Thirty-four.

This was the first time I'd known it was my birthday in two years.

I hadn't told anyone what day it was today except for Deanna. It felt wrong to do so. So many people were dying and suffering. What made me so special?

As I descended the stairs, a sweet smell filled my nose. A sigh left my mouth. I should have expected my sisters to remember. I prepared myself to accept what was coming.

As soon as I turned into the kitchen, confetti was thrown.

"Happy birthday!" the group yelled.

My sisters, Tate, Maggie, and Glenn stood before me with grins on their faces and party hats on their heads. On the counter was a white cake with chocolate frosting; my favorite.

"You guys," I said, a smile emerging. "You didn't have to do this."

"Of course we did," Blair told me. She handed me a hat.

I put on the cone, the elastic snapping under my chin.

Tate finished lighting the pink candles. "Let's get this party started."

I stood in front of the cake while everyone sang to me. The small flames danced and wax dripped on the frosting. When the song was finished, I held back my hair as I blew out the candles. My family cheered.

"Happy thirty-fourth, Jo," Glenn said as he placed a hand on my back. In his other hand, he held a small purple bag. "This is from Maggie and I."

I opened the bag and pulled out a copy of Fahrenheit 451 and a black and white flannel. Now, I couldn't help but smile.

"You remembered," I beamed. "Thank you so much. I love these."

"You're welcome, Jo. We love you," Maggie told me.

"I love you too."

I pulled the couple into a tight hug.

"I wish I could stay, but I have to get going on that run," Glenn announced.

"You'll have a piece of cake waitin' for you when you get back," said Dakota.

"Looking forward to it."

Glenn gave Maggie a hug and a kiss before leaving.

"Now open ours!" exclaimed Blair, gesturing over to Dakota.

She slid a small box across the counter. I opened it to reveal a pair of diamond earrings. In my life before this, I would have loved this gift. I had a large collection of jewelry and I was always looking for more pieces to add to it. In my present life, I couldn't care less about shiny, fancy objects. I appreciated the effort they put into getting these for me, I just didn't have any use for them now.

"They're great!" I lied. "Thank you."

Maggie shot me a knowing look like she just read my mind. Although my sisters didn't know me that well anymore, she did. We didn't share any blood, but Maggie was my sister too.

I looked to Tate, expecting him to reveal his gift.

"You'll get mine later," he said, mischief in his eyes.

Blair brandished a knife. "Let's have cake!"

___

I spent my birthday lounging around reading the book Maggie and Glenn had gotten me. After spending so much time with the rest of the community during my jobs, all I wanted was to be alone. This was something I hadn't really had since the prison.

Suddenly, there was a knock at my bedroom door. I placed my bookmark before getting up. Behind the door stood Tate with a bottle of red wine in his hand.

"Time for my present," he declared, fixing up his dark hair. "Come with me."

Tate held out his arm for me to loop mine through. I took up his offer and he led me down the stairs and to the dining table. There sat lit candles, two empty wine glasses, and plates filled with mixed vegetables and fettuccine alfredo.

Tate pulled out a chair for me.

As I sat, I told him, "This smells amazing."

"It's going to taste amazing too, just you wait."

The man popped the cork on the bottle and poured the liquid into my glass.

"Thanks."

Tate and I ate, talked, and laughed. Although he could be kind of an ass at times, he was certainly charming. There was no denying that. All of the Madison men could talk their way out of any situation.

Tate began to pour more wine when only a few droplets came out.

"Looks like we need to replenish our supply," he said.

"Seems that way," I added.

With our glasses in hand, the two of us went to the kitchen. Tate grabbed another bottle, opened it, and added the alcohol to our empty cups. We were both already drunk—me more so than him—but I was having a great time. I almost forgot what day it was.

"Jolene," the man began, "I'm really glad Aaron found you. You were the missing piece this place needed."

"That means a lot, Tate," I replied sincerely.

"You were the missing piece that I needed too." Tate grabbed my hand and peered into my eyes. I stiffened. "Ever since you showed up here, you're all I can think about. My day revolves around you. I really like you, Jolene."

"I... I don't know what to say."

My entire body felt heavy like someone had tied a weight to my feet and dropped me in the ocean.

"You don't have to say anything."

Then, Tate pulled me close to him by my waist. He placed his lips on mine.

My eyes remained open. I was in complete shock. But, after the initial surprise wore off, I kissed him back.

I didn't really know why I did it. Was I lonely? Did I like the attention? Was I imagining he was someone else? Was I too drunk? Or did he just remind me too much of Will? Whatever the reason was, I didn't care at that moment.

Tate grinned as he pulled away. "We'll continue this later, I think your sisters will be home soon. You relax while I clean up."

He winked as he left me speechless in the kitchen.

I took a deep breath trying to push away a feeling of disgust and regret that rose inside of me. My feet quickly walked toward the front door. Before I went outside, I grabbed a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

With the door closed behind me, I lit one up. The smoke filled my lungs and I blew it out in one big cloud. My head buzzed from the combination of alcohol, nicotine, and the kiss.

In my peripheral, I noticed a couple objects lying on the small glass table next to me. First, I picked up a note that read, 'Happy Birthday, Jo.' I furrowed my eyebrows at the lack of a name. My question was soon answered when I held up a bouquet of cosmos tied together by a green ribbon.

My heart sank. From the front porch, anyone standing there could get a clear view of the kitchen.

I fell into a chair and took a long drag from my cig.