EVA KNEW SHE SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO JEREMIAH BUT SHE HAD JUST AVOID HIM. Several days had passed since the party and she had spoken as little as possible to Jeremiah, although he tried to start the discussion. She was just too embarrassed. Everyone had seen that something was happening because their inseparable duo was no more.

     Gaby had tried to convince her to talk to him but she didn't know what to tell him and was just afraid of embarrassing herself even more. She felt so uncomfortable for being so drunk in front of him and telling him she was in love with him.

     Even Steven had told her to go talk to him.

"You know, I don't know what happened between you guys but I just want it to go back to the way it was before." he had said one day when they had gone to the beach together.

"It'll be okay." she replied, more to convince herself than him.

"I need my favorite duo back. It's like Dean Martin without Jerry Lewis. Or Steve without Robin. Or Joey without Chandler. Or-"

"I get it, Steven." interrupted Eva. "I know. I'll talk to him. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

"Don't wait to much then."

     She had gone out with Eliott several times and she found him very nice, but she didn't want anything more than friendship with him. Her heart beat for another guy.

      Today was the 4th of July which meant that the dads were coming and that it was the twins' birthday. Eva came down to the kitchen just as Susannah was saying that Steven would have to take Belly to the ball if she didn't invite Cameron.

"No way, I'm going with Shayla." he told her.

"To the debutantes ball?" Laurel wondered.

"Yeah."

"As an escort?"

"Yeah. Shayla is coming over today with Nicole, Meredith and Gigi so you'll meet her."

"Look who's here." Suz sang when she saw the girl.

"Happy birthday!" everyone screamed and she chuckled.

      Everyone hugged her and she sat at the table to eat her breakfast, listening halfheartedly as the mothers told them that John - Belly and Steven's father - would be sleeping here with his new girlfriend Victoria, and that Jeremiah and Conrad's father couldn't come. Frank - Eva and Louis' father - was always on the road for his job but the Fourth of July was always a somewhat way to reunite them all together. It was a tradition.

     After Louis came downstairs and they wished him a happy birthday, everyone went into the living room to open the presents. Like every year, the twins sat face to face on the sofa to open their present first. Eva held out her gift with a big smile.

"Open mine first."

     Louis smiled as he took the present and tore off the paper.

"Oh God, you did not." he laughed.

"What's this?" Belly asked, leaning forward to try to see.

     Louis chuckled as he took the sweatshirt out of its box. He showed them and everyone could read the inscription on it. 'I have the best sister in the world.'

     Everyone laughed and Louis folded up the sweater kissing his sister on the cheek.

"Thank you. Don't take too much confidence though."

     He then handed her his present and she smiled as she opened it. She gasped as she saw what was inside.

"Oh my God, I love you! I wanted it so bad!" she exclaimed, releasing the complete skins series on DVD.

"I know, I saw you, you were practically drooling on it at the store last time so I went back to buy it for you." laughed his brother.

"Thank you so so so so much." she said hugging him.

     Everyone then gave them their present. Eva received a frame, painting, music and a dress while Louis discovered a new guitar from the boys who had clubbed together to offer him and new clothes from the mothers.

     Jeremiah handed his gift to Eva and she made an effort to look him in the eye to smile before quickly looking back down at the present. She opened it and smiled, seeing what was inside. It was a photo album.

     She opened it to the first page and read the little note there. 'I wanted something to show you how much I love you and I thought, what could be better than retracing all our best memories from the beginning? Happy birthday, Vava, I love you. Jer <3"

     She looked up at him and he smiled at her. She smiled back and started flipping through the notebook and everyone leaned over to look at the pictures with her.

     There were pictures of them when they were children. On the beach, cooking, dancing, holding hands, cuddling. She was smiling more and more as she looked at the different photos. There were the ones from the year before, one where she was on Jeremiah's back and hugging him, they were both smiling. The next photo had been taken a few seconds apart, she had fallen off his back and he had helped her up and she noticed at that moment, the way they were looking at each other. She looked at him like he was the eighth wonder of the world. But what struck her about this photo was that it was mutual. Jeremiah's gaze was soft, caring. It even seemed... in love.

"I love it. Thank you." she told him.

"You're welcome." he replied.

"Go get ready before the fathers arrived." Susannah said while the twins put away their presents.

      Eva went up to her room and put on a long, low-cut, yellow summer dress. The dress fell to her ankles but nicely emphasized her hips. She let her hair rest on her shoulders but tied it with two barrettes so as not to have locks in front of her eyes.

      Eva adored her father. And to be honest, it made her sad never to see him. She loved being with him. She had more in common with him than with her mother. Her mother appreciated her art but just visually. Her father understood it. It was an important difference. Sometimes she felt like he was the only one who really understood her.

      The mothers called the kids. John and Victoria had arrived. While they were talking to them on the porch, the seven children approached the door to look out the window.

"She's hot!" Jeremiah exclaimed.

"Dude!" Steven told him.

"I was just saying what we were all thinking."

"I wasn't thinking that." Belly declared.

"They could be their future step-mom." Conrad smiled.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"Hey, don't push me!" he told Steven.

"They're coming, they're coming!" Jeremiah exclaimed. "Go, go, go."

      The others ran away to let Belly and Steven welcome their father. The mothers gathered in the kitchen with the rest of the children waiting for them to join them. They heard a few snippets of the discussion between John and his children and they joined them in the kitchen shortly after.

"Look who just arrived!" John exclaimed as he entered the kitchen, followed by Henry.

"Dad!" exclaimed Eva jumping up from her chair to throw herself on him.

"My little princess! Happy birthday!" he smiled, twirling her around him. He put her back on the ground and looked her up and down. "Look at you, you become more beautiful every time I see you."

      She giggled as she hugged him again. Louis approached in turn to kiss his father, and then came the turn of Caroline.

"Hey, Caro."

"Henry." she said with a nod.

      Their children alternated looking at each other but luckily someone rang the bell. Since Jimmy's death, there were some problems in their relationship. They barely spoke to each other.

"Eva and Louis, this is for you." Susannah said with a smile.

      Suddenly, a group of people rushed into the room and yelled "Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my God." Eva laughed as she rushed over her friends.

      She threw herself into the arms of Gaby and Evan, her two best friends, before hugging the two others, followed by Louis.

"I thought you were coming alone!" she said to Gaby.

"Yeah, as if we're gonna miss your birthday!" sneered Andrew, ruffling her hair.

"Stop!" she laughed trying to push his hand away.

"I can't believe you're finally seventeen. My babies are growing up so fast." Gaby joked, wiping away a fake tear.

     Eva stuck her tongue out at her but still wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head on her shoulder, delighted to find her best friend.

     The door bell rang again.

"The debs are here." Laurel announced.

☆

      The day had already started well and Eva had avoided Jeremiah for the time being. She was so ashamed of having behaved like this that she was too uncomfortable to talk to him now. She had chatted with Meredith, with the rest of the debutantes, with her father and her brother, but she hadn't exchanged a word with Jere.

     Louis had invited Jonathan to spend the day with them. He had told his sister that they were dating but he hadn't told his parents or his friends yet. They were almost all sat on the sand. Eva and Louis had introduced their school friends to their summer friends and everyone seemed to get along.

"And I present the Belly Special!" Belly exclaimed, joining her with a red drink.

"Hey, guys, check who's here!" Jeremiah screamed, running over them with Cam.

"Cam!" Belly yelled.

      Jeremiah clapped Steven and Louis' hands before dropping between Eva and Gigi.

"What is that?" Cameron asked Belly.

"It's pomegranate margharita."

"Calm down, Conrad, it's not a race."

"Yeah, save some for the rest of us, please." Jere laughed.

"Wait, wait, wait, and what if it was a race?" Belly asked. "I mean, isn't that the principle of every drinking game?"

"You wanna play a drinking game?" Gigi laughed.

"Why not? I mean, it's the Fourth of July!"

     The others exchanged an amused look but agreed. Andrew offered to play truth or dare, and if we refused to answer the question, we drank. Everyone nodded in agreement and the game quickly started. People were drinking more and more as the minutes go by. And everything was fine, until this question.

"Jeremiah, truth or dare?" Gaby asked.

"Dare?" he said, unsure of what Eva's best friend would ask him.

"Kiss on the cheek your favorite person here."

     Jeremiah seemed to hesitate one moment, not knowing if he should really do this but he finally leaned over Eva and gently kissed her cheek. She blushed and looked down when some of their friends gasped 'ooooh' with an knowing tone. Even Gigi didn't seem that upset.

     The game continued for several minutes and everyone continued to drink. But Eva didn't look at Jeremiah, not even once.

— eva's oblivious