10
When room service knocked on his door for the second time that night, AJ popped up with a huge grin on his face and Emma shook her head at him. It was the same person bringing them the cake who’d previously brought up the hot chocolate earlier. AJ tipped him well once again, just not quite as well as he’d done the first time.He sat down with the plate holding a slice of chocolate cake that looked amazing and had a bright pink birthday candle sticking up out of it. He smiled as he lit the candle and looked at Emma, “I’m going to sing to you…”
“I assumed you would…” she said with a smile and another shake of her head. “You’re nuts…”
“Yup…” he said with a nod and then sang Happy Birthday to her while holding the piece of cake in between them. “Got a wish?”
She shook her head, “I don’t make wishes…”
“Then I’ll make one for you…” he told her quietly. He closed his eyes and she watched him as he made his wish for her silently and then opened his eyes with a smile. “Okay, you can blow it out…”
“Are you going to tell me the wish?” she asked.
“Nope… that’s bad luck… now blow it out before the wish drifts away.”
She smiled at him and then looked at the candle. The single piece of cake and cheap little pink candle had to be one of the nicest things anyone had done for her in a really long time. She blew the candle out and he let out a little cheer for her that made her laugh. He then pulled the candle from the cake and offered the end of it to her. She looked at him like he was crazy, “What do you want me to do with that, stick it up my nose?”
“Oh for crying out loud…” he sighed and laughed. “You have to suck the cake and frosting off of the end of the candle… it’s part of the whole wish thing…”
“You’re a pop star by day, and a birthday wish expert by night huh?”
AJ rolled his eyes at her, “Suck it or I’ll shove it in your mouth…”
She laughed her first real hearty laugh all night, “That’s not the first time I’ve heard that statement in a hotel room…”
“Emma…”
“AJ…”
AJ sighed again and pushed the candle toward her again. She chuckled and let him put the candle in her mouth then sucked the frosting and cake off of it. That made him smile and he placed the cleaned-off candle on the plate next to the cake. Then in a move that shocked both of them he leaned forward and kissed her cheek gently and smiled, “Happy Birthday…”
