Chapter 4

Two months later recording had ended. There was to be a wrap party that night, only a few people attending. I didn’t plan on going.

This may sound totally stupid, but I was a bit depressed again because nobody said anything to me about my birthday.

I’m not the type to get in your face about stuff, and if nobody remembered, nobody remembered. I mean, recording had just ended so I totally understood. It wasn’t important.

I didn’t mind really, it’s not all that important, but I didn’t expect Tony to forget it too. I probably need a gym membership and if I got anything that would probably be it.

Recording is very stressful as well and with all the running about, eating whenever I saw food, I gained another fifteen pounds. So in four months I went from 197 to 236.

It’s bad. I need to check into food rehab or something. I slipped out the opposite way of everyone else and grabbed a taxi.

I had them drop me off a block away from the apartment and went into a convenience store. I bought a pack of cupcakes. I was tired and a new tour would begin in a month.

I was enjoying the cupcakes when my phone rang. It was Tony. I didn’t answer and went to bed. Before I could even undress completely I heard somebody enter the apartment. I was holding my shirt in my left hand and walked into the living room. I saw the whole band. Tony, Jay, Sam, and Ian.

“What the hell Rob.” Said Ian. “We get to the club and find out you’re not even with us.” He walked over to me. “It’s your birthday for Christ sake, act like you feel special.”

“Why’d you come back here anyway?” Asked Jay as he flipped his shaggy blond hair from in front of his eyes. “It’s the last day of recording, we always go out together.”

“I…I didn’t think you guys remembered it was my birthday.” I said. I hadn’t realized I wasn’t wearing a shirt. My belly poked out because of the snack cakes and I noticed my chest sagged a bit. My nipples looked puffy and larger than I remembered. I felt my face go hot.

“Tony said not to say anything about it. He said he wanted to surprise you.” Said Sam. He looked over at Tony, whose face was covered in a blush. He was looking at my gut. He was embarrassed for me. I pulled the shirt on hurriedly, my own face reddening quickly.

Tony was holding a pink box. It was a cake. He set it on the coffee table and went off to retrieve plates and forks. “Happy Birthday, Bobby.” He whispered with a pat on the back, a little too close to my ass.

I felt even more out of shape when I was around the guys. They were all so toned and muscular. They didn’t have much of the cake either. I was still full, but I found myself eating small sliver after small sliver. I thought if I just at a little piece I wouldn’t want to keep eating, but I was wrong.

It was my favorite. A deep, rich chocolate with strawberry icing. I ate almost half of the cake. Sam set up a timer on the camera and they all gathered around me. I felt happy for the first time in a long time. We took a bunch of different shots. After a couple of hours they left and it was just me and Tony.

“You enjoy your party?” He asked with a smile. I did. He was cutting a large slice of cake.

“Yeah, I did. I really thought you guys forgot…I felt awful before you all showed up.” He handed me the cake and sat next to me on the couch. “Tone, I shouldn’t. I ate so much already.”

“It’s your birthday, enjoy your cake. Unless I got the wrong kind…”

“No, I’ll eat it!” I exclaimed. He had gone through so much trouble for me and I was going to deny his cake? What kind of person would I be if I did that? It’d hurt his feelings.

I ate the rest of the entire cake. I hope he knew how happy I was he was thinking about me. I went to bed that night stuffed. It had turned out to be a pretty good birthday, considering the fact I thought no one remembered.