An Instant Attraction

Chapter 31

Kristin finds me in the bathroom and somehow gets me back to the car to drive me home. I'm thankful that most of the crowd had cleared out of the food hall and that I'm no longer full-on sobbing when we walk through, although I'm certain that anyone paying attention can still see that I'm a crying mess. She looks at me sympathetically, "I'm not sure what got into him today. I bet it's because of what happened with Rachel. She cheated on him and he's taking it out on you. That was so unfair of him to do on your birthday and in front of everyone like that." I know she's trying to comfort me, but her words just create more tears.

I throw my backpack in my bedroom before going into the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. I catch a glimpse of my reflection and am horrified by the redness and puffiness surrounding my eyes. I decide to jump in the shower, hoping it will help me relax, as I remember that we're supposed to be going out for my birthday dinner tonight. I can't go out looking like this. The warmth of the shower envelops me and actually begins to clear my head. I feel better when I pull back the curtain and emerge from the steam, but the sinking feeling still lingers in the back of my head. I slather myself with lotion and go back to my bedroom to get dressed.

I open my drawers. What I really want to do is pull out my cozy sweatpants and crawl into bed, but I manage to pull together an actual presentable outfit for our dinner tonight. As I find my clothes, my eyes are drawn to the small box on my dresser. I never opened it after Dex disappeared from the food hall. I carefully lift the lid and find two Alex and Ani bangles inside. One has a Boston Bruins charm which gives me a small smile, and the other is a heart shaped charm with the word 'love' written across it in a fancy script. The second makes a few small tears slip out as I wonder if love is even still an option for us.

I debate with myself whether or not to text him. I know he's still at practice anyway, so I type a quick note *Thank you for the bracelets then I set my phone back down. There's a light knock on my door and Kristin pokes her head in. "Mom just texted me, the gift your parents sent arrived. They have it up at the house whenever you're ready," she says with a small smile.

"These are from Dex," I say holding up the small metal circles before sliding them onto my wrist creating a slight clinking noise.

"Have you heard from him at all?" she asks.

"No, but he's still at practice. I don't even know at this point if he'll even call or text, he was really angry when he left this afternoon," I reply trying to keep myself from crying again.

Kristin flashes me a smile, "He needs to get his shit together and apologize, but let's just forget about that for now. We'll get you all fixed up and go have a nice birthday dinner." She helps me hide the remaining redness with a light coat of make-up, then we make our way over to the house to meet Uncle Jack and Aunt Madi.

My aunt greets us when we walk through the front door. "Happy birthday, Mia!" she says with an excited smile on her face. "You got a few deliveries today," she adds pointing to a vase filled with beautiful red and white roses. My fingers reach out, lightly touching the small white envelope attached to the roses. I open it and carefully remove the card, expecting a birthday note from my parents. Instead, I read 'Happy 21st birthday. I love you. -Dex'. I slip the card back into the envelope and somehow manage to keep a smile on my face.

"Your other gift is in the kitchen," Aunt Madi says leading the way. I can't believe my eyes. Kat is sitting at the kitchen island with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face.

"Surprise!" she shouts as I practically run across the room throwing my arms around her. "Mom and Dad thought a little birthday surprise might perk you up, so I'm here through the weekend," she explains. I feel wetness gathering at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to cry anymore today even if they are happy tears. I can't believe my sister is actually here. I need her now more than she or my parents could have realized.

As we gather ourselves together and head for the door, Aunt Madi touches my arm gently. "I hope you're doing okay sweetheart. Kristin mentioned that you had a bit of a rough afternoon. I hope that spending some time with your sister will help," she smiles softly.

"Thank you," I say giving her a quick hug. I appreciate her kindness but I really don't want to discuss my love life with my aunt right now. I look back at my sister feeling a real smile on my face. She looks like me with her sun kissed skin and blonde hair, but she works as a hair colorist and her long blonde locks now have teal and blue tinting the ends where they were previously dipped with pink and purple. She's giving off major mermaid vibes and just looking at her makes me miss the warmth of the California coast.

"I think time with Kat is exactly what I need right now," I tell my aunt.

Dinner with the family ends up being just the thing I needed to turn my day around. I enjoy my first legal drink and they even surprise me with a mini cake at the restaurant, but I do threaten to walk out if anyone starts singing to me in public. I check my phone once at the restaurant, but still no word from Dex. I know practice has to be over by now so he must still be upset. I push it to the back of my mind as I take another bite of my chocolate cake.

Back at the apartment Kristin gives me one more birthday hug before turning in for the night. Kat and I change into comfortable clothes and each find a spot on the couch. We end up sitting up together for most of the night, just chatting and catching up with each other. I decide to skip my one Friday class and spend the whole day enjoying time with my sister instead.