Happy Birthday (3 page)

Barney, Belle, and Connie were more attached to her than to me, but they had so much of her that just by being near them, I felt close to her.

I
got thousands phone calls throughout the day, but
she
didn’t text or call again. I didn’t get concerned, though, since she was never alone when traveling, but I was kind of needy, and as much as my friends and parents had filled a part of my day, I still found time to think of her.

Honestly, I think I had become depressive on my own birthday.

I didn’t use to be like that, not at all, but I think the new level to which we had arisen last month made me miss her even more and want her ever closer.

Near seven o’clock, BJ and Suzanne wanted me ready to go to a pub, and I was excited to go. At least cake and beer would make me company that night.

My – and Kirsten’s – closest friends were there, especially those with whom we socialized the most in LA. They were able to distract me well, but as much as I loved Suzanne, she knew she was a terrible actress, and I soon realized they were waiting for some kind of signal. However, after some – many – drinks, I stopped caring.

She was wearing one of Kirsten’s t-shirts, which immediately reminded of her and how much I wanted her to be here. Yet, when Mike called me back to the conversation, I took a big swig of beer before answering, making everything possible for them to not notice – even more – how miserable I was.

That’s when BJ put a chocolate cake in front of me with a big “Happy Birthday” written with white chocolate and twenty-eight lit candles.

In the time that we were supposed to sing happy birthday, I felt a pair of hands covering my eyes. Small and delicate hands, warm, and that I would recognize anywhere.

“Happy birthday, baby!” she whispered, and I stood up, hugging her as hard as I could, caressing her face and giving little kisses on her neck.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” I felt her hair’s scent and took a step back to see her.

She looked tired, and I expected no less, but her face was lit with happiness.

“Thank the team; we shot the commercial last night, and when I talked with you this morning, I was already in the airport.”

Then, with a crooked smiled, I took advantage of the fact that our friends were distracted and pulled her to a more reserved part of the pub, a space which, assumedly or not, was created for couples to have a little bit of privacy: the hallway leading to the bathrooms. Then I kissed her.

God, how I missed that mouth close to mine, her warm breath all over my face, her small hand touching me, running through my hair, my ear, my shirt, my heart.

It was as if all the thoughts I had had through the day were being focused in my brain and broadcast that moment, one after another. I missed seeing her wearing my clothes, smelling her perfume, and her warm body, one with mine at nights, I missed the trivial things, like a day off to cuddle all day long on the couch, play with the dogs and think of nothing but us. I missed her whole, even when we were just apart for a few days.

Every millisecond by her side was worth it.

My hands seemed to have a mind of their own and simply walked from her back to her ass, grabbing her body towards me. In that moment, I wasn’t aware we were in the middle of the hallway and that somebody could see us there. I just needed her.

When she sucked my lower lip and bit it lightly, I knew that was the sign to go no further.

“We should go home,” she said next to my ear.

“I don’t think we can get out of here alone.” I gave her my best grin.

“I didn’t say we would go alone.” She winked and giggled, turning back to where our friends were and leaving me with the wonderful vision of her ass.

When I reached her, and put my arm around her waist, the giggles and wolf whistles began. The girls were being girls and imagining what we had done back there. The guys – except for BJ, who was whistling with the girls – just looked at me as if saying “tonight’s the night!”

“Seriously, thank god you arrived, K, because Douglas have been a little shit all day,” said James, holding Suz even closer.

“As if you were any different after two or three months away from the whitey,” retorted Mike. As one of the only singles in our big group of close friends, I think he had the authority to speak about it.

“Guys, what do you say of bringing the cake and beer home and staying there?” I suggested, aware that everybody would get the hint.

“Sure,” Lana said, promptly standing up. “I’m dying to crash on your couch.”

Everybody quickly started to stand up and get ready to go; Tim was already on the phone with the owner of a liquor store where he would stop to buy some packs of beer.

When we were leaving the pub, with Kirsten a few steps ahead of me, I realized that two girls were coming towards us, timid and smiling.

“We’re sorry to bother you, but could you give us autographs?” one of them started, handing us a napkin.

“Sure,” Kirsten answered, taking the paper napkin and signing her name, while the other girl gave hers to me. She didn’t stop staring at me and looked kind of funny that way.

Every time fans stopped me on the street, or when I attended events where I have direct contact with them, I always put myself in the other person’s shoes, based on what I can see of their personalities.

In the beginning, I admit I was scared to meet people who said they were in love with me and my work, crying copiously right in front of me, but then I remembered I too had idols and that a similar situation could happen to me, if or when I met them.

“What’s your name?” I asked to the one who was staring at me, who must have woken from the daydream she was in and answered trembling: “It’s Chloe.” Then she said “Oh my god” quietly to herself. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you. I will have one,” I said, looking at Kirsten, while we exchanged napkins.

I asked the other girl’s name and she said it was Cinthya. She was more outgoing than her friend was, although I could see she was a little nervous as well.

“Could my boyfriend take a picture of you with us?” Cinthya asked.

“Yeah,” I said, and they quickly gave a camera to a slim and tall boy with some acne on his face, but still good-looking, whom I had not realized was near.

When Kirsten and I hugged them and the nameless boyfriend took the picture they promptly said they would wait for us to leave before posting it online, something I appreciated very much.

Then they said their thanks and goodbyes and I hold Kirsten’s hand, chastely kissing her hand while we left the pub to meet the others in the parking lot.

Like I thought it would happen, the first thing she did when getting home was taking her shoes off, and then, after staying in the shower for fifteen minutes, she came back to the living room wearing one of my t-shirts and shorts that were almost invisible underneath the t-shirt. When I told her exactly what I was thinking, Kirsten, with that naughty smile only she could give, asked me to wait for my gift a little bit longer.

Yes, she wanted to kill me before thirty.

Our house is a place to where our friend have free access and do not need to feel bad for moving through it, but – apart the occasional trip to the kitchen to get more beer – everybody was around the small coffee table with the cake on it, already missing some pieces and the dogs around feeling completely at home.

Kirsten told me how she had managed to come back home to my birthday, and how everyone, even my parents, had helped her.

I looked at her eyes and saw the brightness in them, how she almost closed them when somebody said something funny, and how that meant she loved being there. Then I instantly felt guilty for being grumpy almost all day long, just because she was not there, when my friends, her friends, our friends, were there trying to cheer me up and give me a proper birthday.

However, could someone blame me for wishing to have her instead of all of them?

After some time talking, Kirsten, who was lying with her head on my leg, stood up and took her hand to her hair. It was then that the little chain appeared, calling Suz’s attention, who was next to James, almost immediately.

I watched Kirsten and her exchanging glances, all that girls and sixth sense stuff.

“Guys, I think Kirsten and Doug have something to tell us...” Suz said loudly, driving everyone’s attention towards us. At first we exchanged meaningful looks, but then she nodded.

“I...” I begin, trying to create a little suspense and hide the smile who insisted on coming out. “I proposed to Kirsten.”

“And I fucking said yes!”

The next minutes were mostly “Fucking finally”, “Congratulations”, “When is the wedding?”, “Who will be the best man and the maid of honor?”, “Where will be the wedding?”, and many other comments and questions that made me fell dizzy, but the dazzling smile on Kirsten’s face was what made me the happiest, numbed. Not only because after several times, she finally had said yes, but because I felt she was as happy as me for it.

“Calm down, everybody! The wedding is not planned for anytime soon. We have just engaged and will remain that for some time.

“When did it happen?” Lana asked, taking a sip of her beer, getting closer with the other girls to see the ring, which made Kirsten seat on the couch to show it better.

“On my birthday.” K gave a silly smile for taking more than a month to mention it. “We wanted to tell it personally to our closer friends and families, but our busy schedules...”

“We are going to tell my parents tomorrow,” I said. “I’ve invited them to lunch.”

“I’ll call my parents tomorrow morning, so we can tell the four of them at the same time. My old man will lose his mind!” Kirsten looked into my eyes, laughing and intertwining our hands.

“So, a toast to the latest engaged couple,” Tim started, raising his Heineken. “To that wedding not taking too long to happen and to your happiness forever.” He lifted his bottle and drank it.

“We all know that you two together are stronger and happier,” Suz said with a slightly choked voice, revealing her emotive side. “You have a connection none of us could ever understand, each of you with your own way of being. Both have strong and distinct personalities, but you can somehow harmonize them. I won’t say I wish you be happy because I know you already are, so I wish this last forever.

After Suz’s words, which described precisely a part of our relationship, the others said some words, but I was not paying attention anymore, and with the number of times they had toasted and drunk, I think I was not even caring that our friends were more than tipsy by the end of the night.

Getting my full attention, Kirsten’s hands grabbed my shirt as she moved to lie on my chest again, and I leaned to kiss her neck.

There, watching her laugh of some stupid joke from one of our friends, holding a bottle of beer, I felt home. Not because we were literally at home, but because she was home with me.

Every moment by her side is unique, special, unforgettable.

Loving her was easy; accepting her with all her faults, foibles, and fears was a consequence. I would join us together if it were possible, so that we would never be apart, but it wouldn’t be the same thing. We were like we were, and as much as I was really looking forward to the ‘later’, having her in my arms was the best moment of my twenty-eighth birthday. It was like it was supposed to be, and I could not have imagined a better birthday to me.

L
etícia Kartalian
 is an author of contemporary novel since she was fourteen.

Her inspirations come, mainly, of songs, movies, and books. She is passionate about books and is often found with her e-reader in hand.

She has a soft spot for bad boys and cliché romances, and writes about the real life, with its loves, losses and gains, with its good and bad moments, with twentysomething characters.

When Letícia is not trapped in her own world writing, she likes spending her time with family and friends, talking about her idols online, watching and listening to good movies and songs.

Visit her website for further information:
http://leticiakartalian.com/

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