"What's the matter, darling?"

I looked up to find my boyfriend, Howie - wait a minute - he's my friend who happens to be male, I refuse to call him my boyfriend this early in the game, staring at me. We had been sitting side by side on the couch watching a movie, but now he was twisted around, sitting on his knees and staring at me with those brown eyes of his, just like a puppy.

"The matter? Nothing's the matter." I shrugged and teasingly pushed him backwards, away from me.

"You haven't been paying attention to anything I've said, or the movie either." he pouted as he pulled himself back up and reclaimed his seat beside me.

"Yes, I have." I protested. I realized as I looked up that the movie was now over and we were watching some infomercial for a new miraculous kitchen gadget. "Well, maybe not so much the movie." I admitted with a shy chuckle.

"Something's bothering you." Howie persisted.

"No it isn't." I insisted.

"Yes, it is."

"No."

"Yes!"

"Alright!" This was getting old fast, might as well get it over with. I stood up and pointed to the brass shelves tucked into the corner of the attached dining room. "How does that look?" The shelves held various knick-knacks, photographs and figurines. The top shelf was decorated with an empty vase.

"Well." Howie mused as he got up to stand beside me. "You should get rid of this empty vase. Looks kind of silly." He laughed as he picked it up and handed it to me.

"It's empty because I was expecting to get something to fill it with yesterday!" I shoved the vase back at him.

"You were expect...yesterday...what...? Oh!" All of a sudden it came to him, he remembered what he had forgotten yesterday. "Your birthday!" Howie plopped down into one of the wooden chairs circling the table. "I forgot all about it! I'm so sorry baby!" He tried to grab me and pull me down to him, but I squirmed out of his reach.

"No big deal." I shrugged.

"Yes it is, I should have remembered."

"Look, Howie..." I turned to face him and had to turn away, he was giving me the big Bambi eyes and that always killed me. I tucked my finger in my mouth and worried a hang nail, stalling for time.

"What, sweetie?"

"Howie, let's sit down." I gestured to the couch, taking his hand and pulling him over to sit. I got comfortable, tucking my legs under me and pulling a pillow over my lap. Howie sat facing me, he took my hands in his and smiled.

"What can I do for you? Anything to make up for forgetting your birthday, okay? Just tell me what you want." He squeezed my hands and gave them a kiss. Yeah, thanks. Make it easy for me.

"Howie. This isn't working. I'm sorry." I pulled my hands away and pushed them under the pillow.

"What do you mean, isn't working?" Howie wrinkled his forehead in concentration. "We're just getting to know each other. I thought..."

"I know, I know." I tossed the pillow aside and stood up, only to start pacing. "I have to be honest with you. I hooked up with you to meet a friend of yours." God, how pathetic did that sound? "I know he isn't interested in me at all, but I hoped you know? And then you seemed to happy, I just didn't know what to do. I mean, you're a nice enough guy and all, but you're just not my type. I'm really..." Howie was staring at me and I realized I had been babbling. I snapped my mouth shut and looked back at him helplessly. "I'm sorry."

"Who?" he kind of mumbled and he averted his gaze from me.

I sighed. "Nick."

"Yeah." Howie nodded and stood up. "It's always Nick." He started for the door.

"Howie, I'm sorry. There's just no point in pretending that we like each..."

"I liked you." Howie ducked his head down and went out the door, closing it softly behind him.

"Damn it." I sank to the floor and banged my head against the wall. "You are such an idiot. He's really a sweet guy. Maybe something would have worked out, if you had let it." I banged my head again. "Shut up, what do you know?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning my doorbell rang bright and early. It startled me and I dropped my full cereal bowl on the couch. I hardly ever had visitors and never this early, I noted as I glanced at my watch.

"Who is it?" I took a peep through the door and gasped. I quickly unlocked the door and opened it to greet my visitor.

"Hi!"

"What are you doing here?" I tried to not act shocked to see him. Even though the sight of him was almost more than I could bear.

"Well, I talked to Howie last night and he told me you might like these. And he insisted I had to deliver them personally."

Nick held out a bouquet of red roses to me, a wide smile on his face.

"I hope you like them." He carelessly brushed a hand through his hair, spiking it up and eliciting a gasp from me.

"They're perfect." I suppressed a moan as he dragged his hand through his blond locks again.

"Umm, do you mind if I come in?" Nick asked nervously. "I mean, I gave you roses and all."

I giggled. "I guess that deserves an invite."

"Why did Howie want me to give you roses, you think?" Nick wandered through the living room and into the dining room. He picked the empty vase off the brass shelf and handed it to me. "They'd look good in this one." That smile again.

"I don't know." I feigned ignorance and started filling the vase with warm water.

"He's a sweet guy, probably just wanted to surprise you."

I handed Nick the now full vase and he placed it back on the shelf, fussing with the arrangement until it looked just right.

"He did a pretty good job of it, I'd say." I offered Nick a smile back.

"Hey, you guys aren't..you know...you're not...well..." Nick blushed and went back to fussing with the flowers.

"Exclusive?"

"Yeah." He let out a sigh of relief.

"No we're not. He's nice and all but just not my type." Nick blushed again.

"What is your type?"

"Hmm, well, I like blonde guys, tall blonde guys. Tall blonde guys who bring girls flowers early in the morning. Know anyone like that?" God, he's cute when he blushes.

"Would you like to do something today? With me?"

I offered a silent blessing to Howie as Nick and I sat at the table, making plans for the day. Howie really was a sweet guy. He just given me the best belated birthday gift I ever recieved.