“Happy birthday to you—” Jake started strong and immediately went flat.
You smell kind of like fries—” Bubba boomed in that low baritone that sent shivers through me no matter the lyrics, because of course he did.
“That’s not the song,” Archie cut in, deadpan.
“It absolutely is,” Bubba sang his argument on cue, not missing a beat. “Happy birthday toCoop—” He dragged out Coop’s name like a lost note that would open a locked door.
“Who’s old now and hates attention—” Jake added helpfully.
“And still owes me twenty bucks—” I chimed in, because it was tradition.
“Happy birthday toyou—don’t drop the cake—” Bubba warned mid-note.
“Make a wish or you’re cursed—” Jake sang.
“That’s not how wishes work,” Archie said, still singing, and the smile wreathing his voice just filled me with a bubbly kind of joy.
“Blow them out before we set something on fire—” I finished.
Coop was laughing too hard to be embarrassed by the end of it, hands lifted in surrender as he leaned forward and blew out the candles in one breath, applause and terrible singing echoing off the walls.
Jeremy, to his eternal credit, nodded approvingly like that had been perfectly acceptable.
It was ridiculous.
It was loud.
It was us.
Coop shook his head, smiling, cheeks flushed. “You’re all idiots.”
“Your idiots,” I reminded him, because seriously, it washisbirthday after all.
His gaze lingered on me for a beat longer than necessary. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I know.”
Later—after cake, after the games wound down, after an entire day spent playing—he drifted toward the window.
I followed.
The house hummed quietly around us, the others occupied but not distant. We stood side by side, watching the night press against the glass.
“Thanks,” he said finally.
“For what?”
“For this,” he said, gesturing vaguely. “For today. For… not letting it be weird.”
I smiled. “I didn’t forget. I just delayed.”
He laughed under his breath, then glanced at me sideways. “So… is the rule still that the birthday boy gets what he wants?”
The words landed with weight and history.
“It is,” I said immediately. “Always.”
He swallowed. “Then what I want is a kiss.”
I didn’t hesitate.
