Fake Smiles

#37: Birthday

Grayson woke up early in excitement. Today was December 16th; Ethan's and Grayson's birthday. Grayson got out of bed and woke Ethan up. He jumped on him yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Ethan moved around and tried to go back to sleep. Grayson left the room and returned with the presents. "Present Time!" He exclaimed as he sat in Ethan's bed.

They opened all the presents and cards before getting breakfast. But being the immature 16 year olds they are, they didn't cook themselves breakfast. Instead, they ate whatever was in the cupboards. Grayson was looking through his social media when he got a text.

My wold 🌎
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎂

Grayson
Thank you 😗❤

He ate his breakfast and then went into his room. He lay in bed as he thanked everyone for wishing him and Ethan a Happy Birthday. He didn't realise he fell asleep until Ethan tried to wake him up. But he went back sleep. A couple minutes later - two hours - he felt someone kiss his head. He opened his eyes to see Lily smiling at him. He smiled as he pulled her into his bed.

"Happy Birthday" she said as she kissed him. He smiled through the kiss. They broke apart and cuddled in bed together. They didn't speak to each other; they didn't look at each other. They lay in each others embrace. "Shall I cook you and Ethan a special birthday meal?" Lily asked. She looked up into Grayson's eyes.

He smiled at her as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'd love that". They both got out his bed and walked to the kitchen. Lily began to cook the special meal while Grayson went to Ethan. He opened Ethan's door to see him editing. Ethan stopped and faced Grayson as he entered the room. Grayson smiled as he said, "Hey. Lily said she's going to cook us a special birthday meal".

Ethan smiled with joy as he saved and logged off. "Good! I'm starving!" He turned serious. "We really need to learn how to cook. It's ridiculous how we're 16 and don't know how to cook!" Grayson pulled a shocked and offended expression.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "I can cook!" Ethan gave him a 'really' look. "I'm just not very good" he added. The twins smiled at each other before going to the kitchen. As they entered, they could smell something amazing. They saw Lily cooking at the stove.

Lily smiled as she saw them enter. "Happy Birthday Ethan!"

"Thank you" he replied as he sat on the couch. The twins waited for their special meal to be done. It was lunch when Lily had placed the plates at the table.

The three of them spent the day doing random things to entertain themselves. They all had a game of Mario Karts; Grayson won every time. Lily had ordered pizza while the twins chose a movie to watch. Lily had ordered three pizzas: two pineapple pizzas and one cheese.

It was getting late when Lily was about to leave the apartment. Before she could reach the door, Grayson blocked her path. She crossed her arms over her chest while she waited for him to explain what he was doing. He held her waist as he looked into her eyes.

"Stay the night?" He asked. Lily sighed as she rolled her eyes. He's always asking for  her to stay the night. "Please?! For my birthday?!" She smiled as she kissed him. A gorgeous smile formed on his lips.

"I'll text my mom now" Lily said as she got her phone.

Lily
can i stay @ Gray's tonight?

Mom ❤
yeah

Lily didn't expect her mom to reply so quick. But she smiled when she saw she was allowed. Lily gave Grayson a huge smile as she said, "I'm staying!" Grayson hugged her tight while kissing her forehead. Lily hugged back.

"Shall we continue watching the movie?" Grayson asked while leading her to the couch. The three of them sat down and ate pizza while watching multiple movies. Eventually, all of them were falling asleep on the couch. Lily slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep on Grayson's shoulder. Soon, she felt herself being carried and being placed in a bed.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist as someone - Grayson - got in bed with her. She smiled as she cuddled close to the person. A small kiss was planted on the top of her head as she drifted off to a deep sleep.

Lily woke up in the middle of the night struggling to breathe. Quickly, she sat up in bed. She breathed in as much air as she could. She felt soft hands on her shoulders. Followed by Grayson's tender voice. "Lily? What's wrong?" He urgently asked.

Without hesitation, Grayson carried her out the bed. She had her left hand on her chest while her right hand was gripping Grayson's shirt. Grayson ran to the hospital; screaming for help as he ran into the building. Lily was taken away to be helped. Grayson took this opportunity to call Lily's parents.

A few minutes later, they arrived. They ran towards Grayson. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" Mrs Lovegood asked as she worriedly looked at Grayson.

"I don't know" he replied, truly heartbroken. "We were sleeping when she woke up gasping for air. I didn't know what to do and I started to panic, so I came here. I am so sorry, this is all my fault! This might not have happened if I didn't ask her to stay the night. I did this to her". He was on the verge of tears.

Mrs Lovegood pulled him into a motherly embrace. "It wasn't your fault! Don't blame yourself! Stay strong for Lily. She needs us right now. You couldn't have done anything else to save her. You brought her here. You saved her, Grayson. She's very lucky to have you".

"I'm pretty sure I'm the lucky one to have found Lily" Grayson corrected. "I have no idea what I'd do without her. She always knows how to make me smile and laugh. You have an amazing daughter. And I'm lucky I get to love her".

They spent a few hours in the waiting room until...