Happy birthday

Okay then. I thought, quietly taking the glass back.

- What is it? Did I tell you to take it out?

I kept taking it to the sink.

- Come back here! - She followed me and grabbed my arm.

I looked at her seriously. It wasn't my fault if Ethan flirted, felt, or thought he felt something for me. She let go of my hands.

- Don't ever touch me again, Caroline. - I say with a tone of danger I've never heard in my voice before.

- Or what? - she shouted.

- Look, I'm tired of your little games, you pick on me all the time, you do everything you can to get in the way of my work, you flirt with Ethan openly, what do you think you're going to get out of it? I'm tired of it, if you carry on I'll be forced to talk to Ethan.

She smiled.

- Ohh! I'm so scared. - She widened her eyes.

- Seriously, Caroline, don't tempt me, I've spent enough time putting up with your antics.

- Do you really think he'll care what you say? He doesn't give a damn! You're just a diversion for him. He always does that, flirts with girls until he gets what he wants, then comes back to me. It's always been like that, ever since we were fourteen, I was his first love and he was mine. We have a part of each other that no one else will ever have apart from the two of us. We've been through hell together and it's not you who's going to tear us apart. Under his father's oak tree we made love for the first time. And he's always looking for me... what do you think he called me here for?

I felt my heart squeeze at those words. She was a cow, and I knew she was trying to provoke me, but what if it was true? Even if he didn't love her, Ethan never said he didn't go out with her. I stayed silent, I knew it was eating her up inside that I wasn't responding. She was being ignored, that's why she was so nervous.

- You idiot! - she shouted and started snapping her fingers in front of me, as if to snap me out of a trance. - You really are an idiot, thinking that someone like Ethan would look at you. - She laughed derisively. - You barely know how to line a bed. And you still have that Texan accent. You can pretend all you want to him, but you can't fool me. He'll NEVER look at you.

- Actually, I think he would," I replied, almost regretting having started talking. - In fact, I'm sure of it! And you know what, I love the way he looks at me, the way he smells, the way he smiles, everything about him. I spend a lot of time just fantasizing about what his kiss would be like. I'm not the idiot, it's you, he'll never look at you, he'll never want you. And he'll never, ever love you. It makes me sad to see you like this, crawling after someone like Ethan. You're cruel, so ugly inside, and you don't have a shred of the love you claim to have for him. At the very least, if you did, you'd respect his opinion that he doesn't want to be with you. And you'd accept that maybe he's into me.

I took a deep breath when I'd finished speaking. She looked at me for a moment.

- You really are a slut.

Instinctively, I picked up the orange juice and threw it hard in her face.

She raised her hand to slap me and was stopped. Ethan was holding her hand, and he looked handsome, dressed in sweatpants and a shirt. He looked at us, and he looked pissed off, really pissed off.

- Ahh! Look what she's done! - She cried. - That bitch! She's been humiliating me for days. I hate her, Ethan. - Caroline reached for his chest to cry, but he stopped her.

- Get out of here now. I'll book you on the first flight home tomorrow.

- But... But... it was her, Ethan, don't you see? Look at the way I look. - She gestured to her juice-smeared face and clothes. - It was her! She's trying to hurt me! - She cried.

- Please, Maria," he said, looking back. - Walk my cousin to her room and help her pack, she's leaving in the morning.

- You can't! - she shouted. - You can't!

He locked his jaw and looked her straight in the eye. As if realizing the gravity of the situation, Caroline ran past him, stomping her feet and crying. He passed Maria too, bumping into her violently and causing her to take disconcerted steps backwards.

I faced Ethan, I was apprehensive. I had overstepped my boundaries, giving him every right to throw me out. I'd screwed everything up.

- Nicole... - he started to speak when a wave of nausea hit me. I ran towards the bathroom in the corridor, knelt down on the cold floor and vomited. I felt a hand on the back of my neck, helping me by holding back my hair. I looked up, and there was Colle.

- Oh, no, Mr. Colle. Please, you don't have to....

Another bout of vomiting.

- I'm not going to leave you to suffer alone. - He handed me a tissue and I wiped my mouth.

- Really, you don't have to... - I felt involuntary tears coming down from my eyes. - I'm sorry about today, if you're going to throw me out...

He cut me off.

- I'm not going to fire you for this," he said. - Let alone kick you out. The only person who deserves to be out of here is Caroline. - I looked up and he was smiling. - But you should, for keeping it from me that tomorrow is your birthday," he said.

- "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not used to celebrating, it's always just been me, Vivian and Alice," I said, getting up and rinsing my mouth out in the sink.

After sanitizing myself properly, we walked to my bedroom door.

-How did you know? - I asked.

- Oh, your friend Vivian wanted to send a package, but every package goes through the security team first and it can take a few days to receive it. As she was afraid it wouldn't arrive in time, she called me and let me know.

- Of course. But it's not an important date for me. I just don't care. - I shrugged. - And about your cousin, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, it was rude of me, and cruel too. - I lowered my gaze.

- Not that I mind, really. I know how difficult she is, and I know she must have made your life a living hell this week. It's my fault, I shouldn't have left her here for so long. But Caroline has demons that even I can't control. She's had a shitty past and relying on me for that isn't right. She needs to have boundaries.

I smiled sincerely.

- Yeah, she was cruel," I said.

- I'm sorry.

I grabbed the handle of my bedroom door, ready to go in.

- So you love the way I look at you? - he asked, squinting. He took the handle from above my hand. - The way I smell... - I said slowly. - My smile... and fantasizing about my kiss. - He held my chin gently so that I would look at him.

He had an undeniable arrogance and blue eyes that I couldn't keep my eyes off.

- I need to confess to you too," he said, stepping closer, his warm breath mixed with his perfume, invading my nostrils. He smelled of mint. I closed my eyes. Oh no!

- Since you got here, I've been fantasizing about you too. Perhaps not as innocently as you.

My back hits the door the moment his palm makes contact with the wood, hitting the space next to my head. He lowers his arms, takes my face in both hands and brings my nose up to brush his.

I open my eyes and turn away quietly. I gave a half-smile.

- Good night, Nicole.