“Nicole, have you seen my silver earrings?” Claudia called as she searched her room for the pair of earrings Jacob had given her.

        “Did you check your jewellery box?” Nicole called back.

        “Yes, five times! Didn’t you borrow them on Christmas Eve?”

        “I thought I gave them back to you.”

        “I don’t think so! Will you please look?”

        Claudia heard Nicole groan as she trudged into her bedroom. A few minutes later, Nicole popped her head in, holding the earrings in her hand.

        “Here, happy? Whoa! What are you all dressed up for?” she exclaimed when she saw Claudia.

        She was wearing a long formal gown, which suggested she was going somewhere important. The gown was a dark royal blue, it was strapless and hugged her midsection before flowing down to her feet. Half of her hair was pulled back while the rest of her curls cascaded around her slender shoulders.

        “What is this? The prom for overgrown teenagers?” she teased, leaning against the doorframe.

        “Jacob is taking me out for my birthday tonight,” Claudia explained as she put the earrings in.

        “But your birthday isn’t for a week.”

        “I know, he said we have to go out tonight. He’s taking me somewhere special and he insisted that I dress formally. Do I look okay?” she asked.

        “Okay?” Nicole repeated. “You look gorgeous.”

        “Oh! I should wear those sapphire earrings my mother gave me!” Claudia realized, once again digging through her jewellery box. “Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”

        Nicole sighed. “Yeah, why didn’t you think of that before I searched my whole room for nothing,” she grumbled with her arms folded across her chest.
 
        “I got my earrings back, didn’t I?” Claudia smiled. “What do you think, do these look better?” she wanted to know, showing Nicole the sapphires in her ear lobes.

        “Definitely. The key to looking gorgeous is having the right pair of earrings. I’m sure everyone will be looking at your stunning ears.”

        “Thanks,” Claudia muttered sarcastically.

        “So he didn’t say where he’s taking you?”

        “Nope, not yet. I won’t know until he gets here.”

        “Huh, that’s strange,” Nicole thought aloud.

        “What is?”

        “Jacob is being eerily romantic.” She shuddered at the thought. “All that romance makes me wanna hurl.”

        “You just say that because you haven’t ever dated a romantic guy. Once you do, you won’t go back.”

        “Oh, and since when is Jacob mister romance? What he’s planning for tonight will probably be a once in a lifetime experience. Tomorrow he’ll return to his stocks and business meetings and you won’t see him for weeks.”

        “Nicole, please don’t ruin my mood. I’m really looking forward to this,” Claudia pleaded.

        “Speaking of ruining moods I think I hear prince charming at the door.” Nicole disappeared from the bedroom and descended the stairs to the front door. She opened it to find a dozen red roses in her face. Behind them stood Jacob, wearing a tux.

        “Hey prince charming. Got the white horse ready to go?” Nicole asked letting him in.

        “Yeah and he had a little accident on your car. Sorry about that.”

        “Well, Claudia’s been dating you for a while now, so I’m used to dealing with horse shit,” she retorted heading for the kitchen.

        She smiled to herself as she walked away. Damn, that was a good one.

        “Is she ready yet?” Jacob asked impatiently, looking at his watch. “The quicker we get out of here, the quicker I’ll be away from you.”

        “She’s a girl, what do you think? And you’re not exactly great company yourself , buddy.” Nicole took a sip of diet Pepsi and returned to the living room. “So where are you taking her?”

        “To the opera which she’s been dying to see ever since she moved to New York.”

        “Aw, how sweet. Do you think you can keep up the act until you bring her home? We all know that once the clock strikes midnight you’ll be back to your old self again. The carriage will turn back to an old pumpkin and the wonderful prince charming will be just a memory.”
 
        He rolled his eyes. “You’re just jealous.”

        That made Nicole laugh out loud. “You wish, honey.” Her tone got serious and she looked him straight in the eye. “If that girl isn’t positively glowing with happiness when she gets home, I’m going to have to kill you.”

        Their glares were interrupted as Claudia came down the stairs.

        “Claudia, you look absolutely breathtaking,” he said when he saw her. “These roses are for you.”

        Nicole made choking sounds as she went into the kitchen. “I can’t watch.”

        “Thank you, Jacob, they’re beautiful.”

        “Why don’t you sit down, I’ve got a present for you.”

        They sat side by side on the couch and Jacob pulled a small, rectangle shaped box out of his jacket pocket.

        She untied the ribbon and opened it up to find a sparkling bracelet inside. Claudia gasped as she took it out of the box. Diamonds and sapphires laced her wrist as Jacob put it on her.

        “Jacob, it’s beautiful. And it goes perfectly with my dress!”

        “Happy birthday,” he said with a smile.

        “Are all of them real?”

        “You bet. Twenty-four karat gold with real diamonds and real sapphires.”

        Nicole’s voice could be heard, singing a line from a familiar song in the kitchen: “My love don’t cost a thing.” She was sure to sing loud enough so that Claudia could hear her. “…So you’re trying to buy what’s already yours, what I need from you is not available in stores…”

        Claudia cleared her throat and pretended not to hear her friend.

        “Are you ready to go?” Jacob asked her.

        “Yes, just let me go put these in water,” she said taking the roses into the kitchen.

        Nicole continued signing. “All that matters is that you treat me right. Give me all the things I need that money can’t buy, yeah.”

        Claudia ignored her as she pulled a vase out of a cabinet and filled it with water.

        “Gosh I love that song,” Nicole said. “J. Lo makes such a good point, don’t ya think, Claude?”

        Claudia just shot Nicole a look that said, “drop it” and placed the vase on the kitchen table before returning to the living room.

        “Have fun kids!” Nicole called as the door closed behind them.

        “So where are you taking me?” Claudia asked him as they stepped outside.

        When they got to the car Jacob reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two tickets. Her eyes widened when she read the print and realized where they were going.

        “The opera! Oh my gosh I’ve been dying to go! How did you get these tickets?”

        “I’ve got a few connections. They’re great seats; up in the balcony, right in center. We’ll have a perfect view.”

        Claudia jumped up and gave him a huge hug. “Thank you so much! I’m so excited!”

        Jacob opened her door for her and Claudia got inside, still staring at the tickets in her hand. Excitement and disbelief filled her. For once, Jacob had given her a present that she really wanted. Not that she didn’t like the jewellery and expensive things he usually bombarded her with, but this was a little more thoughtful and very unexpected from Jacob.

        “I didn’t know you liked opera, or don’t you and you’re just doing this for me?”

        Jacob turned his head as he backed out of his parking spot. “I thought I’d give it a shot. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. Besides I thought we should do something different for your birthday.”

        “Ick, I can’t believe I’m twenty-eight already. I feel so old.”

        He laughed. “Well don’t worry, whenever you start to feel old, just look at me. I’m only a few years older but maybe it’ll make you feel better.”

        “Yeah, maybe.”

        Twenty-eight years old. She was going to be thirty soon! And what do I have to show for it? she wondered. I have a job that I love, a happy life with great friends and a rich, handsome boyfriend…but why do I feel like something’s missing? Why don’t I feel like my life is complete? I should be happy…but I’m not.

        Claudia was excited and anxious when they arrived. The opera house was so beautiful and exquisite, she felt honored just to be there. She walked gracefully with a smile on her face and Jacob on her arm.

        When they were shown to their seats Claudia admired the elegant chandeliers and what she could see of the stage.

        “Claudia, darling,” Jacob’s voice came from beside her. “I’d like to introduce you to my business partner Clint. He’s the one who provided us with these spectacular seats.”

        Claudia smiled politely and shook the hand of the man who Jacob introduced her to.

        “This is his wife Theresa. They will be sitting with us tonight.”

        “Ah, what a pleasant surprise.” Claudia smiled. Of course his business partner will be sitting with us. What a wonderful opportunity to suck up. It could never be just us, could it?

        Claudia pretended to be listening to their conversation but got bored quickly when they began talking about clients and business things. So instead, she sat back and looked around the opera house.

        “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Theresa said, startling her.

        “Oh yes, it’s magnificent.”

        “Your first time I take it?”

        “How did you know?”

        “Oh, I was the same way,” the tall brunette said with a smile. “Anxious and in awe of it all.”

        “You’ve been here a lot?” Claudia inquired.

        She chuckled. “Lets put it this way, we’re known by first name.”

        A moment later, the lights began dimming and the room hushed as the curtains opened. Claudia sat back in her seat to enjoy the show.

        Claudia stood up, clapping loudly along with the rest of the audience, with tears gleaming in her eyes and a smile on her face.

        “What did you think of the show, sweetheart?” Jacob asked her when the applause quieted several moments later.

        “It was so beautiful, so emotional. I laughed, I cried…” she chuckled. “What did you think?”

        “It was nice. I’d do it again,” he said with a shrug.

        A few minutes later, they made their way into the crowded lobby where they stood chatting with Jacob’s friends. Of course Jacob continued talking about business deals and stocks while she and Theresa made polite small talk as Claudia always did with the wives of Jacob’s friends. Finally, Jacob was ready to leave.

        “Would you…like to go back to my place?” Jacob asked as they walked to his car. “After all it’s your birthday and that is a cause for celebration,” he teased with a wink.

        To tell the truth, she wasn’t nearly in the mood, but she agreed anyway. All the way to his apartment Jacob talked about his partner Clint and a deal that they were working on. He told her how important it was and while she knew it was important to him, she found it hard to keep her concentration.

        Jacob’s apartment could be described as luxurious and very modern. The floor was marble, a chandelier hung over the unused dinning room table, high tech stereo equipment sat in the living room next to leather couches and chic, black end tables and a beautiful stone fireplace.

        Claudia always found Jacob’s apartment to be creepy. It felt so unlived in. It was always clean. You would never find an empty glass on in the sink or any mail on the counter. He was such a neat freak that his apartment was spotless.

        The one thing she loved about his apartment were the huge, floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city. It was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset, but it was much too late for that now.

        “Take a seat. Would you like some wine?” Jacob offered.

        “Sure,” she agreed half-heartedly as she sat on the overstuffed sofa. Claudia yawned and rubbed her eyes. For some reason she was feeling tired. She unbuckled her heels and kicked them off onto the floor.

        After starting the fire, Jacob handed her a glass of wine, sat on the couch next to her and began rubbing her feet.

        “Oh thank you. That feels good,” she said leaning back and closing her eyes.

        She wasn’t sure how long she had drifted off, it couldn’t have been more than five minutes, but she woke to the feel of Jacob’s lips against her neck. He wasn’t rubbing her feet anymore. His hands were on her back, pulling her closer, then fumbling at the zipper on her gown.

        She knew exactly where this was going.

        Okay, this is it, Claudia thought to herself. Now is the time to prove that there is still magic between us. This will tell me all I need to know.

        Jacob’s lips met hers in a hard, eager kiss. It was too rough; too much tongue and not enough lip. Claudia didn’t like hasty, she liked slow and romantic.

        In a few minutes, they were in his bedroom, clothes scattered across the floor. He was on top of her, breathing heavily as he kissed her bare flesh. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer, wanting to feel what she had felt with him when the relationship was new and exciting. She had to bring that feeling back.

        An hour later, Claudia was lying in bed staring out the window at the half-moon in the dark night sky. She couldn’t sleep. She looked over at Jacob who had fallen asleep several minutes ago. His breathing was deep, almost to a snore.

        The moon lit up the room and shone on her face. She pulled the blankets tighter around her body as Jacob rolled away from her, bringing the blankets with him. She sighed as she shifted to get comfortable and wished for sleep to come.

        But all she could think about was her beautiful gown, lying crumpled on the floor gaining wrinkles by the second.

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