Liah's pov
It's a beautiful Sunday morning. Today is meant to be a happy day for me, it's actually my birthday. Unfortunately, I'm not as happy as I should be. Why? Because where other families celebrate birthdays for their children, mine is totally different. It would be a miracle if Mom and Dad even wished me, Mark was the only one who never failed to wish me happy birthday. It wasn't always like this, my birthday was always almost perfect, with my parents throwing parties for me until Mark was born. I still can't fathom the reason for their sudden change of attitude towards me.
Anyways, my birthdays aren't so bad because Sophie always takes me out and celebrate it with me, Mark comes along sometimes. But I wonder if she would do the same this year. I've noticed the change in her attitude towards me recently. If it was before, Sophie would never go a day without calling me on phone even after meeting in school, sometimes she even calls up to four or five times. That was how much she loved me then but recently, she just don't call anymore. And anytime I call her, either she says she is busy at that moment or she doesn't pick up at all. I wonder what could be the problem. I need to confront her about it.
She's my best friend, a sister figure to me, I can't let anything ruin our precious relationship.
I recalled what happened earlier when my family came back, leaving me heartbroken.
Earlier in the morning,
I was doing my morning chores when the front door opened and my family walked in.
"Morning sis and happy birthday. I wish you a good life and many more years to come" Mark wished me with a broad smile on his face. Oh my, how could a small child like this comfort me this much. I dropped the duster in my hand, ran to him and hugged him.
"Thank you so much, bro" I said with a broken voice.
I released him and stood up before looking at my parents.
"Happy birthday Liah" my dad said with a smile.
"Thanks Dad" I replied with a smile. I turned to look at my mom but she didn't even bother to look at me and just walked past me.
"Mom, dad, we should take big sister out today to have fun" Mark said.
"We're doing no such thing. What's so special about her birthday? I have better things to do" my mom said.
Yeah right, just as I had expected.
"It's okay Mark" I said before turning to head to my room. It's not as if I expected much from them anyway.
Just at that moment, my phone rang, disrupting my thoughts.
Sophie's pov
I woke up this morning feeling not so refreshed. I can still feel the pain from yesterday and it still hurt just as much.
I picked up my phone from the bedside table to check the time and casually glanced at today's date.
June 15th....
It's Liah's birthday!!! Oh no, I almost forgot.
I quickly picked up my phone, filled with excitement I dialed her number. I can't wait to take her out for fun today. But instead of two, maybe it should be three. I won't invite Dylan because I don't want them to get closer, but Lan is not a bad choice either.
"Hey babe" I heard Liah's sweet voice from the other line.
"Happy birthday, baby girl" I wished her.
She giggled.
"Thanks sweetheart. You always make my birthday special" she said making me smile.
"So where do you want to go today, just name it" I said enthusiastically.
"Hmmm, let me think. How about the amusement park?" She asked. I think the amusement park is a great choice so I agreed.
"Anything for you sweetheart. Anyways I'm inviting Lan, is that okay?" I asked to be sure.
"Of course. See you guys by 3pm" she said.
"Alright baby" I said and hung up.
I called Lan and told him about the plans and he accepted. Today's gonna be fun.
Liah's pov
I waited for Sophie and Lan in front of the amusement park. After a little while, I saw them coming towards my direction but someone else was with them, Dylan. I was so shocked that my mouth flew wide open. I wanted to tell Dylan this morning about today being my birthday but changed my mind at the last minute. I know we have become really close now but that doesn't mean he would be interested in my birthday right? A rich heir like him might just have something better to do. My eyes met with his, he was staring at me with accusation and I looked away in guilt.
"Hey guys" I greeted when they got to where I was standing.
"Happy birthday, Liah" Lan said and gave me a wrapped gift.
"Thanks Lan" I said with a smile.
I glared at Sophie as if to say 'what's Dylan doing here?'. At least she should have let me know in advance.
"Lan invited him" Sophie said and shrugged her shoulders.
I shifted my gaze to Dylan but instead of saying anything to me, he just scoffed and walked past me. Oh no, looks like I have some appeasing to do. I smiled at Sophie and Lan before I turned to chase after Dylan.
Dylan's pov
I felt really disappointed. I was shocked to hear from Lan that today was Liah's birthday. Why didn't she tell me? I mean, we were together last night, couldn't she have told me about it. I thought we had grown so close and we were starting to become something special but guess I was just being delusional. Am I that insignificant to her? Does my efforts mean nothing? I'm trying my best to take things slow so as not to scare her away but seems like they are not enough.
"Dylan, wait up" I heard Liah's voice from behind me but ignored her. She really hurt me this time.
Suddenly, I felt a delicate hand grasp my arm, turning me to face her.
"Look Dylan, I'm so sorry. I know I messed up, please forgive me" she pleaded, staring at me with those big clear blue eyes, almost melting all my anger away.
"Hmph, why apologize now? You purposely didn't tell me. I thought I was special to you but guess I was just being delusional. Look Liah, stop giving me hope this moment and squashing it the next, I also get hurt you know" I said. I was sincerely hurt.
A stray tear slid down her cheek. My heart broke at the sight. I was about to wipe her cheek with my finger when she suddenly hugged me, really tight.
"No Dylan, don't say that. You don't know how much you mean to me. I was wrong this time, please forgive me" she cried, snuggling her little head on my chest.
My heart swelled at her words and I pulled away from the hug. I wiped her tears with my fingers before looking into her pretty eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her. I felt like I needed to know.
"I..I thought you wouldn't have the time or you just wouldn't be interested in my birthday" she said with teary eyes. How could she think that? This girl sure doesn't know how much she means to me. She's just so silly.
"I would never be too busy for you, do you get that? I know you don't trust me enough to tell me things yet but please don't keep little things like this from me too. It would break my heart" I said. She smiled and nodded her head. I smiled and patted her head.
Just then Sophie and Lan appeared.
"Alright guys, let's get started" Lan said. I placed my hand around Liah's shoulder and led her in. We asked her what she wanted to do first and she excited pointed to the carousel. We rode the carousel for a long time, shouting and crying at the same time. After that, she said she wanted to ride the scenic train. We all took our places on the train with I and Liah sitting side by side and Sophie sitting beside Lan. Liah was so excited that I couldn't help laughing so much. She was so thrilled like a five year old.
After the ride, I thought that she might need something to snack on and decided to buy ice cream for her, strawberry in particular. I handed it to her, making her flash me a sweet smile that made me feel it was worth the effort. I noticed Sophie glaring at the both of us. I couldn't understand why but I didn't give it much thought either. After a few more rides, we went into the haunted house. Liah stuck close to me, holding my hand so tight that one would think it was her lifeline. I felt both amused and happy.
After we came out from the haunted house, we decided to chill a bit. Lan bought ice cream, but this time, it was for everyone. While eating the ice cream, I noticed a little on the side of Liah's lips. I raised my hand and wiped it with my finger, bringing to my mouth. Liah froze at my actions, her face so red that you could mistake it for a big tomato. I chuckled at her cuteness.
When we were almost done, a display of fireworks started, catching everyone's attention. Everyone was watching the display with awe and admiration but my eyes were fixed on Liah instead. Her beautiful smiles and laughter making me feel so contented. I glanced at my watch for the time and saw that it was already 7pm. It's time.
I looked around and saw that Sophie and Lan was distracted. I made use of the opportunity and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the exit.
"Hey, what are you doing? The show isn't over yet and we can't leave our friends here" Liah protested but I ignored her protests.
"Are they children? They can find their way" I said, not letting go of her hand.
Sophie's pov
I turned around and noticed that Liah and Dylan was no longer behind us. Where did they go?
"Lan, do you know where they had gone?" I asked. Lan shook his head and continued watching the fireworks.
Ugh, he's useless. I searched the entire amusement park but there was no sign of them. This is the reason I didn't want to invite Dylan. Why is Lan such a blabbermouth? Of course I saw all the affection Dylan was showing Liah all through today. I felt so jealous. Why does it have to be her? Tears streamed down my face when I couldn't find them. Why does Dylan keep doing this to me? My vision was blurred as I walked through the exit. I didn't even bother to tell Lan that I was leaving. He can find his way.
Dylan's pov
I stopped the car in front of Gayze restaurant, the biggest and most popular restaurant in New York. I had booked the the entire restaurant to avoid any distractions.
"You can get down now" I told Liah softly. She looked at me with a suspicious gaze, sighed before opening the door to get down. I followed suit and rushed to her side. I raised my two hands to cover her eyes from behind.
She giggled and asked "what are you doing?"
"You'll know soon enough" I said, sounding mysterious.
I led her into the restaurant before removing my hands that were covering her eyes.
She gasped at the sight before her, her eyes filled with surprise, admiration and gratitude. Tears streamed down her face. Looks like I did well today. The entire place was beautifully decorated, draped with soft lights, flowers and glowing candles that lined the room just for her. Soft music was playing and the whole setting felt so romantic. I gently held her hand and led her to the table that was filled with different mouth watering dishes. Her eyes scanned the table before looking up to meet mine.
"Did you prepare all these for me?" She asked.
"You deserve more" I said genuinely.
She smiled but didn't say anything more. She picked up her spoon and started eating. After we were done eating, I called the waiter to come clear the table. After the table was cleared, two waiters came towards our table, one holding a cake and another holding flowers. The cake was placed on the table and I stood up and collected the flowers from the waiter. I held out the flowers for her to take and I noticed her hand shaking a bit as she took the flowers from my hand. I smiled before taking my seat again.
"Happy birthday, my dear Liah. Now blow out the candles and make your wish" I said smiling at her. She smiled back before blowing the candles and closing her eyes to make her wish. I wonder what she wished for. I sang her a birthday song making her blush before she cut the cake. She fed me the cake with a fork before eating herself.
After a few minutes, a sweet melody started playing. I stood up and stretched my hand towards her
"May I have this dance?" I asked with a smile. She smiled and took my hand. We danced for a little while until the music ended.
"Thank you so much for everything Dylan. Today is not only the best birthday of my life but also the best day of my life. I'm so grateful" she said, looking deep into my eyes. As I was processing her words, I felt a cold sensation on my lips. Her lips were pressed against mine. I was stunned.
She's actually kissing me!! When I regained my senses, I placed my hand on her slim waist, pulled her close to me with no space between us, our bodies pressed together. I placed my other hand on the back of her head and deepened the kiss.
Damn, this is the sweetest lips I have ever tasted. I felt unsatisfied and pushed my tongue into her mouth, playing with hers. We kissed for a long time before I finally released her. She rested her head on my chest, breathing hard, trying to regain her breath. I held her so close and promised myself that I will never let go no matter what comes our way.