Chapter 31 Nyah
NYAH
Elle called me at work to go over birthday plans.
“Sorry, Elle, but there are a couple of events happening at the hotel, and I need to be here. Let’s celebrate on the weekend. Besides, that will be easier for all of us.”
“Okay… actually, that does make more sense.”
When I hung up, I slumped back in my chair. The day had been long and endless, and by 11:30 p.m., I finally admitted defeat. I was done. Lucas and Oreo were at Elle’s for a sleepover, which meant my apartment would be quiet.
By the time I stepped out of the elevator in my building, my legs felt heavy—like I’d been moving on borrowed energy all evening. I dragged my feet down the hallway, already rehearsing the relief of collapsing into bed.
My phone rang.
Caleb.
It was almost three in the morning in New York. He hadn’t called or messaged since he left. For a second, I just stared at the screen, my heart thudding.
“Hi,” I answered finally. “Is everything all right?”
“Hi. Yes, everything’s fine. Why does something have to be wrong for me to call you?”
“Sorry, I just thought…” I stopped and leaned slightly against the wall. “Never mind. Hi.”
God, it’s good to hear his voice.
I hated how things had been left between us. Friend. The way he’d said it stung more than I wanted to admit. We had been getting close—close enough that he wanted answers I wasn’t ready to give.
I had only told Harper because he had found out. Would I have told him otherwise?
I didn’t know.
Caleb had been right about one thing, though. He had shared everything—his childhood, his mistakes, his past—while I had given him fragments.
Work.
Lucas.
Safe stories.
Pieces of my life, but not me.
And the truth was, I never cried. Not with him. Not with Harper. Not even with Lucas. I’d made sure of that. Crying meant vulnerability, and vulnerability meant risk—especially with Jeremy back in the city.
It wasn’t that Caleb couldn’t handle the truth.
It was that I couldn’t risk what it might cost him—or anyone else—if I told it.
“Are you home?” Caleb asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Just about. I’m walking to the apartment now.” Why does this feel important?
“I have a question to ask you,” he said casually, like he wasn’t holding my attention hostage.
“Okay… shoot.”
“If you had one wish—just one—what would it be? You can’t wish for three more wishes.” He laughed.
He called to ask me this? I stopped walking and closed my eyes, letting the quiet stretch between us for a moment.
His face filled my mind instantly. I knew my answer before I even let myself think it through. If I could wish for anything—anything at all—it would be for him to be here. For him to celebrate my birthday with me. For us not to have had that fight. For things not to feel so fragile.
If only…
Knowing none of that was possible, I opened my eyes.
“Nyah,” he whispered into the phone. “Turn around.”
It took a moment for the words to land.
I turned.
Five yards behind me, standing in the hallway with a travel bag slung over his shoulder, a heavy coat buttoned up against the cold, and flowers clutched in his hand, stood a tired-looking Caleb.
“Happy birthday.”
My brain short-circuited.
“I’ll call you back,” I blurted, ending the call as I ran to him.
I threw my arms around him, hard enough to knock him back a step.
Having a man in my arms again—this man—felt like stepping into something I’d been holding my breath for.
He was exactly as I remembered, and somehow more.
More solid. More present. Even through the thickness of his coat, I felt the strength of him, the warmth, the undeniable truth of his need for me—and it nourished me, radiating straight into my soul.
“I’m pleased to see you too,” he said, still catching his breath, kissing the top of my head.
“You’re here for my birthday,” I murmured into his coat. “I can’t believe it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
When I finally let go, he handed me the flowers, and we walked to my apartment arm in arm, like this was the most natural thing in the world.
“I can’t believe you flew all the way from New York,” I said, fumbling for my keys. “Was it a long flight?”
He tightened his arm around me and pulled me closer. “An eternity.”
I tilted my head up and smiled at him. “But totally worth it, right?”
“Your modesty is one of the things I love about you.”
One of the things? “Oh?”
“Do you know what else I love about you?”
I slid the key into the lock and looked up at him.
Caleb leaned in, his gaze so intense it could have drilled a hole in me. “Everything.”
His hands framed my face. His thumb brushed my cheekbone, and my breath caught—not from anticipation alone, but from the way my pulse suddenly thundered. The light in his blue-green eyes danced, dangerous and soft all at once.
“The more I see you,” he murmured, his forehead nearly touching mine, “the better I know you, the deeper—”
His breath skimmed my lips.
I leaned into him without another thought.
“Mama!” Lucas yelled from inside the apartment.
I closed my eyes. Perfect timing. Always.
I unlocked the door quickly, my face burning as we stepped inside.
“Surprise!”
The room exploded with voices and laughter. Elle and Donna, their families, Caleb’s siblings with their spouses and kids, Patty—everyone was there. Balloons and candles filled the apartment. A marble cheesecake sat proudly on the table, gifts stacked neatly in the corner.
Elle hugged me and whispered, “Caleb planned the whole thing, by the way.”
I looked at him across the room as he greeted everyone. How did he plan this after he was so mad at me? Or was that his intention? It seemed too real to be instigated in that manner.
The room suddenly tilted.
I felt light-headed. Remembering I hadn’t taken my medication, I excused myself and headed for the bathroom. A cough seized me halfway there, violent enough to make me brace myself against the sink. I covered my mouth.
When I lowered my hands, there was blood. Oh no. Not now. Not tonight.
I’d postponed the surgery again because of work. Dr. Sloan hadn’t been happy. He’d warned me to take my medication every day, on time.
I grabbed my medication, but my vision blurred as I tried to read the label. The letters swam. Panic crept in fast.
I stumbled out of the bathroom, trying to catch someone’s attention.
The floor rushed up to meet me.
Strong hands caught me before I fell.
“Call 9-1-1,” I whispered. “Dr. Sloan.”
Then the world went dark, with Caleb’s face being the last thing I saw.