Honestly, I hated her place. It was small and dark, and not in the best area of town. I’d told her as much when she moved in, but she’d just given me a big smile and told me it would be all right. That it washerplace, and she loved it because of that. But I’d noticed how she’d let me come over less and less after we’d moved her in. Nowadays when we spent time together, it was with her friends, at my house, or around town.
“Why didn’t you ask your family for help?”
She winced. “You know I can’t do that. Mom, she…” Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t want their money. I like my independence.” She’d confessed that to me before. It was why she’d moved to Portland for college in the first place—and why she had stayed.
“Will you let me help? You know I have a guest room at my house.” I’d bought a small starter home near my job a few years back, and I had to admit living there alone got lonely sometimes. I’d been thinking about getting a dog, but I hadn’t bitten the bullet yet and started looking for one.
“I can’t mooch off of my best friend, Daniel,” she groaned.
“Okay.” I pulled her into my arms, giving her a tight hug. I wouldn’t accept that answer, but I’d give her time before she came around. For now, we had plans. “We’ll figure it out later. We should get to dinner.”
She wrapped her arms around my back, squeezing tightly, before letting go. “Okay. Yeah. Dinner.” Charlotte pulled away and straightened her outfit, wiping her eyes before looking back up at me.
I gave her a small smile, hoping she didn’t know how much it hurt my heart to see her cry. I liked to think I’d learned how to control my expressions over the years, but fuck if I knew what to do with her.
“Great. Only the best for my best friend’s birthday.”
That got a chuckle out of her, and the sound soothed me a little. I’d missed her so much, even if we’d still seen each other a few times.
“It’s not like it’s some big birthday. I’m only turning twenty-seven.” She bit at her lip. “And we’re celebrating with everyone else tomorrow.”
Everyone else included my sister Angelina and her husband Benjamin, Noelle and her boyfriend Matthew, and Gabbi, who was now dating Benjamin’s brother Hunter. The girls were all best friends, and I knew how much she looked forward to celebrating with them every year.
I couldn’t help but be selfish and want a night to myself with my best friend as well.
“Where are we going?” She mumbled as I led her down the stairs, going first this time, so I didn’t think about how much I wanted to pull her back into my arms.
Shit. I really needed to get myself back under control. Especially before dessert.
“It’s a surprise.” I extended out my hand to her when I got to the base of the stairs. “You’ll like it, I promise.”
And when she placed her hand in mine, nothing had ever felt so right.
I needed to stop thinking like that.
* * *
Handingthe valet the key card to my car, I watched Charlotte stare up at the building with wonder in her eyes. I’d gotten us reservations at a restaurant in downtown Portland, thirty floors up, where you could see the view of practically the entire city.
Guiding her into the building and up the elevator, I could see the way her face changed as we stepped into the restaurant. “Oh my god. This place is amazing,” she leaned over to whisper to me.
After checking in, they led us to our table, which was right next to one of the giant windows. I pulled out her chair for her and then settled into mine across from her, giving her a big smile. “Happy Birthday.”
I had to get this back on track. Especially after I’d practically made her cry earlier by bringing up her apartment.
Her eyes roved around the restaurant. “This is really nice. Like,waynicer than where we usually go. Are you sure this is okay?”
Chuckling, I opened my menu. “It’s fine. It’s your birthday. Get whatever you want.”
I could still remember the first day I’d seen her in Angelina’s freshman dorm, with that blonde hair, her bright gray eyes. For a moment, I’d thought my heart stopped in my chest. She was wearing a cute white tee and a little pink corduroy dress, and yep—I was a goner. I laid in bed that night, preparing for my sophomore year, thinking about only one thing.
I’m going to marry that girl someday.
Had I known anything about her? No. Not yet, but I would.
I would, I promised myself. I wanted to know everything about her; how she took her coffee, how it would look when she was smiling at me, her favorite color and all the parts of her life. And damn if that hadn’t made me feel weak inside—being this interested in a girl I had just met. Who literally only knew my first name, but there I was.
I’d never believed in love at first sight, and I wouldn’t call it that, exactly, but there was something about her I wanted to get to know. That underneath her shy, quiet personality was someone who needed me—just as much as I needed her. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that she’d grow to be one of my closest friends on campus. I had other friends over those four years, sure. Engineering students I talked to in class, my roommate, my sister who I’d always been close with, but Charlotte was always the one I wanted to spend time with. I still couldn’t believe how much I relied upon our friendship.