feign disinterest.

Peeking over her pages, she saw him busy on his laptop. A mischievous smirk formed on her lips. She bumped his knee with hers.

He arched an inquisitive brow but didn’t look away from the screen. "Yes?"

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently, flipping a page.

He smirked knowingly. "What can I do for you, my attention-seeking princess?"

She whined, rolling in her seat. "Where are we going?"

"It’s a surprise," he chuckled softly, clearly amused.

She sighed dramatically, putting on a sleep mask. After about an hour, she peeked from under it, only to find him still in business mode.

Annoyed, she picked up her phone and dialed a number.

He answered with a grin. "Hello?"

"Oh yes... is this Mr. Boring who won’t fuck me?" Frida quipped, peering over her mask.

"Frida, you’re unbelievable," he said, laughing.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I couldn’t believe you didn’t miss this cupcake," she teased with a wink.

"Oh, so you’re rizzing me now?" he chuckled.

"Nope. We’re not friends anymore since you’re so busy," she joked.

He set his laptop aside, stood, and walked over to her. Without warning, he scooped her up into his arms.

"Come here," he said, spinning her around. She giggled, kissing him as the plane began to descend.

When they landed, Laz took her hand, leading her into the cool morning air.

"Where are we?" she asked, practically vibrating with excitement as a limo pulled up.

"It’s a surprise," he teased again.

"I’m going to scream, Laz!" she cried out in mock frustration.

"With pleasure," he laughed, pulling something from his pocket.

"You are despicable!" she said with mock anger as he raised the object.

"Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

She grinned and nodded, her heart racing as he tied the blindfold around her eyes, whispering by her ear, "Good girl."

The limo ride was smooth, but the anticipation crackled through her entire body. Feeling around the seats, her hand landed on his thigh.

"Hey," she murmured.

"Yeah?" he replied, his voice calm but tinged with amusement.

"Aren’t you going to...?" she began, letting the suggestion linger.

He threw his head back in laughter. "No, Frida. That’s not what those are for, darling. But don’t worry..." His voice dropped to a sultry whisper. "Our next sex scene will take your breath away."

-----

When he removed the blindfold, the view before her took her breath away.

Disneyland.

They were in freaking Disneyland.

She turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "You really..."

He suddenly looked shy. "Well, I know you’ve always wanted to go. Your parents never took you because they thought it was a waste of time, and, well... I have Laurel, but you had it rough with your strict parents, and—"

She kissed him before he could finish.

Wiping her tears away, she smiled. "This is amazing, Laz. I thought you’d take me lingerie shopping or something."

They both laughed as a parade began, and her excitement was palpable.

She darted around like a child, dragging Laz to an ice cream stand for Mickey cones. He couldn’t help but laugh as he placed Mickey ears on her head. Together, they walked into a photo booth, taking silly and adorable pictures.

On the rollercoaster, Frida gripped Laz’s hand tightly. "Have you done this before?"

He shook his head with a reassuring smile. "You’ll love it."

The ride started slow, but as it sped up, she screamed and laughed in equal measure. For the first time, it felt like she was living a dream.

As fireworks lit up the sky, they rode a gentle boat down a winding stream.

"Who’s your favorite Disney princess?" Laz asked.

They both answered in unison, "Cinderella," and broke into laughter.

He leaned closer. "Why her, though?"

Frida trailed her fingers through the water, her voice soft as the sunset painted the horizon. "People think Cinderella is weak because she depended on a prince. But to me, she’s strong. Even when life was unkind, she faced it with a smile, kindness, love, and dreams. She believed, even when everything seemed hopeless."

Her words made the air between them spark with electricity.

"You’re beautiful," he whispered. "I’m so lucky to have you."

Frida smiled. "I’m lucky to have you too."

The flight back to New York was cozy. Snuggled under a blanket, they watched Titanic, and for the hundredth time, Frida cried. Laz gently stroked her hair, offering silent comfort.

This was everything, she wanted and more, being with Laz here was too good to be true...like a dream too good to be true.

When they arrived at the Airbnb, it was dark.

"What’s up with the power?" Frida asked, flipping a switch.

"Surprise!" Voices erupted as the lights came on.

"Happy birthday to you... happy birthday to you..."

Tears streamed down Frida’s face as Laurel and Evelyn enveloped her in a warm hug. "Our baby is all grown up," Evelyn said, her voice full of love.

Even her father was there, pulling her into a rare embrace. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

She turned to Laz, throwing him a playful glare. "You planned this?"

He smiled mischievously, handing her a small box. "Here’s your Christmas present first," he whispered, kissing her softly.

She raised an excited brow. "What’s in it?"

"Open it love." He teased.

She put her hands in her coat pocket, handing him a small wrapped box too. "For you." She said, he beamed and began unwrapping it.

As she unwrapped the box, her breath caught. Inside was a collection of Disney books.

"Laz..." she beamed, holding the books close. "I freaking love you!"

He laughed. "I love you more. Though I can’t believe you found this chip. I’ve been hunting for it for months!" He said kissing her pulling her upstairs.

As they headed upstairs, she followed Laz to another surprise in a different room.

"Happy birthday, my love," he said, stepping aside to reveal a glowing tank.

Her jaw dropped. "You got me a jellyfish?"

"Not just any jellyfish—a moon jellyfish," he said proudly.

"Laaaaaaaz! you are spoiling me too much!" She nearly cried.

He smirked "Anything for my sunrise."

She ran to him, peppering his face with kisses. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

As they giggled at the top of the stairs, Laz suddenly stopped.

"What?" Frida asked, tilting her head.

He pointed upward. "Mistletoe."

Her face lit up as he leaned down to kiss her, their laughter blending into the quiet of the house.

They fell on the soft bed tangled in hot, wet, kisses and Frida began unbuckling his belt "God! I’ve waited all day long... please send me over and fuck me Laz."

"As you wish." He flipped her over and began tossing off his layer of clothes.

Her phone beeped, pulling her back to reality. She smiled as she glanced at it, but her expression faltered. A text from Alex read, "Happy birthday."

Another message popped up from an unknown number: "I sent you a gift. It’s under the bed."

"Something wrong?" Laz asked noticing her sudden withdrawal. She didn’t answer.

Her heart raced as she crawled off the bed. Beneath it, she found a red note pinned to the bed frame: "Happy birthday and Merry Christmas, Shelly."

A scream tore from her throat, as she a lifeless body, blood pooling beneath the bed spreading out now...

It was Alex.