Kayden had an ‘in’. Finally. Maybe.

A month into the semester, once she was more comfortable in her role, Quiñones basically demanded she get Kaiser a gift when she told her about his upcoming birthday. After all, she announced it in such a hushed manner—to avoid “making a scene” since it “embarrasses him”—how else should Kayden have interpreted that?

Then again, how could she possibly know what to get him? He wasn’t exactly an open book. To be fair, she hadn’t tried very hard to take a peek. The only thing she knew about his tastes was that he liked coffee and biodegradable flatware. He seemed more practical than showy, so he would probably prefer useful gifts rather than trinkets.

While walking to class, she opened her phone calendar and added the date—September 22—as a recurring event: Kaiser’s birthday. Then she shot a text to Aisha.

Kayden: Okay, so, a little birdie told me Kaiser’s birthday is tomorrow

Kayden: and I wanna do something about it.

Aisha: oh no…Kayden…just tell the man happy birthday like a normal coworker!

Kayden: Hey I’m much nicer than that to coworkers I actually like

Aisha: I knew I was right to be worried about you working in the office right next to him! Just buy him a coffee, problem solved.

Kayden pouted. As much as she hated to admit it, a generic, friendly and non-personal gift really was the best move here.

After her last class was over in the afternoon, she pedaled her bike up the hill to the nearest—and best—café in town. She ordered a dine-in dairy free decaf latte and oatmeal for herself along with a ten dollar gift card.

While she waited for the food and beverage to be made, she browsed the local handmade mugs for sale on the shelf across from the counter. A familiar voice interrupted her focus.

“Hey there, stranger.”

She shot upright and whipped her head around to find Trevor smiling back at her. Her wince was hopefully masked by her smile. “Oh, hi, Trevor.”

“How you been?”

“Good, just busy with school.”

“Ah, too busy to text me, then?” Despite his playful tone, Kayden felt uneasy.

After he’d called her a Trawl-E ride service almost two months ago, he’d basically begged for her number, so she thought simply taking his would be a good enough compromise, since she planned to never see him again. But there he was. The town wasn’t even that small.

She scratched the back of her head with one hand, clutching her backpack strap with the other. “Well. I mean yeah but also...I thought we agreed it was just a one-time, casual thing. I didn’t want to turn it into something…I’m not interested in dating.”

His face fell subtly as he blinked, but he waved his hand. “Oh, yeah no I totally get it. I was just teasing you. It’s cool.”

“Kayden!” Saved by the barista.

She suddenly wished she’d ordered to-go so she could have an excuse to leave. After she collected the ceramic bowl and mug, she turned back to Trevor with a forced smile. “Well, good seein’ you.”

“Yeah. You, too.” He looked elsewhere. “Take care.”

Scurrying off, she found an empty lounge chair as far from the front counter as she could, placed her order on the side table and dug out her earbuds to isolate herself. She relayed the awkward encounter to Aisha via text message before digging into her homework, taking sips and bites here and there. The response from her best friend surprised her.

Aisha: Maybe you should consider actually dating the guy. You said he was nice.

Kayden adamantly protested, reminding Aisha that there was no way she’d take that risk again, but Aisha had to go all optimistic on her and insist that there had to be plenty of “good guys” out there who wouldn’t mind not having kids with her. Kayden scoffed into her coffee before replying.

Kayden: It’s fine. I’m very happy with my life. I get plenty of satisfaction from flirting and fooling around, and otherwise I’m just too busy to try and make time for someone.

Aisha: You’d make time for Kaiser, I bet.

She gawked at her screen, perturbed. Sure, she’d just bought a ten dollar gift card for the man she hardly knew, but she would do the same if not more for Mrs. Quiñones. Besides, it’s just a friendly gesture from an office mate. It’s not like she was buying him something romantic or individualized or suggestive.

Yet…she struggled to protest. If Kaiser wanted her attention, she would definitely find the time to give it to him. But just for fun—it’s not like she’d ever get serious with him, either.

Her thumb hovered over her keyboard for a while as she tried to come up with a witty retort. She failed.

Kayden: I wouldn’t have to make time for him. I see him several times a week already.

Aisha simply replied with an eye-roll emoji.

***

The next morning, once rinsed off post-workout, Kayden reinvigorated her curls before hooking her tote bag over one shoulder and looping her duffel across her chest.

Confident she would arrive early enough to wedge the gift card into Kaiser’s locked office door, she strolled passed the empty receptionist desk a quarter past 7, with her head held high. But then she came to an abrupt halt, her Oxford style heels scuffing against each other as she sighed in defeat.

Kaiser looked up from his computer at her through his window.

Her lips thinned into a dejected grin before she trundled over to his open door.

He smiled warmly at her. “Good morning.”

“Damn, I really thought I’d beat you here.”

The corner of his mouth perked even higher. “Not this time.”

She huffed, clearing the threshold and extending her arm out, a small envelope in hand. “Well, happy birthday.”

The grin disappeared and his eyes widened just slightly. “What?” He looked to the gift in her hand and cautiously reached for it over his desk.

“Happy anniversary of your first breath,” she reiterated.

“Well, thank you.” His eyes scanned over the outside of the envelope, on which Kayden had written “happy womb-escape day” in elegant script. That earned her a small laugh. She hadn’t sealed it, so he simply popped it open and grinned a little at the café’s name printed on the front of the gift card.

“The only thing I know for sure you like is coffee.” She gestured to the mug on his desk. “So, I figured that would be a safe bet. Get yourself a bagel or something, too.” She began to back up.

He spun his chair to fully face her and reclined it slightly. “Did Justina put you up to this?”

“Maybe.” She smiled. “Well, she was sneaky about it. Said you don’t like making a scene, so gift card it is.” As she began to turn around, her eyes scanned the walls to peek at his many certificates. “How old are you, anyway?”

He winced. “How old do you think I am?”

She stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Why not?” He crossed his arms with a sly grin. “Go on, guess.”

Her hand tapped the duffel bag on her hip as she nibbled the inside of her lip pensively. “Are you older or younger than you look?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Well, your beard is throwing me off. Like, you look both twenty-five and forty.”

A genuine chortle escaped him, catching her off guard and drawing a smile out of her. He stroked his well-groomed beard, shoulders shaking with each exhaled laugh. “Glad to hear it’s working.”

She chuckled. “Okay, so I’m gonna guess thirty.”

“Close. Thirty-three.”

She did a mini fist-pump. “Yes, score for me.” She pivoted on her feet to head out the door, her heart racing after finally learning exactly how old he was so she could gauge just how appropriate her crush on him was. Eight year difference? Not bad at all.

“When is yours?”

She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “What, my birthday?”

“Yes.” He uncrossed his arms and latched his fingers behind his head as he leaned back in the chair. “It’s not fair that you know mine, but I don’t know yours. And I imagine Justina doesn’t either and wouldn’t be able to give me a heads up like she did for you.”

She tried not to stare at the way the shirt stretched over his flexing biceps and bulging delts. Clearing her throat, she playfully narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips together before readjusting the slipping straps of her tote bag. “October 30^th.”

He puckered his lips with a sharp inhale. “Ooh, so close to being a Halloween baby.”

She smiled. “It just so happens Halloween is my favorite holiday. This year I’m even paying Aisha to make me a costume. I always celebrate my birthday on Halloween, cause, why not?”

“That’s a great motto to live by: why not?”

She tapped the tip of her nose with a grin. “Exactly.” Then she waved and headed to her office next door to drop her bags.

While reheating her breakfast, Kayden leaned her sacrum against the countertop with her arms crossed. Kaiser came in with his mug and headed for the coffee machine. Convenient. Was that on purpose? Am I projecting, again?

As he took the stainless steel carafe off the warming plate and poured coffee into his mug, he declared, “I also like sushi.”

Puzzled, she searched at his face, but his eyes were focused on the black liquid. “Sushi?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Yeah.” Once he had filled the mug most of the way, he met her eyes. “You know. For the next time you decide to buy me a gift card.” He winked.

She scoffed playfully. “Ooh, I see how it is.”

“You did this to yourself.” He grabbed creamer from the fridge as the microwave beeped.

Kayden popped the door open and retrieved her steaming meal. “Yup, I’ve gone and done it now…set expectations I shouldn’t have. I’m gonna have to keep topping myself.”

With that crooked smile, he peered at her over his mug as he took a sip. “I think you’ll be okay.”

She mixed her stir-fry in the Tupperware. “You know, I like sushi, too. There are a lot of things I like…wanna hear about ‘em? You know, since you know my birthday now.”

He swallowed with a sigh before studying her face. “What’s your costume going to be?”

“What? Why?”

“I’m just trying to get an idea of your tastes.”

“Guess.” She smirked.

His eyebrows shot up. “Guess? How am I supposed to do that without any hints?”

She simply smiled back at him and shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips sideways. “Hmmm…I don’t know. A barbarian.”

Staring down at her steaming food, she nodded in approval. “That would be a good one. A good excuse to show off my muscles, for sure. But no.”

“I have nothing else to go by to even formulate another guess.”

“Fair. I’ll be a vampire.”

“Oh so you’re going to cover yourself in glitter?” he teased.

She grimaced. “Ew, no, not that kind of vampire. A more classical one. Much cooler.”

“Ah.” With his free hand in his pocket, he sipped the coffee again, inching to the doorway. “Well you’ll have to take a picture to show me.”

Her cheeks flushed hot as her wide eyes shot sideways.

He noticed, pausing. “What?”

“Oh…it’s just…it’ll probably be too sexy to share in the workplace.”

He let out a huff. “Right, of course. Halloween on a college campus. Silly me.” He seemed to speed up his departure. “Well, thanks again for the gift card.”

“Sure thing.”

She plopped with a thud into a chair at the round table, dazed. What just happened? He was losing that rigid exterior and opening up to her. Like…a friend. More than a friend? No, don’t be ridiculous. It’s just friendly conversation, that’s all. But she grinned stupidly through her whole breakfast.