The Pact(32)

I sigh, not used to this guilt-tripping tactic from him, even though moments before he had mentioned his roommates being there. “Fine. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes, I just have to freshen up.”

“You’re always fresh, babe,” he says.

“Yeah, yeah.” I hang up the phone. I go home, check the bucket on the bed and discover it’s nearly at full capacity so I dump it out and replace it. That’s all the handiwork I can do for now. Then I change into a bright yellow shimmering dress that shows off my tan and manages to disguise all the bits that are a bit too soft lately. My hair has somehow kept its shape and curl and so I spray a whack of hairspray on for insurance, quickly apply a strip of subtle but dark false lashes and a swipe of magenta lip tint. I find myself hoping that Aaron doesn’t want sex so I don’t have go through the effort of getting ready all over again and then quickly feel ashamed.

Man, I thought a woman’s sex drive was supposed to go up as she got older, not down. I cringe at the thought but still make my way to the car and drive through maddening traffic to Sunset, where I pull to a stop near 46th and Vincente.

Aaron’s house is a simple two-story with a walk-up to the second floor and a garage underneath. It’s plain – especially since a bunch of guys live there – but because it’s so close to the zoo and the beach, I know the rent is phenomenally high, just like everything in Sunset. There have been a couple of times before I bought my place that I contemplated my future with him and if I should invite him to move in with me. It would help with mortgage and be cheaper for him in the long run, but honestly I don’t think I could do it. It’s not that I want to live alone forever. It’s just I don’t think I could ever live with him.

That thought sobers me a little and causes me to pause on the bottom step. Sometimes when I catch myself thinking like that, I wonder why I bother staying with him if I don’t really see a future together. But then the idea of being alone again and in the city’s dating scene, especially now, freaks me the fuck out and I hate to think of myself as a quitter.

I take in a deep breath, force myself to think happier thoughts, like the glass of wine I can’t wait to have and my friends whom I’ll see later, and head up the stairs.

I knock and he eventually comes to the door, holding a beer.

“You look fucking hot,” he says as he looks me up and down. He puts an arm around me and pulls me closer to him. He’s already drunk which pisses me off because it means I’ll be stuck being the designated driver on my birthday. A cab ride from here would be crazy expensive and I don’t think he’d pay for it.

He kisses me lightly on the lips and then takes my hand, leading me inside the house. It’s dark with the only lights being from the kitchen down the hall.

“Why is it so dark?” I say, looking around the living room. “Where are Chuck and Adam?”

“Sit down,” he says, practically pushing me down on the couch. “I’ll get you a drink.”

I watch him go as his silhouette disappears down the hall. “Nothing too heavy,” I tell him. “I guess I’m driving now.”

“No you’re not,” he yells back.

It’s too fucking dark in here, even the curtains are drawn and none of the street lights can get in. I lean over the couch and turn on the lamp beside me.

There is a split second where my eyes adjust to the light and then I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

It looks like every person I know is standing around me, some crouching, some with their backs against the wall. Linden, James, Nicole, Kayla, Penny. They are all smiling, frozen.

And then Linden bellows, “Surprise!” and someone else screams “Happy birthday, fucker!” and I’m suddenly enveloped by all my friends.

I also think I’ve had a minor heart attack. It takes me a moment to remember to breathe, then to let out a scream of, well, surprise.

“What the hell!?” I cry out, my hand to my chest, looking at all of them. I noticed Chuck and Adam are here, as well as Ben, Nicola’s new boyfriend, Caroline and Dan, who work at the Lion for James, and Aria, my co-worker from All Saints.

This is one of the most amazing things that have ever happened to me. Something so simple – gathering a bunch of people I know in the room – but it means the world.

Nicola pulls me into a hug. “Your face was amazing.”

James slaps my back. “That was so hard not to say anything, I can’t believe you fell for it.”

My heart beats rapidly in my chest from the commotion and Linden comes over. “Happy birthday, baby blue.” Before he has a chance to hug me – or perhaps that was never his intention – Penny grabs my wrists and pulls me toward her.