21. No one can resist a puppy.
21
"No one can resist a puppy."
Marissa Martin
I'm exhausted. I feel like I had a good night sleep, but like I haven't slept at all at the same time. My eyes are sticky and I realize I didn't remove my makeup. Beth would have a small heart attack if she knew. She's big on skincare and a little bossy about it. But what happened last night? It's kind of a blur.
I stumble out of my room to find Aaron standing behind the kitchen counter, a grin on his face. “Morning, sunshine. Slept well?”
“Hey, what happened last night?” I ask, sitting on the stool, massaging my temples. “I feel weird. Something happened, right?”
“Your disaster of a bag sent you straight to bed,” he jokes. “You mixed up ibuprofen and melatonin. That's why you were so sleepy at the party—maybe even a little loopy.”
Loopy? Oh, no. “I don't remember getting home.”
“I drove you back and as soon as we arrived, you fell on the couch, and I carried you to bed.”
I suddenly feel dizzy. Here we go. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what? It’s fine.”
“You had to carry me. I’m not exactly light. And you had to come home early.” I let out a long groan.
“Oh, come on. I’m a hockey player. I lift twice my body weight three times a week. You’re light.”
I repress a loud snort. The only thing light about me is my hair.
“So, are you hungry?”
My stomach gurgles in response. “Starving.”
“Good.” He grabs a pan from the cupboard. “Because we have a big day ahead of us.”
My eyebrows draw together. “We do?”
“Oh, yes.” He turns around, smiling from ear to ear.
I put my fingers to my temple, tr ying to remember what we’re doing today, when Aaron waggles his eyebrows.
My heart shoots to the sky, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “Is it my birthday?” I exclaim.
“I think it is.”
“Oh, yay!” I clap my hands, suddenly excited for the day ahead. Of course, it’s not my actual birthday. I would remember that. But Aaron surprises me with a birthday celebration on a different day every year. He’s big on surprises, but in our first years of friendship, I was never surprised since it always landed on my actual birthday, so he came up with this trick. That means that, sometimes, it’s twice in the span of six months, and other times I have to wait longer than a year. My last “birthday” was in June. “Where are we going?”
He turns around, shooting me a pointed look.
“Fine,” I say, unable to hold in the large grin spreading across my face because I know that whatever we're doing today, it's going to be the best day of my year. “Let’s eat quickly so I can go get ready.”
“So bossy,” he says, a hand on his hip. “That’s not how you talk to the chef in his own kitchen.”
I fold my arms on the counter, resting my chin on them. “But it’s my birthday.” I give him my best puppy eyes.
He shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “Fine.”
I knew it. No one can resist a pu ppy. Although I probably look more like a banshee right now. Or maybe a cute panda? One can only hope.
When I get out of the shower, Beth calls me and I realize I haven't told her we're doing my birthday today.
“Hey!” she says. “How are you?”
“Good. Better now that I had a shower. It was weird, last night, right?”
“Oh, so, you do remember. I wasn't sure,” she says, and my heart skips a beat. I knew there had to be something embarrassing. It’s my signature move, after all.
“No,” I breathe, bracing for impact. “What did I do? Was it awkward?”
“Nothing, I swear. The only thing—and it was super cute—was that you kept going on about how Aaron doesn’t see you as a woman, but more like a member of his team. You kept saying to him you’re not a dude.”
My blood freezes, and I hold onto my desk for support. “Oh no.”
“No, like I said, it was fine. He was amused more than anything.”
“What else did I say?” They n eed to put a warning on those melatonin pills. This stuff is dangerous.
“That’s pretty much it,” she says, and I let out a sigh of relief. “But I don’t know what happened after you guys went home.”
Crap . I rub my forehead, trying to remember driving home with Aaron, but I draw a blank. “No, no, no. Why did you let me go home with him?”
She scoffs. “Um, have you seen Aaron? What was I supposed to do, wrestle you away from him? I did my best.”
“Right. Sorry.” I sit down on the bed. “It’s not your fault. I’m just royally screwed.”
“Have you talked to him this morning?”
“We just had breakfast together,” I say, drawing circles on my bedspread. “We’re doing my birthday today.”
“Oh, right! He asked me a few weeks ago if I could handle the shop alone today. So, everything seemed fine?”
I swallow. “Yeah.”
“Then you probably didn’t spill your feelings for him. He’d be at least a little shaken up about it.”
That’s one way to put it. “No, he was normal. He said we came home, and I fell asleep right away.”
“Okay. Disaster averted,” she says with a long sigh. “Let it be a lesson in keeping your bag organized.”
“Haha. Very funny.” Although, she does make a great point.
“I gotta go," she says, as the store bells chime faintly in the distance. “But enjoy your birthday. Talk tomorrow!”
“Bye, Beth. Thank you.”
My mind is still running a race against my heart, and I need to take a deep breath—or one thousand—to calm myself. Everything is fine. Aaron would definitely not be casually cooking me breakfast if I had declared my love for him the night before. But one thing is clear: I'll always double-check any medicine that I take from now on. And tidy my bag.