CHAPTER 38: BIRTHDAY MORNING

I wake up feeling hot, stuffy and heavy. When I look around, I can see why.

Chuck, sleeping by the wall, is holding me. Arm circling around my body protectively. I chuckle and notice another arm on my stomach. Smaller. Paler. Softer. I turn to see Marsha's beautiful peacefully sleeping face. Behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around his fiancé is Kenneth. How did they manage to fit themselves on my bed? They're really too much. I chuckle silently as to not wake them and decide to lie there for a while longer, enjoying the warmth my dear friends provide me. I feel blessed.

"Morning sunshine," Kenneth whispers in a croaked voice, eyes still shut.

"Morning," I greet him back.

"Happy 21st," He opens his eyes and smiles, slowly and carefully rises and leans over to kiss my forehead.

"Thanks," I grin, happy.

"What time is it?" Marsha's slightly husky voice greets us.

"A little after seven," Kenneth answers, pecking her lips lovingly.

"What time did you guys get in?" I ask curiously, sitting up on my bed slowly after removing Chuck's arm from my body.

"About two," Marsha yawns. "Happy birthday sweetheart," She kisses my cheek before getting up.

"Thanks," I smile at her too.

"Wake him up will you? We'll start breakfast soon," Kenneth says, nodding at Chuck before following Marsha to the bathroom.

"Chuck," I nudge his arm, trying to wake him up. "Wake up," I smack his head, not that hard, and he suddenly reaches out and pulls me down to him.

"Happy birthday babe," He nuzzles my neck while I caress his hair gently.

"Thank you. Now get up. We'll start breakfast soon," I tell him but he just pulls me closer, burying his face on the crook of my neck. I sigh and wrap my arms around him, stroking his hair and his back. I can feel him sighing and relaxing even more.

We stay like that for a few more minutes before Chuck squeezes me and lets me go to get up. I sit up on my bed, watching him strut to the kitchen, ruffling his own messy hair and pouring himself a glass of water and soon joined by Kenneth and Marsha. I can't be happier. I have the three people I love the most in this entire universe on my birthday.

Yes, today is my 21st birthday. And just like always, on each other's birthday, we'd sneak into each other's bedroom late at night, get up early in the morning and cook breakfast and bake cake together. It's a modest celebration but we wouldn't trade it for anything else.

"Lee, Chuck, go wash up. We'll start the preparation," Marsha's commanding tone sends me and Chuck running to the bathroom, chuckling. We wash up, joke, flirt (which I have realized now wasn't very appropriate, but, hey, it's Chuck and I have stepped way over the line anyway so, whatever) and probably take longer than necessary.

"Hurry it up will you?! The cake ain't gonna bake itself!" Kenneth shouts from the kitchen.

"What are we making today?" I ask, joining Marsha and Kenneth in the kitchen after hurrying to put on decent clothes. There are already a lot of ingredients on the kitchen table. I scan through them and my mouth starts to water.

"Your favorite breakfast," Marsha smiles and I beam. "You go work on the cake batter. Chuck go work on the filling and icing later on. Kenneth will work on the muffin and I will handle the rest," Marsha says and we immediately get to work before she starts nagging.

We've done this for so many years now we've even become really good at cooking and baking. I have also mastered the art of brewing coffee and tea. Kenneth, who's only been with us for six years, also already obtained a flawless skill of cooking meat.

We do this every year but in Kenneth's case, since he moved to London a few years back, instead of sneaking into his room back home and making breakfast, Chuck, Marsha and I would sneak into his room on the morning of his birthday and perform major interior redecorating without him knowing. Once he gets back for holiday, he'll be in for a surprise, throws a fit then we'll start the delayed celebration.

Last year, we went all out in turning his bedroom into a Hello Kitty castle and man, was he pissed. Heh heh heh. He had to stay in that room for a few days because we kept all of his original furniture in a storage facility outside town and we keep changing the password to the lock. We were planning to make him stay in that room throughout the holiday but he kept whining and said that he had nightmares and well we ended up feeling sorry for him and made him change his furniture back in just a few days. We ended up donating the hello kitty furniture to an orphanage.

That one was the best. I have to start planning for his next birthday which is in a few months. Barbie, maybe? Heh heh heh.

Soon, we are sitting around the living room table, eyeing our masterpiece; soft and moist, steaming English muffin, scrambled eggs, German sausage and boiled mixed vegetables. Black coffee and English breakfast tea warm in their pots. The cake is baking in the oven, the smell fills the room.

We begin eating and chatting casually, exchanging schedules is a must of course. I'll be pretty busy today actually. I have a band performance at two (we manage to pass the preliminary and enter the final) then after that I have to walk the runway for the charity fashion show. Then I have to be at the gallery to prepare for the winner's announcement. After that I have to prepare for the closing ceremony at the main stage on the soccer field.

"Don't forget your meals." Marsha says firmly. I nod automatically at that.

After we finish our breakfast Chuck and I go straight to washing the dishes. Kenneth's cleaning up the kitchen while Marsha is preparing the cake.

"C'mon, make a wish," Chuck says to me as we once again sit around the table after we finish our chores. I close my eyes but I'm not really wishing for anything. Not even for Allen. I'm just silently offering my gratitude for what I already have and I really couldn't ask for more. I open my eyes and glance around, from Kenneth, Marsha and Chuck with a big smile on my face, mirroring theirs. I blow up the candles and stand up, receiving warm hugs and kisses from my friends.

Really, I couldn't ask for more.