The First Light

Chapter 23 : Koala

Nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks as I sneaked into my home in the middle of the night, the action so familiar. How many times had I sneaked in like this?

Well it was definitely easier since I didn't give my key back because I knew it would be useful precisely for stuff like this. I panted as I dragged in my small luggage bags, two cakes and his birthday gift.

It was always a tradition to cut a secret cake with just me and Wes and then in the morning with our parents. I always wondered if they knew about our secret tradition but if they did they never commented.

Dumping my luggage bag unceremoniously on the foyer and gently placed his gift on the floor before sneaking into the kitchen and placed the second cake in the fridge, taking the first one with me.

I tiptoed into Wes' room and placed the cake on his table and went back to collect his gift. Placing it on the bed beside him, I gently brushed the hair out of his face. It was just yesterday that baby Wes was in my arms for the first time, his face scrunched up in a scowl screaming the house down. I snorted a little when I remembered his little alien face when he was born and now this little guy is turning eleven.

I think the lack of sleep is making me a tad dramatic.

I checked the time again. 11.59 pm. Quickly opening the cake, I lit the candles.

12.00 am.

I jumped on top of the covers, tickling him on the sides. He not so gracefully fell of the bed squealing in a high pitched voice. Yep. That felt oddly satisfying.

"Will?!" He screeched.

"Shhhush, baby monkey. If you yell any louder, you'll wake up Mom and Dad and that would destroy all of my plans for the night."

"What are you doing here?"

"Happy Birthday Wessypoo!!"

"You remembered?"

"Ofcourse. You didn't think I'll break our tradition, did you?" I raised a brow.

He engulfed me in a bear hug, almost tackling me to the bed. "I missed you so much." He whispered, my arms tightening in response when I felt wetness on my shoulder.

"Shuush. It's fine." I murmured rocking him back and forth.

"Come on baby monkey, let's go cut the cake!" I exclaimed and he laughed giddily and bounded towards the cake.

I clapped my hands softly in order not to alert my parents as he cut the cake with a big grin on his face.

"Don't you want your present now?" I asked with a sly smile.

Choosing his gift took a lot of time, I remembered him rambling on about wanting his own guitar and I was first going to buy it too but something told me that my parents probably already took that option as their gift so I got him something he's been asking for two years but my parents refused. They are definitely not going to be happy about it, well what's done is done.

"What did you get me?!" He asked excitedly

"Why don't you go check it?"

He squealed and ripped open the big box in the centre of the room, revealing a big pet carrier and a tiny golden retriever puppy peacefully sleeping inside it. It had taken me a lot of time to select the fluffiest and chubby one out of the lot but this little guy was definitely the cutest.

He looked at the puppy and then at me, silver lining his eyes. "Thank you so much, Will. I love you." He said as he hugged me tight. "I love you, baby monkey. Now tell me what are you going to name him?"