Today is my nineteenth birthday.

December 16th, 1996. Born and raised in San Fransisco.

My phone is blowing up with social media notifications and texts, and I know that they're all birthday wishes. Xiu and Savannah have memorized my birthday and know it by heart. They've probably even remembered the exact time I was born. Ever since I joined cheer, we alway celebrate birthdays, and if it's not on a school day, we'll celebrate on Monday.

Xiu: happy bday ILYSM 🎉🎊

Savannah: happy birthday bitch🎈🎉

After a while, my cheeks start to hurt from smiling so much. I thank them for the birthday wishes, and I make my way downstairs. The doorbell rings, and I run up to the door to answer it.

"Who's that?" Rian asks, getting up from the couch.

"I don't know." I reply, and shrug.

I open the door, and I see Xiu and Savannah holding presents, and what looks like a homemade chocolate cake.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Alex, happy birthday to you!" They sing in unison, and I smile.

"Aww, that's so sweet. Thanks." I say, and I feel indebted to them.

"Can we come in?" Xiu asks politely, and I look at Rian.

"I-, of course. Come in." He says, looking flabbergasted.

Oh, right. He didn't know today was my birthday.

Xiu and Savannah set the gifts down on the kitchen island, along with the cake. I hug them both, and I constantly thank them for the gifts.

"Open them!" Savannah cheers, and I reach for the one my hand is closest to.

I take the Victoria's Secret bag and I look inside of it, and I give Savannah a glare. It's lingerie.

"Vannah, seriously?" I ask through a snicker.

"Hell yeah! It's so cute, and I wanted to get you something nice." She says, and we smile at each other.

She pulls me into a hug, and I stare Rian directly in the eyes.

"Birthday sex," Savannah whisper sings in my ear, and I immediately pull my gaze away from Rian's.

"Stop," I say, slightly embarrassed.

I hope Rian didn't hear that.

I open the rest of the gifts that I've received from Xiu and Savannah. A Starbucks gift card, a few pairs of heels, and some lingerie.

"Thanks for the gifts, it means a lot." I say, and they both smile at me.

"To celebrate your birthday, we should have a girls night out! Let's go back to that one club." Xiu cheers, and I shake my head.

"No, I will not get black out drunk tonight. I want to remember my birthday. Let's just like-, have a sleepover since we haven't had one in a while." I say animatedly, and they both nod their heads.

"That's such a good idea! Who's house is it going to be at?" Savannah asks.

"Probably mine or yours," Xiu says, and my grin is wiped off of my face.

"Yeah, since we can't go to my place because of my mom." I grumble, and I feel Rian's hands on my waist from behind me.

"Hey, hey. No need to think like that on your birthday, okay?" Rian says in my ear from behind, and he kisses my temple.

Xiu and Savannah are swooning at the sight of Rian and I, and we both smile at them. I feel something press against my butt, and my eyes widen in sudden realization once I know what it is. My posture straightens, and I feel my entire body light up like I was a candle that had been lit. My heartbeat accelerates as he pulls me closer, so I'm pressed against his firmness instead of just barely grazing it.

Jesus.

Every nerve in my body vibrates, and I feel like my legs are made of out silicone. One of his hands lightly graze the the exposed skin on my lower back, and his fingers feel like feathers. I'm trying so hard to compose myself, but I can't seem to decompress.

"You okay?" Savannah asks, raising her eyebrow at me.

"Uh-, yeah. I'm totally fine! I- I-, just need to get some things to pack if we're having a sleep over." I say, and I'm trying to breathe evenly, but it comes out raspy.

"Okay, we'll be out in the car waiting." Xiu says, and they both exit Rian's flat.

"It was nice seeing you again, Dr. Rian." Savannah says.

"Nice to see you too, Savannah." Rian says kindly, and waves goodbye to her.

I turn around, and Rian's grin is somewhat roguish.

Was he doing that on purpose?

What ever happened to him being so unsure of our intimacy?

Well, I'm not unsure, he is. It's just apart of his nature, and it's quite flattering that he always thinks of me first.

Instead of scolding him, or acting extremely awkward and self-conscious, I give him a flirtatious smile back. Rian pulls back in surprise, but then pulls me closer to him, and my chest is against his. His 6'3 frame still towers over me, even though I'm pretty tall, and it makes me feel protected.

Safe.

He rests his chin on top of my head for a while before he kisses me forehead. I feel butterflies in my stomach, and I place my hands on his sturdy upper arms.

"Okay, I need to get ready for work." He says, and I pout at him.

"You have work today?" I whine, and he just nods his head.

"You and your friends could stay here while I'm gone, I might be there over night." Rian offers.

"Are you sure?"

"It's your birthday! Do whatever you want, Alex. I'm sorry that I didn't get you anything." He says, and kisses me.

"It's okay, Rian. Christmas is coming up, you can get me something then." I say, and he smiles.

"Absolutely." Rian says, winking at me.

Rian's about to kiss me again, but I hear the door open, and see Xiu and Savannah standing there.

"You coming or what?" Savannah asks, and I laugh.

"Rian says that you guys can hang out here since he'll be at the hospital for most of the day and part of the night."

"Awesome!" Xiu says.

Rian soon leaves the three of us in his living room, and Savannah starts to wink at me.

"Stop it, Vannah." I say almost automatically.

"You stop denying!" She says, putting emphasis on you.

"Denying what?" I demand.

We all sit down on the couch, and I wrap the blanket around me, inhaling the aroma of his strong, masculine cologne. The hospital smell kind of clings on the blanket, like he's taken it to the hospital before.

"You love him, don't you?" Savannah asks, point blank.

"I-, I-, yes." I stammer, and they both erupt into giggling.

I'm not unsure of my feelings for Rian, and there's a plethora of reasons why.

"You sure?" Xiu asks.

"Yes, I am. I can tell that he genuinely cares about me, even though we've only been together for a short period of time. I hate to bring it up, but I've fallen in love with him quicker than I did with Austin." I admit, and both of their smiles turn upside down.

"It could take a day, a week, a month, or even a year. My point is, if you love someone, it doesn't matter how long it took. As long as you two care about each other and trust each other, that's love." Xiu says, and I'm surprised at how philosophical she is.

"That was deep," I say in shock.

"My parents kind of represent that, in my opinion. They've been together for nearly twenty years. No matter how many arguments they've had, they still love each other enough to trust each other and still love like they're young. Alex, it doesn't matter that you met him a month and a couple of weeks ago, love is love. Nobody can deny it once they experience it. Love is like an unexpected gift, and it's a gift that you'll cherish forever." Xiu explains, and I'm taking in every word that she said.

Austin and I had dated for almost a year, and in the end, it wasn't love. It was lust.

Rian and I have been together for a month, and I already feel sure enough about our relationship to be intimate.

"I guess it just depends on the person you fall in love with." I say, thinking about my sophomore year.

Back when I was dating him, I thought that everything he said was real. That our "love" was so strong, and that nothing could break it. Little did I know, that our relationship would be ended by him. So abrupt, and out of no where, like a car accident. Your whole world has been shaken, and you don't know if you'll ever make it through something like it.

The barrier that had been built after being left by Austin has been let down again, and that's all because of Rian. Never in my life did I think that I'd be in love with a man in the medical field, but Dr. Rian Peterson has done nothing but be there for me since I was wheeled into the ER.

"Yeah, it does. I can tell how happy you are with him, Alex." Savannah says.

"I am happy, because after Austin, I just completely shut myself away from relationships in general. So the fact that I'm in a relationship shows how much that I've let it go and how I'm ready to love Rian." I say, and Savannah has a cheeky grin.

"Oooh, girl." She says while fanning herself.

"What?" I ask, completely clueless.

"Love Rian? In what way?" Savannah asks curiously, and I roll my eyes.

"Your mind is always in the gutter, Vannah." Xiu says, nudging her side.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it!" She says and chuckles.

"Love him mentally, and emotionally." I say, not looking into those devilish green eyes of hers.

"And physically!" She chimes in, and I groan.

"Eventually, okay! Our whole relationship won't be based on sex. I told Rian that I wanted to go slow, because Austin used me for that so I don't want to be so susceptible to falling into bed with him." I say, taking a large breath after explaining to them.

"I get that. You want to take time before that happens, especially after what Austin did. Rian seems like a great guy who won't ignore your requests, so it can definitely wait." Savannah says, and I'm shocked at her words.

Savannah is always usually joking, and not serious. But what she just said was 100% wholehearted.

"And, when you and Rian do eventually have sex, you better tell us every single detail." Xiu says, and I nod.

"I wouldn't keep anything this important from my best friends." I say, and they both smile.

Bruno runs into the room with one of his squeaky toys in his mouth, and I pat the couch so that he can come sit with me.

"This is Bruno." I say, and they both begin to pet him.

"English Bulldogs are so ugly but cute at the same time." Savannah says and we all laugh.

I hear Rian's footsteps approaching, and I immediately stand up and walk over to him. I can feel Xiu and Savannah's eyes on us.

"I hope you have a good birthday, Alex. Even though I won't be here to enjoy it with you." Rian says, and I hug him.

"Thank you, and hopefully your shift isn't so tiring." I say, and he smiles.

"With you on my mind, it won't be rough." He says, and I hear Savannah snicker.

I turn around and look at her, and she immediately focuses on Bruno, acting like she's laughing at him. I know she's laughing at what Rian said because it translated as a sexual innuendo.

"Alex, remember the other day when we talked about...your mom?" He asks, and I nod weakly.

"Yeah, but it's my birthday and I don't want to talk about that right now." I reply flatly.

"I just want you to know that if I'm unable to fix all of your problems, I promise that you won't go through those problems all alone. Especially with how great you've been about my father and his situation, just know that I'm here with you." Rian says, and I'm trying my hardest not to jump into his arms and kiss the life out of his lips.

"Thank you. I know it won't be easy, but we've got to be there for each other."

"I agree," he says and gives me a brief kiss. "I'll see you when I get back, I guess."

"Of course." Rian says and winks at me. "Bye ladies."

"Bye Dr. Rian," Xiu and Savannah say in unison.

Like that, Rian is out of the door, and I'm left speechless.