Vernon 0.4

* DING *

The smell of the freshly baked cake filled the kitchen. The top of the cake was a perfect shade of golden brown. I pulled out the hot mold from the oven and placed the cake on a drying rack.

"It's so pretty!" Lily ran to the kitchen counter.

"No thanks to you," said Taylor.

"You're no better," she pouted.

"We gotta let it cool off before Tay can start to assemble it," I explained.

"I'll wash up," Eric volunteered from the couch.

"But I thought it was your turn to rub my back!" pleaded his girlfriend.

"Maybe you can help him so he would finish faster," Vernon suggested as he threw the Yakult into the garbage bin.

Lily shot him a dirty look that he seemed to ignore as he walked pass her and signaled for me to follow him upstairs. He told me that he helped his sister moved in and knew the house pretty well. He stopped visiting few months before I moved in and would visit her at school instead.

He had been acquainted with Lily during one of his visits. She was Cathy's junior. And Taylor had moved in before anyone else. We went inside Cathy's room and he sat on her bed and read through the many papers that littered her floor.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" I stayed by her doorframe.

"What is she gonna do? I'm older than her," he continued to flip through a journal.

I skulked around and played on my phone while I waited for him. It was an hour away until Cathy's arrival. We had plenty of time to let the cake cool off and decorate the cake.

"Can I see your room?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"What for?" I got defensive.

"Is it as messy?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" I grabbed him by the wrist and walked him into my room.

"Nice posters!" he pointed at my movie posters all over my wall and closet.

I couldn't believe I fell for his trap. He made me proof him wrong at the expense of my own privacy and pride.

"I think that's enough snooping for you. I'm gonna take a shower before Cathy comes home," I pushed him out of my room.

"I'll be waiting in her room then," he announced as he walked off.

He was one weird fella. What an enigma! He seemed to be cunning but not always the brightest person. Sometimes he would be outspoken and confident, but other times he would be reserved or even blend into the background. The bewilderment of a man got me wondering as I dried myself in the bathroom.

Not to mention, his face lit up brilliantly when compared to other men I met so far. His voice suited his personality and looks. Hopefully he had something to offer in a conversation. Many guys wouldn't know what to talk about or where their opinion stood. I was worried my strong opinions would drive him away. But that would be fine too.

I wore my batman t-shirt and striped pants. I was tying my hair up into a ponytail when I heard frantic banging on my bedroom door.

"Cathy just texted me! She said that she'll be on her way soon. I made her buy us food as a decoy. We have half an hour at most," Taylor opened my door.

I jumped off my bed and rushed to call everyone to the kitchen. The guys rushed to decorate the house and blew balloons. Taylor assembled the layers of the cake and iced it with the whipped cream. Lily was on the phone with Cathy to stall her from reaching home earlier. She made her buy extra food for our guests and being extra particular about her orders. If she was ever good at anything, it would be being a picky eater.

"I can see her taxi coming up the street! Turn the lights off! Everyone hide!" Eric warned.

I could see shadows of my friends trying to hide behind cabinets and chairs, but I couldn't find a hiding spot, and no one was stationed near the cake to light up the candles. I silently tiptoed to the counter behind the cake and I felt a hand reached out to me in the darkness.

"What are you doing? Get down!" Vernon angrily whispered to me.

"Who's gonna light the cake? I couldn't find the lighter," I searched the countertop to see if I misplaced it.

"I got it, calm down," he held out a barbeque lighter with his other hand.

"Oh, okay. You can let go of my hand now," I tried to make out where his eyes were.

"Sorry," he let go of my wrist and inched away awkwardly.

We heard Cathy's house key rattling as she tried to unlock the door while holding our orders of food simultaneously. She opened the door and Zack flicked the light switch on as we sprang out from our hiding places to surprise her.

"Happy Birthday!" we cheered in unison.

"Oh my God! You guys! What is this? Vernon! I thought your flight was tomorrow," she rushed to hug her brother as the rest of the house gathered in the kitchen once again.

"Couldn't miss your birthday again. I promised, didn't I?" he hugged her back.

"Is that a cream fruit cake? Oh my God! You did not!!! I haven't had this since my 10th birthday," she looked down at the white cake covered with sliced fruits on the table.

"It was mostly Vernon and Zee who did the work. I did the icing and decoration," Taylor nudged my hips.

"Oh yea, I see you both have made friends," Cathy smirked at Vernon suspiciously. "Well, let's light the candles already. I can't wait to eat it!"

Vernon lighted the candles and his sister closed her eyes to make a wish before blowing them out. The house was cheerful and warm for once. I started my journey home thinking it would suck as always. But it ended up being pretty fun to reconnect with the girls in my house. I portioned and distributed the cake and saved the rest in the fridge.