The Silicon Valley Connection

39 | aidan: print ('all bets are off')

Neither of us budges from the cuddled position on my bed.

Holding Faith in my arms like this...feels right. It feels like home.

"Aidan, we gotta get up; the others are most likely waiting for us."

She's right but also wrong. I hadn't planned to keep the birthday girl to myself for this long, as it was supposed to just be a verbal talk about where we stood, but sometimes actions are more effective than words.

I groan into her neck, pulling her waist against my own. "Party pooper. Gimme five more minutes; it's comfortable here."

She wacks me with a pillow from behind. "Absolutely not. I don't want to experience Kacey's wrath because we were late."

"Point taken."

———

With both of us showered and halfway clothed, I grab a new tee from my drawer and toss her

blouse; it lands on top of her hair, mimicking the way her satin bonnets would fit. An annoyed grumble sounds from the other side of the bed, and I laugh out loud.

"Seriously, Aidan? You couldn't have handed it to me like a regular human being?"

I shrug. "I do things differently here. Besides, why bother giving it to you normally when your boyfriend can just put it on your head for you? C'mon Sunshine. It's called working smarter, not harder."

faith

Boyfriend. That word sounded so foreign to me for the longest time, but with Aidan, it has taken on a new meaning--home.

aidan

My phone chimes in my pocket with a message from Nichelle.

NICHELLE: we're ready whenever you two lovebirds are.

I laugh out loud and wrap my arms around her shoulders. "Shall we get going?" I ask, nodding towards the door and intertwining my fingers with hers.

faith

The eerie quiet and semi-darkness surrounding us caused me to raise a suspicious eyebrow at Aidan. "Now, why would you bring me to an empty roller rink?"

A group of voices sounds from in front of us. "Happy birthday, Faith!"

I changed my mind about surprises. They're amazing, especially if they're from the best people.

Nichelle drops an arm around my shoulder. "It was all Aidan's idea. Said it would mean a lot to you if he rented the entire rink for the night."

It does mean a lot to me. More than any of them can imagine.

Kacey pulls me away to a bench and sets my pair of skates in front of me. "C'mon, let's get some girl time with the four of us before he pulls you away from us," she teases.

Whenever a dream would pop into my mind of what genuine happiness felt like, I never thought it would include a group of friends that never failed to bring a smile to my face.

Or that I would find him.

aidan

She's still as beautiful as she was when we first met, but instead of me gazing from afar, she's here. In front of me, holding my hands, skating backward, with her still sinful hips swaying side by side.

We created a melody of our own, and it's a tune I will never get tired of. It'll always be engraved in my mind, on repeat.

Forever.

kacey

I totally saw it coming. Was it long overdue for her to admit it to herself? Yes. But everyone falls in love at their own pace, in their own ways.

soledad

I'm not the type to usually gossip about these sorts of things but based on the way they seem so comfortable skating with each other, smiling and laughing, it's blatantly apparent that they've been at this for a while. Had I wished she told us? Maybe, but some things you just need to figure out for yourself.

nichelle

You've come so far. You deserve this, girlie.

marcus

I wanted to stop her. I really did, but I haven't seen her this joyful since the incident or dealing with all the shit Reid put her through. Sure, she had Nichelle, her family, and me--but she always used her anxiety as a barrier to keep us from seeing the most fragile parts of her.

Faith, I'm going to continue letting you fall in love--allowing that unbalanced force that you hated so much to guide you in a different...and more positive direction.