“Happy
Birthday To You!” Sunny covered her eyes against the brightness of
the twenty-seven yellow flames on the cake in front of her. “Happy
Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Dear Sunny. Happy Birthday To You!”
Her father had always made such a big deal out of her birthday. It
was just her mother and her now. Her father, brother, and fiance had
died in a car accident on the way to her birthday celebration two
years before. Sunny had resented her birthday ever since.
“Mom, I keep asking you not to do this,” she said gently, looking up into her mother’s eyes. The candle lights flickered in the pools of deep blue that looked back at her.
“Oh, come on, Sunny. It’s the one nice thing I get to do for you anymore,” her mother replied. The accident had aged them both, and her mother’s once beautiful auburn hair was now laced with silver and white in a rainbow effect across her head. Sunny stared at the melting wax of the candles. “Go ahead, make a wish.”
Sunny thought about it. She wondered what the point was of making birthday wishes that only ended in heartache. She was bitter still, two years later. Some people got happy endings from all their wishing. Not Sunny. Sunny got sad, miserable endings. Three years ago she had wished for a knight in shining armor, and she’d gotten it. Chad was the love of her life.
Chad had been completely unexpected. She’d met him at her father’s office Christmas party a few weeks after her birthday that year, and they were instant friends. He was so wonderful that the relationship grew quickly, and by Thanksgiving he’d proposed. When he died, she swore she’d never love anyone that way again.
She looked down at the diamond ring she still wore on her left hand, the candlelight sparkling in it. She shrugged. It had been two years. What could it hurt? I wish for a knight in shining armor to carry me away… again. She blew out the candles all in one breath, and her mother clapped and cheered.
The effect was much less impressive than it had been with all of them there. Her father had made every birthday seem so special. Even on her eighteenth birthday, he still bought banners and streamers, matching tableware, and hats. Her twin brother Logan used to bring those noisy blowers. He almost caught one on fire helping her blow out the candles on their tenth birthday.
“Marc called me today.” Sunny finally said, trying to dull the loud silence that had come over them as they ate their chocolate cake. It was no longer the half-and-half of her childhood. Logan had liked vanilla. “He’s in town. His divorce went well. She moved the last of her stuff out last week.” Marc had been the only one who ever understood her. He had been a close friend since high school. They’d gone to the prom together and shared a single passionate kiss in the limousine on the way home. They’d been best friends ever since, and she didn’t know how she’d have gotten through the tragedy without him.
Her mother smiled. “That’s nice. Have you seen him lately?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, not since…” She stopped. Two years later it still hurt to mention it. “Not since the funeral. We’ve only talked on the phone.”
Her mother patted her hand as she reached for her plate. “Maybe you should. You could both use a friend today.”
Marc hugged her furiously almost before she was out of her car. They were meeting at the ice cream shop they’d frequented as teenagers. “Sunny, Sunny, Sunny,” he sighed in her ear, “God, I’ve missed you. We really shouldn’t let so much time go by without getting together.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just been…”
“Busy? I know. I know.” He kept his arms around her just a bit longer than was appropriate, and when he let go, he kept her hand in his. “So, how’s your mom?”
Sunny sighed. “She did the cake and presents again this year.”
He smiled. “Too many candles these days, huh?” he replied. She nodded. “What did you wish for?”
She shook her head and placed a finger over her lips. God, he looked amazing. Better than she remembered. Why is it she’d never felt anything for him before? They’d been so close all this time. He was sweet and charming, quite good-looking, and he’d do anything for her. How had she never given a relationship with him a thought? She almost laughed to herself with the answer: he’d never asked. “I’m thinking about a chocolate shake to wash down my cake,” she said.
He nodded. “Same old Sunny.” He ordered two chocolate shakes at the counter and sat down beside her in a booth. He was still holding her hand. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.” She looked down at her hands, not sure what he might want to ask. She had taken the diamond off her left hand, hidden it away in her jewelry box only just before coming here. She looked up only when he shook her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, pointing to the ring mark on her finger. “I was just looking at that. Much as I loved him, it seems silly now to wear it all the time. We had some good times, but it’s been two years now, it’s time to move on.”
Marc sighed heavily. “I know the feeling.” She eyed him. He looked stressed. For a moment, she thought he might be thinking of his ex-wife. “Sunny, I was wondering if you’d ever considered a relationship with me?”
Shock smacked her in the face. She couldn’t speak. He just sat there, still holding her hand, looking somewhere between disappointed and guilty. Finally, she found her voice. “Marc, you’ve never… I mean, short of the prom, we never even…”
He sighed. “I know. And I don’t even know if I know now.” He ran a hand through his hair in a gesture Sunny thought incredibly sexy. She giggled. He’d always been able to voice exactly how she felt. “But I think we might be worth giving a shot.”
“It’s just so…” She searched for the right word. “Sudden. I mean, we’ve been best friends forever and never once did we discuss anything more. When did you start thinking about that?”
Marc smiled shyly. “To be honest, it was when you called me from your mother’s house and suggested we get together.” Her Birthday Wish! “And then I realized, I’ve loved you forever. I just didn't know it.” Sunny laughed out loud and threw her arms around him. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, holding her tightly.
Sunny wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him. “Yes, yes, of course, yes.” She kissed his cheek. “But promise me one thing.”
He grinned. “Anything.”
“Don’t come to my birthday parties,” she said, her tone painfully serious. He nodded, understanding her meaning all too well. “But if you’re the host…”
“We have all the time in the world to talk about the future,” he said, laying a finger over her lips. He hugged her to him. “Tomorrow will be a whole new morning, Sunny.
“Mom, I keep asking you not to do this,” she said gently, looking up into her mother’s eyes. The candle lights flickered in the pools of deep blue that looked back at her.
“Oh, come on, Sunny. It’s the one nice thing I get to do for you anymore,” her mother replied. The accident had aged them both, and her mother’s once beautiful auburn hair was now laced with silver and white in a rainbow effect across her head. Sunny stared at the melting wax of the candles. “Go ahead, make a wish.”
Sunny thought about it. She wondered what the point was of making birthday wishes that only ended in heartache. She was bitter still, two years later. Some people got happy endings from all their wishing. Not Sunny. Sunny got sad, miserable endings. Three years ago she had wished for a knight in shining armor, and she’d gotten it. Chad was the love of her life.
Chad had been completely unexpected. She’d met him at her father’s office Christmas party a few weeks after her birthday that year, and they were instant friends. He was so wonderful that the relationship grew quickly, and by Thanksgiving he’d proposed. When he died, she swore she’d never love anyone that way again.
She looked down at the diamond ring she still wore on her left hand, the candlelight sparkling in it. She shrugged. It had been two years. What could it hurt? I wish for a knight in shining armor to carry me away… again. She blew out the candles all in one breath, and her mother clapped and cheered.
The effect was much less impressive than it had been with all of them there. Her father had made every birthday seem so special. Even on her eighteenth birthday, he still bought banners and streamers, matching tableware, and hats. Her twin brother Logan used to bring those noisy blowers. He almost caught one on fire helping her blow out the candles on their tenth birthday.
“Marc called me today.” Sunny finally said, trying to dull the loud silence that had come over them as they ate their chocolate cake. It was no longer the half-and-half of her childhood. Logan had liked vanilla. “He’s in town. His divorce went well. She moved the last of her stuff out last week.” Marc had been the only one who ever understood her. He had been a close friend since high school. They’d gone to the prom together and shared a single passionate kiss in the limousine on the way home. They’d been best friends ever since, and she didn’t know how she’d have gotten through the tragedy without him.
Her mother smiled. “That’s nice. Have you seen him lately?”
Sunny shook her head. “No, not since…” She stopped. Two years later it still hurt to mention it. “Not since the funeral. We’ve only talked on the phone.”
Her mother patted her hand as she reached for her plate. “Maybe you should. You could both use a friend today.”
Marc hugged her furiously almost before she was out of her car. They were meeting at the ice cream shop they’d frequented as teenagers. “Sunny, Sunny, Sunny,” he sighed in her ear, “God, I’ve missed you. We really shouldn’t let so much time go by without getting together.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just been…”
“Busy? I know. I know.” He kept his arms around her just a bit longer than was appropriate, and when he let go, he kept her hand in his. “So, how’s your mom?”
Sunny sighed. “She did the cake and presents again this year.”
He smiled. “Too many candles these days, huh?” he replied. She nodded. “What did you wish for?”
She shook her head and placed a finger over her lips. God, he looked amazing. Better than she remembered. Why is it she’d never felt anything for him before? They’d been so close all this time. He was sweet and charming, quite good-looking, and he’d do anything for her. How had she never given a relationship with him a thought? She almost laughed to herself with the answer: he’d never asked. “I’m thinking about a chocolate shake to wash down my cake,” she said.
He nodded. “Same old Sunny.” He ordered two chocolate shakes at the counter and sat down beside her in a booth. He was still holding her hand. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.” She looked down at her hands, not sure what he might want to ask. She had taken the diamond off her left hand, hidden it away in her jewelry box only just before coming here. She looked up only when he shook her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, pointing to the ring mark on her finger. “I was just looking at that. Much as I loved him, it seems silly now to wear it all the time. We had some good times, but it’s been two years now, it’s time to move on.”
Marc sighed heavily. “I know the feeling.” She eyed him. He looked stressed. For a moment, she thought he might be thinking of his ex-wife. “Sunny, I was wondering if you’d ever considered a relationship with me?”
Shock smacked her in the face. She couldn’t speak. He just sat there, still holding her hand, looking somewhere between disappointed and guilty. Finally, she found her voice. “Marc, you’ve never… I mean, short of the prom, we never even…”
He sighed. “I know. And I don’t even know if I know now.” He ran a hand through his hair in a gesture Sunny thought incredibly sexy. She giggled. He’d always been able to voice exactly how she felt. “But I think we might be worth giving a shot.”
“It’s just so…” She searched for the right word. “Sudden. I mean, we’ve been best friends forever and never once did we discuss anything more. When did you start thinking about that?”
Marc smiled shyly. “To be honest, it was when you called me from your mother’s house and suggested we get together.” Her Birthday Wish! “And then I realized, I’ve loved you forever. I just didn't know it.” Sunny laughed out loud and threw her arms around him. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, holding her tightly.
Sunny wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at him. “Yes, yes, of course, yes.” She kissed his cheek. “But promise me one thing.”
He grinned. “Anything.”
“Don’t come to my birthday parties,” she said, her tone painfully serious. He nodded, understanding her meaning all too well. “But if you’re the host…”
“We have all the time in the world to talk about the future,” he said, laying a finger over her lips. He hugged her to him. “Tomorrow will be a whole new morning, Sunny.