"Lucas, did you sort out the lights?" Mason asked as they browsed through the ice cream section of the local Iceland. It was far too cold for the icy treat, and the beginning of November had accompanied colourful leaves along with a chill that prevented the pair from removing their jackets. Standing in the middle of the frozen section, of course, contributed to that, but Mason was on a mission, and if being cold was the sacrifice he had to pay, he would do so willingly. Moreover, he wasn't about to complete it without his best friend's help.

"I did, yes," Lucas nodded, piling the boxes of Flake cornetto into his basket, as Mason mirrored the action, only with the bags of popcorn that were on the shelf above the freezer. "Are you sure this is the birthday party you want to hold?"

"Definitely!" Mason confirmed, glancing at the list he had written on his phone. Anya's birthday had finally arrived, and he had decided to stick to her wishes.
She had insisted that they kept things low-key, and her parents had already claimed that it was far too risky for them to come. Mason considered their truth codswallop, but for the sake of Anya, he had kept his mouth shut. Aunt Talia could not do the same, and he'd heard her arguing with Anya's father over the phone, just a couple of nights ago when he'd stopped by after practice.

As much as he wanted approval for the new Hindi swears, he had learned, he'd chosen to stay silent, knowing that bringing up the topic would only upset Anya further. Though she hadn't said much, of course, she would be disappointed. It was her 18th birthday, after all. Still, her parent's choosing not to come had given Mason the opportunity to take over tonight's celebration and after their mock exams, and the toll they'd had- particularly on Anya, who was taking five subjects, on top of her part-time job, this was the perfect way to recuperate.

Fortunately, Uncle Naveer and Aunt Tali were on board with the idea and had taken Anya for a celebratory lunch, giving the ample pair time to set up for tonight.

Mason and Lucas had also bought their sleeping bags, having been permitted to the sleepover. Mason senior had also agreed he could miss training tomorrow morning, though initially hadn't been accomodating until Mason explained it was for his girlfriend. And suddenly, the conversation had changed. He'd never seen his father so interested before, outside of his driving, and it reminded him of the conversation they'd shared over a month ago.
It was the first time Mason actually felt that he was being listened to, and he'd willingly agreed to practise in the evening, gaining a smile.

His relationship with his mother, however, couldn't be mirrored. Since the night Mason had recalled stories about his brother, things had been...strange. She was still asleep most nights he returned from school and work, but the drinking had reduced...somewhat. There were still soju bottles dotted around the house, but he'd only found her cradling a bottle once, in two weeks, and she'd hardly drank anything. And when Mason woke her, she hadn't mentioned her other son. No, this time, she'd apologised and caressed his hair, falling asleep soundly once he'd returned her, to her bedroom.

As awful as it sounded, Mason also didn't want to mention the changes in behaviour to his mother, so his friends and, perhaps to some extent, his father were none the wiser. After selling half of the business, his father was working even harder at the garage, which probably meant he hadn't noticed the colour returning to his mother's cheeks or that the smell of alcohol was less pungent in their living room. Exposing the truth to anyone, including his friends and father, could jinx the progress Iseul had made- no, he would stay quiet and simply hope that his mother was going to be okay.

"Alright, I think we've got everything," Lucas summarised, breaking his thought processes and encouraging Mason to check the filled baskets between them.

"Yep, that's all of it," He agreed, leading the blonde to the counter so that he could pay. Buying ice cream meant that they needed to go straight to Anya's home, and thankfully Talia had given Mason a temporary key for that exact reason.

Once the frozen treat was secured in the freezer, they began to move the furniture, making space to put down the blankets and pillows they'd bought from home haphazardly. Next, they unleashed the balloons; a YouTube video Lucas' sister Laura had sent him, was playing in the background, showing them how they could decorate. Mason wanted to build a balloon arch of pink and sage, Anya's favourite colours...it wouldn't take a genius to realise amateurs had completed the decoration.
It hardly resembled what could be seen on the iPad, half of the balloons refused to stick, and some were already beginning to deflate, but the giant helium-filled '18' balloons attached to weight did a great job in concealing the gaps. It wasn't great but they didn't have enough time to start again, which was what Lucas reminded, as they moved onto their next task.

Next, they laid a pink cloth over the dining table and sprinkled some confetti before placing a large platter in the centre. The ice cream was in the freezer, and so as soon as Talia messaged to say they were leaving, Mason would arrange the cornettos in substitute for Anya's birthday cake. For someone who loved ice cream so dearly, it was the perfect gift, and none of it would go to waste since it could be placed back into the freezer.

"So walk me through the plan again," Lucas asked as he neatly lined the floor with the blankets and pillows, correcting the mess Luvas had made. The mix-match of colours clashed against the theme, but Mason didn't think Anya would mind so much.

"We'll surprise her," Mason began, "give her the presents, and order dinner, then we have the second surprise, and then we'll watch movies until we fall asleep,"

"Sounds great," He nodded, moving to close the blinds so that only a tiny amount of sun could creep through. The text arrived, and after bickering about which way was best to organise the cornettos, the pair moved behind the sofa, the lights switched off to intensify the surprise.

What the pair hadn't considered, however, was which entrance the family would enter through. Mason had prepared for the Kumar/Kapoor's to enter via the front door, which he usually did with Anya. Still, when the sound of the key slotting into the lock and twisting, came from the back, the pair couldn't have moved faster, jumping over the sofa just as the light flickered on.

They didn't have a moment to hide correctly and were caught halfway, ruining their attempt at surprise. For a moment, silence filled the room until Lucas raised his hands, prompting Mason to copy as they wished Anya, as she squealed in response.

"Oh my gosh!" She grinned, her hands covering her red cheeks, as her aunt and uncle watched her reaction in complete adoration. "You guys!" She observed the room as she neared them, and a balloon dropped from the wall, but it didn't seem to phase her. Her smile only widened, and her eyes were glassed over as she hugged Lucas and then Mason, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.
"This is perfect," she beamed as Mason tucked her hair behind her ear, allowing the dim yellow light Naveer had switched on to caress her soft features. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, you can't have a movie night without getting changed?" Mason expressed, glancing down at the pretty dress she had donned. She bobbed her head in agreement and was quick to disappear as he met her carer's gaze.

"You two have done a great job," Naveer complimented, a small smile lifting his cheeks so that his eyes narrowed in a kind manner.

"You have; she's so excited!" Talia added, "We'll stick around until the surprise, and then you guys will have the place to yourselves,"

"Thank you," Mason's voice was filled with gratitude, and Lucas repeated after him. Naveer and Talia had already set up a small space on a futon downstairs in the shop so that Anya could have the apartment with her friends. It was very kind of them to offer, and though Mason insisted they stayed in their room, out of respect, he was thrilled to have the whole night for the night.

When Anya returned, she was directed to the sofa while everyone prepared their gifts. Mason hadn't been able to afford much, and the entire gift shopping experience had been depressing. Still, Lucas reminded him that it wasn't about the money, and so when he provided the gift bag, he was mentally appeased that he'd prepared an additional surprise waiting for her later on in the evening.

"It's erm, it's not much," Mason mumbled as she rolled her eyes and plucked out the black box.
Inside, laying against the small cushion, was an anklet with a dream catcher as its pendant. It was simple, and the feathers were accented with blue beads that would go with most of her outfits since it was the colour she seemed to like the most.

The metal had been moulded by a man that owned a stall by the beach, and as much as he was tempted to buy the version that held an ice cream, the dream catcher was much more apt. The deeper meaning to the jewellery wouldn't be shared tonight; however, if anything, Mason felt it was a little corny, and it would be better communicated during a private moment instead.

Lucas had also bought a card and a gift card to a store in the local town, and her carer's had treated her this morning, which meant that it was time for the melting ice cream. They sang happy birthday, selected their ice creams, and placed the rest in the freezer before they settled on the sofa.

Due to both a lack of space and because Mason was in control of the T.V., he chose to sit on the floor, and to his surprise, Anya decided to sit beside him, resting her head on his arm as he felt her excitement radiate from her.
"Are you ready?" He whispered, and she nodded, watching in anticipation as the video came to life.

"Hey, Anya...it's me, erm your boyfriend...if you didn't recognise me, I'd be worried," The Mason on-screen announced as she giggled, elbowing him lightly as Mason observed her reactions to the screen. "So it's your 18th birthday and your first day as an adult, so some pretty significant people wanted to wish you on your extraordinary day—"

The camera panned to Lucas, who was studying in the library, and after first appearing camera-shy and asking Mason to leave him alone; which conjured a giggle, he whispered his greeting, and was followed by Anya's uncle and aunt and their messages. Next was the staff at The Sinclair's, who shouted the blessing before the next shot showed a couple who Anya was the spitting image of.

The trio shared the same black hair, but Anya's eyes were inherited from her father, while her nose and smile came from her mother, who was the first to speak. "Anu beta" (darling) "happy birthday!"

"You were only this big," her father gestured the small size with his giant hands, "and today, you have become an adult. We couldn't be prouder of the woman you have become, and we know you have a very exciting adulthood to come,"

"We can't wait to see you soon," Her mother added before the pair ended their message with a 'we love you. It was a simple message, and though it hadn't eased the bitterness that Mason still felt that, that they hadn't been able to come, he could tell Anya was touched.

The rest of the messages were from Anya's old school and her family in India. It had been a nightmare for Mason to request the videos but thankfully, they had each messaged him back, excited about the idea. It turned out, Anya had left a lot of people behind when she had chosen to move to Rye, and her silence was only a hint of the emotions bubbling under the surface.

Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her, and she kissed his cheek, whispering her thanks as Naveer turned the lights back on. "Alright, you lot, we're going to head downstairs," He announced, and Anya stood up, embracing her carers as she thanked them for her incredible day.
The tension was thick with an unknown sadness, and it was difficult for Mason to fathom why. It seemed Lucas had caught a sense of it too, and when Anya returned, leaning into Mason's side, her lashes damp with unshed tears, he was quick to utter a complaint.

"I should have thought more about this; now I'm the third wheel!"
His comment, successfully gained a chuckle, and Anya rolled her eyes, moving to get ice cream from the freezer and a bag of popcorn.

"Come on; we're watching films all night! Go and find a girlfriend if you're going to complain," She insisted, and a hint of rouge spotted his cheeks. "Oh my gosh, tell me!" Anya demanded, almost pouncing on the sofa as the blonde boy attempted to scuttle away.

"There's nothing to tell!" Lucas defended, but when he gulped, Mason read the lie and continued the interrogation further.

"Who is she?"

"She...ugh, you two are terrible, you know that," Lucas grumbled, picking up a blanket and throwing it in their direction. He had chosen to take the armchair, giving Anya and Mason the sofa, and his actions were enough to tell the pair, he wouldn't be telling them anything more than they knew.

"Alright, so what are we watching?"

Mason chose not to answer and instead clicked on the movie, that appeared when he changed the source on the remote. "Oh my gosh, yes, finally!" Anya squealed as the film, Jab We Met- Anya's favourite Bollywood, commenced, and the main leads were introduced. "I've been wanting to watch this with you guys for ages, you really thought of everything!" She beamed.

There were no words to describe the flutter he felt in his chest, or the love that had swelled, and so held her tightly and kissed her temple, hoping that it would relay exactly what he felt.

"Can you understand this without the subtitles?" Mason whispered, almost forty minutes later, and she nodded, curling herself into the blanket.

"Yeah, but that's partly because I've watched this movie so many times. Can you watch Korean movies without subtitles?"

"Not at all," Mason chuckled, recognising the scene as the couple moved onto the bus. "I'm just popping to the loo," He added, and she asked if he wanted to pause the film, but he shook his head, watching over his shoulder to make sure she couldn't see him pull out the guitar he'd hidden from her uncle and aunt's room.

Lucas was supposed to be recording, but his light snores filled the room, which meant he was utterly hopeless. He hadn't lasted five minutes, and the pair could easily blame the subtitles requiring his concentration, but he watched enough Anime to oppose that.

Still, Mason would feel awful if he woke his best friend up, and as he watched the song begin on the screen, he began to strum along with his guitar, nearing Anya as he sang- the words challenging to pronounce and yet somehow responsible for her bright smile and expression of awe. It was the only countenance he wanted to observe, and his heart swelled with joy as she stood up, planting a lingering kiss on his lips just as he finished the song.

"Thank you," Her warm breath fanned over his face as he leaned his forehead against hers, the film continuing to play in the background. Even in the darkness, her eyes blazed with gratitude, and he well-wished her once more, just before the clock stroke midnight, ending the night perfectly.

"Happy Birthday Anya,"

A.N
I know I say this most weeks but is it really Friday!
There I was, waiting for the kettle to boil, and then it struck me, I need to update! haha
I hope you're all well, and enjoying the story so far. Thank you so much to everyone that is reading, it means the world!
Please continue to share your thoughts.
Have the most wonderful weekend,
Aamenah x
Song - Aagoge mile - Jab We Met