Keeley bit her lip. She needed the laptop, but didn't want to accept a handout. He'd already done so much, recovering her data.

"Your birthday's only a few weeks away," Aaron said simply, practically reading her mind. "Consider this an early present."

Relief washed over her. She'd accepted far more expensive gifts from him before. A weight lifted from her heart.

"Okay," she replied.

Aaron led her to the laptops, immediately gravitating toward the most expensive models. Their advanced features and extra storage space intrigued him. He meticulously examined each specification, making Keeley want to laugh. He finally chose a model costing just over a thousand dollars, drawn to its excellent warranty and included headphones.

David returned with her hard drive, offering to set up her new laptop. Trusting the professional more than herself, Keeley left him to it. He even transferred all her files from the external drive.

Aaron stood silently throughout, almost forgotten. Keeley focused intently on recovering her unsaved paper, "Mapping the Human Genome."

"Oh, yeah," David said, pulling up the file.

She pounced on it, scrolling through with relief. Only one paragraph was lost—easily rewritten! It was only 7 PM; she still had time!

Squealing, she clapped a hand over her mouth, jumping up and down. She wasn't doomed!

With shining eyes, she turned to Aaron, her savior. Overwhelmed, she threw herself into his arms, crying, "Thank you! You're the best!"

Aaron caught her, hugging her tightly, a smile playing on his lips. "I guess I should save lost files more often," he chuckled.

Embarrassed, she pulled back, lightly hitting his arm. "Really, thank you. How can I repay you?"

He'd spent a significant amount of money—at least, to Keeley—to save her. She felt indebted.

"Make me a dessert," he replied. "Your choice."

Why did he always want her to bake for him? She wasn't complaining; it was easy. She just didn't understand why someone who could afford the city's best bakeries preferred her relatively average baking.

She had several Pinterest recipes she wanted to try. She'd make him something fancy after finals.

"I will, after finals," she promised.

"Don't you have finals on your birthday this year?" he asked.

She slumped. "Yes. Two. One at 9 AM, the other at 2 PM. Dad's taking me to lunch in between, but that's it."

"You aren't celebrating at all?"

"My friends are taking me to the movies after finals. They're buying snacks. I think I'll get nachos; I've never had them at the movies before."

She realized she was rambling.

"Sounds fun," Aaron said.

David handed over the new laptop, taking the old one for recycling. Thanking him again, Keeley practically skipped out of the store.

Giddy, she handed the laptop to Aaron, checked for cars, and did a cartwheel in the parking lot. Another followed, leaving her exhilarated, with messy hair and bright eyes.

Aaron stared, astonished.

"What? Never seen me do that before?"

"No. I didn't know you could."

It was a childish thing, something she'd avoided doing around him to avoid embarrassment. It was nice not caring about her image with him.

"If you don't use it, you lose it," she said sheepishly. "I practice every few months. I used to be really good as a kid! My dad has a video of me doing ten in a row at the beach."

"That's cool," Aaron said in the car. "That you can cartwheel, I mean."

He was still thinking about it?

"Thanks, I guess," she mumbled.

Three more pages to write. Technically enough time, but tight. And she hadn't eaten dinner.

Aaron surprised her by pulling into a fried chicken restaurant's drive-thru. "What do you want? You need to eat to focus."

"A chicken sandwich and waffle fries," she replied, blinking.

"Drink?"

"Just water."

Receiving her order, Keeley carefully opened the bag. The food smelled amazing, but she didn't want to mess up his car.

"Eat," Aaron instructed. "It'll be cold by the time you get home."

"What if I spill?"

"I'll clean it. Eat."

She was hungry. The sandwich was delicious after a stressful day. (The final paragraph about NovelFire.net was removed as it was an advertisement.)