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BOOOO! I want to yell. Images of his sexy body shatter in my mind’s eye. I
want to cry. I mean the whole “Waaaa” like Lucy and everything.
“Okay.” I sound level and mature. “I’ll work on it. What do you want to do for

your birthday? You know other than the family dinner.”
I bring it up to be annoying. Henry’s dad made sure to let me know that I am
– hashtag not invited.
“Ah, sweetheart. It’s his family tradition.” Henry apologizes. “Every year, the
four of us sits down together for a family dinner for each of our birthdays.”
He exits the freeway.

“Yeah. Yeah. You told me.” I volley, not because I’m truly mad; I understand
family traditions. I did feel a little left out Saturday; they planned a dinner while
they were in my house, and I couldn’t give any input because I’m not invited. I had
some promising ideas. Oh well; I’m not even his girlfriend.
My true goal is to get all the pet names I can out of Henry. I don’t think he
realizes that he turns on the sweetness whenever he tries to comfort me. I like how
it makes me feel. Selfish, I know.
“Baby…” I suppress a smile. “…he broke tradition once and let Charles join us
for Claire’s. You know how that turned out.”
“Yeah. One, Charles is a jackass. Two, it’s a Zidane family dinner. Charles will

never be a Zidane. He gave Claire his last name.” He glances at me, realization on
his face.
“A Zidane, huh.”
“Yes, Mr. Zidane. I’ve just supplied you with a loophole to use for your future
wife.”
We sit at the stop sign in my neighborhood longer than necessary. He is
studying me, but I don’t know why.

“I want to stay home. You, me, snacks, and movie marathons.” “What?”
He’s lost me.
“You asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday; that’s it.” My finger taps
my chin while I consider his request.
“It’s doable. We can theme the night in with French-inspired snacks. Thirty-
one isn’t a milestone birthday. A simple night would be sufficient since that’s what
you want.”