Without You: Book 1 of the Changing Hearts Series (13 page)

“Duh,” he said. They smiled.
 

“My mom will probably cook something that weekend too, so you’re invited.” She squeezed his hand.

“You’re gonna have birthdays the rest of your life, you know,” he said with a smile. “You can’t let one person ruin them all.”

She smiled as she looked at him.
 

They began working, but Lucas said something else. “So what do you want for your birthday?”

Ariana finished copying a definition then looked up. “I don’t want to sound cheesy or anything, but all I want for my birthday is you.”
 

“Okay, that was so cheesy,” Lucas laughed. “Seriously, though. I want to get you something.”

“Really. I don’t want anything. I just…want to be with you.”

Lucas squeezed her hand. “That’s a given. But just so you know, you’re begging for a crazy gift.”

###

“Happy birthday, sis,” Jimmy gave her a big squeeze and lifted her effortlessly into the air. Their dad, who was watching an action movie on the couch, just laughed and shook his head. Ryan had just arrived, and he smiled but didn’t move. He had already given her an awkward hug.
 

She struggled to breathe. When Jimmy finally put her down, she hugged him back.
 

“Thanks,” she smiled. She fixed her purple floral dress and matching purple cardigan. Her parents had taken her shopping last weekend for her birthday, and she couldn’t wait for Lucas to see her in her new outfit.
 

She wandered into the kitchen, where her mom was making her favorite meal: enchiladas potosinas. She salivated just thinking of a huge plate of the tiny orange tacos right in front of her with a side of fajitas. Her mom was finishing up chopping lettuce and blending her homemade salsa. Any minute now, she’d start frying the tortillas for the enchiladas.
 

“Tienes hambre?” her mom asked.
 

“Starving,” she replied in Spanish. She leaned on the kitchen counter and observed her mom move about. She made a mental note to learn how to make enchiladas before she moved out. Or got married.
 

“What time is Lucas getting here?” her mom asked as she carried stuff to the dining table.

“A few minutes, probably,” she replied. They had gotten out of school for the weekend a couple of hours ago, but he had gone home to take a quick nap.
 

She walked back into the living room and sat down next to her dad. He put his arm around her neck and brought her close. She let herself lean on his shoulder. Jimmy and Ryan were on the other sofa.

“So how’s basketball going?” she asked.
 

“Good. Tryouts are next week. Ryan’s trying out again this year. I finally convinced him.” He put his feet up on the coffee table and put them back down again when their dad shot him a look.
 

“You’ll probably make it, right? Ryan too, I bet. ” she said.

“Hope so,” Ryan said. “I didn’t get to play much last year.”
 

“You will,” she said.

Ryan had gotten taller too, and now he was almost six feet. What are Jimmy and Ryan eating? she wondered. Oh yeah. Everything.

“That’s the plan.”

“You guys better come to all our games. First one’s next month,” Jimmy said.

“We’ll be there.”

“You too, Dad?” he asked.
 

“I’ll go to as many as I can,” he said. “But you’d better win. Or there’s no point in me going.” They laughed.
 

There was a knock at the door. Ariana jumped up to get it, hoping she didn’t trip in her new pair of high heels.
 

She opened the door. It was Mayra.
 

“Oh, hey.”
 

Mayra came in for a hug, shifting a present she carried to her side. “Happy birthday, best friend. How does it feel?”

“Honestly? Like any other day.” She put her hands at her side.

“Except now you can legally do whatever you want,” Mayra whispered with a grin on her face.

Ariana laughed. “There is that.” She glanced behind her, but her dad was distracted by the TV.

“This time next year, we’re going to be in college. Can you believe that?”

Ariana shook her head.
 

“Deciding our schedules. If we go to class or not. What time to go to bed. Whether to eat our vegetables.”

“Don’t get too crazy there, Mayra,” Ariana said.
 

“Oh, that’s just the PG stuff,” she replied with a wink. “Anyway, happy birthday, and here’s your present.”

Ariana took it and looked at it. “Should I open it now or wait?”

Mayra shrugged. “Up to you.”

“I’ll wait. Savor the surprise.”
 

Ariana stepped out of the way so Mayra could come inside. “It’s not much, but I hope you like it,” Mayra said, nodding at the present.
 

“I know I’ll love it.” She shut the front door but not before giving one last peek outside. No Lucas.
 

Mayra was wearing jeans, boots, and a nice top with a navy blue cardigan. She went over to the couch and shook Ariana’s dad’s hand then said hi to Jimmy and Ryan before heading into the kitchen to see what Ariana’s mom was up to. She saw Ryan elbow Jimmy in the ribs.
 

She followed Mayra, and the three of them chatted a bit before the doorbell rang just a few minutes later.
 

“Lucas,” Mayra said with a grin as Ariana went to go get the door.
 

“Hey,” he said after she opened the door. She went in for a quick kiss on the lips before inviting him in. He had a wrapped present in his hands. “This is for you. Happy birthday.” He gave her a long hug and only let go of her when Jimmy whistled from the living room. Ariana didn’t want to see the look on her dad’s face, so she kept her back to him and took the present.
 

“Thanks. I’ll open it later. I wonder what it is.” She looked at him for a clue, but he only winked and took her hand as they walked inside. This time, Lucas shook her dad’s hand.

“Hola. Como esta?” he greeted.

“Bien, bien,” her dad replied with hardly a glance.

Lucas gave Jimmy and Ryan some kind of secret bro handshake, and she maneuvered him into the kitchen to say hi to her mom and Mayra. Lucas shook her mom’s hand as her mom smiled.

“Como estas, Lucas?” she asked.

“Bien. Gracias,” he said.

 
He nodded at Mayra. “Hey.” Mayra just smiled and went back into the living room.

Ariana took Mayra’s present from the kitchen table and headed to her room. She dropped off Lucas with Jimmy.
 

“This is a great movie,” she heard him say as she walked down the hallway to her room.
 

She put the presents down on her bed. There was a tiny bag from Jimmy, a small rectangular-shaped box from Ryan, and her parents had given her a hundred dollars in cash (gas for the rest of the year, they joked), which she had hidden in her purse. She put the presents together and smiled at them. Lucas’s was the biggest. She couldn’t wait to open them later on her own.
 

She went back into the living room and sat down next to Lucas and Jimmy. Mayra was also sitting on the couch. Not long after, her mom called them into the dining room. Mayra helped set the table, Jimmy and Ryan gave everyone a soda, except for her dad, who had a beer, and Ariana carried plates of food to each person.
 

She looked at Lucas. His mouth was slightly open as he looked at his huge plate of enchiladas. “I cannot wait to eat this,” he said. “Your mom needs to come over to my house.”
 

Ariana laughed and sat down next to him.
 

“Your mom doesn’t make these?” She pulled her plate closer and opened her soda.
 

“Nope. Not where we’re from.”

Her mom finally came into the kitchen to join them.
 

“Buen provecho,” her dad said as he dug in. Jimmy opened his soda and took a swig before grabbing a taco in each hand and eating.
 

Ariana waited for Lucas to taste the enchilada. She saw him chewing and close his eyes briefly before turning to Ariana. “This is like my new favorite food. No joke.”
 

She smiled and began eating. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her birthday last year and all the horrible things that had happened after. When she had been with Carlos. Now, all of that lay forgotten as she had birthday dinner with the people she loved the most.

Lucas and Ariana were standing at Lucas’s car. They watched Jimmy, Mayra, and Ryan walk down the street from Mayra’s driveway. They were walking Ryan home. It was late. The movie they had watched at Mayra’s house had just ended and her parents had called for them to head home. Her birthday had turned out pretty good.

She grabbed Lucas’s hands and put them around her waist. Then she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they finally pulled away, he smiled. “Did you have a good birthday?”

“The best,” she answered. “I can’t wait to see what you got me, by the way.”

He looked down and smiled, taking her hands in his. He brought them to his mouth and kissed them slowly. His eyes were closed. Ariana remembered to close her mouth before he opened his eyes and looked at her.
 

“I just can’t believe I found someone like you. You’re the best thing that could have happened to me,” Lucas said, looking in her eyes.

She shrugged, not finding an adequate response to that. She settled for kissing him on the cheek and trying not to blush.

“Any guy would die to have a girl like you. You don’t do drama like so many other girls. You actually try in school and don’t think you’re the best thing that happened to the world. One day, when my mom meets you, I know she’s gonna love you.”

“Uh. Way to bring on the pressure there, Lucas.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. We can wait a little longer, although it would only be fair considering what I went through.”

She shook her head and laughed. “But it was worth it, right?”

“Eh…” he said.
 

“Lucas!”

“I’m kidding. Of course you’re worth it.” He kissed her again. A few minutes later, she rested her head on his chest and heard his heartbeat. She closed her eyes. She never wanted this night to end.
 

“Hey,” he said after a while.

“Hm,” she said, eyes still closed. It was chilly outside, but she was warm in Lucas’s arms.

“Did Wendy ever bother you again?”

She looked up at him.
 

“I never asked you, and you never mentioned anything else. That’s all.”

She shook her head. “She makes faces at me in class, but I ignore her.”

He nodded and hugged her again.
 

“Jimmy and Mayra sure have taken a while,” she said.

“What’s up with those two?” Lucas said. “They have a thing for each other?” They turned to the street, but saw no one. It was dark out, and if they didn’t get back soon, she’d have to go looking for them. Her parents would probably call any minute, wondering where they were.

“Yeah,” she said. “They’re not sure if they want to give each other a chance or just stay friends, though.”

Lucas nodded. “I have a feeling those two are gonna get together real soon.”

She smiled. “Me too.”

They finally saw figures approaching. Mayra and Jimmy.
 

“Look at ’em. It’s so obvious they were making out,” Lucas said.
 

Ariana laughed and shoved him playfully.

“What are you two laughing about?” Jimmy said as he got closer.

###

Ariana sat on her bed, the small pile of presents in front of her. She picked up the one from Mayra first.

Instead of giving her one thing, she had given her a bunch of smaller things: lip gloss, eye shadow sets, earrings, and bracelets. There was also a little metallic, tree-like stand for all of her jewelry.

She began organizing everything right away and stared at it in admiration on her desk.

Ryan’s present was next. She tore the wrapping paper carefully and set it aside. It was obvious he had wrapped it himself. She smiled as she looked down at a daily and weekly planner. She loved the pastel colored flowers all over the outside and the fancy curly font on the inside. Perfect for college.

She was touched. Ryan’s family wasn’t that well off, but he had probably saved up to get her this. She made herself a mental note to get him something really nice for his birthday next year.
 

She grabbed Jimmy’s present and opened the tiny bag. There was a $15 ebook gift card for the eReader she wanted to buy with the money her parents had given her. She smiled. Jimmy had paid attention to her birthday wish hints. Mayra was gonna be a lucky girl to have such a sweet guy. She put the card away in her wallet, and proceeded to the present she had saved for last.

Lucas’s present.

It was a tiny rectangular box, all velvety on the outside. Before she could wonder what it was, she opened it.
 

And gasped.
 

A bracelet. A delicately thin gold bracelet. No one had ever given her jewelry.

She wished she had opened it when he was there so he could put it on her. Asking Jimmy or her parents to help her put it on would be so awkward. She stared at it and held it for a few more minutes before putting it away in her backpack.
 

She began texting Lucas and then stopped and deleted the message.
 

She would ask Lucas to put the bracelet on tomorrow before their double date.

###

The next day was Saturday, and the day of their double date.
 

“You ready?” Jimmy asked as he walked into her room and sat down on her bed. She was putting on some eye shadow as she watched a demonstration video on her phone. She sighed in frustration. The girl in the video made it look so easy. She turned around and showed Jimmy.
 

“Does this look good?”