Death by Stupidity
For the first time in many years, Angela really enjoyed her birthday this time.
And she credited it to all the people who had been there for her when she really needed them. Her father and brother had always been there, but their relationship was bland in the previous years, and she didn't think it would ever improve. So many things happened in the past few months that she believed contributed to the change.
Of course, one of those was Gael.
There was this feeling inside her that made her feel different. So different that she learned to appreciate more things than she usually did. Like the food was better, the air smelled fresher, even the plain water tasted sweeter. Angela thought she was being over the top, so she didn't tell anyone those findings, but she admitted them to herself. And perhaps that caused her to smile more often.