I shoot her a don’t-even-think-about-it look. “Over my dead body.”
“Why can’t I join? I’m not attached... Right?”
Jay is playing adangerousgame.
Somehow, I shrug. “You just said you don’t even know if you’re twenty-one.”
She raises an eyebrow at me and flips her hair. “Maybe not, but I’m plenty old enough for a lot of things.”
Damn, is she ever.I bite my bottom lip.
“If you don’t know when your actual birthday is, what day do you celebrate?” Taya asks.
“Typically, April 25th.”
“That’s tomorrow!” Taya says. “We should celebrate.”
I agree with Taya. Birthdays have always been a big deal in my family, so I want to make Jay’s special.
Jay laughs like it’s a ridiculous notion. “And do what?”
Taya meets Jay’s laughter with genuine curiosity. “Well, what do you normally like to do for your birthday?”
“I’ve never really celebrated it.”
Her confession breaks my heart.She’s never celebrated a birthday before?
“Well, I guess that’s not completely true... It was never an officialcelebration, butI would normally hangout with Jeff and Casey.”
“Jeff and Casey?” Taya inquires.
Ugh, him? I hate that guy.Out of love and respect for her, I call it what it is. “It’s her family.” I stuff my hands in my pocket.
With the way she’s smiling at me now, my words don’t taste as bitter as they did coming out.
I’ll do anything to keep her looking at me like that. Like she might...
Wait.That gives me an idea. The light bulb goes off in my brain. “I’ve gotta go. Do you mind hanging out with Taya and Sam for the rest of the day?”
“Not at all, but where are you going?”
I grin.
***
I am going to make Jay’s birthday special if it kills me.
I have the activity planned. Now if I can only figure out what to get her... I’ve been wracking my brain and putting a hole in my floor from my pacing. I’ve thought of a few things—special editions of classics and author-signed copies—but,agh, those don’t seem right. Ithasto be perfect.
She’s never really had anything, so you’d think this would be easy.
Wrong. Deadass wrong.
Things don’t mean anything to her, and she’d be happy withnothing. Which makes it much harder to give heranything.
I want it to meansomething. I want her face to light up when she sees it.
But what do you give someone who has never wanted anything? Except, maybe her freedom... And I’m sure she wouldn’t mind not having her life threatened anytime she tries to leave me... Oh and maybe privacy? I did stalk her... And might’ve stolen a thing or two of hers... but she doesn’t know that so... Well, everything else I listed she might like...
