A Birthday Surprise

*Rose*

I am sixteen years old today. I, Permanent Rose have lived for 5,844 days, (and yes, I did remember to include the extra days for leap years) 13 hours, two minutes and 35 seconds. 36… 37… This is however only approximate in that I do not know exactly what time I was born, Mum days about four in the morning but she cannot be very exact as with all the stress of me being born with a hole in my heart and having to have surgery no-one was paying much attention to the clock. However all the working out is mathematically correct, I know this because I got Kiran to help me work it out, by which I mean I stole her spare calculator when she wasn't looking (and by the way, this doesn't count as real stealing, whatever David says, because she is my friend and I am going to give it back) I cannot give it back right now though because…I am on the plane to America!

It has been exactly 198 days, seven hours, four minutes and 15 seconds (all this working out is very tiring but I've set a precedent now. Precedent. I like that word, I learn a lot of new words now because I am an Avid Reader, by which I mean that all the ladies at the library know me by name and make recommendations) since I last saw Tom in person and I feel like I've changed a LOT. I have been really excited about this ever since three months ago, when Daddy helped me book the tickets, by which I mean I borrowed his debit card and booked them online after he said Maybe (I bet he regrets getting us a computer now). He was not angry for long, especially after Mummy whispered something about the distances we go to for love or something like that. Ha, love! As if. Tom still sees me as a little girl; which is why I am here on my surprise visit. Yes, surprise. And no, I am not expecting him to be standing under a sign saying New York at the airport. Daddy booked me a taxi (once he realised it was to late to stop me going) that will take me straight to Tom's student house. He's at college now. "College" is what they call university in America. College is also where there are a lot of girls. Girls who are not me. Girls who are four years older, and cleverer and Sexually Experienced. Which is why I'm here: to check out my competition and to make Tom realise that I'm not a little girl anymore. Good luck to me because Tom is stubborn. Now I just have a seven hour plane flight and then about 40 minutes in the taxi. Luckily for me I have trusty Lancelot to help me while away the time. Is it so wrong that I wish I was Guinevere?

$Tom$

I was lying on my bed, sorting through a pile of photographs when the doorbell rang. I sighed, I was going to have to get up and answer it as I was the only one in the house. The others had invited me to go partying with them but I wasn't really feeling like going out, I was tired and besides, I had promised Indigo, who was at home for Rose's birthday, to phone her at exactly 6.55pm (11.55pm in England so five minutes before her birthday ended) via his mobile because hers was apparently broken. If it had been up to me I would have phoned her earlier, but apparently she "had plans" and wouldn't be free to talk till then. Huh. I was obviously not a priority. I looked at the clock. Sugar! It was 6:56. I dialled Indigo's number as I thundered down the stairs.

"Hey Tom", he picked up after just one ring.

"Hey Indy. Listen, the doorbell just rang and I've got to go answer it, so can I speak to Rose in a minute?"

"Sure." For some reason he was laughing. I went over to open the door, phone still pressed against me ear. I opened it and my cell clattered to the floor.

"Rose? Rose!" And without thinking about it I gathered her up in my arms, my chin resting on top of her head. I breathed her in, still hardly believing she was here.

"Surprise." Her voice was muffled against my chest and for some reason I really liked this fact. I sighed in contentment, and noticed the necklace she was wearing.

"You liked my present then?" I asked, admiring the contrast between the fine silver chain and her pale skin, bronzed slightly by the summer sun.

"Love it!" She lifted her head and smiled at me, fingering the delicate silver rose pendant. I reluctantly pulled away when I remembered Indigo and bent down to pick up my phone from where it lay at our feet. Luckily it appeared unharmed.

"Indigo you sneaky bastard!" I heard laughing on the other side and then suddenly he stopped.

"Have you even wished my baby sister happy birthday yet?"

"I was getting to that part," I told him.

"Oh ok, I'll leave you two alone together." I frowned at the tone of his voice and ended the call.

"Was that my brother?" Rose asked innocently, pretending not to be part of his scheme. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"You know it was you traitor," I accused, and then laughed. "He was just being his normal dopey self, honestly, I don't know how you two managed to keep this from me. He did however remind me to say happy birthday so um yeah, happy birthday!" She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Smooth Tom, smooth."

"Not good enough?" I took her hand and towed her into the lounge. "How about I sing it to you instead?" I sat down on the couch, picking up my guitar and patting the space beside me. She sat down and reached over to stroke the now slightly tattered rose covered guitar strap that she had given to me years ago, smiling. I had been given quite a lot of stick about that from the other guys, but I didn't really mind, it was only friendly teasing, unlike Tony and his gang, and they did sort of have justification for calling me gay, considering the fact that I've never even had a girlfriend. Rose pulled me out of my thoughts by poking me sharply in the ribs.

"Hey! I thought you were supposed to by singing for me." I grinned at her.

"Madam, your wish is my command," and I started playing the familiar tune. "Happy birthday to you, Rosie please don't be blue, it's your birthday pink lady, and I'm sat next to you." She laughed and clapped and I grinned, stowing my guitar away behind the sofa. "So Rose, exactly how permanent is your stay going to be?" I asked her. She swatted at me for making fun of her name then pouted.

"Only a week I'm afraid, 'cos then I'll have used up all my stupid holiday allowance from school."

"A week's great. But Rose, you do know that I'm going to have classes during the day, don't you?" She sighed.

"I know, I've got plenty of catch-up work with me to do as well. She leaned against my shoulder.

"I'm free this evening though, what do you want to do? We could go out for a meal, go see a movie, go for a walk," I ticked them off on my fingers. "Rose?" I turned to look at her to see that she had fallen asleep leaning on me. "Well I guess that's my answer." I picked her up, bridal style, staggering a bit, as she wasn't as light as I remembered. I took her upstairs and into my room, laying her gently out on the bed. I'd sleep on the couch tonight. But when I turned to leave I found I couldn't, my watch was stuck in her hair. I crawled round her head to the other side of her in order to be closer to the offending hair and worked to free it. Finally, with a bit of a jerk, my watch was free. I tensed, waiting for her to wake up, but she merely stirred, rolling over slightly. Rolling over slightly and trapping my hand under her cheek. I sighed, Rose wasn't making my job any easier. I knew she'd be exhausted from the time difference and I didn't want o wake her up so I lay down next to her, hoping that she'd back off soon and release my hand.

Next thing I knew there were voices whooping and shouting and it sounded like they were coming towards my room. Urgh, my flatmates. I tried to roll over and go back to sleep but I couldn't, Rose was in the way. Shit. My eyes snapped open just as my flatmates barged into my room. They were silent for a moment, shocked. Then one of them wolf whistled,

"Ooo Tom, who's the lucky lady then?" I blushed, scrambling as far away from Rose as I could.

"It's not like that, we just feel sleep, come on guys, I don't think about her like that, she's just my best mate's little sister." I had thought that Rose was asleep, but at that she leapt up from the bed and barrelled her way through my friends at the door without so much as a backward glance. I heard the bathroom door slam and the click on the lock sliding into place. Then the sniffing began. Shit. I'd so rarely seen Rose cry before and now I was the one making her cry. I was on my feet before I had really thought about it but my friends pulled me back down. "We'll deal with this mate ok? How about you go and make some breakfast?" It was only three in the morning but I was actually quite hungry and I had no idea when Rose had last eaten. I went downstairs and set about making pancakes.

*Rose*

There was a knock at the door.

"Rose?" It was not a voice I recognised.

"Rose, open this door now." Another unknown voice.

"If you don't open the door we're gonna have to kick it down!" That made three unknown voices all together.

"Fine," I snarled, unbolting the door and wrenching it open. "What do you want?" They came inside, closing the door behind them and leaning against the walls.

"Look Rose, he didn't mean it like that," the one with the blonde hair spoke.

"How do you know my name?" I demanded suspiciously.

"Because he dragged our girlfriends out to help hi, chose a necklace for you; apparently he wouldn't shut up about you the whole time they were shopping and then rejected their advice and chose one for you himself. I'm Ian by the way." He extended his hand and I shook it. The one with the beautiful coffee coloured skin shook my hand next, "I'm Sam," then came the turn of the one with the very short red hair, "Harry." My eyes widened as I took in his closely cropped cut.

"Hey, aren't you the one who got really drunk and shaved off all his hair?" he frowned, "Aren't you the one who dyed her hair blue and purple with ink when you were younger?" We both said, "I can't believe he told you that," at the same time, then laughed. And just like that we were friends.

"So he talks about me a lot then?" I asked, fishing for information. "Are there any other girls who he talks about a lot?" Harry laughed,

"Jealous are we? I seriously don't think there's any need for that, what with his batting for the other team."

"What?!"

"Oh come on now Rose," it was Sam speaking now. "He's never had a girlfriend, he's brilliant at choosing presents for girls and he has a guitar strap with flowers on. Could you get any more obvious?" My eyes went wide as everything suddenly clicked into place.

"I have to go talk to him," I decided, and rushed downstairs.

He was standing with his back to me, stirring something in a bowl. "Tom." He turned round slowly, his eyes lowered. "We need to talk." He nodded mutely and came over to lean on the counter next to me. The words seemed to burst out of him, unbidden.

"Look Rose, I didn't mean it okay? I just-" He stopped. I had placed a finger on his lips to quieten him. I never would have dared do something so intimate before, but now that I knew, now that I knew the heart-wrenching truth, it didn't seem like such a big deal. I removed my finger.

"It's ok Tom, I know."

"You…know?"

"Everything. I just wish you'd told me sooner." He looked stunned.

"Well, I, I mean I only just really realised myself." He looked worried suddenly. "So how do…how do you feel about it?" I went and hugged him, he sounded so insecure.

"Oh Tom you idiot, of course you're still my friend."

"Friend?" He sounded so bewildered.

"Yes, friend. I can't believe you'd think I was homophobic."

"What?!"

"I don't care that you're gay Tom." He spluttered, "Look, I don't know what those idiots told you, but I'm not-" I cut him off. Look Tom, you have to come out sometime, why not now?"

"I'm not gay!"

"Fine, deny it, it won't change anything." He was shouting now,

"How can I be gay if I'm in love with you?" And then he kissed me. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I could hear cheering and wolf whistling and I broke the kiss briefly to see Ian, Sam and Harry standing in the doorway. Tom turned too, made a rude gesture at them, and then claimed my lips again. I would have to thank them later.