I watched him head out the door and back to his car before returning to the kitchen to start my breakfast and coffee.

* * *

I sat alone in the rental for hours before deciding to go for a walk to the beach. Stone had been gone all day, and I was starting to think he’d entirely forgotten my birthday.

Impossible; that man remembered everything. 

Maybe he just didn’t care. Maybe birthdays were just another day to him.

He didn’t owe me anything, but I would be lying if I said my heart didn’t ache a bit at his absence. When I woke, he’d already left the house—without me.

The past few weeks, we’d become inseparable. Everywhere he went to investigate the case, he’d taken me with him. There was the possibility he just needed time to himself, but why’d it have to be today?

I’d spent so many birthdays alone, I just thought this one would be-

Don’t finish the thought. 

It will only hurt more.

I kept walking down the path until it turned to sidewalk. I continued until I found an outlet that led to the water. The sand was warm against my feet as I slipped my sandals off and carried them.

There wasn’t anything I enjoyed more than this view, the waves crashing against the shore and the sun shining down on the water’s surface.

The tourists were well down the beach, and the portion I sat on was practically empty. I tucked my knees in, holding them to my chest. I could spend hours just watching the way the waves moved, listening to their lulling sound.

I sat for what felt like hours without moving, just sitting with my thoughts.

Maybe I’d misread everything. Maybe I really just was Stone’s partner. 

I’d slept wrapped in his arms, free from nightmares for the first time in years. That couldn’t be nothing. I needed it to be something.

I continued to watch the sun move across the sky and the ocean. Birds flew overheard, and a few locals walked by every now and then. I barely moved. There was not a single piece of me motivated to return to the empty rental.

If I did, I would just curl up in bed with a book and hide until Stone finally came back. Could I just pretend like this meant nothing to me? Maybe I could go back to sleep and wake up to forget everything?

I could just go back to cuddle with Alonzo and Birdie. 

And that was when I realized I had become completely pathetic. Spending my birthday with my cats as company? I didn’t expect to reach this point until at least sixty, not my late-twenties.

A shadow grew over me, and I forced myself to turn to see who had blocked my sun. I squinted as I glanced up, still partially blinded by the sun.