ONE
McKenzie
“My hatredfor you knows no bounds,” my friend, Kia, muttered through gritted teeth, holding her hand up like a shield to hide her face from the other patrons.
A handful of servers at Applebee’s approached her with a giant piece of chocolate cake, singing an enthusiastic rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“You love me. Besides, you’re the one who said you wanted cake.” I popped a fry into my mouth and grinned as the rest of our table sang the last bars of the song at an obnoxiously loud volume. A few people nearby clapped before returning to their jumbo-sized margaritas, and our waiter unceremoniously plunked the plate in front of Kia with four forks before disappearing.
I reached for one, but Kia swatted my hand and shook her head, the beads in her braids swaying like a crystal chandelier.
“You’re out of your damn mind,” Kia said. “I earned this shit.”
“Can it be my pretend birthday next time?” Jen asked as Kia took a bite, closing her eyes and letting out a satisfied moan.
Ravi’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “What exactly is in that cake?”
“Pure ecstasy,” Kia garbled around a mouthful of chocolate. “That right there is better than sex.”
I jutted out my chin. “See. You can’t bethatmad at me.”
“Oh, I can,” Kia teased, sliding a fork over to me. “But go ahead and have a bite. God knows you aren’t getting anything resembling ecstasy any other way.”
I elbowed her hard in the ribs. “I hate you.”
“Love you,” she sang as Ravi and Jen grabbed the remaining silverware. “Dig in, knuckleheads.”
“So how old are you on this pretend birthday, anyway?” Ravi winked. “Twenty-nine and holding?”
“Fuck that shit.” Kia narrowed her dark eyes, framed by oversized teal glasses. “I’ve earned every single one of my years. I’m fifty-nine and looking mighty fine, if I do say so myself.”
Kia’s deep brown skin shimmered gold against her hot-pink suit. She owned a trendy boutique in East Nashville, and her impeccable fashion sense regularly made people assume she was at least a decade younger.
“Fuck yeah, you are.” Jen dug her fork into the cake.
“So, where is it you’re going after this?” Kia asked, poking me with a long almond-shaped nail.
“Oooh, do you have a date?” Ravi asked.
I snorted. “No. My friend Katie’s hosting a game night.”
Jen tucked her sleek blonde bob behind her ears. “That’s the owner of the restaurant where you work, right?”
“Yep,” I answered. “She’s been having them once a month since spring.”
Kia dug in her purse for her lipstick. “That sounds fun.”
It had taken some prodding on Katie’s part to get me to go, but I’d actually ended up having a good time.
“And are you coming to group next month?” Ravi asked, his chestnut eyes peering at me cautiously.
I tensed and dropped my gaze to my lap. “I don’t know. Work’s been crazy. It’s hard for me to make it out there.”
“Liar,” Kia said. Despite the quip, her voice was soft and not the least bit accusatory.
“It’s hard.” Jen gave me a sad, knowing smile. “We get it.”
Ravi cleared his throat. “How many years will it be?”
