Marie's 18th Birthday (WIP) (Patreon)

Wanting to celebrate her eighteenth birthday as best as she could, Marie Rose booked a trip to America on her own. She wanted to bring a few friends but didn’t want anyone to try and drag her into anything she wasn’t entirely interested in, nor drag them into something that they didn’t want. So when she booked the week-long trip, she made sure to not tell a soul until she had already arrived in California. Fortunately for her, no one argued against her and it left her free to explore as she wanted to.

The first stop she made after checking in to her hotel was to go to a local strip mall. She understood that the shops would make a good choice for a memento for her trip. Unfortunately, she found herself struggling rather quickly, unsure of what she wanted to get for herself. Between plaques, flags, fake flowers, and even some outfits that had an American theme to them, she was at a loss for choices. And as she looked between a few of the stores in front of her, that was when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Marie quickly turned around to see a rather large man standing behind her. A quick breath left her as she looked up and down at the figure that stood there. A large black man that looked to be almost three times her size when his muscle was included in the equation, with a surprisingly gentle smile on his face. “Y-Yes? Is there something I can do for you…?” It was clear from the tone of her voice that Marie was nervous about this man, unsure about what he could do to her.

“Name’s Tyrone. I’m a regular here and you looked a bit lost. Figured I’d offer some directions if you wanted.” Tyrone looked down at the slender girl in front of him, shooting her a smile that he was happy to see caused her to blush. “What’s your name?”

“M-Marie… Marie Rose.” At first, she wasn’t sure if he was actually going to help her, but Marie knew that she was lost. And a little bit of help shouldn’t hurt, right? “I’m… Well, it’s my first time in America. I’m here for my birthday this week and I wanted to get a memento of the trip. I’m unsure of what I want to settle on.”

“Oh! Is that all?” Almost immediately, Tyrone smirked and grabbed onto Marie’s hand and started to walk her away from the spot they were in. “I know the perfect place we can look for something. It’ll be much better than the nicknacks at these shops.”

Marie’s heart skipped a beat in her chest when he grabbed onto her hand. In the heat of the moment, she felt far too flustered to tell him no. To tell him that she would just accept some directions and look on her own. But with the way he grabbed her hand, the surprisingly gentle feeling of his fingers pressing into the back of her hand, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Marie could only bring herself to smile and follow his lead as he dragged her through the mall to one of the shops at the edge of it.

She didn’t recognize it, not having seen it on her way in. But when she got a look inside the store, she couldn’t help but admire the things in front of her. Bikinis, hats, mugs, clearly fake toys that made fun of some politicians, and even a sign that allowed for custom wood engravings if given a few hours. It was an incredible spot. “T-Thank you, Tyrone. I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I’ve got some time on my hands, so let me help you pick something. If you can’t decide on anything, I can help out.” Without missing a beat, Tyone let go of Marie’s hand and gestured toward the store. “Let’s go.”

Over the next hour or two, Marie got lost in the experience of shopping with Tyrone. Between her trying on a few different American-themed bikinis, him trying on a few silly hats and making her laugh in the process, and her asking for a wooden engraving with her name and birthday on it, Marie found herself having what felt like a magical experience. It all happened so fast and smoothly that it almost felt unreal. That she may have been dreaming it all up while asleep on the plane.

But when she stopped for a moment and looked up at Tyrone, seeing him carry her bags, Marie couldn’t help but smile. “T-Thank you, Tyrone. I didn’t think my first day here would be this lively at only one store. I don’t know how to thank you for making this a great first day…”

“What?” Tyrone looked back at Marie with a bit of a confused expression. “Who said you had to repay me for this? When you said it was your birthday week, I had to make sure you enjoyed yourself.” Looking down at her, Tyrone semi-squatted to get eye level with Marie. “But… If you insist on paying me back for the help, why not go on a date with me tonight? Let’s keep the fun going and give you a great first night as well.”

“A-A d-date?!” Hearing the offer, Marie couldn’t believe it. Just why would he want to go on a date with her? What if he had a girlfriend? What about her made him ask her out? Was it just him being polite to help her enjoy the day? She didn’t know. But as she looked at him, her mind racing with similar questions, she knew that she couldn’t keep him waiting. And enjoying the time they had spent in the store, she didn’t want to just leave him high and dry.

With a smile on her face and a deep blush coming to her cheeks, Marie nodded her head before wrapping her arms around Tyrone’s neck. “Sure! I’d be happy to.”