Page 73 of Hard Count
“Shower, now,” Eli commands her as soon as Nash’s bedroom door opens.
“But I like the way I smell.” She winks at me. I shake my head. She’s going to give that man a run for his money.
He grabs the back of her neck and in a whoosh he has her pressed against his chest. He whispers in her ear and her knees wobble. “You can use the shower first,” Eli says, then closes my door.
I’m not sticking around to listen to whatever they’re about to do. I send Nash a text to see where he is and then dig through his clothes for something I can wear home.
NASH:
Running errands.
How are you feeling?
ME:
There is a marching band pounding away in my head but I think I’ll feel better once I shower and eat.
NASH:
I’ll feelbetter once I see you for myself.
Shower and then meet me back at your place. I'll pick up food.
Your keys are on my dresser.
ME:
OK. I’ll need 20 minutes.
I shower quickly and get dressed, twisting my wet hair in a bun. Before I leave I grab a few protein bars and an electrolyte drink from their fridge. I know he’s picking up food but my stomach is sloshing around so much even the short car ride doesn't sound like a good time.
I notice Nash’s car in one of the visitor spots when I pull in but he’s not waiting in his car.Maybe he’s in the hallway.I race up the stairs as fast as my legs will allow in his sweatpants. Hmm…he’s not outside either. He could have run to the market around the corner. It’s within walking distance. Frankie and I go there all the time when we have random food cravings.
When I push the front door open, I send balloons flying everywhere. There has to be at least a hundred of them filling the entire living room of my apartment. “Hi,” Nash says, letting a yellow balloon deflate in his hands. He tosses it on the coffee table and rushes toward me where I’m frozen in the doorway.
He closes the door behind me, kicking a few balloons out of his way. “What’s all of this?” I ask, as he places a hand on my back moving me into the room and out of the entryway.
“It’s your birthday party. Yourrealbirthday party.” He waves a hand in front of me. Strands of ribbon dangle from the ceiling in every direction. I maneuver my way between them and notice that some have photos taped at the bottom.
"There’re so many," I remark. Tears begin to fall from my eyes. He did all of this for me. No one has ever gone to this much effort on my birthday before.
Some of the pictures I've never seen before. Did my dad help him? A new wave of tears form. They start with me as a baby. I get older the deeper I walk into the living room. Eventually I find photos of me and Nash. There are a few from our first date, selfies we’ve taken here and there, and photos our friends must have taken without us noticing at parties or when we've hung out together at the townhouse.
“You did all of this for me? Why? I told you I don’t like celebrating my birthday.” I run my thumb over a picture of us playing video games at his house.
Nash grazes his fingers down my hairline. “You do like your birthday. You don’t like being forgotten. That isn’t something you’ll have to worry about with me. We’re going to celebrate every chance we get. Are you still hungry?”
I nod as I absorb all the work he put into decorating my apartment. He went to a lot of effort to make me feel special. Nash grabs the bag of food and drink holder from the kitchen counter and brings it into the living room. “They probablyaren’t as good as yours.” He passes me a Styrofoam container of food.
“Burgers. Thank you. This is perfect.”
“Not just any burgers,” he says. I raise an eyebrow as I take my first bite. “They’re birthday burgers. I thought we could make it a tradition since we both love them.” He offers me a shy, boyish smile. He’s so cute. I feel like I’m back in high school on a date with my crush. But he’s not my crush. He’s the man I’m in love with. I just need to be brave enough to tell him.
“I’d like that.”
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He reaches to the side and picks up a small gift bag. “You need to open your first present. Be careful. It’s breakable.”
“You didn’t need to get me anything. All of this is more than enough. Being with you is all I want for my birthday.” I balance my food on one knee and the present on the other. Tossing the tissue paper aside, I peek into the bag and start laughing. “Pickles!” I scream. I kiss Nash on the cheek then race into the kitchen to fix up my burger. “These are my favorite too.”
