Save You Tonight

3.

~May 15, 2016~

I dread this day every year. Not that it was any different than any other normal day for me, but while other people spent their birthday with family and friends and their partners', I spent it alone. The only one to say happy birthday to me was my sister, through a text. Oh and I got an email from my bank saying happy birthday as well. Go me! Kaleb was too busy to remember little things like my birthday or anniversaries. He was always working late anyways and I didn't want to be a pain and ask him to spend my birthday with me. It was just a birthday anyways, not like it's that important anyways.

This year though I had a friend who insisted I have lunch with her. Gemma asked me a few weeks ago when my birthday was and decided then that we would get together. She had picked me up and drove us to this small bistro that had my mouth watering the second we stepped inside. 

"This place smells amazing!" I say enthusiastically as I take my seat, hanging my purse off the back of the chair.

"Wait until you try their food. To die for, seriously." Gemma says, reaching for her menu. "This is on me by the way so get whatever you want!"

"No, I can get my own lunch," I start to protest but she cuts me off.

"No way! It's your birthday. This is one of my gifts to you," she beams at me from across the small table.

"You didn't have to get me anything," I tell her. I hate when people spend money on me.

"I know but I wanted to," she smiles. "We have become such great friends over the last month or so and I'm so glad. And it's nice knowing you aren't just my friend because of who my brother is. Heaven knows I've had a lot of 'friends' that were."

"I'm sorry Gemma.  Even if I did know who your brother was, I wouldn't be friends with you because of that. You are a great person who cares about everyone, and you're fun to be around and you make me laugh, that's why I would be friends with you." I tell her honestly.  It's true, she's been a great friend, not even realizing how much her friendship means to me and how much it means to me that she hasn't judged me once for being so inexperienced when it came to life. She has made it a mission to get me those experiences I missed out on.

"You are too kind! Now this conversation is getting too serious! Do you feel any older?" She laughs and I can't help but smile.  She's always so bubbly and in a good mood. It definitely raises my spirits.

"Nope. I don't feel any different actually," I shrug my shoulders, not sure why everyone asks that question.

"I wish I was twenty three again," Gemma says, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, letting out a long sigh.

I laugh, "you're twenty five Gemma, that's not much of a difference." I shake my head at how ridiculous she is.

"Almost twenty six! That's a lot closer to thirty than I'd like to be!" She cringes and puckers her face in disgust,  making me laugh at her dramatics. Before I could say anything our waitress came and took our orders. I couldn't wait to eat, my stomach was growling just from smelling all the wonderful aromas in here.

"So what's the age gap between you and your brother? Are you younger than him?" I ask out of curiosity. I tried not to talk to much about her brother, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"I'm four years older than him. He just turned twenty two back in February," she tells me.

"I'm sorry for bringing him up, I'm sure you get asked about him enough," I glance down at my water, feeling bad for even asking.