𝖿𝖺𝗋 𝖺𝗐𝖺𝗒 - 𝖼.𝗒

♥︎♡ ! >﹏< 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟱𝟯 !

my eyes don't know what to address first. all of my friends are adorned in comfy clothes like tracks and lazy shorts, oversized t-shirts and hoodies. then in the back corner of the garden, a sheet has been thrown over the hedge neatly, with a projector pointing towards it. there are all sorts of blankets and pillows and fairy lights strewn all over the place, and there's a cool box filled with drinks. the garden table's got a load of bowls filled with all manor of sweet treats. how did this even happen without me realising it? is this why the girls suggested going out after school? so yeonjun could set everything up here while we were gone? that would explain why he was waiting at the door for me, bringing me straight upstairs so i couldn't see what was going on in the garden. oh my god. oh my god!

i lift my hand to my mouth, covering my stupid smile as everyone comes racing at me. i'm smacked into by a load of hugs. everyone is here - liv, taehyun, kai, soobin. all six of my british bunch (daeun, jayden, landon, emma, william and rachel). then there are their partners (kendall, rhian, natalie, erik, justin, brad). i'm not close with them all but we all get along just fine so it's a nice surprise to have them all here. i'm glad i don't see a particular little someone, known as elena.

"surprise!"

"happy birthday!"

"look at her face - she didn't have a clue!"

"how's it going birthday girl!"

"you have any idea how much effort it took to keep jayden quiet?" landon laughs, while jayden pathetically makes a 'what? that's not true?' face but gives up because it quite clearly is.

"i almost accidentally gave it away like three times." daeun laughs.

"come on! we've got movies set up and everything!"

"a peach bellini with raspberries for the birthday girl." landon says, handing me a very fancy looking glass, knowing my favourite drink.

i'm still smiling in the shock of it all before turning over my shoulder to see yeonjun. he's just observing it all while leant against the doorframe with a small smile. clearly he's feeling a bit too shy to get into all the noise and hustle. when he notices me look back to him, there's a twinkle in his eyes, and his smile seems slightly sweeter. i feel all giddy, and am dragged over to the whole blanket/projector/snacks set up.

the whole evening is, quite simply, amazing. i couldn't have dreamed of anything better.

as it's a school night, people have been gradually leaving, wishing me final birthday wishes and thanking yeonjun for his fine hosting. the sunset has faded behind the house, and the stars are beginning to glint up above. we say goodbye to daeun, kendall and soobin who are last to leave, and yeonjun closes the garden gate behind them, turning back to me.

i just smile at him. "this day has been the best." i say to him simply. "thank you so much." i say with a little laugh.

he smiles to me. "it doesn't have to be over yet." he says with a gentle kind of smile.

i feel a swirling inside, and i smile up at him.

moments later, the two of us are lying on the trampoline, surrounded by blankets and cushions. we're staring up at the stars in silence. i reckon if we were deep into the city, we wouldn't have this view. there'd probably be too much air pollution to see the stars very early, but on the outskirts here, we can just about make out the small sparkling specks in the huge open sky above.

"crazy how small you feel when you think about how huge the sky seems." says his quiet, low voice.

as i look up into the endless void, i'm picking at the frayed edges of one of the blankets. "yeah." i say quietly. "makes you feel so insignificant."