The Birthday Date |

It had been four months since Chelsea and James moved to Chicago. After James’ promotion following the success of his meeting in Boston, he had been offered a new position in the city and a significant raise.

He and Chelsea had discussed the situation quite a bit. Moving meant leaving their friends where they were behind. But given their new relationship, they figured it might also be for the best. They weren’t sure how long they’d be able to hide the fact that they were dating from them, and most of them already knew they were siblings. This allowed them to start with a clean slate, even though they both would miss the friends they already had. Chelsea hoped, at least, they could still stay in contact on social media.

Once they decided to move, the next question became “Into what kind of place?” Did they want to move into another apartment? What about a cozy house in the suburbs? That is when a particular listing appeared on the market and caught their eyes. It was a lovely threebedroom, twobathroom condo on the twentyfirst floor of a residential tower with a view of Lake Michigan. It was a little small for the price, but what did they expect for a place right in downtown Chicago? After looking at pictures of the listing online, and then taking a weekend to travel to Chicago to look at potential locations in person, they decided that this was the place. The detail that finally sold them on it was the large windows that covered two of the walls in the living room, giving them a view of both the city and the Lake.

The bonus money from James’ promotion had allowed them to put a significant down payment on the place. That eased their future finances as the HOA fees were probably going to be larger than the actual mortgage, although that did include property taxes and most of the utilities.

Once the pair had finally moved in, Chelsea’s top priority was figuring out what she would do for work. Unlike James, her employer didn’t have any transfer opportunities, so she had to quit her job to move. A job for Chelsea wasn’t necessary to afford their new home, but she never liked having to completely rely on James for money, even if he was her brother and boyfriend.

However, today was a special day. Not only had she recently found a job, and a goodpaying one at that, but today was her twentysixth birthday. It had been nine months since that first fateful night with the failed double date when they first found they shared something more than mere sibling fondness. Even though they had made their relationship, as they liked to say, “Unofficially official,” they hadn’t had very much time to take advantage of it during and after their move. Today was finally going to be the day they would be able to relax and enjoy themselves.

Outside both windowed walls of the living room, there stood another residential building. The building on the side facing westerly towards the city was far enough away that James and Chelsea felt their privacy wasn’t in too much danger. If someone was determined or had binoculars, they could likely spy on them, but someone casually looking outside their window in the opposite building would likely not notice very much unless James or Chelsea were standing right up against one of the windows.

The building on the lake side of the living room, however, was another . It was close enough so that someone in that building would likely easily see what was going on in James’ and Chelsea’s condo. As a result, if one of them desired some privacy, they would draw a curtain to cover that side of the windowed wall.

That was currently the case as Chelsea sat on the sofa in the living room, against the wall opposite the exposed windows. She was wearing a white tank top and comfy, gray shorts. She gave out a soft moan as her fingers slowly circled her clit, her hand inserted down the front of her shorts.

James was currently out getting groceries, but that wasn’t what she was thinking about. The pair were planning a date—their first big date since Boston—and each of them hinted to the other that they had a surprise for the other at the end of the night.

Of course, Chelsea knew what hers was, but she was eagerly anticipating what James had planned for her. She wondered if he was looking to mix things up as much as she was. While they had gotten plenty of over the past few months, they hadn’t found the time or opportunity to experiment much. Chelsea hoped to change that, and she hoped James did too.

Chelsea heard the door open and quickly pulled her hand up out of her shorts in reflex. A glance over to the door confirmed that it was just James carrying in the groceries.

“Got everything?” Chelsea asked as she hopped up and strolled over to James, giving him a small peck on the cheek after he set the bags down on the kitchen counter.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “One of the great things about living here is there are so many places within walking distance that even if one place doesn’t have something, you can easily pop into another store right down the street that probably does,” he added as he started putting the groceries away.

“Oh, salmon. Nice choice,” Chelsea remarked as she pulled the item out of a bag and looked at it before putting it away in the fridge.

“I thought you’d like that one,” James grinned, gently grabbing her from behind and kissing her neck. His hands moved up under her tank top and started squeezing her nipples.

Chelsea let out a giggle. “Mmm, save your friskiness for tonight, hun,” she remarked with a grin, gently pulling his arms back down and turning around.

“Ah yes, your ‘special surprise.’ Well, I can’t wait.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

“Are you ever gonna tell me where you’re taking me tonight?” she inquired with a little laugh as she helped put the groceries away.

“You’ll find out,” he grinned.

“Fine, fine, be that way. But I may have to torture you a bit more than I planned tonight.”

“I can’t wait.”

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Chelsea looked at herself in the mirror as she put the finishing touches on her makeup and jewelry in one of the condo’s two bathrooms. She was again wearing her y black dress—the same one that preceded the two other most memorable moments with James, and she wondered if this would make it three for three. Maybe this was just a good luck dress for them.

She turned her head to make sure her hair also looked good. She had used a curling iron to give some waves to her naturally straight hair. Her bright blue eyes inspected to ensure nothing needed any lastsecond touching up.

“Ready to go?” she heard James call out from the living room.

“Yeah, just a second!”

She internally laughed, realizing that the answers of “yes” and “just a second” were somewhat contradictory, but she was almost finished anyway. She patted a couple more spots on her face with makeup, then grabbed her purse and joined James in the living room.

He wasn’t quite as dressed up as he was in Boston, but he was looking sharp, wearing a white buttondown shirt, jacket, and slacks. His brown hair was styled up with some gel, his blue eyes evaluating her.

“That dress always gets me,” he grinned.

“Is that why we always end up when I wear it?” she teased, returning the grin.

“Mmmm, probably,” James smiled as he walked over and gave her a small kiss. “Alright, let’s get this party started.” He took Chelsea’s hand as they headed out the door.

The couple chatted about some of the recent changes in their life as they rode the elevator down and made their way onto the Chicago streets, where the streetlamps started to light them up. It was a relatively short tenminute walk to their destination: a restaurant a few floors up a highrise hotel with a great view overlooking what looked like a minicastle but was in reality a historic water tower.

“Wow, you did go fancy,” Chelsea commented as she sat down at their table next to large glass windows overlooking the city.

“Only the best for your birthday,” James replied with a grin.

A waitress wearing a white, buttoneddown shirt and a black vest appeared at the table, speaking with what appeared to be a slight Spanish accent. “What can I get for you two?” she asked with a wide smile.

“I think we will do the seafood tower and a bottle of the Moscato d’Asti,” James related promptly. He clearly had preplanned what he wanted to order.

“An excellent choice, sir,” she cheerfully commented. “I presume you two will be sharing this?”

“We are,” he confirmed.

“I’ll get it right out to you two, then,” the waitress acknowledged with another big smile. Chelsea couldn’t help but notice that the waitress took a beat, glancing at the pair with another grin before heading off.

“What do you think that was about?” Chelsea asked in a hushed tone.

“What was what about?” James inquired, confused as to what Chelsea was talking about.

“The waitress. It looked like she was checking us out. She even did another look over both of us before she left with our order.”

“Huh, I’ll have to pay more attention next time,” James mused.

“Yeah, me too.”

The sibling couple then talked about Chicago and Chelsea’s newfound job, before the waitress returned with the wine and a pair of glasses.

“It will be about twenty minutes on your food,” she relayed as she filled the glasses.

Chelsea decided to pay more attention this time. She noticed the tag on the girl’s vest identified her as “Angela.” She didn’t think she was all that old—perhaps only eighteen or nineteen. Perhaps this was a job to help pay for college? She had bronze skin and given her accent, Chelsea guessed Central or South American heritage. However, her English was proficient enough that Chelsea thought she probably wasn’t a direct immigrant. Maybe a child of immigrants? She couldn’t help but notice that she was taking more time to check them out, too.

“May I ask what the occasion is?” the waitress tentatively inquired. “I get the impression this is a special night for you two.”

“Well—” Chelsea started before James interrupted her.

“It is my dear Chelsea’s birthday today, so I thought we should celebrate it with a nice dinner out.”

“Oh, happy birthday!” the waitress congratulated in a bubbly voice. “Well, I hope you will find our food and service exceptional enough to match the occasion.” She took another glance at the pair before once again moving off.

“I agree, She’s checking us out,” James concluded once the waitress was out of sight.

“I told you so! And that little bit at the end. Fishing for information? Interest? I don’t know.” Chelsea pondered. James shrugged.

Chelsea observed Angela as she waited on other tables, attempting to determine if it was just her personality and if she was overthinking things, but she was unable to discern her overly friendly demeanor elsewhere. It made her wonder what about them had caught her eye. But she also didn’t want to just ask her about it without being sure, either.

Finally, Angela returned with their food. “Here you go. I hope you two enjoy,” she smiled as she set the platter down on the table between them. It was piled with various types of seafood, including lobster, crab, shrimp, muscles, and oysters, along with various dipping sauces.

“You had to get the messiest thing to eat, didn’t you?” Chelsea laughed, looking over towards James. She couldn’t help but notice that the waitress also gave a little, nearly silent, giggle.

“How could I resist, though?” James proclaimed, motioning at the pile of seafood in front of them.

“Well, if you two need additional napkins or anything, just let me know, alright?” the waitress cheerfully added before leaving.

Chelsea and James dug into their dinner. Chelsea tried not to make a mess, but her napkin quickly lost clean spots for her to wipe her hands. The pile of seafood was glorious, and although she skipped the oysters, everything else was delicious. Finally, she threw her napkin on her plate and leaned back in her chair.

“I was hoping for dessert, but I think that dream is over now,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” James added with a little laugh as he also surrendered. Not much was left on the plate—mostly the oysters.

Soon after, the waitress returned. “If you may indulge me, as you are the birthday lady, I would like to offer you a free dessert from our menu, on me,” the waitress offered as she picked up their plates and what remained of the platter.

“Oh, I’m not sure I can,” Chelsea remarked.

“If you like, I can put it in a container for you to take with you,” the waitress explained.

Chelsea looked across at James, who looked back, and just gave her an “up to you” look.

“Alright, the Chocolate Mille Feuille caught my eye earlier,” Chelsea finally relented.

“Excellent, I will bring it right out, with the check,” the waitress grinned before heading off.

“Say, James,” Chelsea began in a hushed voice once again.

“Uhhuh?” James skeptically answered. He knew from the tone of Chelsea’s voice that she had some idea in her head.

“Do you think adding a third would be too awkward?” Chelsea asked with a grin.

“A third?” James inquired before finally realizing what she was suggesting. “You can’t be serious.”

“I mean, we can be discreet. Maybe beat around the bush. You know, maybe leave a little note with our check. If she’s not interested, then it’s just a bit awkward, but we never see each other again, and that’s that. But if she is interested… ” Chelsea let the suggestion remain unspoken.

“I mean, are you sure about that? Having another woman, well…” he mumbled, still looking at her skeptically.

Chelsea laughed, understanding the question James was posing. “I think it could be fun to try if you are interested. With this waitress—it’s probably nothing, but you never know.”

“I’d say it is up to you. If anyone here would have a problem with another woman joining, it would be you,” he shrugged in response.

“Alright, I think I have a pad of sticky notes in my purse.” She pulled her purse up to the table and started perusing through it. She could feel her fingers shake with nervousness over what she was about to do.

Finally, the waitress returned with an unfastened box. “Ma’am, here is your dessert, ready to go,” the waitress conferred, setting it in front of Chelsea and opening the box to show her what it looked like. “And sir, here is the check,” she added, handing James a pad and a check.

“Thank you very much,” Chelsea appreciated, trying not to be rude by rummaging through her purse while the waitress was there.

“Thank you,” James also curtly thanked.

James charged the check to his credit card and signed the bill, while Chelsea scribbled her note on the sticky note. She thanked Angela for her excellent service and added that they couldn’t help but tell that she seemed to be checking them out. If she was interested in meeting them outside of work, to hang out, or perhaps more, to text one of their numbers.

Chelsea gave the note to James, who quickly glanced over it. “You sure about this?” he asked one last time.

Chelsea let out a sigh and nodded her head in acknowledgment. “I just find it too interesting to not investigate.” Her heart was still racing from writing the note. Inviting the girl to meet them based on what Chelsea still admitted could be a misunderstanding made her both nervous and excited. She tried hard not to get her hopes up about an answer and was trying to convince herself that she was just seeing things. Maybe if nothing else she might be interested in being friends. The pair hadn’t had much time to gain any since their move to Chicago.

James stuck the note to the top of the signed bill and the pair collected their things and left. The two walked home on the lit streets, largely silent. Chelsea felt a knot in her stomach, both by the note she left and the anticipation of what was going to happen once they got back.

She had almost forgotten about their plans after dinner. She started questioning her idea for James. Had she considered everything? Would he even like it? She started wringing her hands in anxiousness.

James appeared to notice this and silently put his arm around her in comfort. Chelsea let out a sigh. James was always so perceptive, even when she didn’t say anything, and it helped to ease some of her worries. The pair finally made it back to the residential tower in which they lived.

Once the pair entered the apartment and closed the door, they started to kiss passionately.

“Thank you for the dinner,” Chelsea appreciated between kisses.

“Mhm…” James mumbled as his mouth was currently occupied. He reached behind Chelsea and unzipped her dress, causing her to pull away slightly.

“We should probably pull the rest of the drapes,” she noted

“Yeah, probably,” he grinned in return.

Chelsea sauntered over and pulled the rest of the curtain so that all the windows in the living room were now covered. “There, now you can rip my clothes off,” she invited.

James didn’t hesitate to act on the offer. He moved in and kissed Chelsea on the neck as he ran his hands under her dress straps, pulling them down her shoulders, before pushing her dress down to the floor, leaving Chelsea in panties and shoes.

“I see you’re ready,” Chelsea laughed, before kissing him on the neck in return.

“Uhhuh, I have been all day,” James hungrily answered before leaning over and sucking on one of Chelsea’s nipples before moving to the other one. He moved his hands down to her panties and pulled them down, allowing Chelsea to step out…