When she had heard it was going to be a musical on Broadway, she had promised herself to see it. She never bought the tickets, and put it out of her mind. There were better things she could spend her money on, and besides whom would she convince to sit through a musical with her. She turned and stared up at Jake, he was smiling at her, as he brushed the tears that fell from her eyes when she blinked.
“I heard they even sell Rum Punch at the concession stand.” He winked and she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. She felt like a kid on Christmas morning, believing in the magic of Santa Clause.
“I can’t believe you remembered.” She pulled back and shook her head. “Of course you remembered.” She sighed and grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his quickly. “You’re the best.”
Beyond excited, she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the theatre. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out their tickets, handing them to the usher. Cara had never been to a Broadway show, and she was pretty sure Jake hadn’t either. They both glanced around the lobby of the theatre, taking in the crowd of people and all the booths set up to sell souvenirs. Jake insisted they buy a program, and his and her t-shirts to remember their night. She didn’t need a t-shirt to remember this night. Jake’s birthday celebration for her had left an indelible impression on her, one she’d never forget as long as she lived.
Jake carried their Rum Punches, and she their bag of souvenirs, and they made their way to their Orchestra seats. Any closer and they would be on the stage. She was amazed by all the thought and effort he had put into this night. They settled into their seats, sipping their drinks and anticipated the opening act.
When the lights dimmed and the music sounded. Jake leaned into her ear and whispered against her skin. “Happy Birthday.”
She smiled and took his hand in hers, their fingers interlocked and her heart swelled. She was completely, hopelessly, in love with her best friend.
Once the curtain closed on the show, they hailed a taxi to China Town. They sat in a little corner table at Ho-Wop and ate authentic Chinese food. The both of them were disappointed that the menu wasn’t like the ones back home, they couldn’t find General Tso’s chicken on the menu anywhere. The only thing either of them recognized on the menu was Peking duck, so they ordered that. Once their meal was finished, they walked around Mott Street for a little while. Taking in all that was Little Italy, they made a pit stop at Ferraro’s for an espresso, and shared one of their famous cannoli.
Jake hadn’t remembered a night when he was happier, and so at ease. Seeing the smile on Cara’s face the entire night, was enough to ruin him for any other girl. He didn’t want the night to end and was pretty sure she didn’t either. He knew her feet were killing her in those shoes, but she wouldn’t dare admit to it. In the taxi, on the way back to the hotel, she became quiet, and he knew that she was battling her conscience. He wasn’t about to put his two cents into that war, instead he decided to let her figure it out on her own. He had made peace with the war that he had been struggling with, and now it was her turn to realize what had developed between them wasn’t a friendship anymore. Maybe neither intended to fall in love with the other, but they had, he knew and so did she. The difference was he had accepted his fate and wanted to begin this next chapter of their life together, that’s what it had become to him, their life. It had been since she crawled into his bed all those years ago. That night she became his to protect and to love unconditionally.
When they had arrived back at the hotel they went straight to their room. Neither of them said much the way back, and now as they stood in their hotel room, he could see she was still on the fence about them. He made a promise to himself before they left for the show that he wasn’t going to push her. One look at her, and being engulfed by the sexual tension that radiated through the room, had him struggling with his promise.
He watched her slip out of her shoes and shrink back to her original height. He placed his hands delicately on her shoulders. “Want a beer?” He asked and helped her unclasp her necklace. He told himself he was helping her out, but it was just an excuse to touch her. She had an exquisite neck, long and slender, that spread into her sculpted collar bone. He wanted so badly to taste it, to run his tongue along the base, feeling her pulse against his mouth.
“Sure.” She said and took the necklace from his hands.
He nodded and went over to the mini bar and grabbed two beers from inside. He reached into his pocket for a lighter and used it to pop off the tops of the beers. When he turned to hand it back to her, she was smiling at him, watching him amused.
“It still gets me every time you do that. Do you know how many times I’ve tried to do that?”
He laughed, the tension relieving itself. “Do you know how many lighters of mine, you’ve broken tried doing that?” She took the bottle from his hands and tipped its neck against the neck of his.