I'm Just a Kid That Tried Too Hard

A week goes by and it’s my birthday. Saturday morning. November 5th. I shoot out of my bed and into the shower. I just get out when my phone rings. I wrap myself in a towel and answer the phone, “Hello?”

“Happy Birthday Beautiful!” Brad’s voice is extremely loud in my ear, but I don’t mind. “You’re so sweet thank you!” I gush back. I can’t get over how blunt he is with his thoughts, especially his thoughts about me. I’m still trying to adjust.

“So you’re coming out with us tonight right?” he asks with such excitement. I tell him yes and hear a knock at my door. I assume it’s Ariel or Ross because for each of our birthdays we spend it eating breakfast together, so I don’t think twice about answering the door in a towel. I open the door and see a casually dressed Brad. I gasp and in my surprise, promptly slam the door in his face and end the phone conversation.

I open it a moment later realizing what I had just done. “Hey Brad. Come on in. Just, uh, give me a moment ok?” He laughs after he recovers from the shock of seeing his girlfriend in only a towel and her slamming the door in his face. He steps into my small apartment for the first time. Before I can go back into my room, he gently pulls me back to him. I’m tight against his chest so at least there’s no way my towel can drop.

“Happy Birthday Devin.” He mumbles looking me in the eyes. I peck him on the lips lightly, “Thanks sweetie.” He leans down and reconnects our lips with more pressure. I take my free arm and wrap it around his neck and played with the hair above the collar of his shirt. That spot must be sensitive because he starts laughing against my lips. I file that information in my mind for future reference.

I pull away with great difficultly. “I really need to get dressed Brad.” He pouts and backs up a half a step, “I think that you should stay just like that.” I laugh and skip into my room. I casually toss the towel into the hallway after I’m in the safety of my room and I know he sees it. I don’t know where this confidence comes from. I walk into my small closet and try to decide what to wear. After Brad threatening to enter my room because I’m taking too long, I quickly decide to throw on the things that I bought at Victoria’s Secret underneath. Just in case.

I dress in jeans and a cute top, trying to keep it simple. He smiles when I walk back into the room, and swoops in for another hug. I grab a pair of Toms and my jacket before following him out of my apartment. “So, Mr. Marchand, where are we going?” He shakes his head, “I want it to be a surprise!” I slide into his car, “I hate surprises. Please tell me.” He sighs, caving in too easily. “Well, I have the whole day planned out. I talked to your friends Ross and Ariel, and they’re in on it too. Basically, we spend the morning together, they get you, then all of us, plus the team, go out to party.”

I look at him. That didn’t give a single damn thing away. “Gee, thanks for the details.” I say, obviously sarcastic, to him. He laughs and plants a kiss on my cheek, “anytime.” I dramatically wipe his kiss off my cheek, “I don’t want your kisses! I want information!” He laughs some more without giving anything up.

We pull into a Dunkin Donuts and we get some coffees seeing as neither of us are particularly hungry. He then pulls into the local animal shelter. I look at him, my question written on my face. “Well come in and see!” I hesitantly get out and we go inside. The teenage guy at the front desk instantly recognizes Brad and asks for a picture which I take for them.

Then he asks to see Macy. Who the hell is Macy? The next thing I know the boy comes back with a tiny kitten in his hands. He hands the cat to Brad and he looks at me with a proud smile on his face. “This is Macy. Happy birthday.” He hands me the kitten.
It’s a little ball of grey fur. She looks up at me with big green eyes. I inwardly swoon. He bought me a kitten! I am speechless. This is so kind of him. Living alone does get lonely sometimes and this is the perfect thing. I’d always wanted a cat too. No, not like a crazy cat woman but one that would around.

I look at him with a grin so big that my cheeks hurt. “Thank you Brad. This is honestly the best gift I’ve ever received. You’re such a gem.” I lean up and give him a kiss, partly so he can’t see that I’m trying not to cry with happiness. He signs the papers and we get back in the car. I cradle my new kitten in my arms. He looks over at me, “So you like her?” I nod my head enthusiastically.

“She’s perfect!” He nods, seemingly deep in thought. I wave my hand in front of his face, “Hey Brad…what are you thinking?” After a second or two, he smirks. “Let’s go back to my place. I have a hot tub on the roof.” I stare blankly at him, fumbling for any sort of reason not to. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that boost of confidence was gone and I regret wearing the Victoria’s Secret stuff.

Finally, I lamely tell him I don’t have a swim suit. He just shakes his head.
We arrive at his house and we lock Macy in his room so she’s safe. We scurry up to the roof and there’s the hot tub. Brad shamelessly strips down to his boxers and climbs in. He turns around and is surprised to see me still standing out of the tub, fully clothed. “Come on Dev! It’s just me!” I laugh to try to cover up my blush .That’ the problem. It’s him.

Slowly (painfully slow in Brad’s opinion), I take off my shoes and pants, revealing the royal blue lacey piece I was wearing underneath. I can’t even look at Brad. I’m sure I’m bright red. I take off my coat and slip my shirt over my head, showing my matching bra. I finally manage to look up at his face to see his eyes are just about popping out of his head. It makes me feel a bit better.

I climb in and sit next to him, but he wastes no time pulling me into his lap. I smile at him and peck his lips. Instead of pulling back he deepens the kiss. I move to straddle his lap and put my hands on his neck. We stay like that, making out for an impossibly long time.
I start to feel more confident and move one of my hands to his chest and slowly trail my fingers down his body at an impossibly slow rate. By the time I’m at the hem of his boxers I can feel him against me. I smile into his kiss and he lets out the most quiet moan I have ever heard a guy make. It’s extremely attractive.

Of course, as fate would have it, we don’t get any further than this.

We hear someone clear their throat. It scares the shit out of me and I jump off of Brad. I turn around and see Tyler standing there in swim trunks, smirking at us. His eyes wander to me and sees my get up. He’s a guy, why would I expect anything else? Brad takes notice too, “Hey Segs, go get your own girl!” I laugh and curl into Brad’s side. Tyler comes and hops into the tub, “You know, it’s noon. Shouldn’t you be handing her off to her friends?”

Well shit. Both Brad and I forgot all about that. Obviously.