Present Time.
BuzzBuzzBuzz. BuzBuzzBuzz.
Annette awoke dazed, trying to remember the dream she was having.
BuzzBuzzBuzz.
Still groggy, eyelids still half shut, she picked up her purple brick phone and glanced at the source of the vibration.
11:00 a.m. Park with Stina and D-Trix today! 11:45! It flashed, reminding her of what was scheduled for today. She rolled over, trying to summon enough energy to at least haul herself out of bed and get ready. At this rate Stina would get impatient and leave the park, D in tow, and Annette would be left to fend all for herself for the rest of the day.
What had she been dreaming of again? She slipped back in to semi-consciousness as images of the airport, luggage and Feng flooded back into her memory. Ah yes, she'd been dreaming, yet again, of the day Feng had left. It had been almost a week since her purple-headed beau had left for Taiwan, off spreading the gift of dance to underprivileged children in his home country, but leaving her behind. Jeez, she missed him a lot. It was like being stuck in purgatory, just sitting here, waiting for him to return from his two week trip. Don't worry, I won't forget about you, he had promised. I'll call and email and text you constantly, and I'll be back before you know it. WITH a postcard of course, he smiled. And with that, he parted with his luggage and a goodbye (for now) kiss from Annette. As she watched his purple head bobbing away through the security guards and baggage checks, her phone beeped.
Missing you already. 3 Feng
She sighed and got up, her dreams vanishing in colorful wisps as she gave up on sleep and headed for the shower.
11:15 the clock read as she got out from the shower, pulling on her favorite purple and silver flannel that Feng had bought her, a plain black tank under, dark jeans, and her signature purple high-top chucks.
Today was April 15th. Feng was gone for another 6 days, and she missed him terribly, which is why she had called Stina up the night before, planning to chill at the park today to at least distract her from moping about Feng being gone. Who knows, maybe she would catch on to whatever was going on tomorrow, for her birthday.
Annette chuckled softly to herself and thought about this as she did her makeup in the bathroom, applying mascara and liner to her top lashes and bottom lid. She had never made a big deal about her birthday, always keeping it quiet and just wishing for people to remember. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. Either way, she tried not to fuss too much about it. This year however, was a little different. It was the first time she would be able to celebrate with all of her best friends and the Quest team under one roof. However with Feng gone, her birthday cheer had been somewhat spoiled. Without Feng, no one would probably even remember her birthday, as everyone was too caught up with their lives at the moment, and the day would probably go by unnoticed, much to her silent disappointment.
She tried to wipe these pessimistic thoughts from her mind as she headed into the kitchen for breakfast, the clock reading 11:29. Stina and Eriol were always trying to get her to stop thinking so pessimistically, trying to get her to have a little more fun while Feng wasn't here. Come to think of it she had spent most of her time with him lately. Come to think of it, she should try and spend more time with her other Questies while Feng was away. Come to think of it she was really hungry. Come to think of it…….there was never an envelope sitting on the kitchen table?
Confused, Annette wandered to the cluttered table to find a surprise that had been mysteriously left for her. Atop a bowl of her favorite cereal sat a lavender envelope, her name scrawled across the front in Feng's penmanship. What? Annette thought, confused. He was still in Taiwan at the moment wasn't he? Wasn't he?
She opened it and read the letter inside.
Annette,
Don't miss me too much today, love. I'm gone for now, but I'll be back soon, like I said. I've been missing you like crazy ever since I left the terminal that day. In the mean time, go hang out with Stina and Dom today, I'm sure they'll get you into a ton of trouble without much effort, and you won't even remember I'm gone.
Love you.
Feng
P.s. Keep your eyes open for surprises.
She looked around herself quickly, trying to find something left for her, some sort of "surprise" worthy object, trying to find out where the letter had even come from. But there was nothing out of the ordinary in her kitchen, other than her favorite bowl of cereal that was now starting to get soggy in milk. She sighed and sat down, eating it slowly and reading over the letter a few more times. Leave it to Feng to be all romantic and mysterious even while he wasn't there. And while she did appreciate the effort, she also slightly wished he wouldn't; it just made distracting herself that much harder. If she was trying not to miss him so much, his letter wouldn't help much, especially if she spent the rest of the day surreptitiously looking for some sort of "sign" from Feng.
She sighed and finished her cereal, washing and putting away the bowl as she headed out the door to go meet up with Stina, as the clock read 11:37. Today was NOT going to be a fun day.
She pulled up to the park at 11:50, arriving in her beat up, rusty silver mustang, her pride and joy, and scanned the little scene. No one, save a few children playing, their mother's watching over them and chatting lightly with each other. Of course. Leave it to Stina and Dom to be late. Always on Filipino time, her short, bubbly best friend ALWAYS seemed to be late, regardless of the situation; she would be late to her own wedding, as organized as she was now. Shoulda figured Annette thought. Slightly put off, she went to her usual place by the jungle gym and sat on a pole to wait for her never-punctual friend and her boyfriend. D-Trix had never been much of a timely person either.
10 minutes later, she saw Kristina's White Acura TL pull up, followed by Ryan's Silver Honda with his license plate "RYNIMAY" attached to the back.
She studied the trees for a moment, waiting for them to meet her, when she heard one car door close, followed by two angry door slams.
'…crazy! You are IMPOSSIBLE! How is this MY fault again?!"
She looked over to find Kristina stomping toward her, clearly upset with Dominic again and determined to leave him behind. She was pretty fast for being so small and short; he was already a good 10 feet behind her.
"you know EXACTLY what you did, so don't EVEN try and deny it D!" she swung herself around slightly, flailing her arms about wildly, the way she always did when she was excited or upset about something.
"I didn't do anything, you're insane woman!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
"nothing….babyyyyyyyy?"
"Don't push your luck Dominic! I'm already pissed off because of you!"
"ME?!?!?! I'm telling you I didn't do anything!"
As they reached her, Ryan bringing up the rear, Annette took in Kristina's hot tempered pout, her eyes annoyed, as if about to give the death glare at any moment; D-Trix was panting a little, sweaty from fighting with his fierce little girlfriend as well as trying to keep up with her walking; hell, she was pretty fast, not to mention fiery when she was mad. Ryan hung back a little, clearly a little awkward in the situation and not really knowing what to say.
"Hey Nette, hope you don't mind, I brought Ryan cause he had to stop by and give us some stuff for our hair."
"Hey Annette, why the long face?"
She started answering D-Trix, "oh noth --"
"-- DOMINIC, what did I TELL YOU about NOT mentioning in the CAR?!'
" ALL I DID WAS ASK HER A QUESTION! I didn't do anythingggg!!!!!"
"Dude, what gives with Stina?" Ryan asked timidly.
"Ignore her, she's just PMSing." D-Trix replied.
"I am, NOT PMSing, baby," replied Kristina, drenching D-Trix's "nickname" in sarcasm.
"hey, don't be mad just cause I was making fun of your pudgy toes." He poked his face in front of hers, joking and wrinkling his nose.
"oomg, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!"
And with that, the two "lovebirds" ran off, Dominic running for his life from a very, VERY angry Stina.
"what's with them?" Annette asked her hair buddy, Ryanimay as they watched the two beating at each other, Stina jumping on D-Trix's back at a sorry attempt of a tackle and him tickling her off.
"I don't know, something about choreographing, a spider, and her pudgy toes. It's really too early for this" he answered, rolling his eyes and acting tired.
"WRONG," Stina yelled as she stole away from D-Trix, " I was TRYING to clean the piece me and Dom have to present tonight, but HE was just messing around. Changing the song and rolling around the floor while I was actually doing stuff, until he caught a spider on a stick and stuck it two centimeters in front of my face. I flipped and he just laughed! UGH, the jerk!"
"IT WAS A JOKE!!!" he cried, chasing her through the grass.
"well, he knows making fun of her toes and anything to do with spiders is forbidden, therefore he deserves it"
A series of objections and agreements sounded from the sprinting couple sounding like "See!" and "WHAT?!"
"ANYWAY," Ryan said, shaking his head and ignoring the two, "I just stopped by to drop off some sealant and another bottle of dye for your hair. It's the kind that your hair holds well." He smiled and handed it to her.
"thanks," Nette said, hugging him, "two coats, blow dry, and then rinse?"
"Exactly. And don't forget the rinse and repeat method I taught you, it'll help your roots a lot and give you more volume in the back."
"Sweeeeeet. But aren't you gonna stay and keep me company? I mean you certainly can't leave me with these two," indicating to the couple, who was now chasing each other around and around the tire swing, no doubt getting dizzy but both to prideful to forfeit the game.
"oh I can't," he responded a little too quickly, " I have to go….run errands and stuff."
Detecting the slight hesitation in his voice, Annette cocked her head to the side, eyes piercing Ryan's distracted ones as they tried to avoid hers.
" YOU have to go run errands?" she said, annunciating each syllable and letting her suspicion seep through.
"mmhmmmphhgg," was all he could manage.
"Ryaaan, what are you hidiiinggg from meee?"
"nothing! Nothing at all!' too cheerily.
"Ryan….i know something's up."
"nothing's up. So listen I gotta go, but hey, gimme the keys to your car so I can put the dye in. you can't keep it in the sun for too long or it dries up."
Annette stared at him a little more, but gave up after a while, his eyes clearly not divulging anything, regardless of how bad a liar he was. She sighed and handed over the keys.
Ryan took them, walking over to his car and then taking out the small white paper bag of hair goodies, and unlocking and placing them in Annette's Mustang.
He threw them back to her, calling "thanks, I'll see you around, kay?"
She called back, "aren't we hanging out tomorrow?" subtly emphasizing at tomorrow's date.
This time, his whole face blanked, dropping any badly hidden emotion, like he was genuinely not aware of any sort of plans they had tomorrow.
"uhh…sure? I don't know, I'll see if I'm free, but yeah we'll definitely hangout if you aren't busy or something." And with that, he got in his Honda and left.
Annette exhaled sharply and tried to compose her thoughts. Of course he didn't know. No one remembered what tomorrow was. Just greaaat. Thinking this, she began missing Feng again. Surely he wouldn't have forgotten her birthday? Well this sucked, she was counting on Stina and Dominic's crazy antics to cheer her up, but their fighting was slightly depressing her. And with Ryan gone, she was clearly intruding on whatever, and highly aware of the fact that just about everyone had forgotten her birthday.
By then, the tag-playing couple returned, out of breath and completely exhausted.
"you guys sort everything out?"
"NO…I'm just…too tired…to chase him….around…anymore," Stina panted.
"just cause….you can't…keep up…shorty," Dominic joked again.
She smacked his arm ("Ouch! That huuuuurt.") and they regained their breath.
"okay, so sorry to cut this visit short, but we actually have to go. I'm really, really sorry Nette, I know you wanted us to hang out, but Dom and I ended up getting scheduled to teach Lydia's class at QLC on account of it being her and Patrick's anniversary today. Kuya has something special planned for her, so I volunteered us to teach her class."
"I never got any say in this…" Dominic mumbled.
"watch it mister, you are two steps away from walking home!" she snapped.
Annette interjected , before she got completely cut off again, "oh….okay no problem….i guess….well like, I was gonna tell you….but nah nevermind it's okay. I'll see you later, kay?"
Immediately sensing something was wrong, Kristina moved in.
"Dom, wait in the car, would you?" she said, holding out the keys for him.
"but baabyyyyy…!"
"no but baby's. I need to talk to Annette, and you being a part of the inept male species and holding a Y chromosome, cannot be part of this conversation." She turned and smiled at him mockingly. "I loveee youuuu."
"yeahyeahyeah…." He muttered, grabbing the keys and stalking off toward the car.
"okay," Stina said, turning back to Annette, "now what's going on, babe?"
And so with a little prompting and promise of a big hug after, Annette spilled her secret about Feng's envelopes and little secret, and how much it sucked missing him.
"awh, that's so sweet! Feng's so cute! Stupid Dominic would never do ANYTHING like that for me….."
"Yah, but it sucks too, cause it just makes me miss him more."
"I know, I know. But don't worry. I'm sure he means the best, and he'll follow through. Don't worry. I'm sure it's worth it, I mean, Feng's a sweetheart and he wouldn't just get your hopes up for nothing, right?"
"yeah I guess, but—"
A honking, followed by D-Trix's voice, "heyyy! We gotta goo!!"
"hold ON! Listen I'm really sorry Nette, but I really really gotta go but I'll--"
More honking, "babyyy it's hottt!"
"I'll be right there, you big baby! Okay, well I'll call you later, kay? We'll talk and stuff, and I'll keep you company. Ooh but I don't know about tomorrow, cause I have a lot of kids coming in for a workshop at QLC so we'll see, I'll—"
"I'm gonna set off your alarm if you don't get over here! I'm dying of heat stroke!"
"don't you DARE even try dom, or I'll--"
"--three…twoooo…twoo and a halffff…."
They both looked in time to hear and see Stina's lights flashing, an obnoxious "ooooweeeeeeeeoooweeeeweoweoweoweoweow" resounding throughout the whole parking lot, catching the attention of the few families playing in the park.
"DOMINIC. KYLE. SANDOVAL!!!"
"it's okay, just go, I'll just stop by Eriol's or something," Annette permitted.
"okay, I'm really, really sorry. Love you!" Stina called, as she turned toward her blaring car, shooting her boyfriend the evilest of death glares and threatening to beat him to a pulp as she clicked off the alarm, slammed the door, and drove off, no doubt biting off Dominic's head as they turned down the lane.
Well Annette thought there goes another two who forgot. She was getting more and more disappointed, not so much with Dominic than with Stina. How could one of her best friends forget her birthday? Pushing the thought away, she walked toward her car, deciding on heading toward Eriol's. Some rock band and Filipino food may be just what she needed, she thought, plopping down into the driver's seat, the clock reading 2:58. Now she would just drive over and....what's that?
There taped to her steering wheel was yet another lavender note addressed to her in Feng's writing. This was getting a little weird.
Inside, however, was not another letter, but a blank CD, Feng's graffiti art decorating the front. Attached was a small post-it note with three words scrawled on it.
Still Missing You.
She peeled off the note, and popped the CD into her car player, pulling out of the parking lot and heading toward Eriol's house. The CD was a mix of all their favorite songs, some old, some new, some of Feng's dances that were Annette's favorites, some of the songs Feng loved to hear Annette sing. by the time she arrived to Eriol's she was not only lonely, but completely Feng-sick, as well as mad that Feng was making all this effort. It was only upsetting her more!
She shut off the car, the dashboard clock's time of 3:17 fading out, and walked up the steps to Eriol's front door which was randomly left ajar. From inside she could hear some playful banter, along with Rockband drums tapping and the guitar whammy coming from the screen and TV speakers.
"Yeaah Star Power!"
"Great Job, mahal! …now use it to save me, cause I'm failing."
"again?! I've already saved you once!"
"but there are sooo many notes."
"that's your fault, you're the one who wanted to play drums on expert."
Annette walked in just in time to see Hok fail, then Eriol roll her eyes and use her star power to get him back in the game. "hey guys."
"heyy," called Hok in his English accent, unable to turn around as he was concentrating so hard on the notes flying across the scene.
"oh, hey Inu. What's up?"
"nothing, just wanted to stop by and hang out for awhile, if it's okay.
"yeah sure, there's lumpia on the table and some soda in the fridge, help yourself."
They finished their song just as Annette walked back in with a plateful of Filipino eggrolls and a coke can in one hand. she watched as Eriol switched the cords and unhooked the Rockband, replacing it with the karaoke mikes instead. "we've been playing for hours, and Hok really wants to sing for some reason. He's been bugging me about it all day," Eriol explained as her boyfriend emerged from the kitchen, sipping a soda and smiling. "just wanted to try something new, you know?" he shot Eriol a look and then winked.
"Whoa, Eriol I LOVE that charm on your necklace. Is it new?" Annette said, referring to the filigree heart necklace that hanging from Eriol's neck. Next to it sat a new, small sapphire stone, shimmering softly in the light.
'oh…yeah," she said, her hand going up to touch it, "Hok bought it for me from his trip to England a few weeks ago. I just slipped it on."
Annette tugged at her own jade and silver pendant, Messing Feng even more, and then pushing the thought away; "it's beautiful."
Settling in to several rounds of karaoke, they each took turns singing songs. Hok first, singing a Tina Turner number, and dancing it in a similar way that made Eriol and Annette nearly pee in their pants from laughter.
"BIG WHEELS KEEP ON TURNIN'! PROUD MARY KEEP ON BURNIN'! "ROLLIN'! ROLLIN'!..."
When it was Eriol's turn, both Hok and Annette cheered her on, as she sang an old 90's hit, Hok all the while grinning and looking at her with complete, yet subtle, adoration.
This was how Eriol and Hok were, not as blatant and loud as Stina and Dom, but still affectionate in small ways. Being the observant person that Nette was, she was able to catch these small nuances, like the way Hok looked at Eriol, the manner in which Eriol pretended to not laugh, but really smiling through her eyes, the way they both brushed each other lightly when passing or moving about the room. It was slightly unnerving, being in the presence of such a loving couple. Although it was definitely not intended, Annette still found herself feeling a little third wheel, as if she were interfering with their private time or something. this feeling built up after a few hours, apparent at times when it was Annette's turn to sing when Eriol would play with Hok's long braids, or as they would whisper little jokes and secrets to each other. It was not in an obnoxious manner, to be frank it was actually quite small and cute, but still it simply made Annette miss Feng more. She finally worked up the nerve to leave, the last straw of her self-pity dropping as Hok and Eriol attempted to sing a duet of their favorite Journey song together. As the power ballad hit its highest, both Eriol and Hok sang loudly and badly into the mikes, but they laughed and faced each other, singing as if they were the only people in the room. The small, silly gesture was something so sweet that Annette found herself just wanting to go home, not wanting to dampen the room with her loneliness or longing for Feng.
"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna head out."
"sorry Annette, were was our singing too much for you to bear? I keep telling Eriol over here that she's off key." Hok smirked at her as the bridge notes to the song played in the background.
"Whatever! What did you get on the Tina Turner song? Like a 64? Yeah, you're definitely the next American idol."
They both just laughed, prepping themselves for the oncoming bridge, as Annette laughed meekly and said,
"Nah, I'm just tired, I'll see you guys tomorrow though, right?" secretly hinting and hoping that this best friend had not forgotten.
Eriol turned to her and pushed her long, dark hair out of her face. "Tomorrow? Oh, well I told Hok I was gonna come with him to his art expo. He's showcasing a small one downtown for the fans and he wants me to be there….i'm really sorry. anytime after that though, definitely," she promised as the Japanese boy came behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "it's okay Annette, Feng will be home any day now, and you will forget all about us," Hok joked playfully," hurry, mahal, it's almost your turn to hit the high note!" they turned toward the screen and braced themselves.
"oh, okay," was all Annette could manage to reply, but she was drowned out by the power ballad and gave up trying to be heard. She left the house in a daze, love notes, high-pitched singing that sounded like a howling dog, and giggling was heard all the down the driveway. She glanced at the clock as she left, trying to compose herself and her thoughts, 6:09. how could Eriol have forgotten? BOTH her best friends, and ALL of Quest? Surely this was some kind of cruel joke. But looking into the eyes of all her friends that day, it seemed impossible. They had all really forgotten about her and the special day that was just 6 hours away. Feeling self-pitying and STILL missing Feng, she headed home in silence, not wanting to listen to her new CD. How could Feng not be here for her birthday? How could he let everyone forget? But she knew it wasn't intentional, and it wasn't his fault. Determined not to cry, she inhaled deeply. "C'mon Annette, suck it up, it's only your birthday. It's not like its different from any other day. And besides, your friends and busy and happy, you should be happy for them." she kept this up the whole way home, trying not to lose herself in sadness.
She arrived home, tired and quiet, not wanting to deal with the next 36 hours or so, and really just wanting to sleep through them. As she reached the doorstep, however, she realized that this was going to be impossible: another lavender envelope attached to the door. Reaching up, she ripped it off and unlocked the door, letting herself inside. Feng really had to stop this, he was making her miserable, and she couldn't keep waiting around for these stupid little letters that she secretly loved so much. She tore off the top of the envelope and inside was not a letter, but another disc. She flipped it around and looked at the front.
No way. No way, no way, no way!
It was the special edition of Star Trek, signed by the original cast on the disk and in perfect condition. She and Feng had seen it the other day in one of the small LA shops, but regardless of how much Annette adored and wanted it, she knew it was too expensive. No here it was, in her hand, courtesy (somehow) of Feng and he wasn't even there to see her reaction! Feeling a little better, but still sad, she popped it in to her DVD player and hit play.
As the credits began to play, she glanced at the note that was attached to the DVD inside.
For you, love. Even though I'm insanely jealous of Spock and Captain Kirk.
Jeez, he was so good to her. Even at her moodiest, Feng still put up with her, always knowing just what to say to make her feel better, whether she liked it or not.
She forgot about the world for a few hours after, completely engrossed in the original episodes of Star Trek, excited by their galactic adventures and going into complete Trekkie mode. Somewhere inbetween watching Captain Kirk command the ship, or Spock raising his signature hand sign, Annette fell asleep. Napping with the T.V on until she was startled by a strange feeling and sound.
BuzzBuzzBuzz. BuzzBuzzBuzz.
Not again. A large sense of Déjà vu hit Annette, though in opening her eyes, she prayed that it was NOT the same day starting all over again. Thankfully it wasn't, and when she awoke, it was dark, the Star Trek menu still poised on her TV screen. She shut it off and put it away carefully, tucking it back into an empty CD case. Then, she turned to her phone.
Text message from: Stinaboo!
Hey Nette, we're just about done here at QLC. Lydia's class was a pain, but the performance after went well, despite Dom acting 5 again. Let's have a small girls' night out, yeah? You me and Eriol, late dinner and movie, my treat. Meet you here in an hour! :]
Her phone read 10:57. Wow, she had slept for a long time. But now that she was well rested, she figured she would go out with her girls tonight. Eh, what the hell. I guess today is better than nothing tomorrow, she reasoned, although it still stuck with her that no one had even bothered to remember her birthday.
Trying not to think about it too much, she went and changed, washing up a bit to wake herself up, trying to get a fresher mood than the groggy, lonely one that still loomed over her.
She left at 11:43, heading for the QLC and trying to think more optimistically, but not being very successful. Maybe they would remember in the morning? Or maybe they'll remember next week, when my mother sends my gift in the mail. Maybe they'll make up for it? Maybe they will, but it wouldn't matter as much, the date is already over and passed. Why bother? The clock read 11:56.
She fought off these thoughts as she pulled into the parking lot, empty except for Stina's Acura and….Patrick's Nissan Hatchback? Wait a second…wasn't Patrick supposed to be out on a date with Lydia? Suspicious, she looked around, searching for more clues, but deciding that he had just left it here and they had take Lydia's was probably on her way, and no one else was here.
She opened the front door and walked in, heading toward the back studio, and the biggest dance room at QLC. It was reserved for advanced classes and team rehearsals. "Stinaaaa?" Annette called, wandering toward the dim light.
"I'm in here," the small Filipina's voice replied, "Just finishing up some things. I'm about to close up. Sorry it's late, but come meet us in here."
As her foot stepped through the doorway, however, Annette was plunged into darkness. The lights went out and it was pitch black. "Stinaaaaa?!" Annette called into the darkness, worried for once and blindly reaching through the darkness. BuzzBuzzBuzz. She took her phone out of her back pocket and glanced at it. 12:00 a.m. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
Suddenly the all the lights flared on, and Annette was shocked, blinded yet again, this time by the bright light, as 12 voices yelled out of nowhere:
"SURPRISEE!!!!!!!"
She blinked rapidly, and as her eyes adjusted, she saw all her friends gathered around a set of beat up couches (no doubt bought for the occasion from a second-hand sale), a table in the middle holding a stack full of presents, and a huge banner attached to the mirrors proclaiming, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNETE!" across it in dark blue, purple, and silver details. Steve was on Brian's back, sending her a thumbs up, Stina next to him, clapping her hands together and smiling HUGELY. Next to her, Dominic was doing the cheesiest broadway face, complete with an open mouth and fluttering jazz hands. Behind him stood Victor, smiling in his tan fedora and recording the whole scene on a video cam. Hok was to his left, snapping pictures at 1000 miles a minute, laughing, while Eriol sat on the couch next to him quietly cheering, "hooray inu! Hooray inu!" Patrick stood after them, face pink from giggling and excitement, with Lydia on her knees, leaning against him and smiling. Ryan, Andy and Aris were lounging on one of the beat up sofas, doing cheesy smiles and waving like they were a part of the movie "Princess Diaries".
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they all cheered, and Annette felt a welling up inside her that almost brought her to tears. ALMOST. She wasn't gonna let them see her get all sappy and teary-eyed now, was she?
"awhh…you guys shouldn't have," she said, smiling.
"of course we should have! What are you talking about Annette?" Ryan scoffed.
She laughed, "yeah I know, I was just feigning modesty," she replied, and stuck out her tongue.
They all scrambled forward to greet her, and she was engulfed in a series of bear hugs and dog piles, and birthday punches until she was so happy she felt like she would burst. If only Feng were here, and the night would be complete. But the excitement and happiness that exploded around the room were enough to keep her satisfied.
"Were you surprised?!" Dominic demanded.
"yeah, I actually was! Except…Ryan you're a terrible liar and I almost caught on when I saw Patrick's car in the parking lot," answered Annette.
Ryan looked down sheepishly, scratching is well-styled head, while Stina turned her disbelief on Patrick, who was quite distracted at the moment, watching Lydia help Brian get the music bumping.
"Kuya, you parked in the parking lot?!" Stina cried, "I told you not to!'
"…whaaa?" was all Patrick could manage, tearing his eyes away from his Korean girlfriend and looking back at her, obviously completely unaware of what she had just asked him.
Dancing, Singing, and TONS of Filipino food later, Annette was sitting on the comfiest recliner in the room, her friends circling her as she finished off the last of the presents. Ryan had gotten her a bottle of her favorite shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray. Stina had gotten her a plethora of eyeshadows and liners in EVERY color imaginable. D-Trix bought her her favorite dance video, and recorded another DVD of one of their amazing and crazy adventured that Hok had recorded on the camcorder. Speaking of Hok, he and Eriol had gotten her several copies of her favorite mangas, not to mention a portrait of her drawn by the Japanese artist himself. Victor had made her a CD of all the songs they had recorded together, producing a bunch of laughs from the crew, and a big hug from the birthday girl. Patrick had given her a gift card to her favorite store, as well as a Polaroid picture of them all on their first dates at Knott's. Lydia gifted her with a few cute tops in Annette's favorite shade of blue, while Steve had gotten her all the best (and badass) ninja movies ever made, and Brian, Andy, and Aris had all combined their efforts to get her two tickets to see "Paramore! Live in Concert!" it wasn't until the last and final gift came forward that gave Annette small butterflies. At the bottom of the stack of gifts lay a lavender envelope, the last of the four. She gently opened the top, but found it empty, except for a small note.
Happy Birthday, love. Enjoy the cake.
She looked up confused, sure she had not seen a cake when she came in, only to see little Steve wheeling in a four-layer, 7ft. tall, lavender and aqua cake. "let's eat guys! I'm starving!"
A murmur of laughs and contradictions swept through the room, Eriol crying, "Steve, you just ate all my lumpia!" and rolled her eyes. He smiled sheepishly and wheeled the cake toward the birthday girl on a dolly. They all gathered around, singing happy birthday in the candle light, while Dominic and Hok chanted ChaChaCha! In the background, and they watched as Annette blew out all her candles in one breath, leaving the room in complete darkness.
"uh…guys?"
A spotlight burst on, centering its focus on the cake, as from out of nowhere, loud, pulsing, electronic music sounded throughout the studio.
"…I'm. too sexy for my shirt. Too sexy for me shirt. So sexy is huuuurtsss!"
And just like that, the top half on of the cake exploded as Feng burst out, in black slacks, suspenders, and a white button-up shirt that was, well unbuttoned. He was COVERED in colorful frosting, but not seeming to mind as he gyrated his hips and sauntered over to a very shocked, very red-faced Annette. Several catcalls and Chyow!'s could be heard from behind the cake, but they were all lost in the hysterical laughter howled through the room, as Feng, his face pouted into a "sexy-face" approached the birthday girl. Shimmying his shoulders awkwardly until he reached her, Annette blushing madly and practically doubling over as she saw all the guys too-excited faces, Eriol in hysterics, slapping the couch, Lydia curled up in the fetal position with the giggles, and Stina just staring, a smile in the middle of her cheeks, one hand placed over her mouth as she mouthed, "oooh myy goooddd, oooh myy gooddd. He so would."
Upon reaching her, he promptly scooped her up, and gave her a huge, mushy frosting-filled kiss, leaving her with nothing to say but, "mm…. Vanilla frosting?"
1:14 the clock read, as everyone was settling in. Stina curled up under D-Trix's arm, Eriol and Hok talking quietly in the corner, Lydia asleep in Patrick's lap, and the rest of the guys either playing ninja or splayed out. Steve sat snoring, a plate of half- eaten cake on his stomach.
Annette and Feng sat together, cuddling in one corner to, Annette finally glad to have him back here with here.
"so, did you enjoy my gifts throughout the day?" Feng asked into her ear.
"yeah, I did, thank you. I really thought that this birthday was just gonna pass everyone by, but you made it amazing and unforgettable."
"Hey we helped!" yelled Eriol across the room.
"And you thought we forgot!" Stina laughed across the room.
They both chuckled and Annette thanked her closest friends for making this experience so memorable.
"Happy birthday, love" Feng murmured, touching his forehead to hers and looking into her deep, green-blue eyes.
"you have frosting in your hair," was all she replied, reaching one finger up and wiping the frosting from his bangs. She stuck finger in her mouth, tasting the frosting, and thanked him yet again for his amazing efforts today.
"you're welcome," he said with a smile.
BuzzBuzzBuzz.
Annette checked her phone.
I love you. 3 Feng