Page 109 of Paladin
“You.”
“What about me?”
“Just wondering if you’re ever going to remember your own birthday?”
Ever stopped short. “What?”
Arsen laughed. “Today’s your birthday, remember? You picked it.”
Ever stopped short, then grabbed his cell phone, looking at the date. “Oh. Yeah, I guess it is.”
Before Arsen could say anything else, the doors burst open, their friends and family pouring in, shouting, “Happy birthday!”
Ever’s mouth fell open. “What’s this?”
Felix and Zane both kissed a cheek, Felix saying, “It’s your birthday party, gumdrop.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah, oh.” Zane laughed.
Ever watched, mouth slack, as the staff brought out tray after tray of food, setting it all up on banquet tables. Gifts were piled on a separate table.
“Hungry,besenok?” Arsen asked.
Ever nodded, still looking at their friends, who were laughing and chatting, waiting their turn to wish him a happy birthday. Everyone was there. All his friends—their friends—had come to show Ever he was loved.
Arsen felt a little guilty when he saw Ever’s overwhelmed expression. Still, he got up to make him a plate, watching as Ever finally stood and walked to where Levi and Nico stood off to the side. Arsen smiled. Of course, he went straight to them. They were his emotional support humans. Arsen didn’t know when they’d stopped being his friends and started being Ever’s friends, but he wasn’t mad about it.
They spent the next few hours eating and laughing. Joe had not only made Ever a huge cake but had also set up a candy buffet with all of his favorite treats. Ever opened gift after gift, his face a mixture of happiness and maybe a little confusion. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to this kind of attention, but it was his very first birthday.
As the night wore down, Ever found him, slipping his arms around him and putting his head on his chest. “Whatcha thinking?” he asked.
Arsen smiled, tightening his arms around him. “Just wondering how you’re enjoying your happily ever after, I guess.”
“You give me a million happily ever afters every day, including this one.”
Arsen’s chest tightened. “Yeah?”
“Yep,” Ever said. “But you’re my favorite one.”
the end
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