"Hey, birthday girl." Paloma leaned against the frame of the bathroom door and furrowed her brow as she studied her sister's features.

The redhead in question opened her mouth to speak, however, instead of words falling from her lips, bile rose from the depths of her stomach and spewed out into the toilet.

She rested on her knees and gripped the bowl of the commode to prevent from losing her balance.

Paloma scurried towards the girl and quickly pulled her lengthy, red hair back while her other hand gently rubbed soothing circles on Quinn's back.

"You okay?" she pondered.

After a few moments, Quinn sat up and nodded her head. "Yeah, I just...got a little sick."

Paloma chuckled causing the redhead to meet her gaze. "You got sick...or you got drunk?"

Despite the laugh that slithered past Paloma's lips, the redhead still picked up on the seriousness her sister's expression held.

Before Quinn could object, she was silenced by nausea that caused the vomit to climb its way back up her throat. She leaned down and allowed the bile to pour into the toilet.

Paloma continued to gently rub the girl's back as she spoke, "Don't try to bullshit me, Charlie and I could barely get you up the stairs after you got home last night."

Quinn wiped her mouth and rose to her feet, her gaze resting on her fuzzy, pink house shoes.

"...I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," the brunette immediately asserted.

The girl sighed and flushed the toilet before grabbing her toothbrush and lathering the bristles in toothpaste.

Paloma leaned against the counter next to her while Quinn began brushing her teeth, her gaze fixed on the sink.

The woman expunged a soft sigh, "Look, I'm not gonna give you one of my famous screeching lectures or anything, but you're still a kid, you shouldn't be drinking. In another five years, trust me, the second you turn twenty-one I'll take you out myself and you'll get so hammered you won't be able to think straight but right now, you really shouldn't."

Quinn simply nodded her head while Paloma pressed on.

"I'm not gonna lay into you mainly because it's your birthday and I did the same shit when I was your age, but still, I want you to be better than me. You're sixteen now, which means you're gonna have more freedom, but the only way that's gonna work is if you prove to me that I can trust you. I don't wanna have to stay up all night worried that you're gonna try to drive home while you're drunk."

Quinn spit into the sink and turned to her sister. "I wouldn't do that. I know how dangerous that is. I won't, I promise."

Paloma crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows, obviously unconvinced.

"I don't wanna end up like mom and dad," she admitted. "You can trust me."

The woman studied her sister and once she saw the sincerity in Quinn's expression, she pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Good...you better not. Now hurry up and get ready," she granted the girl a small smile. "Your party's starting soon."

The corners of Ross' lips curved into a smile as he studied Quinn and Oliver who sat next to each other on the couch, their giggles drowning out the movie that played in the background.

He turned around in his seat while maintaining his sincere expression, his eyes darting between Maggie and Paloma.

"I'm glad they're getting along so well. He really loves her," he chuckled.

The brunette simply smiled her response.

Maggie placed her chopsticks onto the napkin next to her before speaking, "Again, the food's delicious, Paloma. Did you make this yourself or should I give compliments to the same chef as last time?" Maggie chuckled.

Paloma lifted her eyebrows ever so slightly and forced a small laugh. "Actually, you can attribute this meal to my amazing takeout ordering skills. I picked it up from the Japanese restaurant up the road. It's one of Quinn's favorites," she shrugged.

Maggie nodded, "Well, where's the rest of the gang? Is Ava coming?"

The brunette forced yet another smile. "...I don't think so."

"And Charlie?" Ross pondered.

"He texted me saying he's running a bit late," Quinn pipped up. "But, he should be here soon."

Once the doorbell sounded from the front door, the redhead wore a beaming smile. "Speaking of the devil." She removed herself from the couch and scurried towards the door before quickly pulling it open.

Her expression faltered at the sight of the woman before her.

"Ava?" She furrowed her brow. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, I just wanted to drop by and say happy birthday," she smiled. "And give you this." She held out the small box that rested in her hands.

Just as Quinn reached out her hand to take the gift, Paloma intercepted.

"Hey, Ava!" She could barely contain her excitement. "I'm glad you made it. Come on in."

The other writer shook her head, "I'm not staying, I just wanted to—."

"Of course you are," Paloma interrupted as she grabbed Ava's wrist, quickly pulling her inside.

"Look, Paloma—."

"We're not alone," the brunette whispered. "You said you couldn't be alone with me, well," she motioned to the others that quietly conversed around her, "you're not. Please...stay," she pleaded.

Ava rubbed her forehead in thought before finally shrugging her shoulders. "...Okay."

Paloma grinned as she led the woman to the dinette table.

Quinn creased her brow once the door she attempted close propped back open, however, her confused expression transformed into a radiant grin as Charlie stepped inside.

The boy planted a kiss to the girl's forehead. "Sorry I'm late."

His cheeks dimpled while he yanked his baseball cap, that perfectly matched his uniform, off of his head causing his dark curls to spring up and kiss his jaw. "Practice ran a bit longer than expected."

The redhead picked up on his natural scent and she couldn't help but smile.

After Quinn found out about his love for baseball, Charlie was convinced to rekindle his relationship with the sport and so far, he was loving it.

At the sight of the boy's outfit, a small blush crept its way onto Quinn's cheeks. She was instantly reminded of the day she first saw him wearing it as well as the sublime events that followed immediately after.

"Well, now that everyone's finally here," Paloma began with a chuckle, "let's cut the cake!"

Charlie used his fork to slice through his dessert. The ice cream that was interlaced with the cake cooled his mouth and tickled his taste buds as he took a bite. He looked up and matched Quinn's lighthearted expression once he noticed her watching him.

He dipped his pointer finger into the cake's pink frosting before swiftly bringing it to the tip of the girl's nose. She gasped in surprise and ridded her face of the sweet icing as they both snickered amongst themselves.

"Jesus, get a room you two," Paloma muttered with the playful roll of her eyes.

Charlie rested his fork on his plate and cleared his throat. "Okay, I don't think I can wait any longer. Can we do presents now?"

The brunette nodded, "Yeah, I don't think I can either. Who wants to go first?"

"I guess we will," Ross assured. "Ollie, you wanna give Quinn her present now?"

The boy in question grinned and passed the redhead a small envelope. "Happy birthday."

Quinn returned the expression and accepted the gift.

She carefully ripped open the package, her expression broadened after she rested her eyes on the fifty-dollar Barnes & Nobles gifted card that protruded from the envelope.

"Paloma told us how much you like to read so we figured this was a safe choice," Ross surmised. "I know it's not much, but—."

"No," Quinn interrupted with a smile. "It's perfect. Seriously, thanks."

Ross nodded his head and smiled sheepishly before looking on as Ava passed the girl a small box.

"Happy birthday, kid."

Quinn removed the top from the box and lifted the silver necklace into the air.

"It has your initials on it, I figured you'd like it. And...it's real so, no worries there," Ava chuckled.

"It's amazing, Ava, really. Thank you," the girl retorted with a sincere smile.

Paloma rested her eyes on the mahogany-haired woman and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Yeah, it is." She discretely placed her hand over Ava's and gave her a small smile. "That's really thoughtful of you."

Ava gave her a pointed look before gently pulling her hand out from beneath Paloma's.

The brunette sighed in defeat before forcing a small smile on her face. "I guess I'm next."

The redhead smirked and took the lengthy envelope from the woman. She reached inside, her eyebrows instantly lifted in surprise once she pulled the small key from the package.

"Oh my God!" Quinn shrieked. "A key? You didn't!" she yelled in disbelief.

Paloma matched her expression. "What, buy you a car?"

The girl nodded her head vigorously.

The brunette smiled broadly before bursting out into laughter. "No, I didn't! But...it's a spare key to my car. You can take it out every now and again, but if you even get a scratch on it, I'll hunt you down and kick your ass," Paloma chuckled.

Quinn playfully rolled her chocolate eyes and joined in on the laughter that erupted throughout the home. "Thanks." She reached her digits further into the envelope and pulled out the bills that were furrowed deep within it. "Holy crap."

"I couldn't think of anything else to get you so, I figured I couldn't go wrong with cash."

"You were right," the teenager smirked.

Charlie smiled and removed himself from the table before scurrying towards the front door. Quinn furrowed her brow once the boy leaned outside, ensuring that his actions were shielded by the door.

"Okay, you ready for my gift?" he queried.

Quinn vigorously nodded her head, anticipation gnawing away at her.

"Alright, here we go." Charlie's smile broadened as he walked towards his girlfriend.

The redhead's mouth instantly became agape, the small puppy that squirmed around in the boy's arms silenced her completely, but only for a moment.

Charlie grimaced ever so slightly after Quinn sprang from her seat and produced a cochlea shattering scream.

"Can I hold it!" she pleaded.

The boy giggled at the girl's excitement and passed her the light gray puppy. Its soft, thick coat ticked Quinn's skin as she lifted it into the air. She cooed once the dog gently gnawed on her fingers.

"She's a Siberian husky," Charlie relayed with a smile.

Quinn studied the mesmerizing almond-shaped eyes that stared back at her. One was breathtakingly blue, the type of blue that the ocean produces once the moonlight reflects against the waves, the other a warm, inviting brown. "She has two different colored eyes," she observed with a grin.

"Yeah, she's considered bi-eyed. I thought it'd be hard to pick one from an entire liter but as soon as I saw her, I knew she'd be perfect for you," the boy assured. "She's only eight weeks old."

Paloma joined the small crowd that surrounded Quinn as they looked on in adoration. "So, you like her?"

"Yeah." The teenager furrowed her brow once the woman calmly stroked the dog's fur. "Wait...did you know about this?"

Paloma scoffed, "Of course. Charlie asked me about this like...a month ago."

Quinn gently pressed her lips to the top of the dog's head and rocked her gently. She laughed once the puppy stuck its tongue out and licked the tip of her nose in response. "And you hid it that long?"

"Trust me, we wanted to tell you so many times," the brunette chuckled.

"Was she outside this entire time?" Quinn inquired.

"Nah, my grampa just dropped her off for me," Charlie assured. "So, what are you gonna name her?"

For a second, the redhead furrowed her brow in thought, however, after a few moments, her broad smile returned. "Siberia."

Ava snickered, "Siberia the Siberian husky?"

Quinn immediately nodded. "It's fitting don't you think?"

Paloma chuckled, "Yeah...it is."

"I love my gift." Quinn carefully adjusted the dog in her arms and looked towards her boyfriend, her adoring brown eyes meeting his forest green ones. "Thank you."

Charlie pulled her into a gentle hug and smiled once the girl rested her head on his chest, the puppy squirming against his midsection. "No problem."

Did anyone else fall a little bit more in love with Charlie after this chapter? I hope y'all enjoyed the fluff. Thanks for reading! 🤗