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“Let me go!” I growl, the menace clear in my voice.

“Calm down. You’re overreacting. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal, okay?”

He didn’t realize?

“Ryan, it’s my birthday. How could you possibly think it would be anything but a big deal?” I ask, completely baffled.

“Birthdays aren’t a big deal in my family.”

I gape at him before snapping my mouth shut, feeling exhausted. “Let me go. I’m going home.”

The disappointment is crashing down on me and I would like to be in the comfort of my own bed when it hits. No matter what he says, it hurts that, at the very least, he didn’t care enough about me to realize it would be important to me.

“Okay, I’ll follow you.”

I shake my head and pry myself out of his arms. “No. Find somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

His jaw drops in shock and if I wasn’t so upset, I might laugh. I can imagine that he never expected me to kick him out.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” I shout as I fling open the door to my car and climb in. I start up the engine and roll the window down.

“Baby,” he pleads.

“Good-bye, Ryan,” I say before driving off into the night.