She always hated celebrating her birthday when she was younger. Even then, she was shy. She never wanted the attention on her. It killed me when we were freshman because I wanted her. Not only could I not have her because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but I also knew that being my girl meant a whole lot of attention.
Would she care about all that attention now?
She seems much more confident now. Maybe performing at that school did that for her, gave her something she wouldn’t have gotten here. I would have let her continue to hide in my shadows. I never could tell her no.
As I pull into her driveway, I take a minute to breathe, getting my head in the game.
Other than the kiss at the bonfire, which I don’t count since it was forced, we haven’t had another. She’s been giving me small signs here and there, but as soon as I see them, they’re gone. I can’t risk this precarious balance we have, but after the last movie day we had, I can’t help but think she wants this. Wants us.
“Fuck it, if she even gives me the slightest hint, I’m making a move,” I mumble to myself as I slide out of the car. It takes two trips to unload the bag, and I say a silent thank you to Mrs. Wright for telling me how to let myself in.
I go up the stairs and into Morgan’s room and start setting it up.
About an hour later, I hear a door downstairs open and close. “Keaton?” Morgan yells.
“Up here,” I yell back and hold my breath.
✽✽✽
Morgan
I enter my room and stop in my tracks, gasping. My hand flies to my mouth, and I try to hold back the tears.
“What’s this?” I rasp out, trying to get some control of my emotions.
“Happy birthday, baby,” Keaton says from his spot leaning against my bathroom door.
“Keaton….” I trail off, speechless.
He’s taken my room and given it a pink hue by hanging pink lights along all four walls. Candles are strategically placed around the room, giving it a soft glow. Flower petals lie on my bed spelling “happy birthday,” and there’s a pot of live orchids on my nightstand.
“Thank you,” I whisper as the tears fall.
“Hey now, no crying for the birthday girl. That’s not part of my plan,” he teases.
“Plan you say?” I smile. “What does this plan entail?”
“You're going to go put on some comfy clothes. Then you will meet me in your bathroom where we will gunk up our faces with whatever facemasks the lady at Ulta told me we needed. Then we will come back in here, crawl into your bed and watch a couple of your favorite movies.”
I bite my lip. “Which movies?”
A smirk covers Keaton’s face. “I found Dirty Dancing and Step Up.” He raises his hand with a pained look. “Yes, the one with Channing Tatum.” He shivers. “And I also bought all the Fast and Furious movies because I know you think it would be a-ma-zing,” he says in a girly voice, “to be in a Toretto and O’Conner love triangle.”
“Rest in Peace, Paul Walker.” I sigh and wipe a fake tear.
Keaton rolls his eyes. “They’re old enough to be our dads,” he mumbles before standing up straight. “Come on, let’s get moving. Your mom said I have to be out by eleven.”
I run straight into my closet, shut the door, and put on a pair of leggings and Keaton’s hoodie. When I walk out, I head towards my bed. “How about we do one movie and then start a mask before the second?”
“Sounds good. What do you want to watch?”
“F&F of course.” I smirk.
Keaton rolls his eyes. “At least it has some decent cars in it,” he mumbles as he presses a button on his phone and a projector lights up the wall across from my bed.
“Wha?” I gasp.
“What did you think we were going to watch movies on? A laptop?” he questions.
I don’t bother responding because he’s right. I figured we would watch it on one of our laptops, but instead he set it up to play on my empty wall.
I look around my room one last time while he gets the movie started and can’t help but smile. This must have taken him forever.
“Ready?” he asks as he slides back and sits next to me.
I curl up into his side and get comfortable “Ready.”
✽✽✽
Keaton
We watch the whole first two Fast and Furious movies with Morgan curled up into my side and my arm around her. Her laughs and sighs make me smile. When the credits roll, she sits up and stretches. Even through the bulk of my hoodie, I can see the curve of her back and want to run my hands along it. Feel her. I shake the thoughts from my head.
“Which movie do you want next?” I ask while trying to discreetly adjust myself.
Morgan looks over her shoulder at me and bites her lip. “We should probably watch them in order.”
I stand up “Can do. Now come on and tell me what the lady sold me.” I offer Morgan a hand and help her off the bed as she giggles. We walk into the bathroom hand in hand. I grab her by the hips and set her on the counter and step between her legs.
“All right, let’s see.” I lift one at a time and show her the labels. “We have a clay one that’s supposed to shrink pores, a hydrating one to help with dry skin, and a charcoal one for I can’t remember what,” I say with a frown, making her giggle again.
She reaches for the clay. “I’ll do this one.”
I playfully slap her hand. “Oh no, I’m doing this with you, and I refuse to let the birthday girl put her own mask on.”
We read the directions together and get both of our faces wet.
