half/closer | GirlXGirl

39 / closer

"Happy Birthday!! Make a wish!"

I timidly smile at them while Hilary raised the cake in front of me. I closed my eyes and only wished for the happiness of all the people I love the most. It was something general but would be worth it anyway in the long run. Opening my eyes, I blew off all the ninety candles and Hilary smeared my face with coffee frosting. I chuckled, giving her a warning look, to which she responded with a wink.

Arisa and Quinn clapped as they seated on the other side of the table. We were in the VIP room of the dining restaurant that Hilary had booked for us. The place was already an old restaurant but just renovated months ago so the sophisticated interior looked fresh in the eye. It smelled like a scented paint mixed with the aroma coming from the kitchen. It seemed a popular dine-in stop as I noticed that the area was almost already full. I wondered how she had managed to reserve this private space, knowing that she had already spent half of her allowance for the month buying a set of empty canvas for the startup of her painting business. I'd never imagined her as a big spender.

"Let's eat," Quinn said in eagerness as she put a swirled spaghetti on Arisa's plate.

Hilary placed the expensive-looking coffee cake on the center of the table as I wiped off the frosting from my face and sucked it off my thumb. The sweetness was just right. I wasn't really fond of sweet flavor compared to my sister though.

I felt my girlfriend's arms snaking around my waist, leaning closer to my face. "Happy Birthday, Klo. I love you," she said softly, then giving me a not-so-gentle kiss on my lips. This was the sweetness I would love to consume.

"Let us eat first here," Arisa muttered but Hilary couldn't be stopped, placing little kisses all over my mouth.

Cupping her face, I drew her away and looked into her eyes. "Thank you. And I love you more," I whispered, earning a heart-stopping smile from her.

"Okay, stop. We're eating here," Arisa went on complaining. "Right, love?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Ignore them. Just dive in," she said, offering a fork of steak to her girlfriend.

Hilary decided to finish her ministration on my lips and we began to eat. We just ordered a set of a meal and two bottles of champagne- just a casual dinner. I wasn't really a fan of extravagant birthday celebrations unlike these three persons here. They'd like to be in active engagement, parties, and whatnot. The only reason I went to the parties during high school was because I'd been dragged by my friends, invited by my sister, or had a mission to annoy someone. I wasn't really a party starter. I would always celebrate my birthday with only just my Mom.

So this was the first time I celebrated my birthday with someone else. It was a good yet weird change though. I'd never imagined myself celebrating my day with Arisa, let alone, being in a relationship with Hilary. I'd never even had my birthday with Quinn because of her circumstances before. I was grateful that she already had her freedom, at last. I'd been missing my Mom though. And that reminded me of her confession this morning- that she'd been dating a man for quite a while now. At first, I was surprised but then, I felt happy for her. I didn't want her to feel alone now that I was away from her. I'd been convincing her to date before anyway. I just hoped that she was dating a good lad or else, this man would be asking an anglerfish for a face.

While Hilary was pouring my tulip glass with Dom Perignon Champagne, I looked over Quinn and gave her a questioning look. "Where's Kate?"

My sister munched the food in her mouth first before she turned her attention to me. "My cousin won't be able to make it. She said 'sorry' and wish you a happy birthday. They have an initiation ceremony tonight. She promised to celebrate your birthday next year though."