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☾A L I Q U I S☽
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Evelyn, happy birthday to you!"
Muffled cheering and kazoos make Evelyn pry the covers from over her face, yawning as she squints at the sudden noise. Two dozen faces beam back at her, old and young alike, enthusiastic smiles etched onto their lips. Evelyn bolts up, cheeks reddening at the sudden crowd. "W-wha—"
"Happy 18th birthday, honey," Eva pipes up from the edge of her bed, holding a chocolate cupcake topped with a candle. Evelyn drags a hand through her hair, aware she must look like a mess with bleary eyes and bed head hair, and smiles at the sight of her relatives. "Blow the candle, Evie."
Evelyn's smile widens at the nickname, and she huffs out a breath, blowing the candle and leaving a tiny trail of smoke. Everyone cheers, the sound of clapping filling the room.
Eva moves forward to kiss her forehead while Charlie ruffles her hair playfully. "My little girl's all grown up now," Charlie sighs, a wistful smile on his face. Evelyn rolls her eyes, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Oh, c'mon, Dad, not this again. You do it every year—"
"But it's true!"
"Alright, everyone, let the birthday girl get dressed," Eva announces, opening the door and bustling everyone through it.
Evelyn watches in bewilderment as her relatives wish her happy birthday as they exit the room.
Eva blows her a kiss and Charlie throws her a wink before she's left alone in her room.
"Well," she whispers to herself, staring at the closed door opposite the room. "Today's going to be interesting."
∞
Evelyn looks beautiful.
Her dark hair is flowing over her shoulders in loose curls, framing her petite face. A single layer of black mascara brings out her green-blue eyes. She's wearing a blue dress with an open back that reaches up to her waist, and a crisscrossed front that shows slivers of her light skin. All this was Eva's doing, while Evelyn had begged for the pair of Vans.
"Oh, dearie, you look simply astounding!" Evelyn's grand-aunt - Idalia - exclaims, holding out her hands to take Evelyn's as she admires her dress.
Evelyn blushes, her face glowing with happiness. "Aw, thank you, Ides," she says, kissing her on the cheek.
As if a massive breakfast wasn't enough, Eva planned an equally extravagant lunch at a pretty café called 'The Tea Tree Garden'. Despite its odd name, it has a woodsy cozy interior with windows overlooking the sea harbor, the sound of gentle chatter and the sea mingling.
Eva reserved a large area - big enough for a hundred people sitting down - for this afternoon, a good distance away from the main café hall. Evelyn didn't know they did reservations but then again, you can do anything when you're rich and persuasive.
