Him and Me.

Fifty four.

“Okay,” he sighed. “I guess I have to climb out of your window now.”

I nodded, our foreheads touching. “I guess you have to.”

Reluctantly he removed his arms from my waist and got up. When I saw his shirtless torso, my breath caught in my throat. He was beautiful with clothes on, but without them… wow. I watched him get dressed, how his pants slid up his toned legs and how his shirt hugged his upper body. Simple movements, yet somehow they had my heart beating fast.

Colby ran his hands several times through his hair, and I had to smile at his attempt to control it somewhat. Of course it still came out as a messy bed head, but that didn’t make him any less attractive. Even with pillow creases on his cheek, his lips slightly chapped, and the makings of a pimple on his right temple.

He leaned forward, hovering above me. He smiled. I liked this—him standing over and casting his shadow over me. It was like an unspoken promise of shelter and protection.

Colby’s lips met mine once again in a slow, sweet kiss. When we parted, he whispered, “Happy birthday, Lala.”

I smiled. “Happy birthday, Beebee.”

“Three days from now, you mean.” He flicked my nose gently. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I watched him climb out of my window.

He made it.

*****

I ran a hand through my curls. I fidgeted with my hands. I bit my lip. My tummy hurt.

I was stressing.

I was stressing because Colby’s birthday was in three days and I had not plan anything. I had not even gotten him a present yet! It was a bad girlfriend move, wasn’t it? Some girlfriends would already have something planned, and here I was, sitting on my bed, stressing.

Why was it that I couldn’t come up with decent ideas? Should I organize a surprise party, much like what he did for me? Or should I prepare something just for the two of us? I could do what he did—organize a small gathering with our family and closest friends, and then the two of us could do something…

Yeah, that was so original.

Holding my face in my hands, I groaned. Maybe I should get help. I sure needed it. My hand jutted out and reached for my phone. I hit a speed dial. Tyler answered on the second ring.

“Hey birthday girl!”

“My birthday was yesterday.”

“Birthday extensions are acceptable.”

The corners of my mouth curved up slightly at that one, but then I remembered why I called, and my lip jutted out in a pout.

“Colby’s birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to do for him, Ty,” I blurted out. “I mean, I can organize a party and invite some of his friends, but then I don’t really know how to party.”

“Well, that is true,” Tyler agreed, and I frowned. “I think you can plan a small dinner, just for the two of you, or maybe take him somewhere that means something to the both of you.”

I bit my lip. I could handle dinner, but then where could I take him? Racking my brain up, I thought of the places where we hung out, and almost immediately, a place popped up in my mind and I almost wacked myself for not thinking of it in the first place.

“You are an absolute genius,” I declared into the phone, strangely proud of Tyler.

“’Course I am,” Tyler drawled out. “My suggestions turned a switch on your mind, didn’t they?”