Page 53 of Glad You Exist

I’m feeling desperate. I need to see her. Now.

I have to find out if what happened between us was some fever dream brought on by a rush of adrenaline.

I woke up to a call from my mom, telling me that she is on her way home with Dad and that I should probably head downstairs because my friends are all setting up for the party. Which means she didn't leave. She’s still here.

That has to be a good thing.

I even check the closet to make sure I didn't dream up her gift either.

I can’t wait to unbox it.

Fuck, I need to see her.

Thank her again for that damned gift. Kiss her again if she’ll let me.

But probably have that talk first. Put my cards down on the table for her.

I try not to get annoyed that my mom went against my wishes and still planned the lunch with my cousins because all I want to do right now is drag her upstairs for a talk.

Hopefully some more making out. Because damn it now that it’s happened, I’m addicted.

Well maybe, two things, I also wanted to set that monitor up and see what my game will look like on it.

It comes back to me, all of a sudden. I was in the car with her, on the way to Kyle’s, same day we learned about Aunt Cat’s cancer. I ended up telling her something I had never shared with anyone. Not even my dad.

For the last year, I’ve been working on an RPG game. I had been itching to buy a curved monitor for the graphics, but my mom nixed the idea. Even though we could afford it, she wanted me to earn the money to pay for it, next summer. Citing the fact that I already owned two monitors, she couldn't understand my need for this, but Liz did.

Liz knows how much this means to me and my dream, so she got it for me.

I scan the rooms as I pass them by.

I cringe seeing that the makeshift game room I set up last night in the living room has already been cleared.

Once again, I slept through it all. I didn’t lift a finger.

I push open the door to the kitchen.

Liz is the first person I see.

She looks up when I walk in, and her face breaks out in a smile.

I mirror it back to her.

"Happy Birthday! Sleep well?" Kim greets me bringing my attention to her.

I nod and search Kim’s face for any indication that Liz told her about what happened.

I find nothing. If she knew anything, she would be bouncing off the walls right now.

Kim is entirely focused on her task, looking away before I answer her question. She is too busy doing a side-stepping dance, squeaking as the pan in front of her sizzles and pops.

“Happy Birthday B!”

Kyle raises his elbow for me to bump as he's fingers deep into rolling what looks like spring rolls and that’s when my eyes sweep the room.

Kim is lobbing the rolls into the fryer.

Liz is chopping up ingredients and throwing them into a huge wok full of stir-fried noodles and vegetables.

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