50. Lucy
Lucy
When I open the door to the house, it’s pitch black.
That’s weird. I could have sworn the lights were on when we left earlier.
A second later, the lights flip on. The entire living room is covered in streamers and balloons.
A bunch of people pop up from behind the couch and out of the kitchen and yell, “Happy Birthday, Lucy!” as they fire off confetti cannons.
I gasp, my eyes wide as I take it all in.
Nick, Poppy, Travis, Anna, Blake, and Briar are all standing around in birthday party hats. Wally comes running over to me, barking excitedly. When I see a happy birthday sign tied to his collar, I squeal.
I give him a kiss, then look up at everyone.
“Oh my gosh, you guys.” Emotion rises up in my chest. Happy tears burn my eyes.
My smile is wobbly. “This is…I can’t believe…” I sniffle and fan my face as I try my hardest not to cry.
I let out a snotty laugh anyway.
Anna, Briar, and Poppy run up to hug me.
“Sorry, I’m so emotional.” I sniffle.
“It’s okay,” Briar says. “I happy-cry all the time.”
“Me too,” Poppy says.
“Same,” Anna says through a laugh.
I instantly feel relieved knowing I’m not alone.
“When Leo told us you didn’t get a proper celebration for your birthday this year, we wanted to do something special for you,” Briar says.
I look up and see Blake and Travis walking out holding a giant sheet cake, the words “Happy Birthday to you, Lucy!” written in pretty cursive yellow frosting.
That wave of emotions swoops through me once more as the group starts singing, “Happy Birthday.”
Nick shouts impressively off-key. Anna frowns and elbows him. He looks at me. “Sorry, I think I might be tone deaf.”
I wipe the happy tears from my face as I laugh. “This is amazing, you guys. Thank you so much.”
I glance at Leo, standing just a few feet away from me. Warmth flickers in his eyes as he gazes at me. And something else. An intensity I don’t recognize. It makes my heart flutter and my tummy do a backflip.
I hold his gaze before blowing out the candles. I don’t even bother to make a wish. Because the one thing I want, I already have.
* * *
“Birthday girl! Have you had a slice of cake yet?”
Anna runs over and starts to hand me a slice of confetti cake.
“I already ate some,” I say.
She sits down on the couch and helps herself to the slice.
Poppy walks over and hands me a glass of sparkling wine. “Bubbles for the birthday girl.”
I thank her and take a sip, smiling as the fizzy wine tickles my nose.
“Having fun?” Poppy asks.
“A blast. Thank you guys again for throwing this together at the last minute.”
Anna pulls me into a side hug. “We were happy to,” she says.
“Leo was the one who planned it all,” Poppy says. “He got the decorations, ordered the cake, and recruited all of us to help set it all up while he took you out to dinner.”
I glance over at him in the kitchen, refilling his drink while talking to Travis. My heart thuds in my chest. He planned all of this for me. So I would feel special.
He looks up and winks at me. I instantly blush.
“I saw that,” Briar says, joining us on the couch.
I fight a smile, but it’s no use. I’m utterly smitten by him.
“He really, really likes you,” Briar says in a playful tone.
“Oh, yeah,” Anna says. “I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you.” She nudges me softly with her shoulder.
Poppy nods. “It’s true.”
A giddy grin splits my face in half. “I really, really like him too,” I admit.
“So did anything happen between you two on Halloween night?” Anna asks. “We all noticed that Leo never came back downstairs to the party after he helped you to bed.”
“Oh, um…” I had no idea they saw that.
Poppy gives her best friend a gentle scolding look before turning back to me. “You don’t have to answer that.”
Even though I’m a little flustered, I want to open up to them. They’ve adopted me into their friend group, making me feel like one of them.
“Leo and I, um, hooked up.”
They all squeal excitedly, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I knew it!” Anna says. “You’ve had this glow about you ever since then.”
“I have?”
She nods. So does Briar.
“That just-fucked glow,” Anna says.
I giggle. My cheeks must be fire-engine red. As flustered as I am in this moment, this is also so much fun. It’s amazing having this group of girlfriends I can gush and gossip with.
“He’s amazing. The sweetest, most attentive guy I’ve ever met. In literally every way.”
Their eyes widen, and their smiles grow, clearly intrigued.
“So I’m guessing the Magnum condom rumors are true?” Anna says. Poppy elbows her, but she just rolls her eyes. “What? We’re all thinking it.”
I laugh softly. “I don’t want to be disrespectful to Leo and talk about personal stuff like that, but…”
I break into a cheesy grin. They all squeal again.
“Okay, message received,” Anna teases. “We’re going to take that as a yes, Leo uses Magnum condoms.”
I burst out laughing. I finish the rest of my drink and head into the kitchen for a refill.
I guzzle some water to hydrate after the few glasses of alcohol I’ve had.
Then I open the pantry door to grab a snack.
I’m fine with getting a little tipsy tonight, but I don’t want to be too drunk, so I should probably eat something.
I’m eating a handful of pretzels when the pantry door squeaks open, and Leo walks in.
The edge of his mouth hooks up in a sexy smirk. “Hey. Hungry?”
I nod and offer him some pretzels, but he says no, thanks.
“You didn’t want to finish your bread or dessert from Cheesecake Factory?” he asks.
“I’m saving those for tomorrow. I’ve got big plans for that bread. I’m going to make the most epic sandwich ever.”
He chuckles. “Save me a bite?”
I smile and nod. He steps closer and loops his finger through the waistband of my jeans. He pulls me against him, then presses his mouth to mine.