Last Night by The Vamps

Wake up in the morning with the sunlight in my eyes, no my head don't feel so bright. What the hell happened last night?

Grayson had gone back to his dorm that night, leaving me alone with nothing but my own thoughts. 

So much to think about. I found out I could have had a perfect family. I heard from Toby for the first time since he left. I just lost my virginity... To Grayson!

My thoughts consume all possible space in my brain as I change the sheets of my bed. 

Right when I think I can finally flop down on my bed again the doorbell rings yet again and I have to head downstairs. This time when I open the door I'm met with the face of a tall bearded man in a suit.

My fight or flight kicks in and I grab the nearest thing to me which happens to be a large glass vase. The guy looks a little startled. 

"Delivery for Paris Grambs?" He asks sheepishly, revealing a white box.

"Oh. Thank you." I smile, placing the vase down and taking the box from his hands. I lock all the doors and windows and head to the kitchen with the box.

I cut the box open and grin. A beautiful pink cake with a letter beside it and something written on the top.

Happy 17th Birthday Pear!

I remove and read the note. 

Happy Birthday Paris. Home made red velvet with vanilla buttercream, your favourite. If the cake is dry let me know, the couriers promised it wouldn't be damaged on the journey but I was sceptical. Hope you're having the best day. We all miss you so much. - Love Libby

And a couple hearts drawn. I smile and take a photo for her. I send her a quick thank you text then get a candle out.

I place the candle on top and light it. My eyes close in thought for a moment. And then I silently make my wish whilst blowing the candle out. I never know what to wish for, I used to wish for my Mom to get money, then on my last birthday I wished for Mom to get better. Now I have money thanks to Avery and my Mom's dead so what do I wish for? World peace? That seems an appropriate wish. But fuck world peace, it's my birthday let me be selfish for just a day. I wish for some fucking clarity in my love life.

I take a fork and start shamelessly digging in to the cake whilst I sit cross legged on my bed alone. 

This may have been the most eventful birthday of my life, and also might just be my best.

I can't help but wish it had happened at the house with everyone I love. With Libby, Avery, Max, Xander, Nash and of course Jameson. 

Things are complicated. When are they not? Since I left I've received frequent texts from Libby. Some from Max and Xander. However only a few from Avery. 

And little to none from Jameson. He texted me the day after I left to make sure I got here safely, then one after a week to see if I was ok. But other than those two instances, there's been nothing.

It's almost midnight and I cannot help but check my phone every couple minutes in anticipation of a birthday text. I shouldn't expect it. That's selfish. But when my phones clock flips to midnight I can't help but feel a churn in my stomach. 

I place the birthday cake on my beside table and get under the fresh sheets. I find myself drifting into slumber after turning the lights off and getting comfortable. 

I peacefully sleep for a couple hours until I sit up in a panic after my phone started buzzing on my pillow, shaking my whole face. 

I search through blurry eyes until I find it and aggressively hit the answer button. "Hello?" I ask with a croaky voice. 

Silence. 

"Hello??" I ask again, growing impatient. "Hey." A voice speaks calmly. 

"Jamie?" I choke on the air going into my lungs. "Yeah.. It's good to hear your voice. How are you?" I can practically hear Jameson's grin through the phone. 

"I was pretty good until you called me at 2 in the morning." I sigh as I sit up and stretch my back a little.

"Shit, 2am? Sorry. I forgot our time zones were different." He groans, clearly feeling bad. "It's fine. Where are you right now mr Christopher Columbus?" I joke, putting Jameson on speaker and sitting up. 

I hear his soft and raspy laughter before he answers, "A place in Alaska called Anchorage." He explains. "And what time is it there?" I start searching up the place still staying on the call. 

I look at photos, looks pretty cold.

"10pm. I called you to wish you a happy birthday but I guess it's not your birthday anymore." 

I smile to myself. I guess I got that happy birthday after all. "Thanks." I reply. 

"Have any nice plans?" Jameson asks me. I bite my lip. "Just went on a date with this guy." I answer truthfully. Silence.

"Sounds pretty serious if you spent your birthday with him." He comments, not sounding bitter about it but I can tell he is. 

"Didn't really have anyone else to spend it with. How're Avery and you?" I redirect the question. He stutters with unsureness of what to say.

"Good." He tells me hesitantly. "Look if it's 2am, I'll let you go. You've got school tommorow so you should sleep." He decides.

"No, keep talking. I wanna hear about Anchorage." I insist, even though my eyes disagree as they slowly fall shut.

His voice comes through the phone softly. I don't notice it at the time but I slowly slip into a comfortable sleep with his relaxing voice in my ear.

Eventually Jameson realises I'm asleep and stops talking. "Sleep well Eiffel Tower." He whispers softly. 

Then he hesitates, saying how he really feels when he knows I won't hear him. "I still love you." In response all he gets are soft sleeping whimpers. He struggles to bring himself to hang up. Completely oblivious to the confession I just missed, I continue sleeping peacefully.

When I wake up my phone is blowing up under my pillow, thousands of texts. I quickly pick it up from between the sheet surrounding me, I must've fell asleep when on the phone with Jameson. 

6 texts from Maddie on the group chat, 4 from Rachel, 7 from Wyatt, 2 from Hayden. 

17 texts from Max, 23 from Xander, 12 from Avery, 7 from Libby, 2 from Jameson, 1 from Grayson. 

Immediately I check the text from Grayson, 

Paris. I enjoyed seeing you last night, I hope your birthday was satisfactory. - Sincerely Grayson.

I scoff with a grin as I type back:

grayson babes, we've been over this. we do not need to address every text like a letter especially not to me. and you need to lay off with the 'satisfactory' and the whole punctuation thing. 

Then send an additional:

i enjoyed last night too tho. thanks for giving me such a memorable birthday.

Then I check all the other texts in fear that something has happened. Jameson's first.

Just thought I'd let you know you fell asleep when we were calling.

Sleep well Eiffel Tower.

Then I type a quick apologetic reply and head to Xander's texts. 

Call me!

Pear bear!!

Faxing call me beach!

Call me back!

Ughhhhhhh

I'm blocking you if you don't pick up

And then after that just about a hundred more saying the same thing. All the texts from Max say the same thing. Same from Avery. Same from Libby. 

I check my friends group chat. All the texts desperately ask me if Grayson and I hooked up or not. I reply an inconclusive response saying I'll tell them later. 

I call the office on campus and let them know I'm really sick and won't be able to make it in to school today — I'm not sick. But I'm very confused and tired and I deserve a day off for once. 

After laying in my bed for 20 minutes the texts from Xander become constant.

Paris! 

I know you're reading these texts!

Call me!

So help me god i will march up to Massachusetts on foot and forcibly make you call me back.

Paris!

Please?

I finally give in to all the texts and call him.

"What?" I groan in a raspy voice. "Finally! She called me." Xander announces and I hear footsteps approaching the phone. 

"Xander told us." Avery speaks sternly. "Told you what exactly?" I ask confused. 

"You lost your virginity." Max answers. "Okay who is all there?" I groan in complaint. "Max, Xander, Avery, Nash and me." Libby tells me. 

"Oh my god!" I sigh in embarrassment. "Sex is a beautiful and wonderful celebration of love and life, it's nature, nothing to be embarrassed about." Nash says in his thick accent. 

"Oh that's so sweet. I'm gonna go kill myself now." I reply sarcastically. "Paris we just wanted to make sure you were safe. And consensual. And were with someone you're comfortable with." Libby tells me.

"I was very safe. Very consensual. With someone I really really care about and feel very comfortable with." I confirm. "Good. We're very glad." Avery replies sharply.

"Now that we've got all that out the way we need to know who it was." Max insists. "You wouldn't know him." I shrug even though they can't see me. 

"Send us a pic. What's his name? Where's he from? How did you meet? How old is he?" Avery asks eagerly. "I don't have any pics." I tell them. That's a lie. 

"Answer the questions Paris!" Xander orders. The words that leave my body next cannot be explained in any way other than spontaneous and mistaken. 

"Hayden Green. New York. Ballet class. 18." I answer in one breath. They take a second to process before they all burst into excited squeals. "What's he like?" Libby asks at the same time as Avery asks "Are you dating him?"

"He's so smart, and super sweet. He has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen that just make you melt on the spot. His hair is just so fluffy and perfect, it feels so soft. And he doesn't smile often, usually just little smirks, but when he does smile it's the most beautiful and perfect smile ever. And his body is just so amazing. I'm drooling just thinking about it. And usually his style is really good but recently his friends have all made him wear different stuff but even in that he looks amazing. And his jaw, i could spend all day looking at it, it's so sharp and amazing." I ramble into my phone. 

It's only when I'm finished that I realise I was just describing Grayson. 

"Awww Paris is in love!" Avery teases mockingly, "Pear that's so sweet. You must really like him." Libby tells me.

"Like him? No. I mean I don't think so. I don't think we're going out. I'm not really sure it's really complicated." I tell them. 

"Oh please you're fawning so hard Pear Bear." Xander scoffs. "Its not up to me. We might just work better as like.. friends with benefits??" I suggest. 

"Well I'm not gonna tell you what to do or anything Pear but I can tell you like this boy so you should tell him how you feel. Don't let him use you as some side girl." Libby explains calmly. 

"A side hoe." Nash corrects, making me snort.

(a/n. I really enjoyed this chapter. Also it's the first interaction so far from Jameson in Part 3 so i thought some people would like that. I also wanted to use this space to do a quick self promo for my Ravi Singh fanfiction 'Partners in Crime' thats first chapter is now officially published. Have a good week, thanks for reading.)