I can't believe she's here. She's the last person I ever expected to show up at this doorstep. It's safe to say, it's the best birthday surprise I could have asked for.

"Stop." She laughs, pulling away from the kiss and I groan.

"I haven't seen you for over a month now." I complain, pulling her back to kiss and she puts a hand on my shoulder as she gives me a look, and I hold in a groan. "Fine."

"Well, you going to invite me in?" She asks and I cock my head to the side, staring at her.

"How did you even find this address?" I ask, trying to figure things out a little.

"I went to your apartment in Brooklyn, you weren't there. Hence, I had to pull out the boss card and well, found this address." She smirks.

"You, Gen, are a genius." I smile, "But you sure you want to come in? My entire family's here."

As if the realisation hits her, she pales a little but covers it up with a small smile, "Entire family?"

"Parents, siblings, and Brian and Steve," I say, wondering if she even remembers who the last two are, even though I have told her about them more than five times.

"Oh, is there any way you can sneak out? I was hoping we could go out," She says but before I can reply, I hear my mother's voice.

"Em, who is it?" She asks, but when she reaches the door, she looks at Genesis, a little surprised.

"Uh..." I turn to my mother before she can reach to the obvious conclusion, "Mom, this is Genesis Gale, Chief HR Officer, my boss."

Mom nods at me, but I see the confusion in her eyes, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Gale."

I know that voice of hers, it's when she's in her completely professional mode. I try not to cringe that she's talking to Genesis in that monotonous tone but I can't really blame her. I am the one who introduced her in an official manner.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. McCall, but please call me Genesis." She smiles at her, but I know it's not a genuine smile either.

"Is this work-related?" My mother asks me, arching an eyebrow and I know exactly what she's getting at.

Before I can respond, Genesis speaks up, "No, actually, a few colleagues including me were throwing a little party for Emily, for her birthday. They just asked me to get her from the apartment, but she wasn't there. So..."

This causes Mom to frown but she just nods, "How much time do you have before you leave?"

"I don't have to go," I tell her and she shakes her head.

"You're not fifteen anymore, Em, I am not holding you inside the house. Go, have fun." She assures me, but I know she's only saying that to my benefit.

Birthdays are one thing we celebrate as a family together, no matter how old I grow up to be. Especially because the two of us share this day, so I know what it means to her. We are both not big on birthdays, but the rest of the family makes a big deal about it. My eyes move from her to Genesis who looks excited that I just got the permission, putting me in dilemma.

"I'll be back before dinner." I promise her and she smiles, nodding.

"I know you would be, go change now," she motions upstairs and then turns to Genesis, "You can come inside and wait until she gets ready."

Genesis immediately shakes her head, "No, that's alright. I'll wait in the car."

"Don't be ridiculous. Come on in." Mom pesters and I give Genesis a look which makes her narrow her eyes at me but she sighs, stepping in.

When we enter the living room, almost everyone's head turns towards us, except Odion who's sleeping with his head in Dad's lap now. I think he's the most pampered child, him and Ohana both. But I know it's because they are the youngest ones.

"Who's that, Em?" Ohana asks, looking curiously at the new presence, and I know everyone else wants to know the same.

"Technically my boss back at Cox & Bell. She's the CHRO. But we're good friends." I shrug,  turning to her. "Genesis, this is my family."

She smiles at everyone, "Hey," She says, sounding confident and I smile at her attempt at trying, because I know this isn't her scene, or our scene at all.

Dad nods at her from his place, "Nice to meet you, Genesis."

"Likewise, Mr McCall." She smiles at him, genuinely which surprises me a little but I know she knows his position.

He's CFO of the Adler & McCall Enterprises in New York, which is the leading insurance company in the sector. I know he's worked hard for where he is, and that earns him the rightful respect from everyone around him.

I also know it pisses him off that I am working somewhere else, because I refuse to work at his company, or at Gramps' Publishing House where Mom is Editorial Director. They both deserve where they are, which is why I feel the need to prove myself and earn my rightful place without their help.

If they wanna blame someone, they can blame themselves for putting up such role model figures for me.

"Hi, I am Ohana." My younger sister says as she stands in front of Genesis, "And that's my twin brother, Odion."

Genesis eyes move from her to the sleeping boy and then to me. I know she's looking at me to help her out because this is a no-go zone for her. She doesn't handle kids well, or at all.

"Just say hi," I whisper in her ear and she nods.

"Hey." She smiles nervously at her and Ohana beams at her.

"Well, my colleagues are throwing me a party, so I have to go get ready," I say, feeling a little unnerved by the way Caiden is staring at the two of us.

I turn towards the stairs and notice Genesis still standing in her spot, more awkward than I have ever seen her before. I sigh, turning to her.

"Gen, you going to help me pick a dress?" I say and her eyes widen as she nods, rushing after me.

As soon as we are upstairs, I pull her to my room and she lets out a loud breath, "God, that was tormenting," She says, opening her eyes and I hold back a laugh, making her glare at me.

"Sorry, I have never seen you lose control before." I bite down on my lip and she turns around and makes sure that the door is locked before she turns towards me.

I am not surprised when she pulls me closer and kisses me, her mouth familiar against my lips and I hold in a moan, because I know how exactly she interprets them. My hand moves into her hair as hers move down to my hips and she gives it a little squeeze.

"You are supposed to be helping me pick a dress," I mumble against her lips as my eyes remain shut, taking in her scent because I would never vocalise how much I missed her, but I did.

If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have gotten off the whole summer off. She passed through my application and made some family excuse for me to leave the city but she knew I just needed a break from everything, without having to say anything to her in detail.

"Yeah, but first I need to help you out of these clothes."

I open my eyes to find her smirking against my mouth. I hold my arms up and she slides off my t-shirt and bends down, taking away my shorts with it. Her mouth stops at my stomach I feel her breath fan against my skin, making me suck in a breath before she places an open mouth kiss below my belly button, her tongue meeting my skin.

"Gen.." I breathe, reacting exactly the way I know she likes before the back of my knees meet the bed and I end up sprawling on it.

"Even better." She grins, coming on top of me and her mouth meets mine again, but not for long before she moves down to my neck.

"Don't leave a mark." I manage to whisper and her body stills above mine.

She parts her lips from my skin and looks down at me, "Now, where's the fun in that?" She fakes a pout.

"We talked about this," I say, trying to catch my breath as I look at the way her dress has bundled up around her waist due to the position she is in.

My hand move to her thighs as I lightly stroke her skin. I try to sit up a little but she pushes at my shoulders, keeping my back pressed against the mattress as she stares down at me.

"I won't leave it where it's visible." She whispers as she moves down on my breasts and her lips press against the skin above it.

Her teeth nibble on it, and I feel the need to argue but my words get stuck in my mouth the moment her warm tongue meets my skin and her hands moves between my legs, making me squirm as I hold in a moan.

"God, Emily." She whispers against my skin, "I know why you're my favourite."

"Why?" I manage to ask, a little breathless.

But before she can respond to me, the doorbell chimes throughout the house, making me stumble a little and she parts away from me and looks at the door.

I can hear a little rustling downstairs if I concentrate and I sigh, struggling beneath Genesis, "Come on, I need to get ready."

She rolls her eyes before moving from the top of me and I take a breath before moving to my closet. I don't have many dresses here, but I know I can find one to pass for today.

"You are grumpy," Genesis says as I try to find a dress and I try to hold in my response.

I shake my head, "I had a long flight, that's all."

"Are you sure that's it and it doesn't have anything to do with why we stopped?" She asks and I turn to her, feeling a little underdressed as I stand only in my bra and panties in front of her.

"You know why we stopped?" I ask her, arching an eyebrow.

She smirks, "Because the doorbell rang?"

She thinks she's funny, but her response only aggravates me more as I run a hand through my blonde hair. Honestly, I don't even feel like going out anymore because I know there's no party. It's just going to be the two of us. I'm not the kind for whom colleagues throw a party. I have two friends at work who operate from different departments, and they don't know I'm back yet.

"No, because you did this." I point above my breast where she left a mark and her eyes move from my face to down to my chest.

"I say it looks pretty good there." She shrugs, earning a glare in return, "Come on, you're acting like a kid."

"Genesis, I've told you not to call me that a million times," I say as I finally pull out a cream dress.

"Nice choice, you're learning." She looks at the dress with approval and I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her.

"You act like you're ten years older than me," I say, pulling out fresh pair of undergarments.

"Speaking of age, how old is your Mom? She looks incredibly young." Her eyes shine as she speaks, making me scrunch up my nose in disgust.

"You were about to screw me five minutes ago. What the hell is wrong with you?" I ask, not trying to hide my annoyance by this point.

She laughs, "I just asked her age, not her phone number. Married women don't do it for me."

When she takes a step towards me, I take a step away from her, "You know what? You should leave. I don't want to go out anymore."

This causes her to roll her eyes as she tugs on my arm and pulls me to herself, "God, you do get grumpy like a kid, Em."

I try to hold back a grumble when she calls me that again. She's five years older than me, I am aware of that, but I hate it whenever she brings it up in our conversation, or treats me like I am immature because I know I am not.

"Well, you just implied you have a thing for my mom, excuse me if I act like a kid." I try to move away from her but she doesn't let me.

She sighs, "This isn't about your Mom, I am sorry I asked, I was just curious. She does look young for having a daughter your age."

I hate this topic, and that's why I never bring it up with anyone. Especially not with her, because I know no matter what I feel for her, she can be judgemental at times without even realising.

"Yeah." I mumble, trying to slip away with it.

She sighs, "I am sorry I left the mark, I know we talked about it."

I shake my head, "My problem isn't with it, my problem is that if I did something similar, you would have walked out of this room just the second it happened."

She doesn't argue because she knows I am right. But she nods, "And then you asked me why you are my favourite and I never responded."

I gulp at her, but I hate that she knows the things that bother me, like this. She always say things like that and never explains, so it always leaves me hanging and wondering.

"Whatever, it's not like I care." I shrug, walking away as I turn to the bathroom.

She smirks, "Yes, you do. And you do know you're my favourite."

I try not to argue about the fact that she probably tells it to every person she spends time with. Genesis and I have something very complicated, but it can simplified with two words — inclusive dating.

We've been seeing each other for six months now, and I felt attracted to her the moment I had met her a year ago at my current job. She took her sweet time to tease me around, but her confidence is one thing that actually caught my attention in the office, so I admire that about her.

The only time she's not confident in the situations like meeting parents. That's why I never introduce her as my girlfriend. Because she isn't, or maybe she is. It's been six months and I am still trying to figure out how do people in inclusive relationship make it work, because it's emotionally exhausting for me.

"I should get ready," I whisper to her, needing a little space and she nods, stepping aside as I move to the bathroom.

I turn on the shower and sigh under the cold water. I have feelings for her, and I used to be open about them in front of her for the first two months but when they were never reciprocated through words, I stopped. The only time I hear her say things to me is when we are in bed together, but that somehow doesn't sound enough to me.

The worst part is, that so far, in the last six months, I have never been disloyal to her. And what she does apart from me, I can't exactly call it disloyalty either when she's open about it with me.

Sometimes I question why do I even settle for this, I should move on, but like an idiot, I am waiting for her to realise that I want to be exclusive. I want to be able to call her mine like she calls me hers without doubting it.

After taking the shower, I step out in the bedroom and notice her sitting on the edge of the bed, typing on her phone. She looks up from it when she realises my presence and smiles at me, so I return it.

"Still mad?" She asks and I shake my head as I move into the closet to dress myself up.

After I have pulled the dress that ends up a few inches above my knees, I get back in the room and turn on my dryer. From the dressing mirror, I look back to see what she's upto, but she's smiling at the screen of her phone, making my heart tinge with jealousy.

I do my make up after my hair are falling in waves in the middle of my back. As soon as I am done, I clear my throat and she looks up from the screen at me.

"Let's go?" I ask and she roams her eyes up and down my body before she smiles.

"Sexy." She grins and I give her a small smile as I pick up my phone and clutch and move to the bedroom door.

My heels click against the stairs as we move downstairs and I know she'll have to see my family again. When I enter the living room, I notice three new presence but that immediately makes me smile.

"Well, if it isn't the birthday girl." Connor grins, standing up from the couch and making his way to me.

He wraps his arms around me and I laugh, "Con-con."

"Happy Birthday, Em." He says and I grin as he parts but another pair of arms are immediately around me.

"Oh, god, El, I'll die." I can't hold in my laughter as I try to breathe.

"You've been gone for over a month, lady." She scolds me, letting go as she sees my face, "Happy Birthday, girl."

"Oh my god, are you crying?" I gasp, looking in her eyes and she immediately swats at my shoulder as she dabs at her eyes. "Are you pregnant?"

"What?" Connor looks at her and she shakes her head.

"I am not, god, I am not pregnant. It's just, she's so grown up." She says, looking at me as Connor wraps one arm around her.

"Mom, your friends overreact as much as you do." I call out and she laughs, but then I notice that she's matching Ella's expressions, which makes me smile. "Aww, Mum, you crying too?"

"Shut up." She points her finger at me before hiding her face in Dad's chest, making him laugh as he pulls her closer.

"Guys, it's our birthday, cheer the hell up!"

After everyone settles down on couches, I realise that Genesis has been looking at everything from my back. I don't think in excitement to wish me anyone noticed her presence.

When I turn to her, she shakes her head as if she doesn't even want anyone to notice and I nod.

My eyes drop to the third person who's new in the room and I notice how he's talking with Odion, sitting in front of him on the carpet as he makes him laugh.

It's like he can feel my gaze on him because his eyes meet mine and a small smile takes over his features, but even that small smile is enough to trace out his dimple which is so prominent on his cheek.

He whispers something to Odion who looks at me and grins, his smile making me mirror his expressions because I know he doesn't smile or express any emotions often. He nods at him and the guy stands up and comes to stand in front of me.

"God, why the hell are you so tall?" I ask, noticing that he has gained at least eight inches on me but it's not that noticeable right now because I am wearing heels.

He chuckles, his dimple digging deep in his cheek as he runs a hand through his hair, "Why the hell are you so short?"

"I'm 5'4, that's not short." I roll my eyes and he shakes his head at me.

"Happy Birthday, Emma." He holds out his hand and I shake it, the warmth of his skin touching mine.

"Thanks, Lake." I tease and he immediately lets go of my hand.

"You need to stop calling me that, it's not my name." He scowls at me.

I shrug, "Yeah, well, Emma's not my name either."

"But it suits you. How does Lake suits me?" He refers to his body and I can't help but notice how much he has grown.

"Well, I say it suits you and you should listen to your elders." I grin because I know that annoys him so much.

Before he can respond, Genesis steps by my side, surprising me as she offers him her hand, "Hey, I am Genesis, but you can call me Gen, it's nice to meet you."

He frowns at her extended hand then looks at me, then back at her. I try to control my annoyance at her actions, because that's the line she starts with when she's interested in someone, because only selected ones call her Gen.

"Blake Glazier." He shakes her hand but his eyes remain at me as he does that. "Are you both —?" He asks, not completing his sentence.

Genesis giggles, which she never does because a woman her age shouldn't be giggling at all, "No, I am her boss back at the office."

So, we have gone from colleagues to boss and employee now, sounds good. I keep my lips pressed together as I glare at her but she doesn't notice it, however, Blake does.

"Well, you're extremely beautiful." He smiles at her and I know that's his smile when he's trying to charm someone off.

"Thanks." She smiles at him.

"Cox & Bell, right?" He asks and I finally realise what he's doing, which intends my glare at him, "I heard there's an internship opening there? In the HR department?"

Genesis frowns, "I think you've got the wrong information."

Blake pouts, yup, the guy actually pouts, "Oh, I was actually looking forward to the interviews. Bad luck, I guess." He gives her a sad smile and I shake my head at him.

"Blake." I hiss at him but he continues to ignore me.

"You can always come in for an interview, here's my card." Genesis says as she opens her purse and reaches for it, giving it to him, "Anything for a cousin of Emily."

I scowl, "He's not my cousin." I clear out.

Blake smirks as he takes the card, "Yeah, family friends." He shrugs, looking down at the contact number.

"Well, same thing." Genesis says.

No, not the same thing!

"We have to go, don't we, Gen?" I nudge, turning to my supposed girlfriend and she frowns at me but nods.

"You leaving already?" Blake looks at her and she smiles.

"Yeah, we're having a small party for her. Do you want to come along?" She asks him and I frown.

"No, he doesn't. Bye Blake." I glare at him and he chuckles, holding his hands up in defence as he goes back to sit on the floor and I turn to everyone else, "I'll be back in a few hours." I wave at them and leave, aware that Genesis is right behind me.

As soon as we're out in the driveway, I turn to Genesis, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What?" She tries to play innocent as she moves to open the car door for me and I glare at her.

"He's twenty! Literally nine years younger to you. Have you lost your damn mind?" I say as I get in and she gets in the passenger seat a moment later.

"You're overreacting, like always."

"No, I am reacting, like always because you pulled a move right in front of me!" I shout in the car, because I feel like I am suffocating and this isn't how I imagined my twenty-fourth birthday to go.

"I have always been clear with you, Emily. At least I am not lying to you. The guy's hot. What do you expect from me? I seek validation where I get it." She shrugs as if it's nothing.

"Stop." I say just as she has started driving on the road but she doesn't hear me, "I said stop, Genesis!"

She pulls up on the side of the car, "What is your problem?"

I unbuckle the seat belt, "I am going to get out of this car and you're going to drive away. I'm joining back on Monday, and I'll see you then. Don't contact me until I do."

With that, I get out of the car and shut her door, and without a single word, she drives away.