𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 [𝟏𝟖+]

026: birthday

I was spraying perfume in front of the full length mirror in my bedroom when Theo opens the door and peeks inside. I have given up on scolding him for his habit of not knocking before entering. He has grown on me now.

"Are you going somewhere?" Theo asks, and enters the room fully.

"Yeah. Remember about my friend's birthday that I told you about?" I say as I apply my lip gloss.

"That's today?"

He covers the distance between us and stands directly behind me. Looking at our shared reflection on the mirror in front of us, Theo wraps his hands around my middle.

"Mm-hmm." I try to ignore the butterflies swarming in my belly as Theo looks at me with nothing but pure adoration in his eyes.

"You look good in red," Theo murmurs and kisses the top of my head. He rests his chin on top of my head gently and his hands slide lower to grab my hips. "When is your birthday?"

"It's gone already."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" He sounds somewhat offended. "I would've gotten you something," Theo says. "...and baked you a cake myself," he adds.

"My birthday was four months ago, Theo." I laugh. "We didn't even know each other back then."

Although, the idea of Theo baking a cake for me sure sounds tempting. Why did he have to put this idea in my head? Now, all I'll be thinking about is Theo adding icing to a cake while his eyebrows are furrowed in concentration because he doesn't want to mess it up. I'm pretty sure his baking skills would be just as good as he cooks.

Theo goes silent for a while. Then he speaks up again. "Is Adrien taking you there?"

"No, I'll drive myself," I tell him. "Sarah's place is not that far." I turn around in his hold and look up at him. "I have been there numerous times before. You don't have to worry." I give him a small smile.

Theo tucks my hair behind my ear and his hand lingers on my face. "What if some creep tries hitting on you?"

I laugh again, thinking he is joking. But then his lips pull down into a small frown which gives me a pause. Who knew Theo could also look so adorable?

"No one would try that. I'll be fine." I assure him again.

When the look of worry is still painted across his face, I lean up on my tip toes and place a kiss on his cheek, hoping it would make him feel better

******

I park the car and look at myself one last time in the rearview mirror. I take a few deep breaths and pick up Sarah's gift that was lying on the passenger seat.

'It's fine. I can do this,' I say to myself. I have been to social gatherings plenty of times before. I should be used to it by now. But I still get nervous at the mere thought of conversing with others.

And it's also partly because I know Noah would be here. Just my luck that he skipped school on the very day I thought I'd speak with him. And now I'd have to face him at Sarah's birthday. But I know this wouldn't be the best setting to talk to him. So I'll just avoid him as much as I can. It's only a matter of few hours until I return home.

'Yeah, should be easy enough. Right...?'

I glance down at the wrapped gift in my hands. It's a pair of new shoes that Sarah's been wanting for a while. I hope she'd like my gift. I won't stay for long, though. Every year she has a grand celebration, inviting the whole of school. This year is no different. I don't know why, but I have a gnawing anxiety building up in my stomach.