“Stop your bellyaching, Michelle.”
“I told you, don’t call me Michelle! I’ve been formally invited back into this house, and I deserve to be treated with respect. And if that doesn’t happen, there will be consequences.”
“Oh, I think I can take whatever you can dish out,” he said. “And I can give it back, too. But then, you’d probably love that.”
I tried not to let him see me blush. He pulled out his phone again. My curiosity was killing me, and I got on my knees and peeked at the screen. Jack tried to push me away, but I hopped up on his lap, straddling him. Before he could react, I snatched his phone and hid it behind my back.
“I won’t give it back till you apologize,” I said.
He looked down at his lap, where our hips met, and back up at me. “If you’re going to stay sitting there, I’m not in any rush.”
He tried to reach behind me and grab it, but I held it up over my head.
“Why should I apologize, anyway?” he asked.
“For calling me Michelle.”
“Whatever. Give me my phone back. It’s important!”
“I’m sure it can wait.”
He lifted me up, took his phone back, and stared at the screen, almost obsessive. I tried to protest that he could at least pretend to pay attention to me, since I was right in front of him, but he shouted, “Silence!” and pressed his index finger into my lips. When I tried to peek, he opened his hand and covered my entire face, and as I struggled, he shouted, “Jeez, can you just wait patiently for one second?”
“Wait for what?”
“Hold it… Hold it… It’s almost midnight…here goes… Happy birthday, Jen!”
What?He stuck his phone in my face. It was midnight on February sixteenth. “Don’t tell me you forgot,” Jack said.
“Of course I didn’t forget!”
“You sure look like you did.” he reached up and pinched my cheek way harder than he needed to, and I screeched. “I forgot, though, how old are you again? Was it twelve? No, it can’t be twelve. Ten, right?”
“I’m twenty, jerk,” I said, swatting him away.
“Wow. Twenty years old. It’s just incredible how quickly they grow up. Did you behave this year? Should you get a present or just a lecture on now to behave now that you’re all grown up?”
“You honestly can shut up now,” I told him.
“Wow, no thank-you’s for being the first one to wish you a happy birthday?”
“Wait…” I said. “Did you actually leave your premiere to wish me a happy birthday?”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Jack!” I said, tears coming to my eyes. “You shouldn’t have. That’s the sweetest thing anybody’s ever done for me. But seriously, tonight is important. You’re an artist. You should be there savoring your triumph.”
He sighed and leaned back. “I have to be honest with you, Jen. I don’t care. It’s in the past now. And I’m trying to live for myself, not otherpeople. What I wanted was to be the first to wish you a happy birthday, and I did it. Just let me enjoy that.”
I rolled my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck. When he kissed me, I wasn’t able to duck him. It was awkward, and as his hands slid down to my waist, the only thing I could think of to say was, “Thanks.”
“Whatever,” he said. “I’ll tell you one thing, when my birthday comes, if I you even think about forgetting it, I’m going to hold it over your head for the rest of your life.”
My head resting on his shoulder, I told him, “I tried to wish you a happy birthday last year and you blew me off, jerk.”
He had been rubbing my back rhythmically, but now he stopped.Uh-oh. Feeling the tension in his arms, I pulled away a bit and saw an exasperated expression on his face. I had surprised him, and I was afraid it wasn’t a pleasant surprise. “What do you mean?” he said finally.
“Just what I said, I tried to call you. I mean, I did, and some girl picked up, and I told her to tell you so you’d call me back. But you never did, so I just figured…”
