Ineffable

44 | I BRING DELIVERIES FROM THE SURPRISE STORE

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special song recommendation for this chapter: let me down slowly by Alec Benjamin

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Iris

"...Uncle Steve, remember your fishing rod? Iris was the one who broke it and hid in it in the basement!"

I gape at my idiot of a brother as he is telling everyone my worst moments like I had done on his birthday in January. "Caleb!" I try to close his mouth with my hand but he squirms away.

"Iris, you did that?" Dad looks at me, surprised.

"Sorry, dad! Caleb, don't you—"

Caleb sighs, dramatically, "Oh, I remember the day Iris snooped out of the house to go to a club at two am because the club was handing out 5SOS merch and posters only to find them selling Justin Bieber's ones!"

Everyone starts to laugh while I glare at him.

"I didn't know, Milady, you were such a rebel!" Adi says and I scowl.

"It was written on a blog!" I defend myself, making Colt laugh. "Don't you laugh! You were the one who made fake ids for both of us."

"What?" Alya, Colt's Mom, and my dearest Mother ask, looking between their children. Colt and I shrink back, a bit, at their stare.

Alya says to Colt, "We are going to have a long talk, young man."

"Iris!" Colt glares at me.

"What? You are going down with me, too!" I reply to him, giving him a dry look.

In our backyard, the lights are hung on the taller trees, across each other, and a huge banner wishing me a happy birthday. Upon a long carpet, a long table, decorated with flowers and candles, is set with pillows near it and all of us are now eating dinner – actually, finished eating it as we are on dessert.

Except for Mr. Radcliffe and Sam (who has apologized to me a lot of times for not coming to the party because he has a paper pending), all of the Radcliffe family is here along with my family and friends.

I want to talk to Noah but it is so difficult to talk with him when people are surrounding me with hugs and wishes.

I steal a glance at Noah.

He is sitting diagonally to me and between Amelia and Tiffany, who is stroking Yeti's fur. He is, apparently, rolling his eyes at something Chris and Adi are talking about.

He has worn a white tee under his blue plaid shirt, rolled to his elbows, with denim pants and black Vans. His chocolate hair is messy but shines under the lights. He looks good, nevertheless.

When he starts to turn, I look away, quickly.

"One thing I am really happy about there are no balloons," Colt says, interrupting my thoughts.

I roll my eyes. "Of course, only you will have an enmity with balloons."

Then, Victoria says, sitting next to him, "He is upset that he didn't get to know about the plans."

"That I am," Colt grumbles.

Alyssa tells me, "When Adi told us he wanted to take you to meet his mom—who is amazing, by the way—"

"I know! She is so cool!" I agree with her.

Adi scoffs. "She just loves you both more than me." Alyssa and I share a smile, not denying it, and Adi complains, "Oh, come on!"