I held on to the last shred of my dignity. "We already have a medical genius like you in the family. I don't need to know anyone else."
Selena picked up where I'd left off, gazing at Irvin with open adoration. "Dr. Stephens really is incredible. I had a surgery earlier today, a long one, and I was running on empty. He swooped in to save me. It wasn't until I left the operating room that I found out he'd already been on his feet for twelve hours straight."
Her face turned suddenly earnest. "Thank you, Irvin. Thank you for working so hard to help me."
"It's nothing. I didn't want you exhausting yourself."
At some point three years ago, Irvin had started coming home complaining of exhaustion every single day. Lately it had only gotten worse, to the point where he barely spoke to me at all. I told myself his job was brutal, and I never said a word about it.
I just never imagined he had plenty of energy left. It simply wasn't being spent on me.
"Let's eat. I'm hungry."
I'd been wound up all day, waiting for a proposal, and I'd barely touched any food.
Now the wish had collapsed, and all at once I felt starving and helpless, desperate to fill the emptiness with anything.
I waved over the waiter standing in the corner to start serving.
But Irvin stopped her. "Hold on."
While I sat there bewildered, he turned to me, dead serious. "We can eat, but stand up first. Give the seat of honor to Selena."
My mind went blank for a moment before I could believe what Irvin had just said.
Chloe rounded on him at once. "Irvin, don't push it! You're Layla's boyfriend. You know exactly whose side you should be on, don't you?"
Selena waved her hands, declining. "Irvin, I don't need to sit there. Sitting next to you is fine. Let your girlfriend keep that seat, she'll be upset."
Irvin's tone left no room for argument. "She doesn't have a temper. She's trailed after me calling me her big brother since we were kids. She practically never gets mad, and even when she does, she's easy to soothe. A pat on the head, a few sweet words, and she's fine."
He reached out toward me, his hand settling on my hair, the way he used to whenever he'd made me angry.
"It's not that I won't let you sit there. Selena's four hours older than you. Just let her have it. When we cut the cake, you can sit here too. She just goes first, that's all. Be good. Get up."
My hands curled into fists. "And if I don't get up?"
Irvin's threat came easily. "Then I'll move into the hospital and leave you home alone. You're terrified of the dark. You can't manage without me."
It was true. I was afraid of the dark. But I would have to learn to live with it.
This trick of his had worked every time before. Not this time. I didn't move.
The whole table froze.
"All right, all right, I'll sit wherever. Let's not spoil the mood." Selena got up on her own and took the seat across the round table from me. Irvin didn't hesitate for a second. He walked straight over to join her.
Only my friend was left at my side now. Not Irvin.
Dish after dish arrived, all of them a vivid red, most heaped with dried chilies and bird's-eye peppers. The ones that weren't spicy were seafood.
But I couldn't eat spicy food, and seafood was even more off-limits.
Selena, on the other hand, ate with delight, and Irvin kept piling food onto her plate. This entire spread had clearly been ordered for her.
A single bowl of flavorless birthday noodles. I chewed mouthful after tasteless mouthful, swallowing it down with my tears, my head bowed low so no one would see me crying.
Chloe started to rise. I caught her arm and met her eyes.
She understood at once. I was going to end it. She sat back down.
Irvin caught the movement of her standing, and his gaze drifted over to Layla.
She was bent over her noodles, her cascade of curls falling forward to hide her face.
Red dress, black hair, the white of her bare arms looking softer against them. The whole picture was lovely and harmonious, a version of her Irvin had never seen before.
So he took out his phone and ordered another dress. Red. He was sure Layla would love it.
