Only You

Chapter 33: Happy Birthday

A/N:

What we've all been waiting for!! The kiss!!

****

A couple of days later, early Sunday morning, Molly used her emergency key to tiptoe into the quiet house. She walked up the suddenly noticeable creaky stairs, and, at his door, she twisted the knob slowly and carefully.

His room's windows were still covered, so only a little sunlight came in. She walked over to him and stood right over his head. "Payback," she whispered to a sleeping Nick.

She blew the party horn right in his face and called out, "Happy Birthday!"

His eyes shot open. He looked around startled and then focused on a laughing Molly.

His hand on his chest, he almost laughed. "Gosh, Mol."

She sat on his bed and blew the horn again. "Happy birthday."

He brought himself to sit up against his pillow. "Thank you." He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Six-thirty."

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"You started this new tradition of, birthday wake-ups, last year."

"Not this early." He laid back down, covered himself back with the blanket, and closed his eyes. "Don't I get to sleep in?"

"Yeah."

He reopened his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll catch you later."

His jaw dropped. "You just came here to wake me up?"

"No. I came here to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday."

"You're kidding, you're actually leaving?"

She looked at his dumbfounded face and laughed. "No."

He glared at her. "Your jokes aren't funny."

"I wasn't trying to make a joke. I was just poking fun at you."

"You're a lot to take in first thing in the morning."

She squeezed his leg that was under the blanket. "Rude!"

"I'm just poking fun at you," he answered in a raspy morning voice.

She laid across his legs and propped herself up on her arm. "I'm tired."

"What time did you wake up?"

"About an hour ago."

"Why?"

"Bad dream."

"What about?"

"Can't remember. But I couldn't fall back asleep."

"Hence, you're now in my bed, unable to bear the thought that I was sleeping while you were awake."

She turned on her back and laughed. "No. I told you. I dragged myself down the street, in the bitter cold, to be the first one to tell my best friend how blessed this world is to have him here for a full twenty-one years."

He was smiling. "You comfortable?" he asked as he wiggled his legs from beneath her.

"Not when you're moving around like that."

"There's room up here."

"I'm not going to fall back asleep," she replied and turned her head toward him.

"There's still room up here."

She wasn't going to let herself go up there. "Nah, I think I'm stuck here."