August... The second hottest month in New York, right after July. The heat was tolerable most of the days though. The occasional drizzle every other day snuffed out of the blaze of the sun whenever it got too harsh.

For the first time, I didn't want to wake up right away. I rolled on my back lazily, checking the time on my phone through half-closed eyes. It was a few minutes past six in the morning, but it was Saturday. People get up late any way. I could lie down for a while longer, until everyone finished their showers.

Dropping the phone on the pillow, I yawned, letting my lids fall down again.

Normally, the long hours of sunshine in the summertime warmed my bones and cheered me up a little. They gave me a kick to move on, to embrace the warmth and to absorb the much needed vitamin D - A capital D, like those grinning faces Akram typed in his texts, which made me pine for his sunny smile all the more.

I used to spend the summer weekends basking in the sun, reading my favorite books at the same spot in Central Park. I'd got the accidental courage one time last year, to enjoy the free summer movies in the park, even though the show started after sunset. I had been alone, but at least I survived the small adventure and came back with a short-lived smile on my face.

This year, I just couldn't wait for September. I wanted the summer to end, along with my pensive mood. There was a new kind of aloneness, throbbing faintly in the background of my life.

Boredom, monotony, loneliness were just a sample of what this long summer without Akram felt like. The short texts we exchanged every night were the balm that soothed the throbbing emptiness, and helped me bear with the next day.

I stretched my arms out, as far as I could reach on the sides of the small bed, my tired muscles coming to life. Who knew that making coffee all week could be so exhausting?!

The day-to-day stuff at work weren't so bad. At least I had Asha to comfort me. We'd gotten closer in the past weeks. She even insisted to drag me along today to another shopping spree; one of the reasons why I was lazing around.

Of course, I tried to wriggle out. I wanted to keep my savings saved. My stash (the rolled banknotes I shoved into this tiny hole in the mattress) almost reached the target to open a decent savings account.

The idea of saving money made me feel more secure, even though Asha had expressed how she felt about my 'penny-pinching, Uncle Scrooge practices' , but hey! I also got better and more stable at work, which gave me a little more confidence to improve my latte art. The rotten apple shape turned into a fresh one that just might look like a heart sometimes, but the tree leaf shape I'd learned by myself looked awesome... Those YouTube videos I checked out in the library were extremely helpful and completely free. It amazed me that people actually joined training courses to improve their Barista skills. Well, at least I didn't have to pay for that.

I let out a slow breath and shifted, raising my head slightly off the pillow to peek at Tina's bed. She lied there on her side, curled up into a petite ball under the covers. Her back was turned toward me, her messy auburn tresses scattered beyond her head.

Tina had come back yesterday before midnight. She'd said she wasn't feeling well. It wasn't common for the two of us to sleep in our dorm room at the same time; not since Vivian claimed her soul and sucked it into the dark side.

My heart shattered every time I bumped into Tina. She just kept brutally fading away, it was painful to watch. I felt helpless all over again when I saw her pinched face that lost all traces of the youth of her sweet sixteen. God knows, I wanted to do something, but I was handcuffed by my helplessness. The good thing was that her 'dark shadow' wasn't here, or the day would've started off as ugly as the plague.

The shelter had been oddly peaceful this whole summer that it felt completely off. The only time I'd laid eyes on Vivian - since she showed up at the café, like the angel of death, to lure Akram and steal his money - was when we had this run-in weeks ago after she committed her stinking crime.

She'd been deliberately avoiding me since, and I knew precisely why... She realized that I knew what she did to Akram and that I could use it against her.

Sinking into my pillow once again, my mind drifted to another thought. To that day when I'd confronted Vivian in the shelter's cafeteria....

" A secret boyfriend, huh? "

I couldn't hide the disgusted expression on my face, when Vivian came up to my table at the cafeteria and sat down casually in front of me, as if we were best buddies at school.

I'd just came back from work, trying to have a little bite in peace, and there she was, in all her snaky glory, slithering around to ruin my evening.
It was her late breakfast , before she headed outside, but she was tardy this time. She normally would've been gone by now. I suspected she purposely waited for me, to gloat over what she did at the café a few days back.

" Highway robbery, huh?" I mocked.

Vivian's eyes widened, then she laughed a cloying sweet laugh, as if I just told her a joke. She tossed her thick blonde hair behind her back with a limber wave of her head. "Seriously? He told you? That's pathetic!"

" You know what's pathetic? It's the fact that you can rot in jail for this," I said through my teeth. I dropped the fork in my hand on the plate, my recently piggish appetite gone.

Vivian smirked and reached with her hand to grab the apple on my food tray. She kept her stoney stare fixed on my face in defiance, then she brought the apple to her lips and chomped a big chunk with her teeth. Her slightly large incesors glinted, bringing back the image of the pretty cobra, sticking her fangs into her prey.

"Weird! It's supposed to hurt his male ego to admit it. I guess he's not that manly," Vivian said, chewing slowly.

"He's more man than anyone you know! Don't you ever talk about him!" I spat, my hands balled into fists on the surface of the table. My blood boiled under my skin, but I didn't want to raise my voice and make a scene. A few residents were sitting around, and anyone would gladly report an altercation, to win the favor of the directors.

"Aw! You mean he already unwrapped your package? That sucks." She pursed her lips. "You know he ain't gonna fall for a hobo, right?"

My face flushed scarlet. I could feel my skin prickle from the heat of my anger, but something in her words struck home.

"I'd back off if I were you, Vivian, " I blurted out, my voice choking.

"That's just because you're a wimp, hon," she said, confidence painting her quiet tone. "You're pathetic too, if you think you can do anything about it."

"Try me!" I hissed.

"Already did." She shrugged.

" You better leave us alone, or... "

"Or what? You're gonna call the cops?" She cut me off. She spread her arms on each side of the table, leaning closer to my side with a menacing look. " I doubt you even told Prince Charming the truth."

I didn't answer... My eyes avoided her gaze, jaws clenched tight.

Vivian giggled, shaking her head. " You didn't tell him, did you?"

Of course I didn't. How can I tell him about my screwed up life? The shelter? My criminal roommate? My homelessness? The secret life of Melody Summer?!

"See? Nothing you can do." She flipped her hands in the air, palms up, a triumphant sparkle in her eyes.

"Trust me, I'll tell him... And when I do, I'll make sure you get what you deserve." I tried to sound convincing. I knew I wouldn't. I couldn't. At least not now. I couldn't afford to lose Akram before I even I had a chance.

Vivian chuckled indifferently, taking another bite of the apple.

Before she spewed any more words, I jolted up, carrying the food tray and stomped away, leaving a smug Vivian behind me to finish the apple she'd poisoned with her touch.

This face-off was more than 2 months ago, but it was hard to believe that Vivian had given up. Maybe I was just too wary, but I couldn't get rid of this feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

Vivian wasn't just a barefaced con artist; she proved to be a criminal mind. She also was the only resident in the shelter who didn't have to abide by the rules- God knows why- but nobody ever said anything. I noticed recently that she didn't even touch her bed, which meant she stayed out for days. Technically, she had a good excuse - she had to stay over at the hospital- which forced me to imagine the amount of lying and pretense she pulled off to brainwash the counselor.

Sometimes, I'd imagined that she blackmailed everyone here, or she secretly owned the place. Rumors claimed that Vivian brought generous donations to the shelter. By whom? Nobody knows. That's hypothetically - among other things- why she was the management's pet.

But If she has this kind of powerful connections, why is she even staying at a shelter? Nothing made any sense anymore!

All this cloak-and-dagger got me worried stiff over what she was capable of. She could do anything to have her way, including hurting people. The witch had the guts to take advantage of Akram just to get to me! How sick could she be?!

My chest tightened, a wave of guilt suffocated me.

She's right! I'm a wimp!

Pushing myself to sit up, I wiped a runaway tear from my face as I shifted to sit on the edge of the bed.

Tina was huddled still on her bed in the same spot. My heart ached again for her. She looked really sick yesterday.

Quietly, I got up and sneaked closer to check on her. Her body was trembling slightly as she breathed, and when I walked around to look into her face, her eyes were opened.

"Morning, Tina." I smiled lightly.

"Hey," Tina whispered. She didn't seem to be fully awake. She didn't even move a muscle, or look at my face.

I fidgeted with my fingers, a little embarrassed. " How are you feeling? Anything I can get you?"

"Fine, " she said with the same whispering voice that was hardly coming out. Her eyes were wide open, but totally out of focus.

I bit my lips, my eyes teared up, watching her blanched face and the dark bags under her eyes. She looked like an easily breakable shell.

"Tina, you really should quit," I murmured.

Tina smiled faintly. " I will. It's my last day."

"Great." I smiled back, " I'm happy for you."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

****

"Ash, I'm tired. Can we please sit somewhere now?" I whined.

As much as I loved walking, four hours of spinning around in the mall made my legs feel like a useless mush.

"Nope. Not until we get the stuff from Victoria's Secret , then we can rest our behinds and grab a bite." Asha commanded, bouncing forward. She carried as much shopping bags in her hands as I did, but she didn't seem concerned about how we'd lug some more.

I huffed, schlepping along.

We'd been shopping like crazy for what seemed like forever and Asha didn't even look a little spent. She'd picked out several outfits, shoes, make-up, all kinds of candy. It was like she was shopping for Christmas. I couldn't keep up with her friskiness while she skipped around from store to store like a bumblebee.

"Yay! Here it is! Why aren't you excited?" Asha bounced as we entered the famous store.

"I sure am!" I rolled my eyes, " but I'm not trying anything on, Ok?... Holy pink!"

I gaped , taking in the pinkest shades of pink - over more layers of pink - I'd ever seen in one place, but then my eyes focused on the more specific (horrific, actually!) details and the embarrassment set fire to my face.

Oh my God! There are guys in here!... And those things on mannequins are not supposed to exist!

"What?! You haven't been to VS before?! " Asha glowered at my blushing face. " you skipped puberty or something? Or were you born an old lady?"

"I'm single. I had no reason to ." I mumbled, staring down at the rainbow of bags in my hands.

"Well, I'm single too! They have other things, ya know. It's not all lace and silk and French maid costumes." She giggled

"Yeah, you're probably right." I smiled sheepishly, looking up to see a smug expression on her face.

"Okay, Sister Melody. Let's get this over with," Asha teased, wiggling her brows.

I followed Asha like a lost puppy, trying not to linger on the awkward stuff. Pink was my favorite color but this was too much of a good thing. I could almost smell the overdose of rosiness in the air.

No, wait! It's a perfume! And it smells pink too! How is that possible?

"Gym pants , or Boyfriend pants?" Asha asked, her cheerful dimples showing up. She held a pair of sweatpants in each hand, shaking them in the air, while I stood still, guarding the bags and singling things out upon her request.

Asha had made me her fashion counselor all day for some peculiar reason. It was against her nature.

"Boyfriend..."

" Ha ha! I knew you're gonna say that." She winked as she sifted through the clothes on the rack.

Ugh! Seriously, Asha!

"Let's match these up. Tank or Tee?" Asha continued fetching two different pink tops.

"Tee, for sure." I sighed.

She grabbed two pairs of patterned underwear from a nearby table (Any 5\$27.50) which were the cheapest things in this place. I kind of considered the idea, but then again... No! Not even nickels and dimes.

"Boxers or briefs?" Asha joked, distracting my miserly thoughts.

"Ugh! I want to say briefs, but I'm not even sure how brief are they in here." I threw my hands in frustration. " Seriously, since when do you like my taste in clothes?"

"It's just today, I'm afraid." Asha tilted her head, her lips twitching in amusement.

"But, really, why? I still can't believe you actually listen to my opinions. "

"C'mon, Melo, just humor me. I'm your bored friend who wants a break from being the boss of you. Believe me, I'm having a blast, " she grinned, hugging the panties in her arms.

I burst into laughter, shaking my head. No matter what Asha did, she always planted a smile on my face.

An hour later, after going through expensive underwear, perfumes and a bunch of fruit flavored lip gloss, Asha declared that we were allowed to give our feet a break.

"Ok, last question is a multiple choice." Asha halted in front of the food court area and turned around, I almost bumped into her and embarrassed myself even more. "Burgers, pizza, or chinese?"

An easy smile crawled to my lips when Akram's face flashed into my mind. The answer was inevitable.

"Pizza!" I blurted.

"Alright... Wow! You really should've known by now, but you're seriously zonked." Asha stared expectantly at my confused face, then she twisted the corner of her mouth in disappointment and sighed. "Let's go"

We sat ourselves down and stuffed the umpteen bags under the table at the small pizzeria.

A young blonde waiter in a gray apron, came to take our orders. Asha grinned at him. "Hello, Mr. Waiter. Can I ask you for a favor?"

The guy's eyes went round, confused by her forward approach. "Um! Sure, ma'am. "

Really? She's flirting with him?

I glared at Asha in disbelief.

She reached her hand in her purse and produced her cellphone. She typed something quickly and motioned to the waiter with her forefinger to come closer.

The guy bent forward to look closely, then a spark of understanding flashed on his face. "Sure... Anything else?"

"I'll have the seafood pizza. You, Melody?" She asked me, mischief lacing her eyes.

"Well, uh! Same..."

"Yes, ma'am. Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water for me," I replied.

"Cherry coke!" Asha told him and winked.

Gaah!

The waiter wrote down our orders in his notepad , smiled and left.

"What just happened here?" I asked Asha. Something felt wrong. That wasn't her normal self. She'd told me she believed the guy must make the first move and now she was shamelessly flirting with the blonde waiter?

"Oh, you'll see. I don't know what's wrong with your mental state, but you'll either thank me, or slap me on the face." She raised an eyebrow, throwing me a strange look.

My forehead creased. I didn't get it. Why was she making this about me? I didn't do anything.

"Hey, don't give me that deranged look, woman! Tell me, what's today?" She demanded.

"Erm! Saturday?"

"Oh my gosh, Melo! The date! The date!" Asha shrieked, squeezing her hands together in front of her animated face.

"August the fifth..." I whispered. Something was dawning on me for the first time today.

"Yeeees??" Asha nodded her head, eyes wide.

A distant, veiled thought in the back of my mind started getting clearer by the second. Asha was doing all of this for me? She made me choose everything... Oh God!

A lump rose to my throat, pushing a stream of salty fluids to my shocked wide eyes.

At this point, the waiter returned. He placed a small chocolate cake on the center of the table. It had a candle shining in the middle and my name written in pink frosting.

My mouth parted to say something, anything to Asha, but nothing came out.

Asha grinned, her small teeth sparkling, her dimples deeper than ever as she cheered.

"Happy birthday, Melody! "

*******

Hello lovely readers :)

Sorry for the slow updates. There are some distractions and It's a bit difficult to focus recently and the story is getting complicated in my head. I hope you forgive me :)

* what do you think of this surprise birthday party? Did you see it coming?

*Anyone here forgot their birthday before? I did ;)

*do you think Vivian is planning something? Or is she afraid of Melody turning her in?

*do you think Melody will tell Akram the truth one day? Or is she too scared to lose him?

*What would you do if you were in her shoes?

Please, vote if you like this chapter and share your thoughts and anything to improve the story.

Thank you all for sticking around so far

♥LOVE YOU♥