“Hey.” I swallowed at the sight of her.
Carys wore black leggings, showcasing her toned legs, and a vintage Bon Jovi T-shirt. Her hair was damp. She must have just come from the shower. My eyes wandered down to her bare feet. Her toes were painted a light pink, like the color of a ballerina slipper. Fitting. She wasn’t even trying to look good, and I couldn’t remember her ever looking as beautiful as she did right now.
Fuck me.
She blinked a few times as she looked up at me. “I didn’t think you’d come by.”
Following her inside, I said, “Why not?”
“Just a feeling, I guess.”
Conflicting emotions rushed through me as I towered over her, continuing to take her in. She was right in that I hadn’t been planning to come over. But she was wrong in probably assuming it was because I was more interested in hanging out with someone else. Just the opposite. Not only was I physically attracted to this woman, I connected with her in a way I’d never felt before. It scared me.
“Did she get to bed okay?” I asked.
“Hmm?” Carys seemed as much in a daze as I was.
“Sunny. Did Sunny go down okay?”
“Oh. You mean after several full rounds of The Best of the Bee Gees? Yes.”
“You’re welcome?” I joked.
Carys yawned as she laughed.
“You said you’d be up for a drink, but I have a feeling I’m late to the party.”
She shook her head. “I think my body is tired, even though my brain isn’t. This day is just catching up with me. But I have no desire to sleep. Not sure I feel like a drink this late, though.” She rolled her eyes. “God, I’m twenty-five, and I sound like such an old lady.”
“Twenty-five? Am I missing something? When did you turn twenty-five?”
She looked down at her feet. “Today.”
What? My eyes widened. “Carys…today is your birthday?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugged. “Because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to hang out with me. I wanted you to choose to come over because you wanted to have a drink with me, not because you felt sorry for me on my birthday.”
Wow. If I’d known, I would’ve definitely canceled my plans.
“Confession…” I said.
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t come for a drink,” I admitted. “I came because I wanted to hang out with you. But if I’d known it was your birthday, I definitely would’ve been here earlier. We could’ve ordered Ichigo. I wish you would’ve told me.”
That was the most honest I’d been about my feelings since we’d met. Maybe it was dangerous to admit I would’ve dropped everything for her tonight, but it was the damn truth.
Carys blushed. “I’m sorry.”
“Goddamnit, girl, you only turn a quarter of a century once.” Wracking my brain, I scratched my head before turning back toward the door.
She followed. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in a few.”
* * *
I’d done the best I could on short notice. Hitting the two grocery stores within walking distance, I managed to find Carys a cake and a present.
It still floored me that she was going to let this day pass without doing anything special.
Carys looked down at the cake I’d found. It had probably been baked a few days ago. It had orange and blue frosting, which reminded me of the Florida Gators. If I’d had more time, I might have found a way to write Happy Birthday, Carys, but this would have to do.
“So just imagine it says, ‘Happy birthday, Carys-Like-Paris’, okay?”
She smiled. “It’s the thought that counts, and it was an amazing gesture. Thank you.”
We sat on the floor, eating directly off the cake with our forks.
“This ain’t bad,” I said with my mouth full.
“Not sure I want to know where you even got a cake this late, but I have to say, it’s pretty damn good.” She had blue frosting stuck on her teeth, and I had the urge to take her mouth in mine and lick it off.
Whoa.
Distraction needed. Stat.
I reached into my pocket and took out the gift card I’d purchased from the kiosk at the store. “There weren’t a lot of options. So I hope you can use this.”
She took the gift card from me. “I love Macy’s. Maybe someday I’ll get a sitter for Sunny and spend the whole day shopping. That sounds divine.” She placed the gift card aside and stuck her fork in the cake. “You spent too much. You didn’t have to do that. You’ve made me feel incredibly special.”
I stopped chewing. “You are special. You’ve become a really good friend.”
There I was again, attempting to define our relationship, mainly as a means of reminding myself that I couldn’t cross the line, though I wanted to so desperately right now.
She seemed to remember something. “Oh! I forgot! I actually have something for you, too.” Carys disappeared into her bedroom.