Title: Make a Wish
Author: Lindsay S.
Rating: PG
Fandom: RENT
Summary:
Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Damnit.

It was well past midnight when she finally slipped into the loft. Glancing around, she offered a silent prayer of thanks that nobody else seemed to be awake. She was tired, and badly in need of a shower, and she just didn't have the energy to argue or explain her whereabouts that evening. It was her birthday, goddamnit, and she was allowed to have a little fun.

She peeled off the leather jacket she'd been wearing all night and tossed it carelessly over the arm of the couch, flopping down onto the cushion next to it. She reeked of smoke, and she wrinkled her nose every time she turned her head and her curls whipped around her face, bringing the smell even closer. A wild child she may be, but smoking was never her deal. It drove her crazy whenever Roger decided to light up a cigarette in the living room, and it sparked many a fight between them, until Mark would finally step in as moderator.

On the other hand, it could be an advantage. If anyone asked about the stale cigarette smell clinging to her jacket, she could blame it on Roger smoking all the damn time. It wouldn't really cover her ass as she never wore the jacket indoors, but it would be enough to set Roger off, and then they'd fight, and by the time they were done they'd forget the reason why they'd started fighting at all.

Looking around, squinting in the darkness, she debated turning on the light before deciding against it. It was unlikely that it would be enough to wake any of the other inhabitants, but she didn't want to chance it. They were already pretty pissed at her for going off on her own instead of coming back with them after dinner. Sure, it was nice to sit down with friends, eat, have some laughs, whatever, but she wanted to celebrate. Get drunk and party 'til dawn. And despite what everyone may have thought, she would have liked to have her boyfriend with her, to take him around, to dance until they were both so riled up they could barely last the cab ride home. Instead, everyone had begged off, insisting they were too tired, or not interested, or in need of a hit (okay, so nobody actually said that, she reasoned with herself, but everyone was thinking it). And since she wasn't ready to call it a night, she'd gone off on her own, insisting that she was going to have a good time, whether they wanted to join her or not.

They all assumed she would pick up some random guy and go back to his place. Myabe dump him off where she'd met him and find someone else. She snorted, leaning forward and run her hands through her hair. In all the months they'd been together, she'd never cheated on him. Everyone assumed she did, but she had always been faithful. Even her boyfriend, who'd stuck by her all this time, was having his doubts. She did nothing reassure him or convince him otherwise. The passion with which she'd first found with him had cooled, and her interest in the relationship was waning. Still, when she looked at him, she couldn't tell him. He was a sweet guy, and honest to God, she didn't want to hurt him, especially when he had invested so much in their relaionship. He really did care for her, and leaving him would probably break his heart. Letting him think she was cheating was just...easier. Plant the seed of doubt, let it grow, until he would finally be unable to take it anymore, and then he'd be the one to leave. Maybe it was the coward's way out, but then, for all her bravado, she was a coward at heart. It suited her, really.

The floor next to the sofa creaked, and she lifted her head in time to see him seat himself next to her. He held out a cupcake with a single candle which flickered in the dark.

"We never got cake before you left," he said simply. She looked at the treat in his hands and then at his face, so open, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he tried to keep himself from grinning outright. Perhaps it was cheesy, but it was a sweet gesture, and she let out a small giggle of delight before taking it from him.

"Make a wish," he whispered, putting an arm around her shoulder and drawing her closer. She looked at him again, and the momentary joy she'd felt began to seep away. She stared at him a moment more before closing her eyes and blowing out the candle.

"Hope it was a good one," he said. She didn't have the heart to tell him it wasn't. Instead, she touched her forehead to his, smiling just a little when she felt his hand in her hair, and convinced herself that, just for this one night, she was happy where she was.

Her wish came true two days later, in the form of a no-nonsense lawyer in Doc Martens.