Chapter 46
Ash
Maa: Happy Birthday, Ashish. I hope it’s a great day.
I stared down at the text message from my mother that afternoon. It was one of the consistent things I could expect from her. We didn’t talk much, but those birthday greetings always came through.
I hated my birthday, but that was nothing new.
It was a big night for me, but I was doing my best not to think about it.
Chase and the guys all wanted to go out to celebrate my birthday, even though I told them I hated celebrating.
Ever since my father passed away, I had sort of stopped celebrating it.
I didn’t think it was fair for me to celebrate my birthday when Rian and Dad couldn’t do the same.
It wasn’t until about two years ago that the guys found out my birthday, and they proceeded to get me wasted off my ass.
After that, they said the nonbirthday-celebration tradition needed to continue on.
I told them they could only go out with me if they made no mention of what the day was.
It was just five guys out getting drinks. Well, them and, now, Karla.
After a long shift a few weeks ago, Chase met Karla and me for a few drinks.
He then invited her to join me and the guys for the celebration, without telling her it would be my birthday.
He knew exactly what he was doing, though.
He wanted to make sure she was there on the day we were not celebrating.
That sentimental dude probably thought it was important for her to be there.
I didn’t mind her being invited. I always liked having her around.
I was just trying to make sense of the fact that Karla was going to meet all the guys, all at once.
I wasn’t nervous for her to meet them. They’d love her because they loved me.
I was more nervous about what they were going to say to her.
Those guys had no house-training. Half the time I never knew what was gonna come out of their mouths.
I just hoped Karla would be able to keep up with their banter.
* * *
Well, I’d be damned.
Karla and the boys bantered like no one else.
The second Karla and I showed up to the bar, the guys took her under their wings.
They didn’t treat her like one of the guys, though.
They treated her like she was a princess, making sure she always had a drink in her hand.
They kept her laughing the whole night, too, which made me happy. When she felt good, I felt good.
I think them being so warm was probably their nonbirthday gift to me. Because they knew if she was happy, I’d be happy.
And damn . . . I was happy.
Throughout the night, Karla and I shared kisses, and I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to touch her, to be close to her, to have all of her as mine. It felt good to steal small kisses from her in public, and I loved how she’d giggle against my lips as if the kisses made her shy.
“She’s got spunk,” Luke mentioned later, as we sat at our table together. He patted me on my back. “And she can sass with Chase like no other. It’s like you have two Chases at once.”
I smirked. Karla and Chase were off in the corner talking about something. They acted like siblings. I couldn’t be happier about my best friend getting along with my girl.
My girl . . .
Wow.
It felt good to think of her as mine. It felt right. As if it was something she was always meant to be.
“She’s something else,” I said, staring at Karla with a little smirk. “I really like her, Luke.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’ve never heard you say those words before.”
“I never felt them before. Not like this. I think I’m in love with her.”
Luke’s grin spread across his whole face as he hit my chest. “Fuck yeah you are!”
Adrian overheard Luke’s excitement. He turned to face us. “What’s happening?”
“Ash’s in love with Karla,” Luke stated.
Adrian’s eyes widened with glee. “Hell yeah you are, brother!” he shouted, hopping up and down with his hands on my shoulders.
“What’s going on?” Shawn asked as he walked over with two glasses of whiskey. He handed me one. I downed it.
“Ash’s in love with Karla!” Adrian said like a schoolgirl with the latest gossip.
“Oh shit!” Shawn exclaimed, tapping his glass with mine. “Cheers to that!”
“Cheers to what?” Karla and Chase asked as they walked up together.
“Nothing!” we all said in unison.
Karla and Chase stared at us for a moment, confused, before shrugging it off.
“You guys are weird. I’m going to the bathroom,” Karla said, turning to leave.
The moment she was gone, Chase picked up a bucket on the table filled with darts. “Anyone up for a game?”
“Ash’s in love with Karla!” the other three guys shouted as they jumped up and down with the purest of joy.
Chase’s eyes widened with so much excitement. He then joined in on the jumping around.
We played a round of darts, and I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if Karla was on her way back from the restroom.
“You’re up!” Chase said, tossing a dart into my hand. I could’ve sworn I’d just gone, though. Regardless, I threw the dart.
“Hey! Great toss!” Chase commented as he patted me on the back. “Here’s a shot!” He put one in my hand and I took it. I then glanced over toward the bathroom again.
“Where’s Karla? I thought she said she was going to the bathroom. It’s been a while.”
“Oh, I saw her step outside. She ran into a girl she knew, and they were catching up.”
Oh.
Well, all right then.
I wasn’t going to be an extra boyfriend and go introduce myself. Karla was allowed to have her alone time with her friends. If she wanted to introduce me to whoever she was talking to, she would’ve made that clear.
I kept playing darts, and I didn’t start to truly worry until ten more minutes passed and I didn’t see Karla come back inside. I pulled out my phone, and right as I was about to dial Karla’s number, a text message popped up on my screen.
Karla: I headed back to my apartment.
Karla: Join me?
That was an easy request. I was surprised to hear she left without me, though. I knew her apartment was within walking distance, but I didn’t like the idea of her walking home alone. After taking a last round of nonbirthday shots with the guys, I said my good-nights and headed back home to my girl.
My girl.
Damn. I really loved the sound of that.
I felt better the moment Karla opened her door for me. I pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. “You can’t go disappearing like that. You scared me.”
“Sorry, I had something to handle,” she said as we dropped our embrace.
Karla gestured toward her apartment, and that was when I took notice of the birthday decorations.
The space was decked out with balloons and streamers.
There was even a banner hanging that had the words “Happy Birthday, Ash!” written across it.
On the dining room table was a gift box, and on a serving platter was a stack of twenty-seven powdered donuts, with a candle on top of it.
I was instantly punched in my gut from the core memory Karla had unlocked.
As I stared at the donuts, it felt as if Rian was standing right there beside them. How did she remember that after all this time?
I turned toward Karla, and she had the biggest smile on her face. “Happy Birthday!” she squeaked, tossing her hands into the air from excitement.
Fuck me.
I loved her.
I fucking loved her.
“You remembered my birthday?” I asked.
“Of course I did. I remember all the important dates. Chase told me you didn’t celebrate a lot, so I didn’t bring it up all day. But I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right to not celebrate you. And I’m so thankful you were born, so yeah, I had to celebrate you.”
I pulled her into a hug and held her tighter than I’d ever held another. She smelled like heaven and felt like forever in my arms. “Thank you,” I whispered, pressing my mouth to her forehead. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now come over, you have to blow out your candle,” Karla said. She sat down on one side of the table, behind the donut cake.
I sat across from her.
She held up the candle. “I don’t have any lighters, so just pretend it’s lit,” she said with a snicker to her voice.
I couldn’t stop cheesing like a damn fool as I blew out the unlit candle. I didn’t even make a wish. It had already come true.
“Karla?”
“Yes?”
I love you.
“You’re my best friend.”
And I love you.
I love you, I love you, I love you.
Her cheeks colored, and then she held a donut out toward me.
We sat at that dining room table, stuffing our mouths with powdered donuts while we sipped on glasses of neat whiskey.
When a moment of calmness swept over everything, I caught myself smiling toward her like a goof.
I couldn’t help it. She made me smile so hard that my cheeks were starting to hurt.
She wasn’t even doing anything remarkable at the time, either.
All she was doing was bending down and petting Royce, who was always on the hunt for cuddles from her.
I didn’t blame him. I loved those cuddles, too.
She had some powdered sugar sprinkled across her nose, and all I wanted to do was kiss it off. Crazy how I was sitting in what would one day be one of my favorite little memories. Karla petting Royce with a powdered-sugar nose.
When I thought about heaven, I’d now think of this.
“Oh! I almost forgot your gift,” Karla said as she reached for the small box on the table. She held it in my direction and smiled.
I took the gift box and began to rip off the wrapping paper. The moment I did, I felt my chest tighten. The backs of my eyes stung with emotion. Sitting in a shadow box was a tiny red truck. A tiny red truck that once broke into a million pieces.
“Karla . . .” I started, but my words faded away as I stared at the tiny toy truck. “You kept all the pieces?”
“Of course I did. I knew they were important to you,” she said.
“I found a person who specializes in Kintsugi. She fixed the truck for you, mending the cracks with gold, making it more beautiful than before. I had it repaired years ago and held on to it in the hopes that maybe someday I could give it to you.”
I stared down at Rian’s toy truck. Who knew that something so broken before could turn into something so . . . beautiful? I sat back in my chair in complete amazement.
“You fixed it?” I asked.
She nodded. “I fixed it.” She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I’m sorry if it was a bad idea to give it to you, or if it stirred up any bad memories. I just thought—”
Before she could finish telling me what she thought, I kissed her.
I had no plans to stop kissing her that night. I thought about kissing her forever.