Page 17 of Piece By Piece

Daddy said a bad word and I heard him turn on the faucet. Then he picked me up, placed me on top of the kitchen counter, and pulled both of my hands under the cold water. That made my burns hurt even more but when I tried to pull them away, daddy held them in place.

“Keep them there,” he ordered. He grabbed a towel and took the burned cake out of the oven. He gave it a long look, then shook his head as if he was disappointed at it and threw it into the trash. Along with the dish.

I was glad I was already crying because I would’ve started then if I hadn’t already.

Then daddy started pacing. He hasn’t stopped. I’m still sitting on the counter, keeping my hands under the cool water as I watch him walk back and forth. I’m still crying, scared of what he might say. I don’t want him to yell at me. I really didn’t mean to make a mess. I just wanted a birthday cake.

When daddy finally walks over to where I’m sitting and reaches out, he does so to cradle my face gently. Not to punish me. I hold very still as he looks at me and try to stop crying.

In the end, he sighs and leans down to give my forehead a long kiss. “Happy birthday, Princess,” he whispers. I cry a little more when he pulls away and I see that he has tears in his eyes too. If there’s one thing worse than making daddy angry, it’s making daddy sad.

I want to apologize but I can’t speak. My throat is hurting and closed off completely. I can’t saya word.

Chapter 11

Aliena

“Don’t say a word. I can tell you want to ask again but the answer stays the same, I won’t tell you where we’re going,” Lily cuts me off before I can even formulate the question for the fifth time. We’ve been in the car for forty minutes and I don’t recognize our surroundings anymore.

I hate surprises. I trust my friend though, so I guess I’ll do as I’m told.

“Now, tell me about your day. All we’ve talked about so far is what will happen later,” she adds. I just shrug.

“Didn’t really do anything so far,” I lie before my brain even registers the deception. I’m not even sure why I’m keeping my visit to the gallery a secret from her. It was fantastic and I should be bursting at the seams with the need to talk all about it.

But she’d ask me how I managed to go, and I’d have to tell her that Sebastian got me an invitation. Then I’d have to tell her why he’d do such a thing and I have absolutely no idea what to say to that since it’s a widely-known fact that he and I cannot stand each other. Not really.

“You’re a bore. What would you only do without me?” She sighs dramatically I shove her shoulder. “Careful, I’m driving!” she exclaims. I ignore her.

“Without you, I’d still go to parties with cheap beer and crackling stereos. So thanks for getting a very awesome, very preppy boyfriend with very useful ties,” I tell her.

“You forgot to mention that you’d be absolutely devastated. Don’t forget about that part,” she adds. I roll my eyes.

“Yes, yes, I would be in pieces.”

“I know. Now, we’re here, look!” she says, motioning to the spa right in front of our parking space. I look over at her, feeling a little guilty.

“Lily,” I start but she cuts me off.

“Don’t even, Aliena. I know what you’re going to say. That I didn’t have to do this and that you’d be more than happy to just drink cheap wine with me on my couch and blah, blah. Just accept that I’m conveniently using your birthday as an excuse to go to the spa, okay?”

“I can never pay you back,” I tell her, hating how self-pitying I sound. My friend places a gentle hand over mine.

“I don’t care about that, A. You know that. Now, can we please go inside? I booked us a couples massage. I hope it’s okay that I asked for a male masseur for you.” With a wink, she leaves the car while I scramble after her, laughing to myself.

This woman.

And so we get a couples massage. And no, I don’t mind having a male masseur but not for some questionable reasons. I just like the feeling of big hands on me, and I prefer a lot of pressure. It gets awkward asking a tiny woman to knead me more thoroughly again and again until I eventually have to accept that she simply doesn’t have theright leverage and strength for that. The guy working on my muscles today does wonders to relax me.

“All right, what’s next on your plan?” I ask, my words almost slurred with how blissed out I feel. My friend smiles at me and pulls me deeper into the building.

“We get our nails done. I don’t remember the last time you painted yours. Meanwhile, you have such fantastic, natural long nails. They’re wasted on you,” she complains.

“I just have other priorities. And yes, please take them. They grow too fast, it’s always such a waste of time to shorten them.” If I got a dollar for every time someone commented on how jealous they were of how I could grow out my nails, I’d live in a much better apartment.

“I don’t know how I put up with you,” she huffs, even as she throws an arm over my shoulder.

“You love me. Now, be nice. It’s my birthday.”

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