Page 119 of Hate You Up Close

Elliot nods in agreement while reaching for his sandwich.

“I’m not much of a deli person, but Hickory is my favorite,” he adds before taking a bite.

“Mmhhm,” I hum, my eyes closing as the delicious soup hits my tastebuds.

Before I have a chance to start a conversation, Elliot’s phone vibrates loudly against the table. Elliot rolls his eyes as he picks up his napkin and wipes the corners of his mouth.

“I swear to God,” he shakes his head. “This thing never stops ringing.”

He’s not lying. His phone goes offall day. I don’t know how he can stand it.

“Just ignore it,” I say. “You’re at lunch. Whoever it is, they can wait.”

He narrows his eyes, looking closer at the screen.

“Shit,” he mutters. “It’s my Grandma. Do you mind if I take this real quick?”

“No, not at all,” I shake my head.

Grandmas should always get top priority, it’s just an unspoken rule. Plus, it’s kind of cute that he wants to take a call from his grandma. Makes my heart melt.

“Hey, Gram,” he answers as a boyish grin stretches across his face.

Gram.Stop it right now. My heart can’t take it.

“Oh, uh…” he chuckles nervously into the phone. “Thanks, Gram. But my birthday is next month. You have the day right, just the wrong month.”

He smiles and nods.

“No, no, it’s okay,” he adds. “You have a lot of birthdays to remember. This just means that you can claim that you were the first to tell me happy birthday this year.”

He grins, listening intently as she responds. I watch with a grin stretched across my face as they banter playfully back and forth. He’s so good with her…Gentle in a way that I haven’t seen from him before. It’s clear that he loves his grandma so much. And without hearing her voice, I already know that she loves him just as much.

“Alright, Gram,” he hums. “Sounds good.”

“I love you too.”

“Talk to you soon.”

He chuckles, hanging up the phone and setting it back down on the table.

“She does that every year,” he laughs, shaking his head. “Always calls me a month or so before my actual birthday. It’s the thought that counts, right?”

“Absolutely,” I nod, unable to hide the grin stretching across my face.

Since today is May fifteenth, Elliot’s birthday must be on June fifteenth. I wish I could personally thank his grandma for this valuable piece of information because I know Elliot would have never told me about his birthday otherwise.

“I think it’s sweet that she calls you early,” I add. “It probably just means that she loves you the most,” I wink. “And she wants to make sure she doesn't forget.”

“I think I’m secretly her favorite,” he smirks. “When we were kids, she would always sneak me one hundred dollar bills when we would leave her house, but she would only give Everett fifty.”

He chuckles, recalling the memory.

“Yup, you’re definitely the favorite,” I laugh.

“Nah,” he shakes his head. “I’m just spoiled because I’m the baby in the family.”

“What about you?” he asks. “Did you have any fun birthday traditions growing up?”