Page 60 of Freeing Hawk
A video showed them singing the birthday song to him, him blowing out his candles and his excitement as he opened a present from Nikau.
“Ghoul pitched in.” Nikau grinned, proud of himself.
“What?” Angel stared into the small box. “This is too much. I don’t deserve this.”
“You’ve been through a lot in the last few months.” Ghoul could be heard speaking off camera. “For all you do for others, it’s the least we could do. And before you freak out—we found it used, and my crew and I rebuilt it at the shop.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Angel reached into the box and pulled out the keys.
Whoever was filming, zoomed all the way in to show it was the keys to something Ford. I stopped the video and called Eris.
“You look like death,” Eris said when she picked up and saw my face.
“I miss him.” I admitted immediately. “You didn’t invite me to his birthday party.”
“Can you blame me?” Eris asked. “You left. You didn’t even break up with the guy and now you want to come to his birthday party? Do you know what that would have done to him? I mean,surprise! Oh, by the way, the ex that didn’t really break up with you is here.”
I had nothing.
“I’m your friend and I love you. But what you did was fucked up.”
“You already told me that.”
“So, you heard that?” Eris asked. “Because your ass is still in Tulsa. I didn’t think you heard me.”
“What am I supposed to do now? How can I fix this?”
“Honestly? I have no idea.” Eris gave me an exhausted look. “There’s too much water under that bridge. If I was Angel, I wouldn’t talk to you ever again.”
“Ouch. Harsh.”
“How long—forget that. Forget how long its been. How many times did he call you? How many messages did he leave for you? You’re telling me since you went back to Tulsa, you couldn’t have called him once and tell him it’s over? Shit, even a text would have given the man some closure.”
I hung my head. “I know I fucked up. I do. But I need my best friend right now.”
“And I’ll be here for you. But what kind of friend would I be if I don’t kick your ass when you do something wrong?” She sighed. “Do you want this man, Hawk? Do youreallywant him?”
“Yes.”
“Then fight.” Eris leaned forward. “Do whatever you need to do to convince him you’ve learned from this. I had to do it with Ghoul. There’s no shame in admitting you did something wrong.”
“Where do I even start?”
“By getting on a plane.” She replied. “You can stay here. I’m sure Ghoul won’t mind you using the guesthouse.”
“I won’t mind who using the guesthouse?” Ghoul entered the room to peer over her shoulder. “Oh, hey Hawk.”
I waved.
He kissed Eris. “Cam and I are heading to the store. Apparently, she’s out of—um…”
“Pads?” Eris asked.
Ghoul groaned. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this.”
Eris laughed. “Go. Can you stop at the store and pick up eggs? I can’t make that cake you want if I have no eggs.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her again. “See you Hawk.”
