HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER
As Guion tried to pull open the door, Erick ignored him. "Erick! Please open up!" Annika yelled, but he continued to remain silent. "Grow up, Rick! Open the door," Guion said sweetly, attempting to appeal to his friend. Still, Erick refused to respond. "Open up the door, damn it!" he yelled even louder. "I am not opening until you confess your love to Annika!" Erick retorted. Annika was left speechless, her eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost. Before she could respond, Guion fainted from embarrassment. "What a !" she exclaimed.
She grabbed his legs and dragged him to the car, then slapped him across the face. He jolted awake, confused and unsure of what to say as she knelt beside him, gazing intently into his eyes. "He was probably not in his right mind," she said, trying to make sense of the situation.
When Erick realized they were no longer behind the door, he unlocked it, left the keys there, and exited. However, Guion and Annika continued to believe the door was locked, so they didn't bother checking. Just as it seemed Guion might perish from humiliation, Annika's curious nature saved the day.
She wandered around, searching for something to do to pass the time, since they had plenty of it. Suddenly, she stumbled across two large water guns, one blue and one green, both fully loaded. She picked them up and handed one to Guion, pleading, "Come on, Guion! We still have hours to kill!"
He accepted the gun and said, "Alright!" Annika shot a stream of water at his face and dashed away. "Oh, you'll pay for this!" he whispered, chasing after her. They spent the next hour using the garage as their battlefield, soaking each other in playful water warfare.
When they were both completely drenched and their water guns ran dry, a romantic song began to play on the radio. "Oh my God, that's my favorite song!" she squealed, running to Guion, grabbing his hand, and pulling him in front of the car. She began to slow dance with him, holding him tightly against her, resting her head on his right shoulder and closing her eyes.
After dancing to a couple of songs, Annika climbed into the car and settled into the driver's seat. "I'm so exhausted," she sighed. Guion joined her, taking the other front seat. As darkness began to envelop the outside world, he switched on the interior lights of the car. "So, does he always lock you up on your birthday?" Annika asked. "He does that when he believes I'm in love with someone but too scared to tell them," Guion replied. "Are you in love with me?" she asked, locking eyes with him. He struggled to respond, so she quickly retracted the question. "Sorry, that came out wrong," she said, pretending to laugh, but Guion smiled.
They exchanged glances, and suddenly the atmosphere turned still as they stared at one another. Before they knew it, their heads leaned in, and they shared a brief kiss. However, they pulled away quickly, looking in opposite directions, both flustered. As it grew darker outside, Annika reached for Guion's phone, which he had left on top of the small fridge, to check the time. She discovered a message from Erick sent at 3 PM, "The door is open, but I bet you won't want to come out." She giggled silently at the message. "What's so funny?" Guion asked, curious. "Look at this message!" she replied, showing him the screen. "He really is your best friend, isn't he?" she said. "He's my brother," Guion replied, taking the phone from Annika.
It was already 8 PM, and they didn't realized that despite being locked in the garage for so long, Erick had been unusually quiet. They surmised he might have passed out somewhere in the house. Guion, feeling concerned, decided it was time to check on him. "Ms. Geo! We should probably go see how he's doing," he suggested. "I think we're way past the 'Ms. Geo' thing. Just call me Annika," she said, opening the door and stepping out. "Of course, Annika," Guion whispered, following her.
Annika pulled the door, and to their surprise, it opened easily. After searching everywhere, they discovered that Erick had left the keys at the door. "He's gone!" Guion exclaimed. "He wouldn't possibly leave the door unlocked. Maybe he's in the car," Annika suggested as she headed outside for a look. But when she emerged, she found that even the car was missing. "Son of a...!" she yelled, and Guion followed her outside, realizing the same thing. Just then, Guion felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.
Checking it, he saw another message from Erick: "Happy birthday, brother," accompanied by two smiling emojis. He chuckled softly. "So many surprises," he whispered.
Annika asked why he was laughing, and he told her it was nothing, then mentioned he would bring the monster truck. "The monster!" she exclaimed with joy. "Can I drive?", "If that's what you want," Guion replied. They returned to the garage, closing all the doors behind them.
Annika rushed to the driver's side, grabbed the door handle, and halted, her excitement palpable. "Guion!" she yelled, causing him to pause as well. "Happy birthday!" she said, beaming. "Thanks!" Guion replied, smiling back.
They both climbed into the car. Guion opened the gate using the remote key attached to the house keys, and Annika started the engine, driving away. When they arrived at the station, there was no one outside, but the lights were on inside. They parked the car next to four others, which were small police vehicles. As they exited the car, Annika noticed an officer glaring at them through the window, resembling some sort of stalker.
The moment they opened the door, the officer was right there. "Cool ride," he remarked as Annika entered, but she was in too much of a hurry to respond. Guion answered for her, even though he was also pressed for time. "Thanks, John," he said, but John seemed indifferent, his attention solely focused on Annika as she walked by.
Out of nowhere, Erick touched John on the shoulder from behind, startling him. He turned around quickly. "Where the hell did you come from?" he asked. "Outside!" Erick replied with a grin. "But I didn't even sense you come in!" John exclaimed. "Well, I'm a special agent; I'm pretty good at hiding my presence," Erick teased.
He noted that John's gaze was fixated on Annika, even while they spoke, as she stood with Guion in the sheriff's office. The door had been wide open the entire time, allowing Erick to see them clearly.
Being slightly taller than John, Erick leaned down and whispered teasingly in his ear, "They make a great couple, don't they?", "She's too good for him," John replied, a scowl on his face. "Is that right?" Erick said to himself, a sly smile creeping onto his face as he made his way toward the office, leaving John fuming behind him.