To Live Forever

Chapter 35

"Wait, what?"

"Um...sorry?"

"So, wait. You're saying that you had your birthday two weeks ago, and you didn't even tell us?" Max was asking, his face scrunched in betrayal as he stared at Jason's culpable face.

"Well, its not my fault, Max. With everything going on, I couldn't just come to you guys and say, hey! Its my birthday! Want to party?"

Max rolled his eyes as Aria and Nathan laughed, both finding the situation quite funny. Maybe they needed a good laugh, the past few days had been too...dark. With the gang's leader and second in command in and out for meetings with the High Quarter, Nathan and Hayden working on the plans, scrutinizing every little detail from the CCTV cameras of the places where the kidnappings and murders were occuring. Tyler was out of his usual lazy, I'll-do-it-later vibe, now he stayed up late, trying to run through every element in all the crime scenes, making a completely new game plan whenever he saw a different aspect in anything.

Jason thought that he was, how to put it nicely, a little...useless.

He stayed with the members, trying to find any sort of labour that he could do. But it all was a little overwhelming for him. The way all the people around him were working nonstop, being completely serious in every minor, even meaningless thing they did, highlighting the most trivial things in hope that they would find anything worthy from it.

No such luck, till now.

"Well. We're celebrating." Hayden announced.

Jason scratched his ear, "I don't know, Hayden. I, um, maybe later, yeah? Its just...with all that's going around...its going to be weird."

Hayden pursed his lip, thinking it over, "Well. How about we get drunk, at least? Just for tonight. Let's just forget for a while, yeah?"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, count me out."

Aria got up as well, and Jason frowned, feeling let down.

"I'd prefer sleeping peacefully, thank you. You all have fun, okay?" She squeezed Jason's hand, and followed Nathan upstairs.

"Let's wait for Noah and Logan.
They need alcohol as well." Max said as Tyler was pouring a glass. Tyler paused as he contemplated waiting for the leaders and then stared at Max, downing the glass defiantly.

Max rolled his eyes as the front door opened and the two familiar faces entered, looking worn out and overworked. Jason felt himself getting sad as he saw Noah's face, the eye bags visible and his complexion paler than his usual beautiful sunkissed tan.

Max told them of the occasion, making Jason flush as the both of them congratulated him for his birthday and then agreed on having alcohol, which made Tyler groan out a 'yes!'.

Max poured glasses for all the boys, clinking them and Jason sighed deeply before drinking the wine.

He made a face, hearing all of them laugh at him as Max poured him another glass and he drank that one too, not knowing how many glasses they had drunk until he was laughing at Tyler as he chicken danced all the way to the kitchen to get more wine.

***

Aria heard a knock on her bedroom door.

She opened an eye, grumbling at whoever was disturbing her sleep. She looked to the side to see that if was almost three o'clock in the morning.

Oh, for god's sake, she thought as the knock sounded again, and she yawned slightly, going to open the door.

There stood Jason, in all his naked glory, well half naked.