29. The Perfect Bookish Birthday

29

The Perfect Bookish Birthday

Emma

Tonight’s the night, and I have zero idea what Auston has planned for my birthday. I fished for clues all week, but neither Auston nor my best friends gave anything up.

Now, here I am, blindfolded out in the street. Yes, blindfolded . Auston might not read Dark Romance, but I guess he has an idea or two of how to channel his inner morally-gray hero. Still, it’s way more fun to read about than experience. Normally, I ’d be taking none of this nonsense. But Auston probably worked hard to make this happen—to make me happy—and I don’t want to seem ungrateful. It’s been a while since anyone has gone to this much trouble for my birthday. Last time was my sweet sixteen.

My heart beats faster as we traverse the Brooklyn streets. I know we’re still in Brooklyn because we’ve come all this way on foot. I tried to figure out where we were going, but I lost track after a few turns.

“Are we almost there?” I ask, dying to rip the blindfold off.

“As a matter of fact,” Auston says, placing his hands on my shoulders to steady me. “We’re here.”

I raise my hand to remove the fabric. “Can I—”

His big palm wraps over mine, and it’s as if fireworks just set off from our joined hands. They’re not kidding about your other senses being heightened when you’re deprived of one.

“Wait a second,” he says with a low chuckle. “Let’s go inside first. I’ll take it off for you.”

I nod, refraining from telling him to hurry it up. I do wonder where we are, though. Probably a restaurant or a venue he rented for the occasion.

The light breeze I felt moments a go is gone, so I’m guessing we’re now indoors. There’s also a distinct smell, new and old at the same time. And coffee? Definitely coffee. Oh my gosh, this man knows me too well. He organized my birthday in a coffee shop.

“Okay,” he says, situating himself behind me, hands on my shoulders. “I’m going to remove the blindfold now. Are you ready?”

I nod eagerly. I’m always ready for coffee.

He takes it off, and as I blink my eyes open, a chorus of “Surprise!” erupts around me.

Books. Lots of them. And friends. My best friends, but also a significant portion of the New York Raptors team. And just as I predicted—coffee. A huge coffee fountain that I want to bathe in.

I shake my head, closing my eyes and opening them again, just in case. But it’s all still here.

I turn to Auston, who’s all smiles. “You rented a bookstore for my birthday?” I ask, feeling my jaw drop.

He shoves a hand in his pocket. “I did. Do you—”

I throw myself into his arms, squeezing him tightly. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

Everyone claps and whistles, turning what began as a spontaneous thank-you hug into a giant awkward one.

We break apart and lock eyes for a second. I’m sure everyone is expecting us to kiss, but I hold my ground. Not that I don’t want to kiss Auston. There’s little more that I crave right now. But not under these circumstances. He’s the only man I’ve ever kissed, and if I kiss him again, it’s going to mean something.

Auston laughs nervously as we both take a step back.

Placing a hand on my hip, I let my eyes roam around the store, which has been taken over by party decorations—all book themed. There are banners spelling “Happy Birthday, Emma” made entirely of book pages, another one spelling “Chapter 27,” and vases with bouquets of roses made from folded book pages. I also spot a DJ in one corner, a full bar, and two large buffet tables that I’m dying to check out.

“You did all this,” I say, bringing my eyes back to Auston. “It’s incredible.”

He smiles. “Thank goodness for Pinterest. Saved my life.”

I arch an eyebrow. “You use Pinterest?”

“Duh. Of course.” Then, he explodes into laughter. “Okay, fine. It’s new to me. Robyn showed me the ropes. I didn’t know such a thing existed, and honestly, it’s pretty amazing.”

I stifle a chuckle, looking aroun d. “It is. And clearly you got the hang of it pretty quickly.”

“Mastering new talents is part of my identity.” He winks.

I let out a laugh as my friends come up to greet me, hugging me in turn.

True to his word, Auston kept this celebration low-key. I’d say there are only around twenty guests, which is perfect.

The DJ starts playing ambient music as I catch up with my friends.

“So?” Alice gushes. “Did he nail it, or did he nail it?”

My grin is so wide it hurts. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe he did all this for me.”

“Looks like Melissa Fortner was onto something after all.” Hayley shoots me a knowing smirk, leaning into her boyfriend, Maxime.

“Wait till you see the buffet,” Alice says. “You’re going to love it.”

I can’t wait any longer, so I make a beeline for the buffet table. And she’s right. I’ve never in my life wanted to eat anything so badly. From the book-shaped cupcakes to the bookmark lollipops and the bags of “bookworms,” it all looks delicious. Plus, there’s a separate buffet dedicated to KitKat bars alone, spanning literally every flavor: Strawberry, matcha, sour orange, gre en tea. I didn’t even know half of these existed.

Auston and I reconnected only a month ago, yet he knows me so well. If you’d asked me to plan out my perfect birthday party, this would probably be the result. Or maybe not, because every detail is so carefully planned, I’m sure I wouldn’t have thought of everything.

Mari strides up to me and gives me a warm embrace. “Happy birthday, Emma! Isn’t it great?”

I nod. “Thank you. It’s so crazy.”

“ So crazy,” Beth agrees. “Happy birthday,” she says, drawing me into a hug.

“Lucas couldn’t make it?” I ask, peering at the small crowd and failing to spot her boyfriend.

She shakes her head. “We broke it off again. You know how it is. But it’s probably for the best. We don’t need any Sharks versus Raptors drama tonight.”

The Sharks and the Raptors are the two New York hockey teams—and obviously rivals. While our entire street is a Raptors street, Beth somehow ended up dating a Shark.

“What a fool,” James Adler says, popping up out of nowhere with Aaron Miles beside him. “If I had a woman like you, Elizabeth, I’d worship her every single day.”

Beth crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. “It’s Beth.”

The rest of us burst into chuckle s.

“Come on, man,” Aaron says, slapping James's shoulder. “Let’s get a drink.”

James just grins, unfazed by the cold reception his flirting elicited from Beth. Granted, he’s probably used to it. I don’t see James that often, but every time he and Beth are in the same room, it’s always fun. He’s a huge flirt, and even if Beth pretends to be immune to his charm, I can tell that’s not entirely true. Her cheeks flush pink when he flirts with her, and her body language betrays her.

Aaron winks at Mari before dragging James to the bar area. I, on the other hand, am ready for some coffee.

Alice, Deacon, and Lola are lingering near the buffet, so I chat with them while enjoying a cup of the delicious coffee Mari and Beth made. Yes, I’d recognize their beans anywhere. And I’m so thankful to whoever invented a fountain that can keep drinks warm.

Just when I’m wondering where Auston is, his voice booms into a microphone.

“Okay, guys. Time to play some games,” he says, and everyone cheers.

Games? He really has thought of everything.

“First up, we have a bookish quiz. We’ll divide ourselves into two teams, and Julio, our DJ, will ask the questions.”

Thanks to Maxime, Aaron, Mari and Lola being readers, we manage to create two teams with an equal number of bookish nerds.

“Are you ready?” Julio asks, holding his notebook.

“Yes!” Everyone yells, some louder than others. I might be one of those people.

“All right,” he says. “Which author is commonly associated with being the modern originator of the Romance genre?”

I raise my hand before he even finishes the question. “Jane Austen,” I yell.

“Wow,” Auston breathes out. “That was fast.”

I shoot him a smirk. “Well, my name is Emma—you know, like the famous Jane Austen novel—and I do have a cat named Mr. Darcy. Even if Dark Romance is more my jam, Jane will always have my heart.”

He laughs, drawing a hand over his stubble, and I force myself to look away.

“Correct,” Julio says, and everyone claps. Well, my teammates do. The others are too busy giving us side-eyes.

“We let you win that one,” Alice says, crossing her arms. “You know, since you’re the birthday girl.”

I scoff. “Please! I can see the fire in your eyes, sweetie,” I say, blowing her a kiss, and her cheeks redden. She turns to Deacon, then to Maxime, but they both just shrug.

“Let’s keep going,” Mari ca lls before giving me a high-five.

“Okay,” Julio says. “Next question. Who was the first writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame?”

I know this one too, but this time, Alice is faster. “Nora Roberts!” she exclaims, then looks at us with a haughty smirk.

I roll my eyes, then turn to Mari and Auston, who are standing next to me. “Come on, guys. We can’t let them win.”

Auston takes my hand, and it instantly goes numb. “We won’t,” he says, his voice more determined than ever. Suddenly, I don’t even care about the game anymore. How can I think straight when Auston’s hand is wrapped around mine? I close my eyes, enjoying how his skin feels against mine. Firm but soft. Masculine but not rugged. I both love and hate how normal, but also how foreign and exciting it feels.

The quiz continues, but I’m barely listening anymore. Most of the questions are easy, and in the end, I’m proud of my team—even if we did lose 5-4.

For the next game, we play musical chairs but with books. Basically, Julio calls for a specific type of book, and we have to rush back to our chair wi th the book in hand. The last one back is out of the game.

This one was made for me. I don’t know this store very well, but aside from Alice, who came here with Deacon before, neither does anyone else. But being a bookseller gives me an advantage. I know how to organize a bookstore, so finding titles shouldn’t be too big of a challenge.

“First quest,” Julio says, reading from his piece of paper, “is a romance book with a single-word cover. Go.”

I scramble off toward the Romance section, which isn’t hard to find thanks to the huge fake-flower display they have next to it. I’m not the only one who ran to this aisle, and I’m constantly bumping shoulders with my opponents as I frantically drag my fingertip along the spines looking for a series of books by McKenna.

I can feel Auston’s presence next to me. I don’t know if it’s his musky cologne or the way my body reacts when he’s around, but I know he’s here.

“Are you trying to cheat?” I murmur, turning around to face him.

“What?” He stares off to the side in an obvious way that tells me I was totally right. “I’m just searching, like you.”

“You do know we can’t bring the same book back, right? You’d have to go back and find another one.”

He scratches his stubble. “Forgot about that.”

Laughing, I bump him with my shou lder. “I’ll help you,” I whisper so that no one else hears us.

“Thank you,” he mouths, sending tingles sparking in my chest as I start searching again.

Hayley exclaims “Ha!” next to me, and I know she found the one I was looking for. Then, it hits me. Alicia Cooper has a popular series with one-word titles too.

“Come with me,” I whisper to Auston, gesturing discreetly. We slip to the Dark Romance section, and I grab Adore and Relentless .

“Thanks for saving me,” Auston says, leaning his elbow on the bookshelf in a super-sexy way.

What is he doing? I can’t deal with these fluttery feelings right now. We have a game to win.

“No problem,” I whisper, unable to take my eyes off him. I mean, sure, any man would look hot leaning against a bookshelf. I think. But just like with everything else, Auston Buckley takes things to a whole new level.

The scuff of hurried footsteps behind us brings me back to reality, and I look over my shoulder. “We have to go.”

We run back to the game area, and thankfully, several chairs are still empty. Some players had to go back because they chose books that had already been claimed. Finally, the round ends with James being the first one out.

“Now,” Julio says, raising hi s arm high as if he’s the referee at a Formula One race. “A book set in New York.”

Everyone rushes toward the book aisles. I know exactly where I’m going. There’s a great series by Helena Oughton set in New York. But as I race toward the Romance section, a sign for a new release catches my eye, featuring the Brooklyn Bridge on the cover. I backstep to grab the book, but Auston reaches for it at the same time. Our fingers collide, the contact setting them on fire. My heart quickens, and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of the ten feet I just ran.

“You take it,” he says, offering his usual charming smile as he takes a step back. Definitely not helping with the fire now raging inside me.

I bite my bottom lip. “Are you sure? I can find another one.”

“Everyone’s heading back already,” he says, looking over my shoulder. Then, he brings his gaze back, his brown eyes trapping me. “You have a better chance of actually winning this game than me.”

A smile breaks onto my lips, and I nod. “Thanks.”

We just stand there, staring at each other, and I can’t help but think I really am a lucky girl. I haven’t felt that way in years, but right now, I do. Not because he’s letting me have the book, but because he organized this entire thing for me. And because of the way he’s making me feel. Things I never even thought possible.

He’s closer now. I can feel the heat radiating from his body, and I wonder if my cheeks are as flushed as they feel. Deacon rushes past us, muttering something to himself that vaguely resembles “Is this supposed to be hard?” and Auston breaks eye contact.

“Um, you should probably go.”

“Right.” I tap nervously on the book cover. Swallowing hard, I spin around and hurry back, grabbing the last spot in the circle of chairs.

We keep it up until Lola and I are the last ones standing, but she steals the victory—and the bouquet made of origami book-page flowers—right out from under my nose, because I can’t find “a non-fiction book about magic” in time.

We’re now ready for the last game: a book-balancing competition. And it’s a whole other beast. Most of the girls, including me, are out first. Hayley is the only one saving our honor with her strong body and superb balance. Unfortunately, she’s up against a bunch of brawny men, including five professional hockey players whose middle names are “balance.” Auston, Deacon, and Cillian are still in the race, but eventually, they drop too. In that order. With the rest of the competition out of the way, it’s a Raptors game. They’re now at the s tarting line, each with four 500-page books on their heads.

When Julio shouts “Go!” they start walking. They’re all laser focused, taking it one step at a time. Meanwhile, we watch from the sidelines, eager to see who’ll lose their balance first.

“Who are you betting on?” I ask Mari and Beth, who are huddled next to me.

“Mmm. I’m not sure,” Beth says.

“Aaron,” Mari declares with no hesitation. “He’s good at this. Just look at his self-control.”

“Probably. He’s the most muscular one of the bunch too. Or would that be Noah?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at the Raptors’ goalie.

“It’s Aaron. One hundred percent.” She nods firmly. “Trust me, I’ve seen him in a swimsuit.”

A split second later, she turns tomato-red, and I struggle to repress a chuckle. She’s definitely given this a lot of thought, which I guess makes sense, since she’s the coach’s daughter and a big hockey fan.

She lifts her strawberry blonde locks, fanning herself, and Aaron drops at the same time.

“Ooh. Looks like Miles got distracted,” James quips, grinning, still focused on his game.

Aaron whispers something in his e ar as he walks off, and James immediately drops his books on the floor, cursing at Aaron.

He casts us an exasperated glance, shaking his head.

Maxime is out next, resulting in a duel between Noah Wilcott and Caleb Hawthorne. The sidelines are not as quiet anymore. Everyone picks a side—I choose Noah because he’s the silent, grumpy type, and we tend to stick together. I’m pretty sure that’s why Deacon picked him too. Meanwhile, Hayley and Alice have firmly declared themselves Team Caleb because he’s the one who built Mr. Darcy’s sleeping nook in our bookstore.

Just when we think they’re going to walk another lap with a fifth book, Caleb loses his balance right before the finish line, making Noah the book-balancing champion—or rather, king, since Auston has a crown made of book pages that he places on his head.

As everyone disperses from the game area, Maxime passes by me carrying at least five different KitKat flavors. Suddenly starving, I zoom to the table. It’s a difficult choice, but I go with dark chocolate first. I remove the wrapper, and just when I’m about to eat it, a hand presses on the small of my back.

“What, you’re not even going to share?”

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly too dry to eat anything. Swinging to face Auston, I plaster a big smile on my face. “It is my birthday. I think I can be a little selfish.”

He shakes his head. “And here I thought that going to all this trouble would at least earn me some KitKat points.”

I laugh. “Fine, you get a few extra points. But you can have your own KitKat. There’s plenty.”

“Oh, but eating it alone isn’t nearly as sweet.”

Who cares about a candy bar? Right now, I want to throw it over my shoulder and jump into this man’s arms.

Instead, I offer him the KitKat bar, which has now started to melt on my fingers. He breaks it in slow motion—yes, slow motion. Just roll with it. You know those commercials where the bar takes forever to break, and the sound is amplified? That’s exactly what’s happening now. Auston offers me half, then places his half into his mouth, chewing—in slow motion—as the flavors are undoubtedly exploding in his mouth. Then, he licks off the chocolate that melted onto his fingers, finishing me off.

Now, that’s an award-winning commercial if I ever saw one. Wait, do commercials get awards? Well, this one should.

He cocks his head, frowning, and I realize I haven’t eaten my KitKat yet. I shove the bar in my mouth all at once, and I’m now struggling to chew it. This is not commercial material at all.

He chuckles. “Did you like it?”

I nod eagerly. “Loved it. I still think I prefer the original, but it comes close.”

His eyes smolder, holding me hostage. “Agreed. But we’ll have to sample them all, just to make sure.”

I bite my lip. “Goes without saying.”