Together We Heal (23 page)

WE WENT BACK
to the arcade and played until all the quarters were gone. After that we just wandered through the mall and went into any stores that went wanted to and left without buying anything.

“Getting those quarters tapped me out,” I said.

“That’s okay. I’m just getting ideas for your birthday so I can save up,” he said and I wanted to strangle him for mentioning it again. He just wasn’t going to let it die.

I did cave when we went into Sephora and got some new eyeliner. I couldn’t help myself. Makeup was a compulsion. Max needed a new set of earbuds, so he got those as well and we made fun of people in the Apple store.

By the time our feet were sore and we were malled out, it was time for dinner.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked.

“I’ve got that planned too,” I said. When he planned our dates, they lasted an entire day so this was no exception. I’d asked Lottie if I could use her kitchen for a few hours and she agreed, saying it was high time she and Zan went out to dinner. I had the key to their place and we headed there after the mall.

“You’re making me dinner?” Max asked as if I’d suggested that we take a stroll on the moon.

“Yup. I’m not much of a cook, but I can do this.” I’d searched Pinterest (the world’s greatest time waster) for recipes that were simple, but seemed fancy. I’d settled on grilled cheese with brie and jam and French onion soup. I read the instructions so many times I’d memorized them.

“Now go sit down and let me make dinner like it’s 1950 and you’ve just come home from work,” I said, grabbing one of Lottie’s aprons and tying it around my waist.

“That is so sexy. Why is that apron so sexy?” he said, craning his neck over the back of the couch to look at me.

“Shut up and watch television,” I said, snapping my fingers at him to turn around.

“Yes, my dear,” he said and I could tell he was smirking. He flipped on the TV and started watching something on SyFy.

NOTHING WENT WRONG
with the dinner. Somehow. I didn’t burn anything, or screw anything up and it came out perfect. Or at least it was pretty damn good judging by the noises Max made when he was eating. They were very similar noises that he made when he was having an orgasm.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” I said after a particularly vocal moan.

“This is so fucking good. You have to make this again. Like, at least once a week.” His mouth was full, but it didn’t matter. Manners weren’t all that important to me.

“We’ll see. I’m not sure if Lottie will let me use her kitchen every week. But maybe I can get a crock pot and one of those little grill things and make this in your dorm room. It would definitely be against the rules, but we’re both rebels.”

“Amen to that,” he said, raising his sandwich. I picked mine up and we bopped them together as if we were doing a toast.

When the last of the food was consumed and the leftover soup put away (I promised to leave some for Lottie and Zan), we cuddled on the couch and watched random shows. There was something to be said for the comfort level you could achieve with another person. I’d never thought I would get there with Max, but here I was with my head on his chest and his arm around me. Just doing nothing. It was perfect.

“I something something, Max,” I said.

“I something something, too, Trish,” he said. That was enough. For now.

SHE KEPT BUGGING
me about my birthday and I kept bugging her about hers and it was a nice little fight we seemed to keep getting in. Not really a fight, exactly. Trish and I rarely really fought and we’d never had a knock-down-drag-out. I knew we would eventually. It was only natural to fight. Trish was a fighter by nature, so it was a wonder we hadn’t had one of those yet.

My birthday finally arrived and she woke me with a hand job. Best. Birthday. Ever. And it had barely started.

“Happy Birthday, Max,” she said, giving me a sleepy smile.

“Will you let me go down on you?” I blurted out. She just laughed and then I yanked down the covers and went to work. Seriously, best birthday ever.

I was lucky that it fell on a Sunday, so we had the whole day. We’d both gotten time off work for it. I didn’t know what she had planned, but if it was anything like our arcade date, it was going to rock.

Our morning was spent getting breakfast at the little pie place Will had showed us when he first got together with Audrey, stuffing our faces with pie and telling the owner, Bea, that we were full and couldn’t eat any more. She still sent us on our way with two pies. One strawberry and one peanut butter cream.

“That pie was a mistake,” I said, groaning as I sat in the car while Trish drove.

“Pie is never a mistake,” Trish said. “Your face is a mistake.”

“Man, kick a man on his birthday,” I said, pretending I was hurt.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “You can take it.” I could. I could take whatever she wanted to dish out to me.

“Mean, you’re so mean to me,” I said and she just rolled her eyes.

I had the feeling that we would end up at Stryker and Katie’s and we did. There was a giant banner that said:
CONGRATULATIONS ON SURVIVING 19 YEARS OF LIFE
, which I was sure Simon had made. Stryker had done cool caricature and cartoon drawings of me and put them around and there was a blue theme to match my hair. It was fucking perfect.

“You’re just the best, you know that,” I said to Trish, giving her a huge hug.

“You were literally just calling me mean a few minutes ago,” she said, but she was smiling.

It was just me, Trish, Stryker, Katie, Simon, Brady, Will, Audrey, Lottie, Zan and Owen. I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time with Owen lately, but he was my oldest friend and I thought it was super sweet of Trish to invite him. He was looking a little overwhelmed by everyone, but they all embraced him like they embraced everyone who was new. Just sucked them in added them as if they were always there. I’d never met people quite like that and it gave me faith in humanity.

A cake with blue ombre frosting on it was brought out and everyone sang for me. I blew out the candles and made one secret wish.

Drinks were brought out and I declined alcohol and just went with soda to go with the cake.

“Oh my God, I think I just came,” Katie said around a mouthful of cake. “Baby definitely likes sugar.”

“Be careful, you don’t want to get gestational diabetes,” Stryker said, staring at the size of her piece of cake.

Katie rolled her eyes.

“Look, I’ve basically been eating grass for the past few weeks. One piece of cake isn’t going to undo it,” Katie said, sticking her now-blue tongue out at him. I’d noticed that there were some new books on the coffee table; they looked well-read and they all had to do with pregnancy. Guess Stryker had been doing a lot of learning.

After cake, Trish grabbed my hand and dragged me downstairs, with everyone else following us behind like they were all in on the same secret.

“What did you do?” I asked Trish as she tugged me around the side of the apartment.

“That,” she said, pointing to a car with blue flames along the sides.

“Is that a fucking DeLorean?” I asked, my voice squeaking in my shock. Trish beamed at me and bounced up and down on her heels.

“Yup.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said. The car was sitting there right in front of me, but it didn’t feel real. This couldn’t actually be happening.

Trish dangled a set of keys in front of my face and I looked down at her. My mouth had dropped open.

“Don’t just stand there, take her for a spin,” Stryker yelled out and I turned to see all of them standing about ten feet away and grinning like fools.

“I’m guessing you had a hand in this,” I said to Stryker.

“I might have helped a little, but Trish did some of the work herself. I taught her a few things,” he said with a wink as he put his arms around Katie.

“You?” I asked, turning my attention back to Trish.

“Just a little,” she said, holding up two fingers and pinching them together.

“I so much,” I said, gathering her into my arms and wrapping both arms around her back. I just wanted to hold her forever. “You’re just the best thing ever.”

“You gonna let me go so we can drive around in your new car?” My new car. What the actual fuck.

I snatched the keys from her and we ran to the car. I got in and found a few more wrapped presents in the backseat.

“You can get to those later,” Trish said. “Gun it, baby!” I turned the car on and the engine roared just like I hoped it would. This car sounded like sex.

“Phew,” Trish said as I shifted into first gear.

“What? Were you worried it wasn’t going to start?” I asked, half joking.

“Yes,” she said and I could tell she was serious.

“Shit, is this safe to drive?” I asked as I slowly drove the car past our friends who all waved and smiled as we went by.

“Yes, it’s safe. Stryker checked it. And hey, if you get stranded, he can just come get you. I think he’s going to invest in a tow truck and start towing on nights and weekends for more money.” Like he didn’t have enough shit going on already. When the hell did he sleep?

“Damn.”

“Pretty much. He said I could borrow it and pick up some of the tows for cash, which is pretty sweet. Then I could cut back hours at the fabric store and I wouldn’t have to deal with Claud’s shit anymore. But then I’d see less of Lottie, so who knows.”

The car ran fine, but I waited until we got out to the highway before I opened it up and really let it go.

The thing drove like a dream. It was everything I could have asked for and more.

“I fucking love this car,” I said as I slammed my foot on the gas and the car listened to me as if it was an extension of my body.

“I fucking love that you love this car.” Wow, she said the word. It was rare for her to use it at all, in any context.

“I fucking love that you fucking love that.” She laughed.

“We could keep going with this forever.” I didn’t know if she meant the “fucking love” part or the driving in the car part. I could do both.

“Would you? Go forever with me?” I asked.

She turned her head to the side, considering.

“Maybe. We’ll see,” she said, which was a good enough answer for me.

I pushed the accelerator and she screamed as the car shot forward.