Celestial: Fallen

Chapter 22-Unveiling Secrets

"Good Morning," I heard Mom's voice as I opened the fridge to get some milk. I walked towards her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Morning, Mom," I whispered, pouring the milk into a glass and sitting down.

"I'm preparing some fried rice, hotdogs, and eggs," Mom said.

"It's perfect! Mom, you don't have to stress about what you're gonna feed us; we eat everything, okay?" I smiled at her.

Minutes passed, and I saw Josh and Leroy coming down from upstairs.

"Hey, Mommy! What do we have for breakfast?" Josh greeted my mom, who replied and asked him some things.

Leroy, on the other hand, sat beside me like a zombie—clearly not used to waking up at 8 in the morning.

"So, what are we up to?" Josh asked after sitting beside Leroy with some bread in his hands.

"Well, we can go to the pool at Bran's and Alicia's place?" I suggested, noticing Josh's eyes light up while Leroy smiled and nodded.

"That's fantastic!" Josh replied.

"Yeah, I think so. We just need to wait for them to wake up and have some breakfast before we head over," I said before standing up to help Mom prepare the table.

"What's our plan for your birthday?" Alice asked me during breakfast.

"We should definitely do something fun before you guys leave. Maybe a little party?" I suggested, trying to keep the mood light.

Alice nodded enthusiastically, "I'm in! I'll bake something special for you."

"Yeah, that sounds great! I can help with decorations," I replied, thrilled at the idea.

As breakfast wrapped up, we began brainstorming pool party ideas. "What about a theme?" I suggested, my mind racing with possibilities. "We could do a tropical luau or maybe a retro vibe!"

"Luau sounds awesome!" Josh exclaimed, practically bouncing in his seat. "We can have leis and tropical drinks!"

"And we should definitely have some games," Leroy added, now fully awake. "How about a water balloon toss or a pool volleyball match?"

"I love that!" I said, picturing the laughter and splashes as we competed. "We'll need a playlist too—some fun summer songs to keep the vibe going."

Alicia chimed in, "I'll bring my Bluetooth speaker! We can set up some lights around the pool for when it gets dark too."

With each suggestion, my excitement grew. The prospect of a vibrant pool party with all my favorite people filled me with warmth. I could already envision the colorful decorations, the laughter echoing off the water, and the delicious treats we would enjoy.

As we finished breakfast, I felt grateful for my friends and the memories we were about to create. This birthday, though bittersweet with farewells looming, promised to be one I would cherish forever.

Days pass after I celebrated my birthday with my family and friends, including Josh and Leroy, who would head back to the city soon since vacation was almost over. Meanwhile, Alice and Bran were preparing to return to Europe.

It was pretty sad; I would surely miss them.

We only had a week of vacation before Nick and I would go back to the city.

After breakfast, I took a shower and headed downstairs around ten. Papa was already gone; he worked at our mechanic shop.

In the living room, I saw Mom and Grae.

"Hey, Mom!" I greeted her, walking over to Grae, carrying him, and kissing his chubby cheeks before sitting beside her.

"Good morning! Why don't you have breakfast?" Mom asked while typing something on her laptop. She managed our online store for the shop.