When Mal made her way back to Seattle, her friends were waiting for her at the house, ready to welcome her back and eager to talk about the sponsorship. Mal hugged her friends, and after sending a quick text to Ben telling him, she had arrived home, the planning started. Miranda shared some extra details that got Mal excited about the chance to be part of the campaign. They were supposed to go to a party where the new line was going to be shown for the first time, and they would receive ten pieces of clothing each that they could pick as long as they did a haul in a video and made at least two stories and one post. If their links show a certain amount of purchases, they would be invited to be part of a group of influencers participating in a more extensive campaign.

After they talked about the sponsorship and Mal informed her managers about the opportunity so they could take the lead with the contracts, the girls turned their attention to planning what was needed for the girl's celebrations. Mal showed Miranda the costumes she had purchased, and her friend had a laughed at how the girl had decided to dress as her namesake Maleficinet's daughter and Ben as the Prince of Auradon. Miranda remembered when they read the books years back and how Mal had enjoyed the character, and now that she ended up dating a guy named Ben, the girl was taking the opportunity to enjoy the character's perks. Jay and Lonnie had also chosen their costumes, and with the girls, they all went over Mal's to-do list to see where everyone could help.

When Ben called Mal that night, the girl eagerly shared with him all about the preparations, and the boy listened a little sad that he wasn't with her to feel her energy. Ben loved that when Mal got excited about things, her eyes would sparkle, and she would move her hands a lot while she talked, trying to convey everything she was telling you. Whenever she shared something that excited her, Ben felt himself feel with this positive energy that would irradiate from her, and he just wished he could be there helping her. His flight back to Seattle was programmed for the day before her birthday, and Ben was doing his best, so there was no reason for him to delay his return.

They stayed on the phone for hours until Ben started to yawn, and Mal chuckled. "Go to sleep is late, and you need to go to the office early. I'll see you in less than a week, so no need to worry about calling me every day, ok? We can just text so you can focus on your work, and I can focus on everything I need to do."

Ben nodded but told Mal that he would text her the next day, and they could discuss the possibility of talking later that night. The next day though, proved to be busy for the couple, that ended up exchanging a couple of texts during the morning but had no chance to talk. It was a full week for both of them, with Ben finishing his project while Mal focused her energy on he work and birthday planning. Still, they managed to text every day and talk a couple of times before the boy made his way back to Seattle the day before her birthday, ready to join the celebration and eager to be with Mal after missing her that week.

Mal and Miranda receive their clothes before the party so they can use one of the pieces at the launch party. That night she called Ben so that he could wish her luck, and saw that the boy was still at the office. "I thought you were going to go home early today, you've been staying late every day."

"That was the plan, but a couple of things didn't go according to plan, so I rather stay and fix them now and not take time from what I have scheduled tomorrow. You look beautiful is that what you chose from the brand?"

Mal nodded, but her mind started to wander if Ben was going to have to extend his stay in the city, and now more than ever she wished she was back in Austin. The boy seemed to notice her mood was down and shared how he was already packed, the only things out of his suitcase were two changes of clothes and he had no food in the apartment, so he didn't need to clean the kitchen. The girl smiled when Ben went on to tell her how he was going out to eat at their favorite places, and people asked about her when they saw him.

They talked until Miranda came to pick up Mal and it was time for them to make their way to the event. Ben wished the girl luck and promised to see her the day before her birthday just like they had talked about before she left Austin. That night in every post Mal made there was a comment from him, and she smiled every time she saw them. The night was a success and Mal met a couple of people that could help her make her dream of working with brands that do home decor.

Days later Jay went to the airport to pick up Ben; the boys hugged and shared how their week went. Mal had purposely stayed back at the house wanting to give the friends a chance to talk without her there. Ben sent her a text when Jay picked him up telling the girl that they were going to go out to eat before they made their way to the house but that he would look for her once he arrived. In the end, they made their way back to the house around eleven pm with a box of donuts hoping to sing Mal an early happy birthday at midnight.

Ben sent Mal a text and went to knock on her door when it suddenly opened to show Evie smiling at the boy. "Hey, Ben, how was Austin?"

With a confused expression, the boy managed to answer that everything went great. Earlier when he talked to Mal, she never told him that Evie was there. Sure, it wasn't weird that Evie flew to see Mal; if he thought about it for a second, it made complete sense, but the girl never mentioned it to him, so he was surprised to see Evie there. Mal came out of the bathroom and called his name, making the couple turn to see her; Ben smiled at her as Mal walked towards the boy ready to hug him. They hugged, and the boy wasn't sure what to do next; he had planned to come upstairs and tell Mal to come down so they could sing happy birthday, but now he realized she had her own plan.

Mal started asking him about his flight and his last week in Austin while Evie stayed next to them listening to their exchange. "Oh, it was fine. I managed to finished the project which was the goal so all in all, it was a success. Hey, I bet you two are catching up so don't let me stop you. I'll go down to get my suitcase and then go to bed. So, I'll see you both before going to work. Have a great night."

Ben leaned and gave Mal a quick peck on the cheek and made his way downstairs quickly in case Jay tried to get up with the donuts and a candle singing happy birthday. That was something he loved about Jay; his friend could make any situation better with a crazy idea and his good energy. Once downstairs he saw Jay trying to make a donut tower and smiled at his friend; he soon shared that Evie was there and that the early celebration was canceled.

"I know what you are gonna say Jay, but I realized that those two must have their own traditions, so I don't feel comfortable trying to meddle. Also, I'm still hungry, so we can share the donuts." Jay told him that he should have told her either way, but he agreed that they could eat some of the donuts before going to bed.

Soon Lonnie made her way to them, and the three friends spent their time talking and laughing; there was a dynamic between them that people usually confuse as one of a family. As usual, time flew by the time they were laughing about a story from Lonnie's work Mal appeared at the stairs smiling at the group, asking them what they were laughing about. The three friends turned towards her and quickly apologized for the noise, just for the girl to roll her eyes at them.

"Is ok, I wasn't sleeping. Evie and I have this tradition of waiting for midnight before going to sleep; she was exhausted from her flight, so she fell asleep as soon as the clock turned twelve. Is like a mix of sleeping beauty and cinderella in one; instead of the carriage turning into a pumpkin at midnight she fell asleep like Aurora." They smiled at Mal, and then it dawned on them that it was the girl's birthday, so they hugged her and wished her a happy birthday. While Ben and Mal shared an extra long hug and then a kiss Jay and Lonnie quickly put the remaining donuts in a tower and then turned towards the couple and cleared their throats.

Ben turned and smiled at their friends, taking a step to the left so that Mal could see their donut tower, which was half the size it was when they arrived, and the trio started singing happy birthday making the smile on the girl's face grow bigger. Soon, they were hugging again and Mal sat down to eat a donut and listen to Ben's stories about Austin, and share some of her own. When Mal shared how the event went and the fact she met a couple of people that could help her reach her goal of doing a big collab center in home decor they all saw her excitement grow.

"The clothing line is exclusive for Target, so there was some representative there, and they've seen my content, so we started talking about how passionate I am about projects like renovating your house. So, a couple of them told me they were working on a new campaign for several of their lines with new influencers, and they would consider me as an option for their home decor. It would be a couple of ads for them, but if things go well I think this could be the start for me to try and have some pieces there or maybe in other smaller stores or even on my own, but the exposure that it would bring me is going to be amazing." The trio congratulated her and wished her the best, offering their help in any way she might need.

They continued to talk about their plans and stories about their past; Mal learned that Ben's birthday was close to thanksgiving and that they usually spent it in New York. Ben's family had a big party the day before Thanksgiving, where his grandmother invited important families to join them at a fancy hotel to celebrate another amazing business year. This was the only celebration where they included Ben's part of the family, because they thought it wouldn't look good to ignore them. "Each year we go, my cousins and uncles make snark remarks; we eat, drink and go on our way. I usually spent Thanksgiving with Jay and Lonnie because my parents are exhausted from enduring an evening with the family."

Mal was sad that Ben had to endure that party since the boy had shared how unlikeable his family was the girl had wished to be able to support him. So when the boy asked her to join him in this year's celebration, Mal was thrilled that this time she would be with him and they could stand together against his family. After a while, the couples decided it was time to go to sleep, so they all made their way upstairs, and after congratulating Mal one more time, they all went into their rooms for the night.

Ben went to work later that day, and Mal with the help of her friends got everything ready for the party. When the party started to grow in size Mal was worried that the house was not the right place, but they managed to get everything ready and she was excited to see all of her friends. The party was going to start at nine, so some of her friends were coming early to help and change there so they could all take group photos with their costumes before everyone came.

Jay and Lonnie were going as characters from the same book as Mal, but their costumes were less elaborate than the girls' or Ben's. When Ben was making his way home, Mal sent him a text telling him that she had left his costumes in the garage because her friends had taken over the entire second floor. The girl apologized for the inconvenience, but Ben assured her that it was ok and that he was looking forward to finally seeing what he would wear.

The second he made it to the garage he was interrupted by Jay and Lonnie that were getting drinks from the freezer for the party. Ben looked at his friend that was wearing a vest without a shirt, blue jeans, black boots, and a beanie. "Are you going to change into your costume soon?"

Jay rolled his eyes and told Ben that he was wearing his costume, and explained that it was from a character that his costume was too. "I saw you wearing this last week, but you were wearing a shirt then." Lonnie burst out laughing, and Ben turned to notice Lonnie in a short pink dress with a big flower design that he also remembered seeing before that year. "Wait, are we all wearing our clothes? Ok, I wished I knew this I was stressed about what Mal would make me wear."

Jay smirked and told Ben that he was using a costume and motioned him to open the bag that was over the table near the entrance. When Ben opened it, he saw a royal blue suit, except that it had some weird embroiders and a shield in the blazer sleeve. He turned to look at his friends, and Lonnie told him that he was supposed to be a King which explained the designs in the blazer. "Come on, get change and help us. Mal did most of the things, but now she getting ready. You will see her when she makes her grand entrance at the party."

Ben nodded, and while the couple took the beverages, he changed quickly and started to help them carry things back into the house. Azis and Ryder arrived later, and they were all talking and laughing while the other guests appeared. Finally, at nine-thirty Evie appeared coming down the stairs in a beautiful blue dress which confused Ben because they were technically matching. Azis took a step forward and went to meet her smiling at the girl who seemed pleased with seeing him. Taking the last step, Evie cleared her throat, and commanding the attention of everyone she presented the birthday girl Mal, everyone clapped while she made her way downstairs in a beautiful purple flowy dress that matched her hair.

Making his way towards her Ben stood next to the last step waiting for her while admiring how beautiful she looked. When she finally took the last step, he took her hand and gave it a kiss making the girl blush. Soon, the couple started to be surrounded by Mal's friends that were eager to congratulate her. Near them, Jay was putting his phone down after capturing the moment. "Well, I think both of them will love this video."

Lonnie smiled next to her boyfriend and taking his hand went on to join the queue to congratulate Mal on her birthday.