For once, my home didn’t feel quiet and lonely.It felt alive.
Even Pollux’s little tank had a bow tied around it and he seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting.
“Happy birthday, Katie!”Anna’s voice rang out before I even had a chance to put down the flowers in my arms.Thankfully, Dylan was a psychic and took the flowers from my hand with an odd expression on his face.A cross between constipated and adoring?
My elder sister wrapped me in a warm hug, the round curve of her pregnancy bump pressing against my stomach.Tears pricked my eyes again.She came all the way from her small town to LA even though travel wasn’t easy for her.She was seven months along, and her baby shower was soon.
“You didn’t have to come,” I whispered, holding her tight, breathing in her familiar scent and finding it comforting.When I was going through my diagnosis of autism, she was always there for me with a bright smile, telling me about how I used to line all my toys when I was a kid or some weird quirk that even I didn’t realize I had.
“Don’t be silly,” Anna said, pulling back, resting her hands on my shoulders, squeezing me.“It’s my little sister’s thirtieth birthday.You think I’d miss it?”
Her gaze flickered behind me, landing on Dylan as he lingered near the door, pretending to straighten a pile of gifts.Why is he being silly and admiring the decor?
I thought Dylan was charming and fun, but at that moment, he looked nervous and anxious, as if it was his birthday as he looked around the large ceiling.Maybe because it was also his first time at my place.
Her lips curled into a grin.“So… is this finally a thing?You and the kid next door, who’s been in love with you since forever?”
Forever?
“What?”Heat rushed to my cheeks.'“What are you talking about?He just… he brought me home.That’s it.”I said, brushing her words away with a nervous laugh.
“Mmhm,” she said with a knowing smile before waddling off toward the crowd.
Before I could wonder about her words, Amanda swooped in with glasses of bubbly champagne, Caleb trailing behind her with a grin.
“There she is—the birthday queen!”
Caleb was the younger husband of Anna—yes, she had two—and someone I considered as my younger brother.He had tattoos and piercings, and he was obsessed with my elder sister despite their age-difference, just like Kyle, who was with Anna, holding her hand.
“Drink,” Amanda ordered, shoving the glass into my hand.
The golden bubbles sparkled, sweet on my tongue when I took a generous sip.I didn’t usually drink much, but I didn’t mind on my birthday.I wanted to feel the warmth buzzing in my veins, to laugh without caution, and to let go.
And it felt good.
I looked around as I sipped, chatting with Caleb and Amanda about a new movie.My friends clustered in groups, glasses clinking, their laughter buzzing in my head, making my heart feel lighter.
For the first time in a long time, I felt celebrated and…wanted.
My eyes kept dancing in the crowd, trying to find a certain someone with green eyes and a mischievous grin.I found him in the center of the kitchen, surrounded by a few women who were giggling and chatting him up in their drunken haze.
Despite the bitter taste on my tongue, it was nice to see him flustered and nervous like that.
His eyes met mine, and I held back the urge to laugh when he begged me to help him.
Thankfully, Caleb saw me glancing at him and went along to help the poor man from a bunch of cougars.Hmm.Caleb and Dylan were closer in age than I thought.
Dinner was a long table set with gold-rimmed plates and steaming dishes of all my comfort food.It included lasagna, pizza, pasta in different sauces and a small cheesecake.I sat between Anna and Amanda, with Dylan just across from me, smirking every time he caught my eye.
It was almost perfect as my friends recalled funny moments in my life.From my first boyfriend to break-up to how I had flashed someone in my drunken stupor.
I hadn’t laughed and giggled like that in ages, making my eyes glassy with tears.
Then, my mother slid a dish across the table.She had greeted me with a small smile, and I was planning to talk to her before she left.
“I brought something special,” she said with a proud smile.It washerfavorite.She loved to cook it every week despite my hatred of it.It was a dish filled with roasted eggplant.The texture made my throat tighten just looking at it.
It looked slimy and mushy.
