Forbidden Love

Chapter 12

Maya

"Who wants to go first?" Tori asked excitedly with her microphone in her hand. We were at a private karaoke bar for Anna's 17th birthday. None of us could sing, which made the night hilarious. Camille volunteered to open with 'My heart will go on'; it was quite the show. We all cheered her on and laughed as she butchered the high notes.

I was sitting on one of the couches next to Anna, and our knees brushed together occasionally, our eyes meeting for a second every time. "Okay, my turn," she said while jumping up. "Yes! Go birthday girl" Theo exclaimed while she chose her song. Our options were limited as they only had the basics, but we made the best of it. The opening to "I will always love you" started playing as I admired Anna's outfit. She was wearing a black skirt and a rose-coloured top with a few rhinestones on it. Her blond hair fell loosely around her shoulders, which framed her beautiful face.

Throughout the song, she looked over at me a few times when the chorus came along, and I blushed when our eyes met. She finished the song on a high note and sat next to me again. Out of the 6 of us, I'd say she's the best singer, but I might be a little biased. "Who wants to sing a duet with me?" Tori asked when it was her turn. "I will" me and Melody answered at the same time. "Okay, let's make it a trio then." she laughed. We sang quite a few more songs, and before we knew it, our session was over.

Anna's dad came to pick us up, and we headed to Anna's house for a sleepover. We were cramped together uncomfortably for the 30-minute ride. We poured out of the car when we arrived and went inside. Anna's step-mom decorated their living room for the party and it was so beautiful. She brought mattresses and laid them out on the floor. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling and a table was set up with snacks. Popcorn, chips, sodas and candy were carefully placed on a pink tablecloth covered in confetti.

Anna

"Thank you so much, Kayla. I really love it" I thanked my step-mom with a big hug. Everyone put their bags in the corner of the room, and we sat down on the mattresses. "Movies, board games or cake first?" my dad asked excitedly. We all agreed on board games and my dad brought out 'Cluedo'. Maya and I played it all the time, so we were definitely going to crush them all. Maya quickly explained the rules to the others and we started the game. They quickly got the hang of it and we were having so much fun. After 20 minutes, I was sure I knew the answers and moved to the middle of the board.

"I think it was Peacock with the dagger in the kitchen," I said confidently. Maya handed me the envelope which contained the answers and I looked at the cards. "Damn, I was way off." I laughed. I really thought I had it. "Aww, you're out. Better luck next time." Theo teased. They kept playing and Camille ended up winning. "Not bad for a beginner" I praised. We played '30 seconds' next and Maya and I won. "You cheated" Tori complained when her team came in last place. "No. You're just a sore loser" I joked.

We played some card games and then my dad brought the cake. It was red velvet, my favourite, with pink and purple icing spelling out 'Anna is 17' with little red fondant roses. "Michael and I made it yesterday," Kayla said proudly. "It's beautiful" I thanked her while my dad lit the 17 candles. "Happy birthday to you." they all started singing. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Anna. Happy birthday to you." they finished as I blew out my candles and made a wish. My dad handed me a knife and I cut slices for everyone. It's always been our family tradition for the birthday person to cut the cake and get the first bite.

"It's so good. Thank you again Mrs Canning" Melody exclaimed with a mouthful of cake. "Thank you!" we all said in unison. "It's a pleasure, you guys," she answered. "We love you, Anna, and we are so proud of you." my dad said, tearing up a bit. We finished our cake and settled in as we started watching a movie. My dad and Kayla said goodnight and went to bed.

Maya

We were halfway into the movie when Anna announced that she needed to go to the bathroom. "Me too," I said and stood up with her. We walked down the hallway to the bathroom, trying not to wake Michael when we passed his room. "Do you really need to go to the bathroom or do you just want to see me?" she flirted after she closed the door. "Both" I admitted, blushing a bit. I joked about her losing at her favourite game earlier as I finished, and she joked back about my 'terrible' singing abilities.

She was headed towards the door when I took her hand and spun her around. "You looked so beautiful tonight," I admitted softly. "So did you," she answered, looking into my eyes. "Can I kiss you?" I asked shyly as I held her gaze. She nodded her head eagerly, and I closed the gap between us. When her soft lips met mine, it was like magic. I'd waited for this moment for years, and I could not believe that it was actually happening. I wrapped my arms around her neck to bring her closer to me, and she tangled her fingers into my hair. The kiss started gently but became more passionate quickly and it was perfect. It felt right.

I forgot about the world around me and the fact that we were making out in her bathroom in the middle of her birthday party. We were rudely interrupted when Camille yelled something about the good part of the moving coming up from the living room. We pulled away from each other and I whispered 'I love you' while we exited the bathroom and headed back to our friends.

"Were you guys making out in there?" Melody asked suspiciously with a smirk on her face as we returned. "No," we both said at the same time. "Sure. That was very convincing." she joked, still wearing a smirk. We watched the rest of the movie while stealing glances at each other. I could not stop thinking about that kiss. That amazing kiss.