Blaire's POV

Love is like the neighbour next door, never knocks on the door nor gives a phone call before coming, it just comes in quietly through the little holes of the ventilator. And so it had, without even letting us know.

"Blaire, honey, get up," Mom called from downstairs.

The odour of freshly baked pancakes with maple syrup tingled my nostrils. I rolled down my bed and cloaked on a tight sweater as it's already December.

"Morning," I called out as soon as I stepped in.

I savoured the breakfast table with a sight. Pancakes with maple syrup, cinnamon rolls, waffles and coffee.

"Woah! Those are all my favourites," I lit up with excitement.

"Yes, Princess. Of course, it is," Dad replied back from the kitchen.

We all sat together at the table and started the day with the delicious breakfast, "so champ, what are you doing today?" Dad asked.

I arched up my eyebrows, pouted my lips and with a bored expression, I replied, "Nothing. Just, as usual, I guess --"

" - Maybe will just go out a little," I continued while chewing my food.

It's the first of December and the next day it's my birthday. My sixteen freaking birthday! Although I tried keeping my composure, I was hell level of excited from inside. There was a lot going on inside this fickle mind. Like, what will be the gift and surprises and the party tomorrow evening. The dress that mom has designed for me, trust me, all in all, it was a lot. I jumped around in my room when suddenly my eyes got pinned to Lily's and I's picture on the wall. For a moment, I was fixated. My feet were jammed to its position. A dull aura hovered over my mind and face. We planned so much for our birthdays. We celebrated each of ours together since five. I remember Lily's birthday that year, it was barely after a month that she left us. I could still feel the trauma I felt that day. The nightmares kept coming back at me in that traumatized state. I placed a hand on her snap and wrapped it in my warmth.

▪️▪️▪️

The city lights lit up and a soothing silence wrapped around the neighbourhood as darkness wrapped itself all around and blanketed the thick cold night of December. My smile faltered a little by the thought of Christian crossing my mind. I haven't heard from him, the whole day. My mind drifted and eyes shifted when I heard my window slid. I sat up with a broad smile on my face as Christian stepped in the room. Overexcited, I squealed.

"Shhh! " Christian gestured me to calm down with his fingers on his lips.

"Just got a minute, so gotta be fast," he declared as he started to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused. With no heed to my question, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside.

"Happy birthday, sunshine." He wished as he threw his arms wide open.

I stood amazed. Sounded like his words were faded and blunt, echoing from a faraway tunnel. I stared at his perfectly built, athletic, tanned-not-so-tanned body in awe and my eyes stuck on his chest. In bold and metallic black, he tattooed my name on his chest, just above the heart. All I could see, 'Blaire' imprinted in beautiful designer alphabets.

"You...," I traced my incomplete sentence for him to complete.

"Yeah- ah," he nodded with a broad smile on his face.

I stepped closer to him and very carefully touched the very first letter. I could hear a very silent yet little gasp escaping from his lips.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

"Nah. Just be a little gentle okay?"

I was still spellbound. Totally without a clue how to portray my happiness or excitement. I was both happy and concerned at the same time.

What if some kind of accident happened during this?

And who the hell takes this kind of risk?

Above the heart?

Seriously?

Tons of questions ragged my mind yet the gesture was so beautiful that I couldn't be more pleased. I stared at him for a moment and slowly wrapped my arms around him.

"Don't you like it? 'Cause I remember you saying that you love tattoos,"

"Oh! My god, Christian. I love it. I love it more than anything else. It's so lovely. I swear it's the best gift someone could give me on my birthday, making me feel so special and that too coming from someone who's as special as you," I said as tears stung in the corners of my eyes. I snuggled a little closer and wrapped my hands more tightly.

"Ahh!" I heard his wince and this time it was a real and hard one.

"Are you okay? "

He just nodded in response.

"What happened to your back?"

"Nothing," he replied, but I could read his face.

"Sorry, I couldn't be in touch all day long," he sighed.

"Christian," I scrutinized him under my detective look, raising an eyebrow knowing that he was trying to change the topic.

"I Just got my tattoo removed --," he answered blankly, surrendering to my look, "-- okay? And it was pretty painful," he murmured against my ears, pressing his lips onto a tight kiss.

I still engulfed him in a tight embrace of side hug, unable to express my happiness when the door suddenly flung open wide -

" - Happy birthday, honey," my mom's voice invaded my room.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mom kind of yelled on spotting Christian.

"Okay. So, -- umm...uh...I can explain it. I think you need --," I stammered.

" What? What can you explain? That you have a boy or rather your secret boyfriend in your room past midnight?" I was cut off mid-sentence as she freaked out.

"I don't understand," I cut her off, "I'm in my pants and he's in his, so what's the big deal here? I guess nothing," my voice rose.

"She has got a point though," dad's little voice came for my support.

"Just calm down, mum. And here, this is Christian," her eyes narrowed at her, " - and Christian, this is my mom," I said glancing towards him.

I could see some sort of realisation dawning upon him, "I...uh...I gotta go," he stuttered and grabbed the shirt at a go as he stumbled down the window.

I sighed as I locked my windows and plopped down on the bed. This is not how I wanted them to meet. This is not how I wanted their first meeting to last.

"So? Explain." Mom sounded like a ticking bomb.

"Calm down, honey," dad tried to soothe her.

"So you knew it all? Didn't you?" She turned towards him and charged him pointing with her index finger.

"Somewhat, yes," he replied truthfully.

"And not even bothered to tell me?" She arched an eyebrow.

"I thought Princess would --," he was interrupted.

"It doesn't matter anymore what you thought and what she did!"

"All right guys, just stop it," I cut off their argument.

"Can we just sit and talk? You know, like peacefully?"

"Yeah, champ. Of course, we can," dad's voice calmed me.

"So how long has it been going?" Mom stared at me.

"Since I came in here and in my new school,"

"And you didn't even tell me? Like seriously? All these months?" She stuck on the same point.

" Mom, it's not like that,"

"Then what's it like?" She argued back.

"I thought you'd just freak out just like you're now," I stated truly.

"And why would you think..." She was going to complete her sentence when something stuck her, "Wait. It's the same boy from that robbery night, isn't it?"

There was a pause.

Well, from both sides.

I stared at the ceiling and light coming from the glass in it.

"Yeah, he is," I admitted.

"So, you're dating that criminal guy?"

"He's not a criminal, mom," I stood up.

"He saved my life that night and he's a good guy," I continued.

"Yes, he is," a little support came in from a different direction.

"and he loves me and cares for me," I whispered.

"But," Mom resigned.

She came a little closer and wrapped her arms around me," - but honey, you need to understand..."

"Understand what mom?" I wasn't calm anymore.

"That you just can't go on dating some random guy out there,"

I sighed. "He's not any random guy, mum. He is my classmate and yeah my boyfriend," I spelt out each word slowly with stress and exaggeration.

"What has happened to you? You weren't like this. Not at least in this matter," I continued.

"Don't you believe in highschool romance? You and dad, look how happy you two are! Together for like what? 18 years of married life and 8 years of love. You've been through all the ups and downs of high school and then college, career and still, you two are together. You are the perfect example that all highschool love stories doesn't go in vain. So why are you so frantic over this? What can't I just have a boyfriend? And he's not just my boyfriend because we are going to last. Till the very end. 'Cause we're perfect. Rather, even more than perfect we're," I ended my long lectured session with watery eyes.

The silence was thick and tense until mom spoke up, "Firstly, because he's not your dad neither like your dad and secondly, he isn't just any boy to date, he has got dangerous links and we both know it, I guess."

Her voice was cold as she said her concluding words and stood up. I sighed, followed by dad.

"Get some sleep, princess," he stood up and planted a light kiss on my head and headed to the door.

"Tell him, I want to meet him," she said last, glancing at me before she shut the door.

It was a total massacre. Never thought that mom would never approve of me having a boyfriend. I understood her point of view. It wouldn't be like that if it was some other guy. But just because he's he, that's where the problem lied. It wasn't a very suitable situation maybe. Like, discovering a shirtless boy in your daughter's room and then to know that he's her boyfriend.

Well, everything happens for the good of its own sake but what I was sure of is that sleep was miles away that night.