Standing in your way

Chapter 39

As soon as I turn my phone back on in the morning the messages start coming in bursts.

Messages that also arrive from people you haven't heard from for years or with whom you are no longer in contact, every birthday is like this, right?

Today I turn 27, not too young but not too old, in the middle I would say.I stare at my phone screen for a good few minutes before I get out of bed and start my day as usual, I'll reply to texts later.

Yes, because I perceive my birthday as just a day like any other but with a year older, which is why I haven't even organized anything for this evening. Sarah and my group of friends insist on at least taking me out to dinner which I don't mind, in fact I'll think about whether to accept or not.

Today I decide to put on a little make-up, just a little mascara and a lipstick to brighten my face, then two sprays of my favorite perfume on my wrists, two behind my ears, brush my hair quickly and I'm ready.

Since putting on makeup took me a bit of time, I rushly go to the kitchen and have a coffee for breakfast, brush my teeth being careful not to get my shirt dirty and I'm ready to go.

I open the door and as soon as I step outside I feel myself stepping on a piece of plastic, I look down and notice that a bouquet of white tulips, my favorite flowers, is positioned at the foot of my door.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise, I look around to see if the sender was still around but I don't see anyone, so I reach down and grab it.

Bringing it closer to my face I notice all the small details of the bouquet, there are daisies and also sunflowers, the flowers are also sprinkled with a bit of glitter.
I notice that hidden among the flowers there is also a note, I reopen the door of the house and return to place the bouquet, then I grab the piece of paper and read what is written on it

"Happy birthday beautiful" I whisper reading the message, a smile spreads across my face along with the growing blush on my cheeks, could it be her doing?
The message was written on a computer so there is no sign of handwriting.

I shake my head, leaving the deck on the table and putting the note in my coat pocket and leave the house again, this time really leaving.

Before getting out of the car I take the note out of my pocket, I reread it again, who could have sent it? I mean, who could have written me "happy birthday beautiful" if not her? She's the only person I know who could do something like that.

I shrug and put the note back in my pocket, I get out of the car and I am hit in the face by the first rays of spring sunshine, fortunately today is a beautiful April day.

When entering the building every now and then I meet some members of the orchestra who stop me to wish me a happy birthday, strangely they all remember my birthday.As I open the door to the rehearsal room I hear someone knocking on my back, I turn and see Kristine with a toothy smile on her face

"Happy birthday Hele!" she opens her arms and throws herself on me making me stagger slightly, I grab her with my arms around her body while I laugh

"Thank you so much Kris" I tell her, she smiles at me and hands me a small bag

"It's a little gift" she tells me, blushing slightly, I look at her raising my eyebrows

"Come on, you really didn't have to, you're too kind" I say, hugging her again, then I pull away and open the bag. It's a small green tennis bracelet, my eyes widen at the sight of the jewel

"Oh my god it's gorgeous" I tell her genuinely admiring the jewel in my hands
I hug her again to thank her, while I notice that Francesca is approaching us

"Happy birthday Helena" she says to me smiling and placing a hand on my forearm, I smile back at her and thank her, as I look at her I notice out of the corner of my eye that Lydia passes behind us in the distance, she doesn't come closer and simply enters the room.

However, the three of us also enter the rehearsal room and begin, as always, another day of work.

---------------------------------------------------

I enter her office without knocking, I just have to quickly leave her some papers that she lent me a few days ago, so I'll be quick

"Sorry, I'm coming in without knocking, I just have to leave these" I tell her, raising the papers in the air to show them to her, she looks up and stares at me with her eyebrows raised.

"Ah yes thanks, leave them there" she points to a corner of her desk, I nod and do as she tells me and then immediately move towards the door

"Where are you going in all this haste?" her voice forces me to stop on the spot, I turn my head to see that in the meantime she has gotten up and is slowly approaching me

"I have some work to do this evening" I tell her, exhaling and playing with my car keys in my hand, she nods and looks me up and down, stopping her gaze on my wrist where I put the new bracelet.

"So are you busy this evening?" she asks me, getting even closer

"No, I don't know-" I start to say

"Great, I want you ready by 7" she interrupts me quickly by raising one corner of her mouth, then without even giving me time to answer, she turns around and sits back at her desk, I frown in confusion without even knowing how to answer

"You can go now" she says inviting me to leave, I snort and leave the room happy but above all confused.

She didn't even wish me a happy birthday, wait but if she didn't wish me a happy birthday then wasn't she the one who sent me the bouquet of tulips this morning?

With more questions than answers I get into the car and grab the phone, along with it I also grab the note which I immediately put away.

I'm writing to Sarah that I'm busy this evening.

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I don't know how many times I've looked in the mirror in the last half hour, this might be the hundredth, but I'm never quite sure of the clothes I've chosen so it's always best to check until the last minute.

"Helena you look great like this, trust me" Sarah repeats to me for the tenth time, I turn the phone camera towards my face and snort

"I'm worried" I tell her, placing the phone on the windowsill of my bedroom, she snorts

"About what exactly?" she asks as I see her making dinner, I shake my head

"I don't know, I've been confused since this morning" I confess to her as I touch up my lip pencil once again, I see she smiles slightly and shrugs

"I don't know who could have sent you that bouquet of flowers" she tells me, I look at her and exhale

"It's freaking me out" I reply, getting out of bed, then I hear the doorbell ring

"Oh shit it's her" I whisper to her, my eyes widening, we look into each other's eyes through the phone and she smiles at me

"Well, have a good birthday evening" she says to me in a low voice and winks at me and then hangs up the call, I put the phone in my pocket and go to the door to open it.
Before pulling down the handle I take a nice deep breath and then open the door.

She's here in front of me, tonight more beautiful than ever with the very dark and intense red jacket and trousers suit, she has nothing underneath the jacket.
I let my eyes wander all over her body for a few good seconds and then meet her surprised gaze, my cheeks paint red

"Good evening," I say to her softly, my voice breaking, I swallow the lump in my throat

"You look gorgeous tonight" she says looking at me from head to toe, my embarrassment and blush become even more intense

"Thank you, you are too, very much" I tell her almost whispering and looking down at my feet, she lets out a laugh and comes closer, wrapping her arm around my waist

"What's all this embarrassment all of a sudden" she tells me laughing as she tries to look for my gaze with her eyes, I laugh slightly placing a hand on her chest

"Nothing, forget it" I tell her meeting her eyes, she licks her lips while her eyes fail to stay fixed on mine, falling down every now and then.
She then approaches my neck and leaves me a kiss, I tighten my thighs at the gesture

"Let's go" she says taking my hand

We arrive in front of her car and, as always, she opens the door to let me in

"Where have you decided to take me this evening?" I ask her looking at her, she shakes her head laughing

"You still haven't learned that I'll never tell you where we're going?" she says raising her eyebrows and looking at me, then she starts the car and we leave.
The other times she picked me up later, so the place she will take me to is perhaps far away.Her hand rests on my thigh caressing it

"Who gave you that bracelet?" she asks, her eyes remaining fixed on the road

"Kristine" I answer her, she hums and licks her lips, I smirk wanting to tease her

"You know, when I thanked her and hugged her she blushed, maybe she had a crush on me" I tell her looking out the window, the hand on my thigh tightens its grip making me almost let out a whine

"Oh yes? Then next time we should show them who you belong to" she says to me this time looking at me, I roll my eyes and turn my head towards the window

"Don't roll those pretty eyes darling" she tells me warningly, I let out a silent laugh biting my lip