Page 31 of A Little Bit Extra

We spend the next few moments in silence and eat our breakfast. I steal a glance or two, but it’s hard to steal glances when he’s already looking at me.

“What?” I demand. He won’t stop staring.

“I, um…” He’s nervous. He leans forward abruptly and adjusts his position to face me more directly. It's as if doing that makes him feel more confident. “I want to ask you something.”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I watch him anxiously shifting before I reply. “Go ahead.”

“Right.” He nods and gets up from the couch. “Be right back.”

Emmett moves to the kitchen to set his coffee on the counter and throws his now-empty bag in the trash. He opens the pantry, stares into it for a moment, and shuts it. He opens and shuts drawers in the kitchen. Grumblings follow and a curse under his breath, before finally an “AHA!”

He walks back over toward me, holding an envelope. I tilt my head in confusion.

“Here.” Emmett hands me the envelope. “Open it.”

“Now?”

“Please.” He takes a seat next to me. His presence feels considerably closer than it was a few minutes prior.

I take the envelope from him. The front of it is blank, not addressed to anyone. I flip it over, put my pointer finger under the corner of the flap, and rip it open. I pull out a thick piece of cardstock. It’s black with letters in gold foil that read, “You’re invited to Emmett’s 30th birthday party.” I have to move my hand to my mouth to stop myself from laughing.

“What?” It’s his turn to demand.

I remove my hand from my mouth, thinking I’d be okay except what comes out of me is louder than a small chuckle. I’m full-on laughing. Here I was, worrying Emmett might ask me on a date and I’d have to figure out how to tell him no. Instead, he wants me to go to his birthday party.

“Nothing, I just thought that you were going to ask me something different.”

Emmett just stares at me, his eyes fixed on mine, as if silently urging me to provide more details.

“I thought you were…” I pause. Part of me feels vulnerable by revealing this to him. He will know that I was thinking of him like that, except that I wasn’t. Not really, anyway. “...goingtoaskmeonadate.” My words come out jumbled and quick.

Emmett puts his elbow on the back of the couch, resting his head on his hand. He’s just sitting there, staring at me, and it’s currently having the opposite effect on me than it should. I should be able to withstand Emmett. That’s the reason I built this metaphorical 10-foot wall around my feelings. Instead, I’m internally swooning because all it takes is a slight dip in his head and his gaze on me and I’m melting.

“Cassie, if I was going to ask you on a date, you’d know.” I open my mouth to say something in response, but he beats me to it. “But that’s not happening right now. I simply want you to come to my party on Friday.”

I look back at the card. The party is at the Moonlight Club down the street. It’s known for being the place where all celebrities host events and parties.

“I didn’t know it was your birthday.”

He smirks. “Saturday is my birthday.”

“And you’re, um, turning 30?” I ask.

Emmett points to the card that I’m still holding in my hand. “That’s what they tell me. Tyler, Lane, and Max are hosting.”

I nod and I’m not sure what else to say. I haven’t made enough friends out here to be invited to a birthday party. Whenever it’s mine or Lucy’s birthday, we just stay home, order in some Indian food, and watch a movie. It’s typically uneventful. The opposite of what I can assume Emmett’s party will be.

“So, will you come?” Emmett asks.

I nod again and look up to meet his gaze. How could I miss his party? I’m as close with Emmett most days as I am with Lucy, and I’ve only known him for a few weeks. I don’t know if this is technically allowed or if Marcy will be there, but I’ll worry about that later.

He smiles, anticipating my answer.

I can’t help but roll my eyes, which he must find funny. “I suppose I could cancel the plans I had and attend your party.” My plans included me sitting on the couch, eating snacks, and catching up on one of the latest movies on Netflix. “Do you mind if I bring my friend, Lucy?”

Emmett shakes his head. “Tyler would love it if your friend came.”

I groan and slump into the couch. I turn my head to the left to look at Emmett. “Really?”

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