My Only Exception (gxg)

Part 17

"And I know one day I'll be saying the same for you."

Ehhh, I don't know about that.

I picked up Vietnamese food from one of Poppy's favorite restaurants in town. I made sure to get her one of her all time favorite foods, a banh mi. She didn't know that I was picking this up for her.

When Poppy opened her front door for me, her eyes widened when she saw the to-go bag I was carrying.

"You went to Pho Xinh?" she asked, wide eyed.

"I did," I said as I walked in, "I know you don't really care about your birthday, but I care."

To my surprise, Poppy's eyes went glossy. She immediately turned around and walked over to the couch in the living room.

When she sat down, a few tears were spilling over. I sat down next to her, setting the bag down on the coffee table, and asked, "Poppy, what's going on?"

Poppy put her head in her hands, and I placed my hand on her back to soothe her.

"Fuck," she said, coming back up, "The only thing I've been able to think about all day is that this is very likely the last birthday that my dad will be alive for. He called me this morning, and since then I've been feeling really low. He's in the hospital right now, I'm planning on visiting him tomorrow."

"Poppy, I am so, so sorry," I said to her, rubbing circles on her back.

"I'm sorry I'm crying," Poppy wiped at her eyes, "It just hits me at certain moments how sick he is."

"Don't apologize for crying, please. Especially when it comes to something as difficult as this."

"Thank you," Poppy said to me, "I appreciate it, Delilah. More than you know."

"I want to make you smile, so I think maybe I should show you something else I got for your birthday," I said to Poppy.

"Delilah, you did not have to get me a single thing."

"I think you'll really like this," I said, pulling up the email from Ticketmaster that contained the ticket stubs for the concert.

I turned my phone around to show Poppy. She stared at my phone for a moment, and then her eyes widened, "Oh my god, The Weeknd! You got tickets?"

I nodded, "I know you love him, and I thought it would be something fun we could do together."

To my surprise, Poppy flung her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. Her honey and light musk scented perfume enveloped me, and I hugged her back.

"Thank you for turning my day around," she said to me, "I know I don't make a big deal of my birthday, but it's nice to feel like someone cares."

"Of course I care."

Poppy pulled away and wiped at her eyes again, "You know, I don't have many friends. I have one good friend from high school, Amani. But she lives in Florida. Otherwise, I never really kept friends that I made at jobs, considering I never went to college. On my birthday, I don't get many well wishes. So, this means the world to me."

"I'm glad it does," I smiled at Poppy, "And I relate to not having many friends. The one who has always been there for me is...Emily."

"I know," Poppy nodded, "I know this is hard."

"Tonight isn't about me," I said to Poppy, "It's about you. And I'm about to give you all of the attention you deserve."

Poppy gave me a mischievous smile, and said, "The food can wait. I'll put it in the fridge."