Smoke and Mirrors (DE)

13. Love faces

" Happy birthday Grace,"

" Thank you," Grace smiled as coworkers walked past the break room saying happy birthday as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. This was Grace's first year ever going to work on her birthday and not doing anything special but oddly she didn't mind. As she got older her birthday just started to feel like any other day— welcome to adulthood. Pouring some coffee creamer into the medium brew Dunkin's coffee the office provided, Grace stirred the sweetened cream watching as the coffee turned from a dark shade of brown to a milky one before tossing the red stirrer in the trash.

Grace had been at work all day having to attend a trial in the early morning hours. Making a bee line for her office, to her surprise a bouquet of multicolor roses laying on her desk stopped her in her tracks. Grace smiled looking around as they weren't there just a minute ago. Setting her white ceramic mug onto the polished oak wood desk, she lifted the bouquet up finding a store bought card. Grace smelled the roses, setting them back down and opening the card.

Happy birthday beautiful- Malik

Grace smiled gratefully at the addition of the Starbucks gift card. She hadn't been talking about her birthday much this year so it made her happy that someone atleast remembered without her having to say anything. A knock on her office door prompted her to turn expecting Malik to be standing there, instead one of her coworkers stood struggling to hold an enormous arrangement of red roses. Her coworker was already a short king but the floral arrangement was so large and extravagant it covered half his body and she couldn't see his face so it looked like the flowers had legs. " Oh my gosh— do you need help," Grace laughed rushing to help him carry them in.

" Thank you," He chuckled as they set them down onto the desk almost squishing the supermarket bouquet Malik got for her. " These got delivered for you— Oh and happy birthday Grace," He smiled before leaving her and the flowers alone in her office.

Grace stood on her tippy toes looking over the top of the flowers for a card even though she already knew who they were from. Spotting the white piece of card stock among the sea of red roses she plucked it out and opened it, inside a hand written note.

'You are the omega of my heart, the foundation for my conception of love. You will never fully understand how deeply my heart feels for you. You bring me to climax without sex and you do it all with regal grace. You are my heart in human form, a friend I could never replace.

Come as you are, be at my house by 7:05, no later. Happy birthday Grace'

The muscles in Graces face began to ache from smiling so hard as she read the card. Joseph just got her, he always understood the assignment. Butterflies ravaged her stomach as she felt like a school girl with her first big crush again. Grace and Joseph had spoken on the phone several times since the last time they saw each other and she expressed how she didn't really care to do anything today but she should've known Joseph was going to have something up his sleeve, he always did.

Another knock at the door prompted Grace to look up from her handwritten love letter, her smile fading seeing Malik standing in the threshold this time. " Who got you those?" He frowned seeing as the large bouquet was practically squishing the one he bought. " My mom," She said quickly. " Thank you— for my flowers they're beautiful. That was really sweet," She smiled.

" Anything for you," He said eyeing the bouquet Joseph had delivered. " I was thinking dinner tonight? It's almost 6:00 we can go any—,"

" I can't actually," Grace said thinking about the directions on her card. " I actually already have something planned I'm sorry,"

Malik wore an expression of defeat, frowning. " I wanted to spend your birthday with you,"

" My friends already made plans with me, I didn't know you wanted to do anything— I'm sorry," She's repeated sympathetically.