Forget Yesterday

“Two large breakfasts! And happy birthday, Alex,”

Alex looked up at the waitress, a little startled, but smiled anyway.

“Thanks, this looks great,” Alex said honestly.

A full fried breakfast of sausages, bacon, hash brown, toast, baked beans, scrambled eggs and cooked tomatoes? Hell yes!

Rian snickered as the waitress beamed at him, making Alex narrow his eyes at his best friend.

“You totally told her it was my birthday to get discount on the bill, didn’t you?” Alex accused.

Rian just shrugged. “Either way I’m paying for your birthday breakfast, so you can’t complain,”

Alex thought about it for a minute before shrugging as well. This was a tradition for Rian and Alex (and Zack as well, but he was opening up the bookstore today and couldn’t make it), to have a birthday breakfast together. And while Alex didn’t celebrate his birthday any further than, for personal reasons, he knew that in four days time on Rian’s birthday the three of them would eat breakfast together and then go out to a bar or to a movie or even both that night. And that they would do the same in April for Zack’s birthday.

Today was going to be good. Alex could feel it. It had been a whole amazing week since his first date with Jack, the two of them going out again nearly every night, sometimes to dinner, once to a movie and once to an art gallery, and Alex was having the time of his life. He’d never had such an instant connection with anyone before, and although they’d yet to kiss, Alex couldn’t wait for this ‘relationship’ to continue. Yeah, he was that positive about it. Normally he would’ve been worried about falling so fast for someone, but with Jack it just felt right. With Jack, it felt perfect.

Nearly an hour later, when they’d finished breakfast, Rian was driving Alex to work, seeing as he was only working the afternoon shift in the pet store.

But what Alex saw when he walked into the tattoo studio was the last thing he expected – balloons were on every surface, there were birthday banners everywhere and even Ryan was propped up behind the counter with a birthday hat on top of his head, looking as bored as ever.

“Rian…” Alex warned his best friend.

Rian just grinned. “WE’RE HERE!” he yelled.

In an instant Vinny, Brendon and Pete came out of their tattooing rooms, throwing confetti everywhere with grins on their faces. Alex just cursed under his breath.

“Just because you two are officially boyfriends now, doesn’t mean you can do this!” Alex hissed, pointing between his boss and his best friend.

“Ah lighten up Lex, we like birthdays,” Vinny laughed, wriggling his eyebrows.

“And although we can’t drink on the job, because somebody insists it, we’re still going to celebrate today!” Pete whooped.

“You know I don’t like celebrating, Ri. You know damn well why,” Alex muttered.

“I know, babe, but they all wanted to celebrate with you – maybe this is part of the fresh start you need?” Rian said softly, smiling sadly.

Alex swallowed heavily, biting his bottom lip. Rian had a point. It wasn’t just Danny he needed a new start from. No, there was more than that, going further back than his piece of shit ex-boyfriend. Maybe Rian was right.

“Fine. But I don’t want to go overboard,” Alex eventually sighed.

“Should I hide the strippers and the bubble machine?” Pete asked Vinny hesitantly.

“You w-what?” Alex spluttered.

“Yeah, that would be a good idea, Pete,” Vinny grinned.

Alex just groaned, running a hand through his hair. Everyone laughed at his frustration – even Ryan cracked a smile.

“If it makes you feel any better, your birthday present from us is a tattoo on the house. We can do it when we close for lunch, if you want,” Brendon told him, smiling wide.

“A free tattoo?” Alex asked, eyes wide.

“Told you he’d appreciate it,” Rian said to Vinny.

*

The hours passed until lunchtime reached them, Rian and Ryan staying behind the counter discussing the finer points of Russian literature (Alex stayed well away from them, not just because of the name confusion) while everyone else got on with their jobs. While the confetti had been swept up, the balloons and banners were still everywhere. When Vinny had closed the shop for an extended lunch of two hours, which would get at least most of the birthday tattoo done, and after Ryan and Brendon had left to go get everyone some food and drink, Alex sat down with Vinny and Pete, Rian sitting not too far away (because he still hadn’t gone to work).

“So, have you thought about what you want?” Vinny asked cheerfully.

“Um, kinda?” Alex offered.

“Well that’s more than what some customers have – spill,” Pete grinned.

Alex laughed nervously and nodded.

“Well I love Halloween, so I was thinking something themed around that. Um, maybe, like a skeleton dressed in a skeleton costume?” Alex suggested.

Vinny and Pete looked at each other for a few seconds before grinning.

“That’s brilliant!”
“Oh we can so work with that,”
“The skeleton can be holding a skeleton mask!”
“And be holding a trick-or-treat pumpkin!”
“Great!”

Alex’s eyes widened at the rapid fire of conversation between the two artists, Rian laughing in the background.

“Can I free-sketch it on your arm? It’ll be a lot easier that way,” Pete asked hopefully.

“Um, sure,” Alex nodded.

The artists at his previous shop hadn’t been this enthusiastic, that was for sure.

Half an hour later, Alex was sitting in Vinny’s work room, having just had the outline of the tattoo drawn on by Pete. Pete had gone out the back of the shop for a cigarette and to talk to his on-and-off lover Patrick, so Vinny would take over the tattoo for now.

Just as Vinny started to fill in the colours, there was a knock on the door. Rian.

“Um, sorry to disturb but Jack’s here to see Alex. And he’s kinda surprised, shocked and pissed that Alex didn’t tell him it was his birthday,” Rian said softly.

Alex winced. Whoops. He didn’t realise that with all his hatred of celebrating this day that he’d neglected to tell Jack.

“Well, the both of you can come in here, I guess. I’m not supposed to but…”

“Ryan and Brendon are making out behind the counter and Pete’s still talking to Patrick, so they won’t notice,” Rian said simply, interrupting.

Vinny grinned. “Bring him in then,”

30 seconds later, Jack walked into the room. Like Rian had said, his face was a mixture of surprised, shocked and pissed off. Alex winced again.

“Uh, hi?” Alex offered.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was your birthday?” Jack immediately pouted, sitting in a chair right next to Alex.

Rian sat on one in the corner behind Vinny.

“It slipped my mind?” Alex said awkwardly.

“Alex! You’re important to me! I want to celebrate things like this with you!” Jack whined.

Vinny and Rian snickered, Vinny starting work on the tattoo again. Alex just blushed lightly.

“Well…now you know,”

“I think you should let me take you to dinner to celebrate,”

“How about no?”

“How about yes? I know you’ve been wanting to go to that Indian restaurant since it opened a few months ago and you haven’t had the chance yet. I might know someone to get us a reservation…,”

Alex gritted his teeth. This wasn’t fair.

“I don’t like celebrating,”

“With me you might,”

“I…but…I…fine,”

“Really?” Jack asked hopefully.

“Yes, fine. Don’t make me regret it,” Alex sighed.

Jack grinned and hugged Alex tightly, making Vinny and Rian laugh hysterically, while Vinny batted Jack away so he didn’t jog the tattoo.

“Wow, you must mean a lot to Alex for him to let you celebrate,” Rian mused.

“What do you mean?” Jack frowned.

“Alex hasn’t celebrated his birthday since he was 18,” Rian admitted.

Jack and Vinny looked at Alex in shock. Alex just shrugged.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Alex said simply.

“But you’ll still let me take you out to dinner?” Jack asked hopefully

Alex sighed but nodded. Clearly this meant a lot to Jack, even if it didn’t mean a lot to him, so he could give Jack this. Relationships were about giving, right? Even potential ones.

“Ahh we’re going to have so much fun, I promise,” Jack said happily.

A dirty smile spread across Alex’s lips – Rian grimaced, Vinny laughed and Jack blushed heavily.

“I didn’t mean like that,” he mumbled.

Alex just grinned and pecked a kiss to Jack’s cheek. He knew today would be a good day.