Chapter 252 - The Best Birthday Present
Walking into the Korean restaurant and being assaulted with shouts of "Surprise!" from a table to his left made Aaron jump. He hadn't been prepared for that at all.
Aiden, Cameron, and Jennica all waved at him before yelling "Happy Birthday Aaron!" just as loudly in perfect sync. It looked like Aiden remembered his birthday after all.
"You planned this?" he asked flatly. His underlings had never celebrated his birthday before.
"Nah, I didn't even know when your birthday was. Keeley told me because she had to work. I believe her exact words were 'nobody should eat alone on their birthday,'" Aiden said with a wink in his direction.
That was even more surprising than the thought of Aiden coming up with this idea on his own. Aaron's heart warmed. She was still looking out for him even though she couldn't be here.
"No need to be so sappy about it," Jennica teased, noticing his expression. "Sit down!"
"You are the last person who should be accusing someone else of being sappy," Aiden pointed out.
He had a point. She was currently holding Cameron's hand on top of the table because she couldn't bear not to be touching him at all times. She simply rolled her eyes at him in response.
Aaron had originally thought Jennica was a level-headed individual but after seeing how much of a bridezilla she had been throughout the wedding he wasn't so sure anymore. Tonight clinched it for him—she was looking at him with a dumb, expectant look on her face just like Aiden and Cameron. She was one of them.
"So…" Cameron said, drawing out the word. "Things with Keeley must be going well if she was worried about you being without her on your birthday."
He stared at his friend blankly. "Your point?"
Jennica's eyes flashed with excitement. "She totally likes you! She wouldn't care one way or the other if she didn't. Valentina complained to me the other day that she didn't bother to show up to Ryan's birthday party because she didn't really know anyone else there."
Sometimes he could almost believe that but deep down Aaron knew the truth. Keeley would never think about him in a romantic light ever again. He screwed it up too badly in their first life. She was only being kind.
Right now they were in this strange sort of limbo. They were close but at the same time he had never felt farther away from her because he knew it would never go any further.
The last time they were in a situation like this had been during the first half of their freshman year of college. That closeness had led to a relationship. This would not. She had made herself perfectly clear on the matter.
"I think she's just being Keeley," Aaron said softly.
Nobody else seemed convinced but they dropped it because the waiter arrived to take their orders. They stopped ribbing him after that though, instead talking and laughing about completely random nonsense Aaron couldn't entirely relate to.
He didn't mind though. Even if it was Keeley's idea, his friends showed up today because they didn't want him to be alone on his birthday either. It was one of the very few times in either of his lives that he was glad it was his birthday.
===
Dinner lasted a lot longer than he thought it would because the other three wouldn't stop talking and then he ended up stuck in traffic. Aaron didn't end up getting home until nearly 8:30. At least Keeley should be getting back around now. He needed to thank her.
The apartment was still dark when he arrived so he figured he was the first one back. He nearly went up the stairs to the third floor to change out of his suit when he saw a flickering light in the kitchen.
Candlelight.
Keeley's face was illuminated by the twenty-five (at least he assumed it was twenty-five; there were a lot of them) candles blazing on top of a cake. Noticing he'd spotted her, she turned the light on so he could see better. The cake was blue with green letters reading 'Happy Birthday Aaron.'
His heart nearly stopped beating. The last time she made him a birthday cake was when he turned twenty-one the first time. That was a very, very long time ago.
"Get over here so I can sing to you before too much wax gets on the cake," she insisted with a wave of her hand.
He hurried over and she began singing the birthday song exactly like she had all those years ago. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Aaron, happy birthday to you!"
He knew it was just a part of the song but the 'dear Aaron' bit really got to him. Aaron had a lump in his throat as he blew the candles out and made his wish.
It was the same it had been on his original 18th birthday, that she would be with him for the rest of his birthdays from there on out. He knew it wouldn't come true but couldn't help wishing for it anyway.
Aaron took the few steps it took to get next to her and seized her in a tight hug. "Thank you. And thank you for contacting my friends for me. I really didn't want to have to eat alone."
Her hands on his back trembled after his last sentence. He wasn't sure why but he wasn't about to complain because she held him tighter after that.
They stood like that for a few minutes, simply holding each other. It was the best birthday present he could have received. He never wanted to let her go. It felt right having her back in his arms like this again.
When she finally pulled away, she tucked a strand of hair behind her hair nervously. "I have a present for you."
Aaron didn't need anything else; the cake and her presence was more than enough. But that didn't stop him from accepting the box eagerly. Anything from her would be a treasure, even if it was a bit silly like his favorite mug.
He opened the box and stared at its contents uncomprehendingly. It was a striped newborn onesie.