Still Holding On

fifty-four

There were candles spread all around the floor. The wooden floor creaked just the way it did years ago. I hadn't been here in six years, yet nothing felt different.

Frames hung down the wall. Most of them were old but some were new.

I touched one of them. The picture inside was of a little baby held by a lady sitting on the floor. It was me. In mom's arms. In this house.

I looked at the frame next to it. It was me and Allan. Nishi clicked this picture on Halloween. I held Allan by his waist, looking at him as he laughed with his eyes closed. It was an amazing candid.

"When the fuck did you do all of this?" I was excited and shocked all at once. 

"Well, It wasn't exactly me." He slid his arm around mine and leaned on my shoulder, looking up at me. "I mean I wanted to do something so I asked Emily to help me and Emily thought this would be a good idea and then she got your dad and Nancy on it too." I looked into his eyes. We stood there, just like that, for a minute.

"Dad did this?" I asked.

"Yeah! Part of it." He answered. "Come! You have a lot more to be surprised of." He wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled me towards the kitchen.

The kitchen looked exactly the same as it did six years ago—Gray cupboards with the same old hinges making that creaking noise. A black marble top table with fancy white chairs around it. And the pictures clipped down on the refrigerator.

There were eight bags aligned on the tabletop. "What're these?"

"Those are for later. Eight bags with eight gifts for your eighteenth birthday." Allan explained.

"Why so many?" I was shocked about the whole surprise thing but I was somewhat expecting a huge gesture cus well, it's Allan. Everything he does has to be a big deal or it just isn't like him.

"You'll understand." He walked to the other marble top and took out two aprons from the cabins below it. "We have to bake a cake."

"Why would I possibly want to bake a cake for my own birthday?" I asked, trying not to show excitement.

"Well, I clearly ran out of activities to do with my boyfriend a day before his birthday so is baking a cake with him for his own birthday such a bad option?" He spoke as he assembled the measurement cup and bowls in order on the table. "Oh and also cus your dad, Nancy, and the kids are coming for dinner."

"Why?" I didn't exactly sound excited about that.

"Jace! You're genuinely being stupid." He threw the apron at me with wide eyes. "Wear it, shut up, and help."

"Sorry I don't sound grateful for my dad putting in effort into something related to me? If that's what you wanna hear then well, good luck." I put the apron on as I walked towards him. I slid my hands around his waist as I moved closer to him. Our chests were close. Our faces, even more.

"You know we could do something else. We probably have beds in here." I looked into his eyes and smiled as he looked into mine.

He suddenly kissed me. We made out for a while but he leaned out of it. "We have your birthday cake to bake, babe." He said and we got to it.

---❁---

"But weren't you gonna bake a cake, Allan?" Mom asked him as I came in to take the food we ordered to the backyard.

"Mom cut him some slack." I interrupted. "Cut us some slack."

"Give me the plates!" Nishi walked into the kitchen and took the plates from Allan. "You've been doing awfully a lot of work for a lazy ass like yours so just go and relax dude!" 

"Oh, I'll agree. He's been doing a lot." I chimed in, giving him a wicked little smile. 

"Shut up already!" He side-eyed us while placing the cupcakes on the tiers of the large fountain cupcake tray.

"Allan I'll do this." Mom took the cupcake from his hand. "Go out and chill. Alright?"

"Alright." He sighed and nodded.

Allan was upset we couldn't bake the cake.

We ended up talking about things I did here as a kid after we put the cake in the oven. But well we somehow didn't hear the timer go off and we eventually ended up burning it. And then laughing about how stupid and clumsy we were when we got the flour all over ourselves in a rush.

So we decided to make cupcakes with all the ingredients that were left out. And actually pay attention to the timer this time. They turned out pretty dope. 

"Do we still need a cake? I'm pretty sure someone could get it for us." Nancy asked as Allan and I walked into the yard.

"No. I guess the cupcakes will be fine." I explained. "And it's anyways 11 so I don't think we'd get one anywhere."

"The cupcakes are gonna be enough, you kids!" Aunt Olivia came and stood next to me and Allan. Nancy flinched at Olivia's sight. For some reason aunt Olivia and Nancy never got along.

The yard was glowing with golden light bulbs hanging above our heads. It was starting to get a little cold so dad suggested we started a bonfire after 12. There was a huge dinner table set for everyone. At first, I only knew that dad, Nancy and the kids were coming for dinner. But mom, Nishi, Mrs. Bahl, Cole, his parents, Allan's parents, Carli and Mrs. Montell, Jessica and Maddy and Bram and Ali and Ashley all came to surprise me along with Row.

"What the fuck is Ashley doing here?" I asked Allan when she came in.

"I invited her. She's been trying to be nice. I'm just giving it a chance." He said.

"But are you okay with it?" I asked.

"Yeah, Jace. I'm fine with it. It's okay!"

We walked to the other portion of the huge dinner table.

"Aren't you funny!" Ashley had Nathan in her arms as she sat there giggling and enjoying with him.

"Never knew you were good with kids, Ashley." Allan spoke from next to me.

"I didn't either." Nishi spoke up from the back.

"He's cute!" Ashley said after Nathan blushed and ran away like the little kid he is.

"She knows she can't kiss him, right?" Nishi was being sarcastic and to be honest, I was enjoying it. 

"She does!" Ashley answered and laughed it off. That was unsual. She'd make a fuss out of it. But she didn't. We all laughed.

❁❁❁

Sorry for the late update!!
THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR 1.68K AAAH!
I'm really excited for EVERY bit of the next chapters.
Don't forget to vote doe–

<3