Page 49 of The Intimacy of Control

B-day boy breakfast

He was taking me out for breakfast?

Forrest

I’m bringing everything but milk and butter. You got milk?

Wait. He was cooking me breakfast?

I do.

Forrest

Good. Orb

Owm

Omw ffs

I couldn’t help but laugh at him. I’d barely woken up, and I was already laughing. What a fucking gift he was.

I groaned as I started to get moving, picking out clothes to wear that wouldn’t scream how much of a hermit I usually was. My house wasn’t the messiest, but it wasn’t the cleanest, either. My bedroom was honestly the worst, seeing as I’d given up on folding my clothes at some point.

Did I care? Not exactly. If Forrest wanted to know me, then he’d get to know me, mess and all.

Well, I thought about cleaning everything up but had decided against it as I made my way to the bathroom. I’d just finished shaving when my phone started to ring. I leaned over the screen and answered with one finger, trying not to get my phone wet. “Hey.”

Callum was far too loud for this early in the morning. “Happy birthday! You didn’t answer my text. I thought maybe you were asleep.”

“So you were going to wake me up with a phone call? I got up not too long ago.”

“Dude, I sent you a text first. Unprompted. Aren’t you the least bit proud of me?”

“I’m always proud when you text me.”

“Well, you could act like it.” He scoffed. “What’re you up to today? Tobi and I could swing an early shift to come celebrate with you.”

I tapped the phone screen to look at the time. “Well, Forrest is coming over in a couple minutes. Sounds like he’s got a few things planned.”

“Forrest?”

My eyes flashed up to my reflection as it dawned on me. “Fuck.”

“Is that who you’ve been seeing?”

I groaned, taking a moment before I started to brush my hair. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“It is. I like that name. With a name like that, you can’t be anything less than fun. So, he’s spending your birthday with you? Must be serious.”

“Okay, don’t even start.”

“Oh, I’ve started.”

“Then don’t continue.”

“Whatever.” He was rolling his eyes. I couldn’t see him, but I could hear it in his tone. I knew that bastard. “Please let me know how it goes. Tobi and I will be on standby for any birthday needs. I’ll see if I can get someone to make you a cake here, and I’ll bring it by tomorrow.”

“You don’t need to do that.”