Page 80 of Burn With Me

“Come in and put your bags anywhere. Then let’s figure out what we’re going to eat. I’m starving,” Pam says.

I grab my phone and text Luke.

Me: Thanks for giving Pam the idea for a girls’ night sleepover

I really appreciate it and you <3

Luke: Anything for you, sweetness

As I was leaving, I decided to order you guys some pizza. That way you don’t have to think about dinner if you don’t want to

If you guys want something else, we can eat the leftovers. Have fun <3

Thirty-Four

Ameila

As we sit around the coffee table, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

I needed this girls’ night more than I realized.

Pam and I moved here not knowing a single person, and now I can’t imagine our little group as just the two of us anymore.

I take a bite of pizza, and my heart flutters again because this is another thing Luke thought of. Which is nice because, between the four of us, none of us could decide on what we wanted to eat.

“Your birthday is coming up soon, right, Abby?” Pam asks as she grabs a breadstick.

“Kind of. It’s in December. So we still have a couple of months.”

“We should go out for your birthday. I mean, we should go out before then, but we should plan a night out for your birthday,” I suggest.

“I’m down,” Pam says.

“Luna, when’s your birthday?” I ask.

She’s opened up to us, but she’s still holding back, and while I won’t push, I don’t mind giving her a nudge.

She stops mid-bite, and the tops of her ears turn red. She sets her pizza down and puts her hands in her lap.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. It’s okay,” I say, backpedaling.

“No, I want to. I just haven’t thought about my birthday in a long time,” she states softly as she looks at her hands.

“I know there’s a lot of your past we don’t know, but we’re here whenever you’re ready to talk about it. We are a no-judgment zone,” Abby says.

“Regardless of what you tell us, you’re stuck with us. Friends forever—the four of us,” Pam states as she puts her hand over Luna’s.

Luna takes a deep breath and looks up. “Honest answer is, I’m not sure when my exact birthday is. I know I’m twenty-six because I know the year I was born, but I don’t know the month and date, only the season. I was born in late spring.”

I just blink at her, processing what she said, and my heart breaks for her.

“I knew you were younger, but I didn’t realize you were almost ten years younger than us. I just thought you had a bomb-ass skincare routine,” Pam says, trying to lighten the mood.

“Spring is a good time of year. We could have a cute outdoor birthday party for you,” I say.

“I’d like that since I’ve never had a birthday party before,” she adds as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

“Well, we’re going to change that. You are going to have the best fucking birthday party around,” I tell her.

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