“No, he didn’t,” I smirked, not believing them for a second.
“It’s true,” Ava confirmed. “The bookshop, the activities, the movie, all the planning... even the dress. Though he was smart enough to consult us for the size and accessories.”
I stared out the window at Luke, laughing with Logan and Alex, carefree. For me. All that for me.
Actions speak louder than words.
“There’s more to him than what he tells everyone he is,” Norah murmured.
“We had trouble accepting that at first, too,” Ava chimed in.
I thought so, too. Whatever we were to each other, Luke made this day exceptionally beautiful for me, and I will always be grateful to him for that. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.
I twirled the fabric of my dress between my fingers, imprinting this moment in my core memory—the taste of chocolate cherry cake, the soft satin, the scent of sunflowers and oak from Luke’s jacket. The moment I stood in front of the redstairs, and the way his hand felt on my cheek, while under the trees.
“When did you even bake this? We were together all day,” I asked Ava, changing the subject as I noticed the guys walking in.
“Last night. The real challenge wasn’t hiding it from you, but these dildos making my kitchen chaos,” she said, glaring at them.
“Oh, please, youthriveon chaos,” Alex said, licking the frosting from his plate. Ava rolled her eyes.
“I would die for you, but I don’t trust you with my kitchen, babe,” she shot back, boxing up the leftovers and handing them to me. I looked around at my friends.Myfriends. And my heart filled up.
“Thank you all again. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.” My voice wavered, tears prickling my eyes. My gaze landed on Luke, and his eyes softened knowingly. I wished we were alone. I wasn’t used to being this vulnerable in front of everyone.
After hugging everyone, I slipped upstairs, shaking my damp hair loose into soft curls. Cracking the window, I let the ocean breeze drift in. I didn’t know if Luke would stay downstairs for a while, which meant I wouldn’t see him again until morning, but I should’ve known better. Just as I tucked the cake into the mini fridge, I felt his presence. I turned around and found him leaning against the doorframe, watching me.
“You okay?” he asked. “Got a little emotional downstairs.” His voice was teasing, but his eyes were warm. “I’m not crying,you’recrying.”
I threw a stray cashew at him in retaliation, and he dodged, laughing. “I’m fine,” I said, then paused, realizing something. “Actually, I’m... I’m more than fine.”
His lips curled slightly, like he already knew. “You deserve it all.”
Right that moment, I decided to be brave, because I wanted him to know. “Luke, I want to tell you something.” He was standing there, arms crossed, waiting.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve felt like I have to earn everything from people. To prove that I’m worthy of deserving them. And maybe I’m wrong, but I think I see something similar in you—a weight you carry, a sense of duty. As if it’s your responsibility to keep your parents from falling apart. Like youhaveto.”
I took a deep breath.
“I know you planned all of this, and it actually felt like you wanted to, not that it was just your responsibility. And what’s more important—somehow, in doing that, you made me feel that I deserved it, even without me working for it. Like I belonged. Even just for a little while. And that just means that, whether you want it or not,” I met his gaze, steady and sure, “you have a lot more to offer than you think.”
His expression changed. I had his full attention now. He was one of the most confident people I knew, someone who usually carried himself with effortless certainty, but sometimes even a man with an impenetrable surface deserves to hear a soft, vulnerable truth. And for a fleeting second, I thought... If someday Luke decides to love someone, she would be very lucky.
“Not to me specifically, but people you love. You could love.” My cheeks got hot suddenly. “Not me, of course. Not that you love me or anything,” I blurted, suddenly flustered. A ridiculous laugh escaped me, but I pressed on, determined to finish.
“What I’m trying to say is... for once, I didn’t feel like I had to prove anything. You don’t know how rare that is for me.”
The weight, heavy as the sack of coffee beans I once tried to carry home like a Victorian-era laborer, dropped from my shoulders. It felt freeing. Even if he could misunderstand ordismiss my words, somehow it felt more important to me that he hears them than for him to actually engage.
“So... thank you.” I turned around to hide my smile. I busied myself, wiping off the coffee stains from yesterday, grounding myself in the small, ordinary movement.
A shiver ran down my spine before I even knew why. A sudden warmth grazed the back of my neck, and my pulse spiked. My breath caught as I wondered if I was imagining it. Then Luke’s nose traced the curve of my skin, and the world narrowed to that single, electric moment, and in that instant, I knew.
Sometimes, birthday wishesdocome true.
28
Luke
