Page 56

Lilly

If you were to ask me what m y favorite day of the year was, without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll always say my birthday.

I fucking love my birthday.

When I woke up this morning, surprisingly without a hangover, I walked out of my bedroom to the whole house decorated with birthday banners, balloons, and a mountain of presents.

It was truly perfect.

The girls knew how much I loved my birthday, and they always managed to make it ten times better with the things they did for me, and for that, I’m forever grateful I have them in my life.

“Come on, birthday girl, let’s dance!” Nina grins, grabbing my hand and pulling me from the booth, making my cocktail almost spill over the edge of the glass.

I stumble after her, my feet are killing me in these heels, but they go perfectly with the sparkly dress I’m wearing, so I had no choice but endure the pain.

Grabbing my hand, Nina pulls me toward her as “In da club” by 50 cent plays. Something I know one of the girls requested because they know any song that mentions birthdays, I have no choice but to dance.

Adjusting my glittery “twenty one” headband, I make sure my “birthday queen” sash isn’t twisted and blow out a breath, feeling the heat rise up my neck. I love dancing, but it loathe it at the same time.

Callie grabs my hand, twirling me around before she slowly shimmies to the ground, using me like I’m a stripper's pole. I laugh, bringing my hand up and slapping her ass, making her giggle as she rises back up.

Payton and Nina laugh beside us, both of them swiping invisible money from their hands, making it pretend to rain money all over Callie and me.

Throwing my head back laughing, Callie grabs both Payton and Nina’s hands, forcing them to dance with u s. My hands reach in the air, and I sway my hips as the three of them collectively begin using me as a stripper's pole.

As they’re grinding, dancing, and swaying up against me, I can’t help but take a glance around to see if Greyson is here.

For the last hour I’ve searched around aimlessly for any sign of him, he said him and the guys would be here a little later than when the girls and I arrived, but I’m yet to see him, and we’ve been here for almost three hours.

With the alcohol coursing through my veins, all I could think about was seeing him. Kissing him. Hugging him. Just being with him.

I know it’s my birthday, and I should be having fun—and trust me, I am. But there’s still this nagging feeling inside me that feels like something is missing when he’s not around.

Every minute feels like an eternity, and I’m anxiously counting down the seconds until my eyes land on his.

Callie spins around, running her hand along my body as she slowly lowers herself to the ground, swaying her hair as she does so. And when she rises again, she looks behind me and smirks, walking a few steps back.

I look at her confused until I feel arms wrap around me from behind. At first I stiffen, but when I smell his scent, and the way he embraces me, I grin, leaning back into his touch.

Exactly who I needed.

“Happy birthday, baby.” Greyson whispers, his breath fanning my ear and making my whole body erupt in Goosebumps.

Turning around, my hands clasp around his neck, and I smile up at him, swaying my hips along to the song that’s almost over. “Thank you.” Leaning forward, I connect our lips.

It’s a soft kiss, almost like the first notes of a love song. And in that moment, everything around me blurs—the flashing lights, the noise, the world beyond us—it was just me and Greyson suspended in time.

His kiss tasted like everything I wanted in life, it tasted like forever, and it tasted like love.

Love, a tiny word that carries immense weight. It’s amazing how four letters can encapsulate something so vast and profound. It’s a force that can move mountains, bring people to their knees, and it’s a feeling that can make life worth living.

For me, loving Greyson was all the above and so much more. Loving him was an adventure, a journey into the deepest parts of my heart where I found not only him, but also a better version of myself. It was the kind of love that transforms, heals, and elevates, making every day brighter.

Loving him was, and continues to be the most profound and beautiful experience of my life.

We pull away from the kiss, yet the world around me remains a blur. The music fades into the background, and all I could hear was his heavy breathing as our foreheads press together. His scent envelops me, and his touch is all I could feel. It’s as if we’ve created our own little universe, where nothing else exists but us.

“You look fucking beautiful.” He says, his eyes gazing into mine.

“You like my dress?” I ask, chewing my lip, trying to hide my smile.

I might’ve chosen this particular dress in hopes that when he saw it he’d want to rip it off my body, and by the look in his eyes, my mission has been accomplished.

“Hmm,” he nods, his nose brushing against my cheek as he leans in and whispers. “I love everything about you.”

“I love everything about you too.” I confess.

He grinds his hips into me, and I can feel how hard is cock is when it presses against my stomach.

“Feel what you do to me?” He growls into my ear. “You make me so fucking hard.”

My breath catches as I inhale a breath, because he’s having the exact same effect on me. All he has to do is breathe near me and I get this sudden urge to rip his clothes off and fuck him—something I’ve done multiple times already.

“Maybe you ought to do something about that then.” I whisper back, my voice betraying my confidence a s my finger slowly trails up his chest.

“Or, maybe you should.” His eyes glimmer, a smirk tinting his lips.

“Shots!” Callie yells before I have the chance to respond to Greyson.

I blink, my vision and mind coming back into focus. Can’t I just stay in that moment with Greyson forever? Pressing a soft kiss against his lips, I turn to see Callie holding a tray of shots. She begins passing them around to everyone, even offering Chase one which he seems reluctant about.

“Did you poison this?” He asks, glancing at the shot glass in his hand.

“Yeah, with rat poison.” She rolls her eyes, not even glancing at him.

“Wait, for real?” Theo gasps, his eyes widening.

Callie gives him a deadpan look, shaking her head and continues passing the shots out.

“And for the birthday girl.” She grins, handing me a pink shot.

“What is it?” I ask.

“What it is doesn’t matter, what it does, does.” She winks.

I chuckle, taking it from her hand. She passes one to Greyson too and then puts the tray on a table behind her.

“Happy birthday to the baddest bitch about!” She shouts, raising her shot in the air.

“On the count of three!” Nina shouts, holding her shot up too.

I giggle as everyone begins counting down. “Happy birthday, Lilly!” They shout in unison before we clink our glasses together and down the shots.

I grimace once I swallow, the liquid burning my throat. “What the fuck was that?” I gasp, my eyes wat ering slightly from the intensity.

“That was the shot that’s going to get you fucked up.” Callie grins, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

And I knew from the look in her eyes, she wasn’t lying.