If anyone told me yesterday that I would be having this much on my birthday, I would laugh my annoying laugh, the one Nova told me sounds exactly like SpongeBob's laughter, in the person's face. Although some wouldn't consider sharing dinner and stories with the hottest man I've ever met fun, but it is to me.

Hardin gives me some insight on who is he, he tells me some things about himself that I find interesting. He's twenty five, I never would have imagined having my first 'sort of' potential date with someone four years older me, and yes, I'm the type of person that sees herself dating someone her own age but Hardin is great. He lives in Seattle, where he also works but sometimes travels to other states to oversee the work because his position in the company is huge. He doesn't say what post and I don't ask. He has a twin sister, who's a lawyer but she stays here in New York with their parents and her family. He enjoys soccer and basketball, he loves working but when he isn't working, he's always home. A homebody just like me.

I taking notes on how much we are alike because I can't think about anything else but him. He leaves tomorrow and isn't sure when he'll be back, so I don't think about what will happen after tomorrow. I just want enjoy the night with him.

"What about you?" He asks.

"Me?"

He takes a sip of water and nods, we're done eating and we're just talking, not ready to go up yet. "Yeah, I've told you pretty much everything there is to tell about myself, the rest you have study me to know but you haven't said anything."

That isn't entirely true but he's right, I haven't told him anything except from what he already knows like how I don't like birthday and my work.

"There's nothing to say," I tell him, which is true. I'm afraid I'll start talking and he'll get bored.

He frowns. "I seriously doubt that, come on, Dawn, give me something."

I scrunch my face and give in. "Honestly there's nothing to say, I'm pretty boring but I'll give you what I can. I'm an only child and I grew up in Sacramento. I live with my best friend, Nova."

"That's useful," he responded and get up on his feet. Are we leaving?

We're not but the question he asks is worse.

"Dance with me?" He extends his hand to me.

"Dance with you?" I repeat like that's the only way I can understand his request. My eyes do a quick swipe of the restaurant. "There's no one else dancing and there isn't music." I point out. Although there is music but it's low.

He shrugs like he doesn't care. "I know and who says you need music before dancing."

Without thinking, I reach forward and place my hand onto of his. He pulls me up and takes my other hand. "Let me warn you that I'm a terrible dancer."

He pulls me closer and brings my hands up to place on his shoulder before dropping his on my waist, he replies. "We're not entering a dance competition. You seem tensed and nervous. I just want you to have fun."

He starts moving, I have no reason but to move with him, a step to the left and another to the right.

"And dancing with no music is your way of having fun?" I question playfully.

He yank me close unexpectedly, making me crash against his hard chest, I can feel his hard chest. "You want music, I'll sing to you. Who's your favorite singer and what's your favorite song?" He asks as we move aimlessly on the spot. His arms is wrapped around my waist, while my head is buried in his chest as my hand tighten around his neck.

"I doubt you know it." He probably doesn't because my favorite song is from the eighties and I doubt he listens to songs that far back. And since he really means it when he said he wants to sing for me, "how about you sing me your favorite song."

He chuckles, the sound vibrates through me, sending a jolt sound to my spine. Oh God. This man won't kill me.

"Well, you asked for it." He chuckles again and gives my waist a small squeeze before singing a song I've never heard before but the beginning is kind of funny, it's a rap song and he repeats the song title for like twenty times before starting the first verse. Assuming that's part of the song, though I can't make out anything but the frequent twenty one and the chorus.

He pulls away from me, takes my hand before turn me around before showing me some dance moves that's clearly invented and I thought I was the terrible dancer between us.

"I don't think this is how we dance to a rap song," I say with a laugh.

He fakes a frown. "What are you talking about? This is exactly how you dance to a rap song."

I laugh as I stand with my arm hugging my waist while the other is bend, my elbow resting against the back of my palm, and the other palm perching my chin as I watch him try and fail to break dance. It's really awful but it making me laugh. He doesn't stop until he finishes singing.

I clap my hand and move closer to wrap my arms around his waist with visible distance between us, he's breathing heavy like he just finished a hard workout but no he just shows me one of the most funny dance moves I've ever seen.

"How did I do?" He asks with a hopeful smile.

Can't break his heart now even if it's just for fun. So I nod, "you did good but can be better."

He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, closing the distant I've put. "I'm an awful dancer, you don't have to lie to make me feel better," he says with a smile.

"Okay." Clearing throat and proceed. "What's with the twenty one?" I ask curiously because he was repeating it a lot during the first verse and I want to know if it's part of the song or he improvised.

"It's part of the song," he answers like he can read my mind.

I hum. "Title?"

"Cash in cash out."

Make sense.

"Figures, by?"

"Pharrell Williams, Twenty One savage and Tyler the Creator."

"Hmm."

"What?"

Didn't really peg him for a fan of those people.

I shake my head and notice we are back to moving on a spot. I should probably sing him a song too, I don't know if he'll like it because my song is not danceable and it's... I've never sang in front of anyone, most especially someone I like before. What if he doesn't like my voice? Or I do something unexpected like belch during it?

Oh, come on Dawn, you're overthinking it. I tell myself and close my eyes as I suggest it to him.

"I'm thinking about singing you my current most repeated song." Not singing my favorite because that's for special occasions.

I keep my eyes closed as I wait for his reply and only open it when he speaks.

"Think you can do better than me?"

Umm... Is he trying to challenge me? Oh, it is on.

"I know I can." I tip my upper lip up in a smirk.

He pulls away slightly to look down at me, and the expression on his face is daring me to do better than and I will.

"Okay. Go ahead, the floor is all yours.

I clear my throat and move my arm around his neck, his drop on my waist, his eyes are watching me, waiting for me to sing. My heart thud faster in fear but I remind myself that it's just Hardin and I'm not doing anything special. I'm just singing in a song.

It's just like singing in a shower, don't think about him. I tell myself.

When my head finally get the message, I take a deep breath

"Snow fell down..." I start singing the lyrics to So Tender by Say Sue Me. We start moving to my slow music, I wish the beat being played, so Hardin can feel what I feel everytime I listen to the song. And now that I'm singing it to him, it's sounding a little different.

I keep my eyes on him as I sing and his on me, only closing it briefly when it reaches a particular line where I can't sing with my eyes opened and looking at him because what I'm feeling is too much.

Disappearing into his beautiful green eyes as I keep staring at him, I see it clearly now. Everything else disappears around us, just the both of us, swaying to my voice as I sing us the song. Something shifts between us and when I finish singing, I do something, I stand on my toe and press my mouth against his, he isn't surprised this time, he was waiting.

His lips are soft and when he starts moving them against mine, the crowd in the room start clapping and cheering around us makes me break the kiss, pulling me back into reality.

Oh God! What did I just do?

I want to pull away from him but his hold is too strong around my waist, so I look down and apologize. "I shouldn't have done that, I'm sor–"

"Don't you dare apologize." His voice is hard, almost sound offended. His dips his fingers into my body.

That zips my mouth of all upcoming apology. The look he has on his face right now is also hard and I have feeling I don't want to mess with him right now.

"I won't."

And like that, the look fades, bringing back his relaxing features. He sighs in relief and he says, "Good because I don't plan on apologizing for doing it again."

Before I can say anything else he bends and slams his mouth on mine, kissing me harder than the first time. His mouth taste like the wine we just had. His lips moves against mine slowly before licking my lips with his tongue, poking it until they part and he slides it into my mouth, his tongue sweeps the roof of my mouth before my tongue takes action and fight him for dominance but he wins.

Just when the kiss is getting to the best part, he pulls away to breathe. "I think we should take this upstairs," he whisper and presses a kiss on my head.

I agree because I don't think I'll be okay after that kiss without having a redo. He throws his arm around my neck and lead me out of the restaurant, I bury my head in his chest to avoid looking at anyone. The kiss was great, the best kiss I've ever had but it happened in a public, where people saw and cheered for us like he proposed. This is by far the boldest thing I've done this year.

We don't speak in the elevator ride up to his room, just sneaking and exchanging looks. When the elevator ding announcing our arrival on his floor, I grin. The door opens, he all but drag ne out of the elevator and walk to his room. He removes his key card from the pocket of his leather jacket and swipe it on the panel, the red light changes to green. He pushes it open and hold it for me to enter first.

I turn around and wait for him to enter, he closes the door behind him, I lunge forward, slamming him against the door as I press my lips against his.

Removing my jacket and move my hand to yank his off, he pulls away and stares at me. I want to ask what he's doing but he asks, "Are you sure? I didn't bring you up there to–"

I groan and slam my lips against him. "Shut up and fuck me," ai say between kisses.

Oh no, I do not know where all this confident is coming but I'm loving it.

Hardin growls like that's just what he needed to hear before snapping the last thread of control.

But as he continues kissing me I just come to reality. I asked him to fuck me. I don't mind, in fact I can't think of anything else right now but I haven't...I'm not a virgin, but it's been a while. A very long while.

***

Hardin and I are laying on a blanket in his terrace, watching the sky. It's dark and cloudy but no stars. My head is resting against his chest, my hand drawing circle on his stomach, my leg is resting on top of his. Hardin is resting on arm behind his head while the other is holding me close to him. We've been sitting in silence for almost thirty minutes, doing nothing but stare at the sky until he breaks it.

"You have a nice voice, you didn't tell me you could sing." He compliments.

I smile but don't say anything, I snuggle closer. Minutes later, he speaks again, this time calling my name.

"Dawn?"

"Hmm?"

I look at his face when he doesn't continue.

"What are you afraid of?" He asks.

"Of moving." I don't think hard about it before answering.

"I don't understand."

I don't understand it fully myself.

"I'm a shy person and I think I'm slightly agoraphobic. I don't going out or being around people because it feel like they're watching me, and when I think about it, it like I'm exposed to them and when I am, in my mind I just assume they judge me."

"Since when have you been feeling like this?"

That's the million dollar question. I'm still asking myself the same question and hopefully one day I can reply.

"I don't know, I used to be fun, I used to be an extrovert but I just"–shrugging–"I don't know, grew up. What about you? What are you afraid of?"

"Would I sound like an asshole if I said nothing?"

He can sound like anything but an asshole, I don't think so.

"No, you would sound like a liar because everyone is afraid of something." I don't add, some people are just better at conquering it than others.

"I know and I am afraid of something, but I never thought of it like that. When I was younger, I always leave my door open and lights on because I used be afraid to staying alone and being in the dark."

Silence.

"I really don't want this day to end," I whisper to myself but he heard.

"Me neither." He removes his hand from behind him and bring it to my face to push the hair falling on my face and tuck behind my ear.

"Thank you for making my birthday a fun and memorable one." I never thought I would be this happy and content on my birthday. He really made it a memorable one.

"I thought it was your graduation dinner," he reminds me.

This is another reason why he's the best.

"Thank you for that too, for not pushing."

He adjusts himself and says, "My pleasure and speaking of pleasures, do I have permission to give you more pleasure?"

I smirk. I thought he'd never ask.

"Sure good sir."

"Then come over here and sit on my cock, ride me like I know you can."

Such a dirty mouth but I'm not complaining because I love his dirty mouth.

Three earthshaking orgasm later, I pass out beside Hardin.