Kit let her hand slide up my arm and she wrapped her hands around my bicep. “Maybe we should go to The Pub to celebrate.”
“That would be nice,” I said trying to sound relaxed, but my heart was pounding as every part of my body registered the way it felt as Kit touched me.
I had to stay focused. I checked my phone; I had received the text from Rita saying they were ready.
Kit didn’t seem to be suspicious about where we were going. She seemed to be in a bit of daze. I opened the door to The Pub and let Kit go in first. As soon as she stepped inside, voices cried in unison, “Surprise!”
In that instant everything changed. The quiet and intimate moment I had shared with Kit dissolved into the chaotic energy of a surprise party. Kit’s friends and family circled around her. Kit was shocked. She looked back at me, but before she could scold me for not warning her, Melissa pulled Kit away from me. She put a sash over Kit’s head that said “30 and Flirty” in glittery letters. The jukebox was playing “Island in The Sun” by Weezer.
Kit was greeting and hugging every person in the room. I was happy to see Kit being celebrated by so many of her friends. I noticed a tall handsome man moving forward in the crowd. When Kit saw him she jumped up, and he picked her up and twirled her around as he hugged her. I instantly felt my neck and face get hot. Who was this guy?
After the man put Kit down, he exclaimed loudly, “Happy Birthday, KitKat.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “What are you doing here?” she cried.
KitKat? Who the fuck was this guy?
I must have been obviously staring because the man made a beeline straight for me. He grabbed my hand and squeezed hard. “My name is Matt. Kit’s…Matt.”
“William,” I said, trying not to sound too short. Matt didn’t let go of his overly firm grip of my hand.
Matt snapped his fingers of his other hand as if remembering something. “Oh yeah, William. You’re that little Christmas moviefriend. Kit told me about that.” Matt gave me a knowing grin, then continued. “Rita told me you’d be the perfect distraction so all her real friends could get ready to surprise Kit.” He patted my shoulder with his free hand. “Thanks.”
Little Christmas movie friend?Is that how Kit described me to people?
Kit joined us. As soon as she was near, Matt let go of my hand and wrapped an arm around her. Kit managed to wriggle out of his hold and said, “I think you just met Matt.”
“We’ve met.” I shoved a hand in my pocket and took a deep breath.
“This is Veronica, my best friend from college, and her husband, Gus,” Kit said, pointing to a tall, thin woman holding hands with a man about my age as they appeared next to us.
“Nice to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you,” I said to Veronica.
“Happy thirtieth birthday, Kitty,” Matt said playfully, squeezing Kit again. I wanted to barf.
“I can’t believe you all came out here just for this,” Kit said, looking up at Matt, Veronica, and Gus.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Kitten,” Matt cooed. Veronica and Gus agreed.
KitKat? Kitty? Kitten?I excused myself and walked away. I couldn’t watch this. I headed straight for the bar. I took a seat. Ray looked at me and nodded. He brought me a beer.
Over the next hour, I stayed posted up at the bar. A few people came over to chat with me, but then Kit appeared next to me. I could tell she had been drinking by how flush her cheeks were.
“You can’t just sit here all night. Let’s dance!” she said, pulling me off the barstool.
A group of Kit’s friends had cleared a space and started dancing. Kit must have sensed my hesitation, because she never let go of my hand, even when we reached the dance floor. She gave me a sultry smile, and I couldn’t resist her. I pulled her close to me. There was a mischievous sparkle in her eye. I let my hand find its way to her hips and she smiled up at me as we danced.
When the first song ended, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Matt. “Hey, can I cut in?” He winked at Kit and looked back at me. “Do you mind?”
I stepped back and nodded. Kit had a surprised look, but I gave her a reassuring smile because, as soon as I stepped away, Matt stepped between us. I saw Kit try to peek around him as dancing friends closed in around them. I sighed and headed back to the bar. I was kidding myself if I thought I could handle beingjustfriendswith Kit in situations like this.
Soon after, Aunt Rita appeared in the middle of the crowd with a large cake that said “Happy 30th Birthday, Kit!” The crowd broke out into song. Kit was glowing as she waited for the song to finish so she could blow out her candles. The whole time Matt stood next to her with his hand gently pressed against her lower back. When Kit leaned forward and blew out the candles, Matt spun her around and hugged her again. I caught a glimpse of Kit’s face, and she looked happy. Maybe this is what she wanted all along—to find her way back to Matt. The thought crushed me. It was more than I could handle. I turned and headed back to the bar, I asked Ray to close out my tab. When he brought me my bill, Ray, a man who almost never spoke, paused, and said in a gruff voice, “Have you thought about telling her how you feel?”
“Nah, man. It wouldn’t do any good.” I dropped bills onto the bar, nodded goodbye to him, and left without looking back.
I could feel myself slipping into a mood, and I knew I just needed to be alone. I didn’t want to ruin Kit’s night. I headed back to the house. When I finally got up to my room, I was surprised by how cold it was. Even though it was March, there was a chill in the night air, and this old house felt like an icebox. I changed into some sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt to try and warm up, but the room was still chilly. I sighed and went back downstairs to the kitchen to get firewood off the back porch.
I picked three logs off the top of the pile of firewood. When I got back into the kitchen, Kit was standing by the island waiting on me.
