Birthdays

21'th birthday

It was weird, Rose thought as she went to answer the door, she wasn't expecting company. She placed her pasta bowl in the other hand and opened the door.

"Adrian!" She exclaimed surprised and a bit embarrassed to still be in her PJs. She had taken the day off, slept in, and avoided Dimitri all day. He hadn't woken her up with a birthday song or cake, so she figured he forgot. Again. For the third year in a row.

"Little dhampir, straight out of bed?" He asked, then his eyes fell on her bowl. "Or not… You're home alone?" He asked, looking around as if to defend himself against a big angry Russian at any time. She nodded looking more at her feet, or well, shorts than at him.

"Yeah so, uhm… Did you come for anything special?" She asked finding her attitude, putting her hands on her hips to look more intimidating. 

He let out an easy laugh at her posture but shook his head. "No, only to give you this." He placed a small box on her counter. "You don't need to open it now, but I'll be in the bar till midnight." He walked out but stopped right next to her. "Oh, and Rose?" She hadn't even noticed she held her breath.

"Yes?" she finally breathed out.

"I'll here next year too. To celebrate you. Hell, I am going to be there every year, just so you know." And then he walked out. She closed the door and walked over, turning the small package in her hand before ripping the paper off. It was a box. A jewelry box. A ring box. Slowly opening it, silently begging for it to be earrings, yet know she would be disappointed if it was. It wasn't. It was a ring. A very big champagne-colored diamond staring right back at her. It rested in a braided golden band of rubies and smaller diamonds. It was beautiful and looked vintage. It was also terrifying because of the meaning behind it. He was asking her to marry him. He wouldn't force her, would still be her friend, but she had till midnight to decide.

She couldn't leave the box lying around where Dimitri might find it later, so she took the ring and pulled a long gold chain through it, and hid it between her breasts under her shirt. She didn't know what to do and she wasn't going to decide right now. If she chose Adrian, she would lose Dimitri, but maybe it was worth losing someone who didn't even remember her birthday for someone who praised the earth she walked on. She loved them both, but she had to decide who she wanted to grow old with.

Tonight was a girl's night, Rose decided. Mostly, she just wanted out of the house. If she saw Dimitri today she would probably blow up with three years of anger and frustration. But as she opened the door to Lissa's apartment, she wondered briefly if her friend really knew her at all. 

Two forgotten birthdays and then they pulled this on her?!? A surprise party? A freaking surprise party? She had heard about ignoring the birthday child for a day to hide the surprise, but not for two years in a row! She couldn't handle it. She had turned on her heel and left her own surprise party in record time. That is how she ended up here: Behind the church with a bottle of white wine. And that is how she fell asleep behind the church, bottle in hand.