Annie grins at her reflection in the mirror and then looks over at me. A sigh leaves her lips.
"You've been weird. We're in my mom's salon, getting dolled up for free in the city. Where's the happiness? Spill it, girlfriend."
"You know me well," I mumble, looking at my freshly manicured, red nails. I've never looked prettier. Yet, my thoughts don't let me enjoy our little trip.
Annie loses patience. "So?"
"So, Mom saw me kissing Brian. And of course, she told me men like him never changed, as if she knew him."
"Well, you're dating. At some point, she had to learn about it."
"That's not what bothers me. She did tell me not to come crying to her when he breaks my heart, but you know what? I'd rather take a risk than live the way she does, lonely and bitter."
"Then why are you so upset?"
I study the hem of my new dress. "I think Mom was talking about my dad, whom I've never met. I asked her who he was, but she said he was a big mistake and he didn't care about us. Then, she went to bed, and I couldn't get anything else out of her. But now, Annie? Now I'm overthinking everything.
"Her reaction was strange. What isn't she telling me? I've been Leah Mitchell all my life, but what if there's more to my family history? The only person who can tell me the truth doesn't want to do it, and I am going so crazy that I came to think that maybe Mom and Brian's dad went out when they were young, and that's why...God, what if I'm Brian's sister? I've seen and touched his...oh, God."
Annie laughs so hard her mom, Ada, glances at us from where she is curling the hair of a client.
"Leah, that's impossible. Everyone in town knows Brian's mom and dad. They have only dated each other. Besides, they had Jimmy when you weren't even born."
"I know. I just don't know what to think."
"Maybe he is a horrible person, and she tries to protect you. You know I wasn't lucky in that department," Annie adds, lowering her voice so that her mom cannot hear.
"Then why can't she just tell me the truth? His name, at least? I am an adult, and I deserve to know."
Annie nods. "That's right. I think there's a solution."
"Which?"
My friend shrugs. "You snoop. Maybe she keeps something that has to do with him - papers or pictures."
"Of course! How could I be so stupid?"
"Maybe you'll find nothing," Annie rushes to say, "but it wouldn't hurt to try. Just be ready for a disappointment. It's not very common for fathers who abandon their kids to be good people. And before we get the makeup done, one more question, does it still hurt?"
I giggle and shake my head. "No. But I'm not sleeping with Brian tonight, so I went through the wax torture for nothing."
"It's his birthday..."
"Annie! Not gonna happen."
Annie wiggles her brows and whispers, "There are other things you could do, you know? You can tell him it hurts, and he will kiss it better like the good boyfriend he is."
Laughter fills the salon yet again. My friend has no filter, but I find myself blushing, imagining things, and laughing with her.
***
"Leonard is dumb." Annie huffs as we approach the big house, our heels clicking on the asphalt. "Have you seen his Instagram? The crowd is huge because that dumbass invited every person our age."
"Brian didn't want any of it. He told me he wanted to have a couple of drinks and listen to some good music."
"Kenzie was pissed when I talked to him earlier. Well, that's enough. Please, ignore that bitch if she's there. It's Brian's night, and nothing should spoil it."
"Wait." I halt on the sidewalk. "Are you sure he'll like the gift?"
Annie takes my hand in hers and takes a step forward. "Yes! Brian is crazy about rings, and the one you got him is beautiful. He won't think it's too much. Besides, you're his girl. Stop overthinking."
"Yes, ma'am." I laugh.
In a few minutes, Annie and I are navigating through the sea of already drunk people in Lenny's house. Rap is blaring from the speakers, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes at the sight of Bella dancing in a skirt so short I can see her panties, while some guys, Gavin included, stare at her with their mouths hanging open.
Brian isn't there. I follow Annie to the kitchen, relieved to have her with me. I would have been lost otherwise.
We encounter more people on our way. I see some familiar faces, but many others are not.
I am looking at the display of the liquor bottles on the kitchen counter when a pair of familiar, strong arms hug me from behind.
"I love the dress, Kitten," Brian whispers and kisses my shoulder and then my neck below my ear.
"Happy Birthday," I say, smiling as I turn around in Brian's arms.
"Thank you." He grins. "And wow."
Brian studies my face and my hair. It's straightened, and I had the ends trimmed. I blush under his scrutiny, and he kisses my lips once, keeping me close to him with his arm curled around my waist.
"You look beautiful," Brian says.
"So do you."
Brian chuckles. "I'm wearing my usual clothes, Kitten. I did style my hair a bit."
"I love your hair."
Smiling, Brian brings my hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of it. Then, his eyes scan the selection of drinks. "What would you like?"
I shrug. "I don't know. The same as you?"
"Jack?"
"I guess."
Brian nods and hands me a plastic cup. I grimace as I take a small sip, making him chuckle.
"Did we miss anything?" Annie asks as she approaches us with Mac next to her and his arm around her shoulders.
"Nothing," Brian and I say in unison.
Mac pours something in a cup and gives it to Annie before serving a drink for himself.
"Have you seen Lenny?" Brian asks Mac.
"In the living room drooling at the girls dancing," Mac answers. "Why?"
"I want a slow song to dance with my girl. Let's go?" Brian asks, looking at me.
I nod with a smile. Brian laces our fingers and leads me to the room I'd seen earlier. He approaches Lenny and whispers something in his ear.
The song changes to a slow one. All of a sudden, the lights are dimmed, and I am in Brian's arms. I clasp my hands behind his neck, and he hugs my waist, pressing me to his body. We sway to the melody, and it isn't long before Brian's lips are on mine.
He tastes of whiskey and mint, and I can't resist kissing him harder until the gentle peck transforms into a hot, open-mouthed kiss. Brian buries his fingers in my hair and brings my face even closer to his. His hand on my waist caresses me through the fabric of the dress, and I comb through his dark strands with my fingers.
We are so lost in each other we don't realize when the song finishes and the lights are bright again. Brian is kissing me still, and I don't hold back when I respond to the kiss until some coughs and whistles break us apart.
I blush and bury my face in Brian's black shirt, and he kisses my forehead, chuckling.
"Get a room!" says Lenny.
My eyes intend to find him, but instead, they land on Bella, whose jealous stare could kill me. The funny thing is, Gavin has his arms around her, and his mouth is on her neck.
Brian follows my line of vision and shrugs. "They could fuck on this very floor. I don't care. Let's go, Kitten."
We go back to the kitchen, holding hands and hoping it would be empty. It's not. A couple is making out in the corner. Brian and I grab our drinks and exit the room. Brian nods toward the hallway. We take our jackets and then leave the house.
Mac and Annie are outside, laughing as they talk about something.
"Enjoying the party?" asks Mac.
Brian rolls his eyes. "I think Leonard underestimated the power of social media. It's too crowded, man. But well, let's head inside for a bit. The kid is dumb, but his intentions were good."
The four of us reenter the party. The music is the same, but this time, drunk guys and girls are almost everywhere. The air reeks of weed, and several couples are making out on the couch, meaning there isn't anywhere for us to sit.
We chat with Mac and Annie, and my friend giggles as she looks at Gavin making out with Bella.
"How about we get out of here?" Brian whispers in my ear. At this point, everyone is too drunk to notice that we are missing.
I nod, and Brian says something in Mac's ear. Annie wiggles her eyebrows, and I wave at her as Brian grabs my hand and leads me out of the house.
"It's a ten-minute walk, Kitten. Will your feet be okay, or do you want me to carry you?"
"It's okay." I smile, lacing my fingers with Brian's.
We walk to his house. The night is still and not as cold as I expected it to be.
"I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the party," I say to break the silence.
Brian laughs. "The party? My party will start once we're home. I'm crossing some items off our bucket list tonight, Kitten. And no, it's not making love on the beach because it's cold."
I giggle. "What is it, then?"
"Tequila shots and stargazing. Are you up for that?"
"Of course," I say, resting my cheek against Brian's bicep. "Whatever for the birthday boy."
"Don't say whatever, Princess. The boy might think you mean it, and I will have to comfort him."
"I can comfort him too," I say, gazing up at Brian.
He pauses on the sidewalks and raises his brows, earning a shrug from me.
When we're at Brian's, he tells me not to take off my coat as he goes to the kitchen and returns with a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.
"Grab the lime and the salt from the kitchen table, will ya, Kitten?"
I do, and we leave the house. Brian leads the way to the garage.
We circle it, and I see a ladder leading to the roof. Brian climbs it, leaves the bottle, and then comes back to take the things I'm holding from my hands.
By the time it's my turn to go up there, I'm less nervous, knowing that Brian would catch me if I lost my balance.
"It's not that high," I say as we sit next to each other.
"No," Brian agrees. "Look up, Kitten."
The sky is dark, and myriads of glittering dots are scattered over it.
I gasp, and Brian chuckles, opening the bottle and pouring tequila into our glasses. Then, he kisses my hand and sprinkles some salt on my skin.
"You lick, then you drink, and then you bite the lime," he says.
"Okay."
The first shot makes my eyes water.
Brian laughs and kisses my lips after I bite the lime, licking them and kissing me some more.
"Your gift," I say. "I almost forgot."
"I told you not to-"
I press my fingers to Brian's mouth and take the small box from my pocket.
He is hesitant as he takes it from me. When Brian opens it and sees the ring, his eyes widen and then bore into mine.
"Kitten?"
"I'm not proposing, you know? I thought you would like it because I know you wear them when you're not working."
"I know you're not proposing, babe," Brian says, chuckling. "It's really cool. I just... I don't know, it was unexpected. Come here."
Brian wraps me in his arms and presses a tender kiss to my lips. We take one more shot and then lie back to look at the stars.
Brian holds my hand, and I trace the outline of the ring on his finger.
"Thank you, Kitten," I hear him say.
"For what?"
"For the ring and for everything. It's one hell of a birthday," Brian murmurs, kissing the tip of my nose. "And you're cold. Let's go."
We gather our things and descend the ladder.
Brian's house is warm and quiet when we enter it. As soon as we've hung up the coats by the front door, Brian takes my hand in his and leads me to his room.
"Finally," he whispers when the door clicks shut after us.
"Finally, what?"
"This," Brian says, pulling me into his arms.
We kissed many times, but it's different when we are alone. Brian doesn't hold back. His mouth is hot and wet when he puts it on mine, and his hands touch every inch of me, gliding over my curves.
I tug at the hem of his shirt, and he yanks it over his head.
Brian stands in front of me in nothing but his jeans. I trail my fingers over the smooth skin on his chest, and his breaths quicken.
After fiddling with the zipper of my dress for a couple of seconds, Brian slides it down and pushes the fabric off my shoulders. I'm in my bra and panties in no time, and Brian walks me to his bed.
He hovers over me when my back touches the mattress. Brian's eyes are soft as he removes a couple of strands off my face and presses a tender kiss to my lips.
It takes one caress of the tip of my tongue for us to kiss harder. I pull Brian to me, and his hard, lean body covers mine.
Our tongues move together, and my hands don't get tired of touching every bit of Brian's skin I can reach.
"I want you," Brian says, between kisses. His voice sounds different, and I find him hard when I slide my hand down his stomach and put it on the front of his jeans.
"Can I make love to you with my mouth, Kitten? I'm dying to, but I won't if you say no."
"Yes," I whisper, unbuttoning Brian's jeans.
He unzips them and gets rid of the denim.
I could look at his body for hours, but Brian has other plans.
He kneels by the bed and puts his hand on my hip. I bite my bottom lip when he gets rid of my panties and then discards my bra, leaving me naked at his mercy.
Brian licks his lips as his eyes roam my body. Then, a playful smirk appears on his lips. "Hey, Kitten's girl," he says, nudging my legs open. "Let's kiss you hello."
I blush and giggle and then moan when Brian puts his mouth on my sex, and I feel his hot, wet tongue lick me slowly.
Brian covers my breast with his palm and caresses it while the tip of his tongue teases the spot that makes me go over the edge in no time.
I raise my hips to Brian's mouth, and he kisses me harder, touching my nipples and changing the pace of the kiss. He slows down when I feel I am close and speeds up once I'm no longer about to lose it, only to stop a moment later.
"Brian," I whimper. "More."
"Open your beautiful legs wider, Princess," he says. My eyes meet his. There's no trace of humor in them, only the fire that makes me do what he asks without thinking.
"I'll be gentle," Brian whispers, easing a finger inside me. It feels foreign but not uncomfortable. Brian starts kissing me again, but this time, he moves his digit in and out of me and fondles my breasts a bit rougher. I try to stifle a moan, and Brian slows down again.
"Never, baby. It's only you and me. Show me how much you enjoy it."
I do. My body is under Brian's spell, and it takes me only a moment to feel the pleasure so intense my toes curl. I moan without holding back, and Brian kisses his way up my body, wrapping his lips around my sensitive nipple.
I slide my hand into his boxers and then undress him completely. Brian doesn't tear his mouth away from my breasts when I start touching him, moving my hand over his hardness, teasing him the way he teased me. I pull him up so that his face is level with mine and kiss him hard when I feel him close, caressing his tongue with mine and nipping at his lips.
"Leah," he moans when the pleasure takes over his senses the way it did over mine.
I cradle Brian to my chest and place tiny kisses all over his face while he comes down from his high.
"Happy Birthday," I whisper, caressing Brian's jaw.
He looks at me and cups my cheek. "Thank you, baby."
We don't get dressed. Brian presses my naked body to his under the comforter, and the kisses restart, more passionate than before.
Neither of us can get enough.