With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 8

"AUDREY! DIRTY THIRTY!" Macy screamed. 

Everyone fell silent and watched as Macy ran towards Audrey.  

"It's 12:01! Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed, when she reached Audrey and Sergio. 

"Is it really your birthday?" Sergio asked. 

"Yeah, but it isn't a big deal." Audrey felt a little embarrassed. This was a small group of strangers.  She felt silly that now all eyes were on her and they would more than likely, feel obligated to show her extra attention.  She wanted to strangle Macy and made sure that her annoyance reflected in her eyes when she looked at her friend. Macy just smiled back at her, victoriously, like she had achieved some great feat. 

Sergio made his way towards the bar and returned with a bottle of champagne.  

"Of course it's a big deal! Macy said it was....Dirty Thirty....is that what she called it?"

Bashfully looking at Sergio, Audrey shook her head in confirmation. 

"Well then, let's pop this baby open! I have been saving it for a special occasion and I can't think of any occasion more special than this." he said, as he worked on opening the bottle. Filling glasses and making sure that everyone had one, he raised his in the air. 

"I knocked someone out tonight, but I got to meet a beautiful woman. I would say that in itself makes it a successful night, but now I get to celebrate a milestone with that beautiful woman. Happy Birthday, Audrey!" Sergio said, beaming at her.  The group raised their glasses, clanked them together, and with a cheer, wished Audrey a happy birthday. 

****

"Are you cold?" Sergio asked.

"A little, yes." Audrey answered.

"Let me go grab a sweater. I will be right back." he said, turning towards the house and disappearing inside.

The small house party was pretty much over. All of Sergio's friends, with the exception of Karim, had left. Karim and Macy were on the other side of the yard making out. Audrey couldn't help but laugh to herself. Her best friend had always been boy crazy, but was terrified of commitment. Audrey used to think she was crazy, but after Jake, thought that maybe her friend was on to something. If you never got attached you couldn't get your heart broken. Maybe she should aspire to be more like her friend. Macy had always been carefree and didn't seem to be afraid of anything, aside from the commitment issue that she harbored.

Audrey looked back in the direction of the house when she saw that Sergio was returning. He was carrying two steaming mugs, a sweater, and a blanket.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, please" she answered, reaching up and taking one of the mugs.

"I wasn't sure how you took it, but I added a little cream. If I was wrong, mine is black and we can start from scratch." he winked at her. The butterflies returned and her heart sped up slightly. Sergio was possibly the most gorgeous man she had ever seen and right now all of his attention was focused on her. 

"A little cream is perfect. Thank you."

He handed her the sweater and she quickly put it on. She was chilled more than she realized. The warmth of the material covering the top half of her body was very welcoming. It looked like some kind of fan memorabilia for a sports team or something along those lines. It was black, full zip, and had an emblem of some sort on the left breast along with the Adidas emblem on the opposite side. Regardless of what it was, it was soft and smelled of Sergio, so she buried herself inside of it.

Sergio settled back down on the oversized, cushioned lounge chair next to Audrey. He had also put on something warmer. His sweater was identical to the one that she was wearing, but his was white. Audrey thought to herself that it was definitely fan gear for his favorite team; as he seemed to have plenty of it.

"Is that better?" Sergio asked. He proceeded to spread the blanket across them.

"Yes, thank you."

Audrey looked up to see Macy and Karim head into the house. Sergio saw them as well and let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

"I guess we were right. They seem to like each other....a lot" he laughed.

It could have been a direct result of the birthday champagne, the fact that she found Sergio damn near irresistible or that they were alone now, but Audrey felt brave. She felt unlike her normal, cautious self. Never one to make a move on a guy, let alone the first move, she just wanted to be closer to him. With that, she linked her arm through his and snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't back away at all; instead, he grabbed her hand and locked his fingers through hers. He rested his head on hers and let out a comfortable sigh.

"What's your favorite animal?" Audrey asked, breaking the silence.

"A horse. I have loved horses since I was a child. You?"

"Elephants. They are adorable." she giggled.

"It looks like you got your wish, Sergio." She pointed towards the eastern sky, where the first signs of the sun were beginning to show.

"Happy birthday, Audrey."

"Thank you, again for everything. Thank you for saving me tonight."

Sergio gently kissed the top of her head.

"You were worth it."

Audrey could feel her eyes getting heavy. She cuddled closer to Sergio. He wrapped his arm around her and she knew that she was supposed to be right here, in this very moment. She closed her eyes, happier than she had been in a long time.