I'm in a generous mood tonight, hehe. So here's another update! Oh the fluffiness. And just as an announcement... there's only 3 more chapters after this one. :( This fic is finally coming to an end and that saddens me like nothing else. So I'm just giving you guys a heads up. :) Enjoy the chapter!
PART II- Chapter 19.
Vaughn's POV"Ok Vaughn… cups, plates, plastic utensils are in the section on your right." Weiss instructed me.
Looking at my long list of items, I felt almost overwhelmed with all the stuff I needed to buy. I was planning to throw Syd's surprise birthday party for weeks, but failed to get any work done on it until the day before. Francie and I made a deal that she would take care of the guest list and invitations while I had to buy all the supplies and food.
It was Syd's 20th birthday and I wanted to make it special since she was officially not a teenager anymore. I knew she didn't want anything big, but she deserved this. Her schoolwork had been tying her down practically the whole semester and she needed a little break.
"Why don't we just buy Syd one of those big huge cakes and when she walks in the door, everyone can shout 'surprise' while you jump out of the cake?" Weiss suggested, grabbing a stack of paper plates from the shelf.
"Why the hell would I want to do that?" I responded.
"I don't know. C'mon Mike, it would be fun. Jessica did that for Nick on Newlyweds."
"I can't believe you watch that crap. I swear Weiss, it makes you even dumber."
We strolled slowly up and down all of the aisles picking out everything we would need for the party. As much as I hated grocery shopping, it was going by quicker than I thought. Weiss failed to find the vegetable platter and instead tried to replace it with four bags of chips.
"So you must've been scared out of your mind last week." He stated flatly while placing the beer into the cart.
"With what? Syd thinking she was pregnant?"
"Yeah. If that were me, I would've been flipping out."
"I know." I sighed. "But she was already upset. Me freaking out would've made the situation worse. Besides, we took full precautionary."
"Thanks Mike. That's good to know." He responded sarcastically.
"By the way, how are your intimacy issues going? You and Francie take the big step yet?"
"I don't even want to talk about that." Weiss murmured. "I'm about to drive myself insane. How do you… what do you say…"
"To initiate things?"
"Yes, to initiate things. What did you do for Sydney?" He asked curiously.
"I took her out to a fancy, romantic restaurant to set the mood. Of course, we talked about it before though. That night would've been perfect if that stupid Danny didn't show up and ruin everything."
I still hadn't gotten over Danny showing up that night and ruining Syd and mine's one-month anniversary dinner. I wanted everything to go absolutely perfect and it all turned to crap once he decided to come out of nowhere.
"Oh, that's right! That was the night. We should've totally beaten the s out of that guy." Weiss said.
"Seriously. If I ever see that guy again it's not going to be pretty. He's already responsible for making my life miserable those two years in high school watching him and Syd. Every time I saw them together it made me want to throw up."
"I'm sorry to interrupt what seems to be your pleasant high school memories, but what do I do for Francie?" He questioned as we pushed the cart out of the grocery store.
"Cook her dinner at the apartment. Light some candles, play some music, girls love that kinda stuff."
"You think it'll work?"
"Of course it will. Have I ever failed you before Weiss?" I joked.
"Too many times to count. But, I'll trust you on this one."
The next morning I was nervous out of my mind. I was constantly paranoid that Syd was going to find out about her surprise birthday party. The day before, I practically ran to the answering machine to erase the bakery's message, reminding me to pick up the cake the next day.
I woke up at 7am wanting to buy her flowers before she woke up. I propped myself up on one elbow for a while, just admiring how beautiful she was when she slept. Even after all the years I had known her, she still took my breath away.
Slipping out of the bed quietly, I took a quick shower and made my way down to the flower shop down the street. The sun was just about to peek through the clouds during the cold San Francisco morning, but I had gotten used to the fair weather. It was a nice change from LA where everyday seemed to be blistering hot.
Deciding on a bouquet of flowers was particularly hard because of all the choices. I knew how much Syd loved daises, but opted to go with the red roses instead, knowing how much more romantic they were. Daises were friendly, but roses represented love.
Tying a single shiny birthday balloon to the bouquet, I placed it on her bedside before planting tiny kisses all over her face. At first, she didn't budge being that she was in deep sleep. But, after some time, a tiny smile escaped from her lips as she began to open her eyes.
"Hey…" I whispered. "How's the birthday girl doing this morning?"
"Mmm, good after waking up like that." She yawned.
"So I got you something already." I told her, handing her the long stem roses and the balloon.
"Oh Vaughn, they're beautiful!" She gasped. "You spoil me, you know."
"I can't help it. I love my girlfriend."
Pulling down on my neck, she placed the flowers in her lap before giving me a slow, lazy kiss on my mouth. I had to refrain from trying to move my body any closer to hers since the roses were there and I didn't want to crush them. After spending $65 bucks on a dozen of roses, I was hoping they would last forever.
"So how about you and me just do something quiet for my birthday tonight?" She asked while playing with the hairs on the back of my neck.
"Yeah, like what?"
"I don't know. We could have dinner by the beach. Maybe set up some candles and music, watch the stars on a blanket. I just want to be with you tonight." She sighed.
I silently cursed myself for not thinking of a night picnic on the beach before the surprise birthday party. If that's what Syd wanted, I was almost willing to call off the big party. But, knowing how much effort Francie, Weiss and I put into it I decided that Syd wouldn't be disappointed.
"Well, after Francie takes you out shopping and you get back, we can decide what you want to do, ok?"
"That sounds good, Vaughn." She smiled, placing another kiss on my lips.
"So how about you stay here and rest and I'll make you breakfast in bed?"
"Pancakes? Hash browns? Eggs?" She said excitedly.
"If that's what you want." I answered. "Go back to sleep. I'll bring in the food when I'm done."
Placing a final kiss on her forehead, I grabbed her roses to put in a vase and made my way into the kitchen. Weiss was sitting on the kitchen counter when I entered, drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper.
A sarcastic smile appeared on his face after he saw the flowers in my hand. I could see him shaking his head at me, knowing how much I looked like a sap at the moment. But I didn't care. It was only Weiss and god knows I hardly cared what he thought of me.
Making breakfast for Syd meant also making breakfast for Weiss since everything that came out of the pan seemed to miraculously disappear after I turned around for one second. He rolled his eyes after I slapped him on the back, telling him that food was for Syd. Apparently Weiss thought it was rude to cook only for my girlfriend and not for my best friend.
Finally, after half a dozen of my special chocolate chip pancakes were gone, I managed to cook a whole other batch, keeping them away from Weiss and his greedy mouth. I politely left a few out for Francie on the counter, knowing she would wake up soon and want some breakfast.
Syd was sound asleep when I entered the room again. As soon as she heard the plate softly clatter against the nightstand, she awoke again. Stretching her arms above her head, she immediately grabbed for the fork and plate.
"Vaughn, this looks delicious! Except… you took kind of long." She joked, taking a bite from her hash browns.
"Blame that on Weiss. He ate your first batch of pancakes."
"That guy… he has a bottomless stomach."
"You're telling me." I murmured. "I couldn't make the pancakes fast enough."
"So this is turning out to be an incredible birthday already, first with the roses and the breakfast in bed. What else do you have planned for me Mr. Vaughn?" She smiled while softly kissing my lips.
"You'll just have to wait and see. Did your dad call yet?"
"No. He will soon though. He never forgets my birthday. Even though he wasn't around much when I was a kid, he made sure my nanny gave me all of my presents from him."
"You mean he didn't even take a day off from work to spend your birthday with you? Syd, that's sad." I commented, thinking about how fortunate I was that I had an amazing relationship with my mother.
"I didn't think much about it at the time. But when I got older, it just felt so impersonal, you know? Someone else always gave me my presents, presents I didn't even need. All I really wanted was for him to be there. I didn't need anything else." She sighed.
"I'm sorry Syd."
"Don't be. That's done and over with though. My dad and I are on a fresh new start."
Syd's POV
Francie nearly dragged me out of the apartment at around 4:30, literally bouncing off the walls because we were going shopping. Fran had the car radio on so loud that I missed a call on my cell phone. Scrolling down my missed calls list, I saw that my dad had finally left a message.
I smiled hearing his voice, knowing I hadn't spoke to him in a few weeks. He was on a business trip to Seattle for the past week and a half and we both managed to play phone tag, always missing each other's calls.
"Hi Sydney. I was just calling to wish you a Happy Birthday. I tried your apartment phone and Michael said you were out with Francie. I guess you must be busy since you're not picking up. I trust you're having a good day, sweetheart. Be careful and I'll talk to you soon."
Fran pulled me around to every store possible, trying on every skirt and asking my opinion on all of them. I was beginning to feel tired after spending time in the mall for over two hours. My feet hurt and I was eager to spend time with Vaughn.
I had to say, it was nice being able to spend time with Francie and have our usual girl talk without the boys around. Very rarely did we spend time away from our boyfriends since they always seemed to tag along wherever we went.
Finally, Fran finished up her shopping and carried, what seemed to be, five of her shopping bags out of the crowded mall.
"So Vaughn and I are probably just going to spend a quiet night together, maybe going out to dinner. You and Weiss are going to come with us, right?" I asked as Francie sped home.
"I'll ask Weiss. Maybe you and Vaughn should be alone though. It is your birthday and you two deserve some time alone."
"Aww, but you and Weiss are two of my best friends. I'd love to spend my birthday with you guys. Please? It'll be fun. I can't picture my birthday dinner without you two."
"If you say so." She laughed quietly.
I lugged up the apartment stairs slowly, a little worn out from shopping and looking forward to lying down on the couch for a while. Jiggling my keys slightly, Francie stood closely behind me as I unlocked the door and swung it open.
"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled, stunning me so much that I nearly fell backwards out the door.
The apartment was filled with people, half I didn't really know, and the other half I recognized from my classes and people Francie hung out with occasionally. I spotted Vaughn in the back, smiling from ear to ear while Weiss and Francie began fiddling with the stereo.
I took my time saying hello to everyone and thanking them for coming before running over to Vaughn and throwing my arms around his neck. I knew he had been acting a little different for the past week, but I had no idea he was throwing me a surprise birthday party. I should've seen the signs when he was being evasive about my birthday plans.
Nonetheless, I couldn't have been more thrilled to see our apartment packed with people. Platters of food lined the kitchen table and counter while the coffee table was filled with all sorts of different alcohol. By that time, Weiss had gotten the stereo working as it blasted through the room.
"So this is what you've been up to lately." I told Vaughn, playfully slapping his chest.
"Yeah… but Weiss and Francie helped a lot. Francie did the guest list if you couldn't tell. I don't even know some of these people." He laughed.
"Neither do I."
"Excuse me… sorry to interrupt your little cuddling session, but how about a shot with the birthday girl? C'mon Syd. One for your birthday." Weiss interrupted us, holding a bottle of rum and four shot glasses.
"Ok, but not too much." I warned.
Weiss lined up the four glasses side by side and proceeded to fill each glass to the rim. I wasn't really in the mood to drink, but I figured since it was my birthday, it was appropriate timing. The four of us, Vaughn, Weiss, Francie and I raised our glasses together before throwing back the bitter alcohol.
Grabbing Vaughn's hand, I led him out towards the group of people dancing, not wanting to waste any time. I swung my arms over my head, feeling so free for the first time in weeks without having any schoolwork tying me down.
I moved my body to the rhythm of the music, placing my hands around Vaughn's neck to pull him closer. A big smile spread across my face as Vaughn put his hands on my waist and began planting light kisses all over my neck.
Soon Weiss and Francie joined us on the dance floor. It was no hysterical to see Weiss attempting to dance while flailing his arms in the air and always being off with the music. On the other hand, Francie was a fantastic dancer making Weiss look even worse.
The rest of the night just seemed to get better and better as the hours went by. We ended up dancing most of the time, only taking a break so I could blow out my candles on the delicious looking cake that Vaughn knew I loved so much.
"Ok everyone! I have an announcement to make!" Vaughn suddenly yelled out as Weiss turned down the music. "Being that I don't know half of you people… thanks to Francie over there." Vaughn pointed. "I'm Michael and I'd like to take this moment to make a toast to my girlfriend."
Just like me, Vaughn was slightly drunk already. He slowly wobbled to the center of the room before speaking again. Holding his bottle of beer in the air, he turned and smiled at me.
"First off, I'd just like to wish you a Happy Birthday Syd. This party took a lot of planning and work, but seeing your smile when you walked in made everything worth it. Second, I'd like to thank all of you who have come tonight to celebrate with us. I couldn't have done this without Eric or Francie. So everyone please raise your glass, to Sydney! May your 20th be one of the best years to come"
Pausing to grab my hand, Vaughn pulled me forward so I was standing next to him. He took another swig of his beer after placing a sweet kiss on my lips. My head felt light as I looked around the room and received jealous glares from some of the girls I didn't recognize.
It was past 1am after everyone finally left. Weiss was sprawled out on the couch while Francie, Vaughn and I walked slowly around the room picking up all of the empty beer bottles and plates. It was to no one's surprise that Weiss wasn't helping any of the cleanup.
"Ok… so Mike? When my birthday comes around, you're going to throw me a party even bigger than Syd's right?" He joked, finishing off his last bottle of beer.
"Ummm, no!" Vaughn snapped back.
"Aww, I thought you loved me?"
"In a very non-gay, brother, best friend, roommate kind of way. But not enough to throw you a party like this one."
"I see how it is, Mike." Weiss sighed. "Always picking the girl over me. It's fine. I'm going to remember this the next time you need something from me."
Vaughn was half awake when I entered the bedroom flipping mindlessly through the channels on the small TV screen. By that time, he had changed out of his jeans into his usual shorts and t-shirt. I took a seat near the edge of his bed, bending down to plant a kiss on his forehead.
"You know you're the sweetest guy ever?" I quietly asked Vaughn, laying my head down on his chest.
"I try to be. At least that's what my other girlfriends say." He joked before receiving a playful slap.
"I'm being serious Vaughn. I don't deserve you. Do you know how much I love you?"
"Of course I do… because I love you even more."
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