Happy Birthday

Audrey’s POV

I fidgeted in the passenger seat of Amber’s car, my heart racing with both excitement and nervousness as I thought about the words I'd say the next day. 

Thinking of how my confession would be was the only thought that filled my little brain, rather than how well my anticipated birthday would turn out to be.

Ever since I turned sixteen, the thoughts of Mr. Knight had filled me up so much to the point that it had me thinking that something was wrong with me.

 It was abominable and unheard of to think that way of my best friend’s dad, but I found myself thinking of it, nevertheless, and they were all filthy thoughts.

Who wouldn't?

Mr. Knight was the perfect description of a DILF, he was tall, strong, and well-toned. I have seen him doing his workouts and that is a sight to behold.

To top that, he was fond of wearing well-fitting clothes that complimented his body.

There was this charm about his smile, he was kind and had this gentle demeanor and that look in his eyes that held a hint of mischief.  

How can someone’s dad be this desirable?

“Come on, you've been spaced out the whole way here! What's going on in that head of yours?”

I opened my mouth to share with her but thought otherwise. After being forced to take me shopping, she has been hell-bent on making me pay with mean words.

“I’m okay,” I said, ignoring her question.

“Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird all day, I should be the one in this mood and not the birthday girl." 

 “I’m sorry, and I promise I’m okay.” 

“Well, good to know because we didn't come here to relax in the car!” Amber scolded and without throwing back words at her, I did as she had told me and continued to listen to her complaint about having to take me to the mall as we walked in. 

I couldn’t help but be grateful to her for having taken away the nasty thoughts that were starting to build up the more I thought of him. 

“Any idea of what you’d like to wear on your day!” She asked as our eyes glanced around, doing the basic shopping. 

For a birthday I had been waiting for, I had no plans in mind for it, and worse still, Ellie wasn't here to help with the planning.

The thought of Ellie took my mind back to my thoughts of her dad, and guilt slipped. Here I was spotting these kinds of thoughts about my best friend's dad.

“You can act so dumb sometimes, first off, we’d shop for your dress and then a few accessories coupled with a matching shoe”

“We can also work on your hair,” she added, “Would it make me look eighteen?” I asked enthusiastically.

She gave me a funny look, which I ignored, hoping her answer would be positive.

“If that is the look you want then we’d go for it then, can I ask why my shy and sophisticated little sister would want to look eighteen!” She teased as though she knew something, but didn't push me.

I shrugged her off before letting her lead me to the hair salon. 

“Tomorrow is her birthday, and we were hoping for something daring,” Amber said to the hairdresser.

“Aww, a happy birthday late to you baby”

“If we are hoping to stun everyone, then we’d go with something like loose waves or curls, with a deep side part”.

“If you’d like that, then maybe some soft, face-framing layers, and a bit of volume at the crown. To top that, I could even add some subtle highlights or lowlights to make her hair look dimensional and dynamic”.

“What do you think!” Amber asked before leaning in to whisper, “Do you think it’s too much?”.

The look according to the hairdresser had me assured that indeed this was perfect for me, “It’s okay” and then she went to work.

As her hands moved on my hair, I could see the transformation slowly becoming a reality. My heart pounded as I gazed into the mirror, taking in my new look with a mixture of pride and anxiety. 

“How much time left, I don’t really…”

“Wow, Audrey!” I heard Amber react as I turned to face her.

No one needed to tell me, but I felt beautiful, but also slightly nervous about how others would react. Despite my apprehension, I couldn't help but admire how the new style brought out my best features. 

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I realized that this change was undoubtedly what I needed. All those fights I had earlier were immediately cleared, and all I cooked to see in front of me was a lady capable enough to woo Mr. Knight.

“When you said daring, this was far the least from what I was expecting,” Amber teased, but I was in my little world.

From the salon, we began walking through the mall, window shopping, and chatting as we went. Suddenly, I bumped into someone, and as I looked up, my heartbeat cut short.

Someone I had least expected, I must say because the odds of meeting here were close to none.

“Mr. Knight?” After that, there was a brief moment of awkward silence as we stared into each other's eyes before Amber helped me out, “Oh, hi, Mr. Knight. Sorry about my clumsy sister.”

Mr. Knight gave me a quick smile that made my heart thump faster, “It’s no problem, Amber.”

My face fell as I realized that Mr. Knight hadn't even noticed the new hairstyle I had on to impress him.

As if he didn’t care, I had hoped he would at least say something, but instead, he found speaking to Amber to be quite interesting, frustrating me as he made it seem as though he had become completely oblivious to my presence.

He was doing it again, treating me as though it didn’t matter to him at all…like a child he thought I was.

I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do or even say that would make him look at me, even if it was just once.

My new hairstyle was beginning to seem like a mistake if the main reason I had it on was in my front but hadn’t noticed it.

I tried pressing my phone in a bid to be patient, but the more I stood there, the more uncomfortable I felt. I began to shift from foot to foot, trying to figure out what to do. 

Seeing my sister and Mr. Knight chatting happily, while I stood by the side didn’t suit me well at all. Could it be that Mr. Knight did consider me to be a woman at all? 

 Finally, I decided to interrupt them, and as though on cue, he turned and ruffled my hair, causing me to scowl, “It's nice seeing you here, and happy birthday, look at you all grown up now…time flies so fast”. 

“Are we celebrating it?” he added, still staring at me like I was his daughter.

 “Yes,” I replied shyly, unable to meet his eyes.

 “Don't I get an invitation?” Mr. Knight asks his tone light and teasing. 

My face flushed with embarrassment, and I struggled to find the words to say, Why was she asking for an invitation all of a sudden?

I stammered, “I-I mean, I'm confident that Amber would be happy to have you at her party. I mean, it's her party, after all.” 

“Really? I thought it was your birthday?” I cringed at how pathetic I sounded, and all I wanted to do was disappear from here.

Not only that, but I was dying of embarrassment.

“Don’t mind her at all, you are welcome to join us…”, “I wouldn’t miss it, and once again happy birthday late” Just like that he was done, and I basked in rage.

For the rest of our activities in the mall, I couldn't help but reflect on the gesture, which had completely soiled my mood. 

Once we were done shopping, we left for home, and while at the door, Amber suddenly asked, “Is there another reason for your foul mood?”

 I stared at her, wondering if this was the appropriate time to tell her that I had a crush on Mr. Knight. 

“Is it at all okay to be involved in a certain forbidden relationship, one void of brotherhood, but found on the ground of age Gap?”

“Hmm, I doubt”

“Do you have a crush on an older man!” she added, sounding a little more excited than normal.

“No” I argued before entering the house in a bid to avoid her teasing.

“Let me guess who, Mr. Knight?”

 “Ewww no, he is my best friend's dad” I lied through my teeth, but she just chuckled, making me feel as though she knew something I didn't.

“Yeah right, but if you truly like Mr. Knight, then you shouldn't hold your feelings back, You'd be going to college in a few weeks, and above all, you only live once right?”

I smiled before once more lying, “I don't like Mr. Knight, Yes he has a good physique, but he is n…”

“Yeah right” she teased before leaving to my thoughts.

 I found it hard to sleep all through the night, and even a call from Ellie wasn’t enough to help me at all.

 I didn't dare to tell her that I was crushing on her dad while she was on her school research in China, so I bottled up those feelings and tried not to think much about it.

Why did he have to be so hot and attractive?

Why did he also have to be someone’s dad? Worse still, my best friend!

Whilst still thinking about it, I went to bed.

It was the morning of my birthday and I had woken up by the sound of my phone ringing.

I smiled as Ellie sang a birthday song for me before we both burst into tears because, for the first time since I was born, my best friend was going to be away from me on my birthday.

After hanging up, I stood up and my eyes caught my reflection in the mirror. Upon seeing my new hairstyle, I remembered the awkward moment with Mr. Knight at the mall. 

Slowly, I ran a hand through my new hairstyle, feeling a sense of disappointment. I’d been so excited to get a new look, but now I just feel foolish. 

 I was not certain why I was even bothered. Not only that, but I tried to shake off the feeling and focus on getting ready for the day.

The thought about the party that night and whether Mr. Knight still haunted me, and my mind played tricks on me as I imagined him walking through the door.

“Birthday girl!” Amber yelled before bursting through the door and upon seeing me awake, “Oh, you are up!”

“Happy birthday, sweetie! Are you excited about tonight?” I forced a smile and said, “Yeah, Amber. I'm excited about it.” But inside, I felt anything but excited, my body was bursting with nerves. 

 “If this mood is about Mr. Knight, I thought we agreed you would finally tell him how you feel.”

“I don’t know, you saw him at the mall, he didn’t seem too interested in me or even my hairstyle”

“You only live once baby, make sure to confess…you’d soon go off to college, and you would regret ever not doing it now”

Her words seemed like a force that drove me throughout the day.

Night time finally came and Amber brought in my dress. I wasn’t paying attention back when she bought it, but upon seeing it, I gasped.

“You don’t realize it, but I have always known you had a crush on Mr. Knight, don’t you forget to make your move today” 

“I love you,” I said with tears threatening to ruin my makeup.

“You haven’t said that to me since our parent's death” Amber awed before pulling me into her arms, “I love you too, now get dressed to kill”.

Amber picked the right dress because indeed this dress was perfect enough to catch the attention of Mr. Knight. 

It was a pink Carmen off-shoulder mesh bandage dress that featured a corset bodice and mesh ruched sleeves…it was a design made in heaven for me.

 As I stepped through the door, the chatter of the crowd faded to a dull murmur, and all I could hear was the pounding of my heart. 

My eyes scanned the room, searching for a familiar face.

This courage was something I’d only get today, and I wanted to put it to perfect use.

 I greeted a few family members and friends as I navigated through our house.

 A familiar cologne filled my nostrils, and I traced it to our backyard, he was here… Mr. Knight acknowledged my invitation.

I gasped in shock as the sight in front of me filled me with feelings of disbelief, and right there it was as if the world had suddenly stopped turning and everywhere had begun spinning around me.

This level of betrayal shook my nerves and hate began surging through my veins. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe anymore and froze to the spot.

They didn’t seem to have noticed my presence as Mr. Knight's hands encircled her waist, pulling her closer and causing me to gasp as my heart broke into another million pieces.

I finally found my voice,” Mr. Knight!.”

 They both jerked apart in shock. My sister was in the backyard with the man she had urged me to confess my feelings to…kissing.