The Fighter (Book 1)

Chapter 30

I met with Laila on the first day of each month until August. By August the second, I was quite the happy camper. First, it was my seventeenth birthday. Second, Laila dropped any and all medication prescriptions. I was finally better, and I felt it too.

On the morning I turned seventeen, I rolled over into Zack’s bare chest, kissing his cheek lazily, “Morning.”

“Why so happy?”

“Hmm, I wonder,” I rolled my eyes.

“Seriously, T, you’re never this happy in the morning. What’s up?”

I blinked away my sleep as the definition of ugh hit me like a train. “Nothing,” I sighed, rolling back onto my side.

“I mean,” Zack rolled into me, arms gripping me in an iron-like hug. “Not like it’s your birthday or anything. That’d be ridiculous.”

I rolled my eyes, turning back into his warm skin, “I thought you forgot.”

“How the hell could I forget the day my beautiful, lovely, sexy little fiancée was born?” he asked with a gentle smirk. Two unlikely words to be in the same sentence, especially when talking about Zack, but he was gently smirking. No more, no less. “Presents now or later?”

“I told you not to get me anything,” I groaned, crawling out of bed.

“Yeah, and I hear what I want,” he shrugged, following me into the bathroom. His arms slinked around my waist and he kissed across my shoulder. “Jesus Christ you look older already.”

I rolled my eyes again, brushing my teeth quickly so that I could kiss him. There was a soft knock on Zack’s bedroom door, and the housemates crammed into his ever shrinking room. All except Eros, of course.

After receiving word from Zack’s father that there was nothing he could do to get his son back, Eros spent most of his life in the ex-angel’s room. Sleeping a lot. Drowning in his sweatshirt that no longer smelled like him, and smelled more like Eros. I found myself visiting Eros often, and hugging him more and more with each trip downstairs. Eros cried more.

I was bombarded with a chorus of happy birthdays and warm hugs. Apollo’s was especially warm since he was the god of the sun, and the sun was just rising. Or at least that’s what I guessed.

“You want cake for breakfast?”

“What? She didn’t already get a bite of you?” Gen chuckled, making Zack blush furiously. “That would be a no.”

“I just woke up,” I shrugged. “Is the lonely love god gonna stay downstairs all day? I wanna see him on my birthday.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gen nodded. The two had grown close, not like Eros was with Taylor, but they were good friends with the occasional benefit when Eros got drunk. He didn’t get drunk very often, at least not around me. “Maybe we could get him wasted and tell him stupid jokes to make him laugh.”

Zack frowned, “Did you have one in mind?”

“What’s gray and can’t fly?” Genesis bit back a laugh. Everyone pondered the riddle and looked for answers, receiving only shrugs. Genesis bobbed his shoulders, “A parking lot.”

“Burn in Hell,” Zack laughed softly and we flooded out of the room and down the stairs. “Oh, wait. You have…Burn in Hell again. Twice as long.”

“Maybe you should’ve taken a bite of him. Seems pretty spiteful this morning,” Gen said into my ear.

I chuckled quietly as we landed on the main floor. “Actually, I’ll be back. I better check on him.”