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Mariah Johnson | 28
That Same Week
It was my birthday, and Aubrey had taken me out to this new five-star spot downtown.
I wanted to be excited, really, but as I slowly chewed on a piece of banana bread, I realized how little I was feeling him right now.
He'd been off since that night at Amir's school, acting distant and distracted. Tonight was no different. Between calls and nonstop texting, he seemed to be everywhere else but here.
I leaned back, staring out the window beside our table, feeling a chill run down my spine that wasn't just from the cool glass.
I'd rather have stayed home and spent the day with Amir, if this was what Aubrey was going to be like. Ari had offered to watch him, though, so I thought maybe this could be a nice break. Yet, here we were, and he was more glued to his phone than he was to me.
Aubrey finally looked up, setting his phone down as if he was finally ready to talk, but just then, the waitress walked out with a little sparkler-topped chocolate cake in hand. She started singing "Happy Birthday," and soon the whole place joined in.
I forced a smile.
When the singing ended, I sat in the dim glow of candlelight, staring at the decorated words spelling "Happy Birthday" on the cake.
"You gonna make a wish, love?" Aubrey's voice cut through the background noise, pulling my attention back to him. I looked up, holding his gaze as I leaned forward and blew out the candle, the tiny flame flickering out with ease.
But I didn't look away. My eyes stayed locked on his, searching for something I wasn't sure I'd find.
The frustration I'd been pushing down started to bubble up again.
I was ready to go.
Aubrey put his phone down finally, a hint of a smile on his face. "You okay?" he asked, his voice soft like he was trying to feel out my mood.
"Yeah, I'm fine,"
"You sure? I wanted tonight to be special," he said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. His words sounded nice, but his actions all night had been telling a different story.
"Look, if you're busy, we don't have to stay," I said, slipping my hand from his grasp and reaching for my glass of water to avoid looking directly at him.
I could see his expression shift from the corner of my eye, a mix of confusion and concern.
"Nah, I'm here for you. I wanted to make your birthday good,"
I let out a small sigh, deciding to say what was really on my mind. "You've been here physically, but it's like your mind is somewhere else. You've been on your phone this whole time, Aubrey. If that's more important, then I could've just stayed home." I bit my lip, holding back more than I wanted to say, not wanting to turn the night into a full-blown argument.
