Evaline nodded, deciding not to tell him that Earth's calendar year was also divided into twelve segments, which made it fairly simple to figure out, even without dates.
"My birthday is in the summer, in the middle of the first lunar cycle," she answered for him. "Although, that still seems vague. Do you not have a set date to celebrate?"
James nodded, but then his eyes fluttered as he did the math. Seventh day of the first - his eyes widened. That was nine days ago. Her birthday had already passed, and it had happened while she was here, in the land of Nye, away from home.
He tried to think back to over a week ago. Three days ago, she'd gone into town. Six days before that... what were they doing? Traveling, still, and they had been waiting for his leg to heal.
Oh.
That was before his leg had recovered, and he... he hadn't been very kind to Eve, had he?
"Then it's already passed," James said, sadness leaking into his voice. He looked to her with his apology in his eyes. "That was a week ago."
Evaline's face scrunched in thought. Her birthday had already passed? So, she was 22 now?
She looked back at James, detecting the sadness and sorrow in his eyes and face. She thought the reaction was a bit extreme, but she laughed anyways, shooting him an appreciative smile.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I didn't even know that."
And honestly, I'm happy because I didn't even expect to live to see my next birthday, was what she wanted to say, but didn't for obvious reasons.
"I guess that makes you 22 now," James said with a sigh. "So you were right that you're older than me. But you were wrong when you told Odeta you were 21."
"But at least - now you know," James said with a small smile.
He couldn't help but notice the way she said the last bit, though, and what was unsaid. She was the liar. This time. As if, normally, he was the one lying.
Even if she was right in some respects, it still hurt. But he wasn't going to mention it.
Evaline nodded and then let James's words settle down in her mind.
"So, a week ago," she repeated, trying to figure out what she was doing by then. It had been an eventful last couple of days, so it was hard to establish a timeline. "So it's currently Day 14 of the cycle?"
James met her eyes but they drifted away, even though she smiled. Guilt crept in quickly, and he didn't know if apologies would cut it. Evaline didn't seem to respond as well to words.
"I'll have to make it up to you," he said quietly.
And he did intend to. "How do people on earth celebrate birthdays?"
Evaline tilted her head and lingered her gaze on him just a little longer, trying to study him. He looked guilty. That wasn't her intention.
"It's okay," she said with an apologetic smile of her own, trying to meet his eyes to show that she wasn't upset. "You really don't have to. I was just teasing you."
She hesitated and looked away, trying to remember what she did for her birthday. She hadn't had a traditional celebration since she was a teenager. Surely James didn't want to hear that she did nothing the past few years.
"I'm sure it's not too different than it is in Nye," she said. "You'd spend time with people close to you. Friends, family, mostly, if they're available. You'd probably eat your favorite dish, or something rarer. Like a fizzy beverage or sugary treats. They usually sing an annoying birthday song, and you usually get some gifts, although that's mostly for kids, nowadays. And then maybe you'd go out and do something fun in the town. I don't know. Stuff like that."
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. — Mark Twain
