Reclusive- s.r

thirteen

December 29th

11:58 pm

In the darkness of my room, I watch as the minutes tick by on my phone screen, waiting for the clock to hit midnight. Spencer is fast asleep beside me, his arm draped across my waist as he breathes quietly. Something that I've always done is wait until the clock hits midnight on my birthday, then sneak downstairs while everyone is sleeping and eat the cupcake I had bought myself.

12:00 am

I smile as the nine becomes a zero, marking the start of a brand new day. A day that just so happens to be the one I was born on. My birthday. As of right now, I am officially twenty-one years old, and it feels great.

Now, the hard part. With Spencer tangled up with me, it's going to be difficult for me to get away, especially since his grip has tightened on me now that I've tried to wiggle away. I glance over my shoulder to see his eyes still closed, but his lips turn up slightly at the corners.

"You're not asleep, are you?" I ask, narrowing my eyes to try and get a better look.

His eyes stay closed, but the only indication I get that he's listening is a hum, and his smile grows even wider. He shakes his head and pulls be closer to him, placing a kiss on my cheek.

"Happy birthday, Vega," he whispers right into my ear. I wiggle around in his grasp until I can turn around, now facing him. I can't make out anything except the sharp features of his face, mostly his cheekbones and his jawline, and the adoring expression he has on his face when he looks at me.

"Don't I get a birthday kiss?" I ask hopefully, smiling kindly at him, puckering up my lips and waiting for him to kiss me. He chuckles and leans forward, giving my lips a fleeting peck before pulling away entirely. "That's all? Come on, give me a real one."

He cups my cheeks and gives me the kiss I wanted, a real kiss. I smile against his mouth, and I feel him do the same, cringing when I feel my teeth knock against his and I pull back.

"Do you want a cupcake?"

"Depends. What kind?"

"Chocolate," I respond. This has him grinning at me, sitting upright and pulling me with him and we try to approach my door as quietly as possible. I place a finger on my lips and shush him quietly, "We have to try not to wake anyone else up."

I tiptoe down the stairs first, helping Spencer step on the corners of the steps that don't creak under pressure. When we finally make it down to the bottom of the stairs, I use the flashlight on my phone to walk into the kitchen, dragging him into the kitchen by his arm and opening the fridge. The only light in the kitchen is the one coming from the refrigerator, and I reach for the small box at the back and place it on the counter.

I grab a small candle from the cupboard, and a lighter, placing the candle on the top and lighting it. Spencer whispers a very out-of-tune version of happy birthday and when I close my eyes, I wrack my mind of what to wish for this year. The only thing I can think to wish for is that once this year ends, I'll be living in DC getting my PhD this time next year. I blow out the candle and toss it in the trash bin, turning around to see Spencer standing behind me, and I hoist myself up onto the counter.

"What'd you wish for?"

I smile at him teasingly, "I can't tell you, silly. It won't come true."

"You believe in that? There's no way to know if that's true." My mouth falls open, because of course he's the kind of guy that doesn't believe in wishes. He has a scientist brain.

"I don't want your negative energy, get away from me," I shove him playfully and pull the paper away from my cupcake, taking a bite of it. I can feel the icing on my nose before Spencer sees it, and in the blue light from the fridge, I can see him smile as he wipes it away with his thumb.