Page 79 of Stuck with You

“I brought you coffee…” he said in a singsong tone, like he knew how much I’d be tempted by it. I drew in a breath, and when I smelled the sharp scent of coffee, I knew I couldn’t resist.

“Okay, okay, I’m getting up.”

I pushed myself upright in bed as Aiden pulled the curtains wide. I squinted from the sudden brightness in the room, but as my eyes adjusted to the light, I gasped. My bedroom was covered in streamers, and there were dozens of helium balloons floating across the ceiling.

“Happy birthday,” Aiden said, a cheeky smile lighting his features.

“You knew!” I accused him.

He laughed and nodded. “Clary, we’ve been in the same class for years. Of course, I knew.”

“Nobody remembers their classmates’ birthdays.”

“You’re not just a classmate. You never were.”

I blushed and tried not to let his sweet words distract me from the fact he’d been keeping all this so quiet. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Why didn’tyousay something?”

I pouted and fell silent. I didn’t say anything about my birthday because I’d been busy feeling sorry for myself. I could hardly tell Aiden that though.

He smiled and passed me the mug of coffee. As I took the cup from him, I immediately forgot what we’d even been talking about.

“Mmm, that’s good,” I said, taking a large sip. Coffee was definitely my biggest weakness in life.

Aiden laughed as he watched me. “I really hope we’re never in a life-or-death situation where you have to choose between me or coffee, because I feel like I wouldn’t have a fighting chance.”

I grinned. “Here’s hoping because I’d really miss you.”

“I know.” Aiden shook his head but was still smiling as he looked at me. “Luckily, that’s not something we have to worry about today.” He leaned across and brushed his lips against mine. Despite the early wake up, this was officially the best start to a birthday ever.

When Aiden pulled back, he settled himself on the bed beside me, giving me a better view of my room. As I considered the balloons and streamers surrounding me, I became curious. “How did you get the balloons in here without waking me up?” They certainly hadn’t been there when I fell asleep the night before.

“Clary, you sleep like the dead,” he said with a snorted laugh. “And while it’s cute as hell, it’s also great for planning birthday surprises. You barely even flinched while I was putting all this up.”

“So, I wasn’t snoring or anything else embarrassing?”

“Well, I didn’t say that…”

“Aiden!” I slapped his arm. “It’s my birthday; you’re supposed to be nice.”

“I didn’t say youdidsnore.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I thought you’d stop being so annoying once we started dating.”

“Please. You love being annoyed by me,” he replied. “I could hardly stop when I know you enjoy it so much.”

“Feel free to stop whenever.”

He paused and placed his hand over his chin, pretending to consider my request before shaking his head. “Nah, it’s far too much fun.”

“So, I’m doomed.”

“Pretty much.” His cheeky smile became more reserved as he shifted slightly on the bed. He reached his hand behind his back and pulled out a small box wrapped in black and white paper. “Anyway, I got you something.”

“What? You didn’t have to do that. Coffee and balloons are more than enough.”

“I wanted to,” he said, passing me the gift.

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