"Wake up, sleepy head!" Mason whispers in my ear. I barely shift in bed, as Mason's hands rest on my shoulders.

It's way too early for me to deal with any form of human interaction. "Happy birthday, baby. I can't believe it. You're 22 years old. Get up. I made you breakfast. It's once in a blue moon that you can sit down and have a good breakfast with your family," he says, and with that, he gets up from the bed.

I roll over, rubbing my eyes, and ask, "What time is it?"

"9:30. I think you stayed up too late with Cody and Cole. That's why you're kind of tired. But you should get up. Sarah and I have a huge day planned for you."

I sit up in bed, while rubbing my eyes. "What kind of things?"

Mason frowns, and crosses his arms. "Now, that would ruin the surprise, baby. I don't know about you, but I hate ruined surprises. You'll see when you get up. Trust me, today's going to be awesome."

I smile, and with that, I throw the cover off and get out of bed. Because when Mason says that today's going to be awesome, then he never lets me down.

***

The kitchen feels warm and homey, which is a pleasant contrast to the gloomy San Jose weather right now. Sometimes, being a winter baby sucks, because it's so cold that if you step outside for three seconds, your face might freeze off.

But, today, it's warm, and I smell a hot breakfast waiting in the kitchen. I walk in, and Sarah is setting hot dhoklas on plates. She looks over at me, and then a huge smile appears on her face. "Happy birthday, baby!" she squeals, as she walks over to me.

Her arms spread in the expectations for a hug, to which I give her. Her arms tightly hug me, and she says, "I can't believe you're 22 already! Oh my goodness, I'm old. In just a few months, you'll be out on your own, working, possibly finding the love of your life and starting a family."

I roll my eyes a little bit, and say, "Oh, Sarah. I've got a long way to go."

She releases me, and says, "But it's still going to come so fast! If we've come from you being a hyper 5 year old to a mature, beautiful, 22 year old, then the future doesn't seem too far!" she says, and I smile.

She turns around, and says, "Mason made some food for you. Gujarati food too, straight from your mom's recipe book. Paired with some chutneys as well. Trust me, I think you're going to like it. Oh, and there's some chai as well. Mason knows how much you love traditional food."

"And I love it too. It's delicious." Mason comes waltzing down the steps, happily, already dressed and looking like he's going to go to a job interview. I smile, and then Mason races into the kitchen, muttering something in Arabic.

He turns to Sarah, and with that, he speaks to her in their mother tongues; Lebanese Arabic. He asks her a question in Arabic, and then she nods and replies back. I try to decipher what they're saying, but it's hard, especially when they talk fast and use a lot of slang.

Sarah nods, and with that, Mason brings over my plate and a cup of hot chai. I take it, along with some of the chutney he made, and bring it over to the table because I'm hungry. I sit down, and start to devour it, because there's nothing more satisfying than eating a hot breakfast that just smells so delicious as well.

Sarah sits down, with her cup of coffee, and says, "Did you shower yesterday night?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Okay, be ready in a few minutes. I'm taking you out."

"Where?"

"Again, I'm not ruining surprises, hun." She continues to sip her coffee, while I think about what we're going to do today. It could be shopping, going to get some food, or having a fun day in general. I don't know, but Sarah is always got a surprise up her sleeve, whether it be good or bad.

I finish up my dhokla and chai, and with that, I place the dishes in the sink. I grab the sponge, but Mason grabs my hand and says, "Don't. The birthday girl doesn't have to do any chores today." I smile at him, and I run upstairs to go change for this big birthday surprise that I have.

******

I run my fingers through my freshly cut hair. The layers and the product in it is a refreshing change to my persona as a whole. The shiny nail polish along with the white tipped nails for my French manicure shines beautifully.

Sarah walks out, with her purse in her hand, and says, "That felt good, right?"

I nod, and say, "That was amazing. My hair looks amazing now."

"It does! It frames your face so well!" I smile, and then she opens the car door so that I can get inside. I sit down, and she comes to the other side to start driving back home. When she sits inside, something overcomes me. In addition to Mason being my mom's best friend, Sarah was also really close to her. I feel like she's another great person to ask when it comes to my mom.

"Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"What was my mom like?"

She looks at me with a confused look on her face. "Where is this coming from?"

I sit back in the car, and say, "Well, since it's my birthday, I'm just curious. I just want to know what she would've thought of me at this age."

Sarah smiles. "I get you. Your mom...she was something else. She was one of the hardest working people that I knew. She was always there, with a smile on her face, but she would get in people's faces if they did something extremely wrong. If they insulted someone, or were just being a douche, she'd explode. Or if they were doing something that she didn't like, then she'd publicly get all in their face and tell them to back off. Ah, she was great. She helped me realize a lot of things that I wouldn't have realized without her help."

"Like what?"

"Things about myself. What I liked and didn't like. And also what I wanted in life."

"Didn't she help you realize that you liked Mason?"

"Yes, actually. Since I was so close with your biological dad, and your mom was so close with Mason, they introduced us, set us up on a blind date, and we ended up marrying years later. But we didn't start dating until after you were born."

"So why did you end up staying friends with my dad?"

"Because he was still one of my closest friends. I didn't stop contact, because he was such a good friend. We looked after each other, Ashmita. We were a big help to each other. And then he killed your mom, and confessed to it. That's when I realized what he had become, and I stopped talking to him."

I look out the window to see the leafless trees, and say, "What were some of my parents' flaws?"

Sarah stops at a traffic light, and says, "For your dad, it was one huge thing. His temper. Man, he had such a temper. He had a hard time controlling it, and when he was mad, he was MAD. And for your mom, well there were two things. One being the fact that she was very feisty. Your father was just someone who got angry at anything he could. She was just feisty and sassy. She often insulted people when they ticked her off. And sometimes the insults were just raw and mean. The other one was that she always put you first."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why is that a bad thing?"

"The thing is, it was really detrimental to her as a whole. She was so hell bent in making sure that you were raised in a good environment and having you grow up without much apprehensions that it took a toll on her. She slept less, and started to change a little bit. Ooooh, also, there's one more."

"What is it?"

"When she wanted something, she got it. A lot of times, she didn't care about what the consequences were. She just got it. And sometimes, it led to some things going really wrong."

"Like?"

"Well, I can't remember any right now. But, man, that was probably her biggest flaw." I raise an eyebrow, and look outside the window to process that. If it was really that big of a flaw, then would it have affected anything when it comes to Arjun and her?

*****

We're home, Mason!" I call, as I walk up the stairs. "Ah, great! Come here, I want to see your hair and nails!" he calls. I run upstairs, and walk into the kitchen for him to see.

He puts a dish towel on the oven bar, and he turns around. His jaw drops when he sees me. "Woah. You look amazing!" he squeals.

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes! I think the layers frame your face beautifully!"

"I think so too!" Sarah comes up the stairs, and sets her keys down on the table. I lift up my hand, and Mason examines my fingernails. "Ah, French manicure! It looks great! The gems are a great touch! Also, I got thin crusted pizza!"

I walk over to the countertop, and ask, "With olives and onions?"

"Yep. I also got some breath mints because that's not going to be pleasant to smell, huh?"

I snicker, as Nathan walks into the kitchen. He smiles at me, and says, "Happy birthday, firestarter."

I snicker, and say, "Thanks, paintboy."

Sarah rolls her eyes a little bit, and says, "Come on. Let's eat. I'm really hungry." I chuckle, and then Mason opens the box so that we can dig in. Because pizza, along with warm Gujarati food, is necessary right now.

*****

"Happy birthday!" I read in my group chat with Rakesh, Chris, and Usha.

"Thanks guys!" I text back, and Usha replies, "I dropped some gifts off at your house. We all kind of pitched in a little bit, because 22 is a huge deal."

I smile at the text, and say, "You guys are awesome. I'll take a look at them in a bit!"

"Cool! Have fun. Ttyl."

"Ttyl."

I set my phone down, and I hear Mason say, "Ashmita, come here. I want to give you something." I get out of my bed, and follow the voice to where Mason is calling me.

He's standing right next to a dresser, with a case in his hands. "Yeah, what's up, Mason?" I ask.

He smiles, and then opens the little case. Inside is a little necklace, with a really beautiful pendant attached to it. I look up at him, and say, "Mason, I can't take this. It's too expensive."

He chuckles, and says, "Ashmita. This was your mom's. I wanted to give it to you."

My eyes widen, and I say, "What? No way! Where did she get it?"

"I think your grandfather gave it to her. I don't remember why, but he gave it to her as a little gift. But, I wanted you to have it. It will look beautiful on you."

I smile, and then turn around. I bunch my hair up in a ponytail with my fist. Mason drapes the necklace, with the cold pendant resting against my warm skin. He clips it at the back, and I let my hair fall naturally.

I turn around, and Mason sees me, and a huge smile forms on his face. "You look so much like her. It's so insane." I smile, and then Nathan comes up into the room.

"Have you seen my history notebook? I put it on the desk somewhere."

I walk over, and say, "You probably put it under the place mats again. Let's go check."

*****

"Ashmita, come here! It's time!" Mason calls, as he takes something out of the fridge. I walk over, as Mason brings a cake over onto the dining table.

My eyes widen at the cake. "You got white chocolate raspberry cake?" I ask, as Mason takes out matches and candles.

"Of course! It's your birthday after all!" he exclaims, as Sarah brings out the plates and utensils.

"Honey, it would be a sin if we didn't get you your favorite cake. Now come over here!" she exclaims, and I walk over to where she's standing. Nathan opens the cake cover, and then rubs his hands together excitedly.

"Now this looks amazing. Come on, Ashmita, I'm hungry. Let's eat!" I snicker a little bit. I come over to the front of the table, and Sarah sets the candles in the cake. Mason lights the match, and lights the candles on top of the cake. He blows the match out, and then he looks at Sarah. Without another thought, they start to sing the happy birthday song.

While they're singing it, something starts to form inside of me. Sure, it's happiness that they're here, celebrating with me, but there's another feeling that's forming inside of me. It's a slight void. Mason has done so much for me over the years, but when I saw Arjun for the first time ever, something formed inside of me. It was a thirst to know him. Something about him is indescribable.

All I want to do is just meet with him and give him some time to just explain himself. When they finish singing the song, I snap back into focus and blow out the candles. Mason, Sarah, and Nathan all cheer and clap, while Mason asks, "Make a wish."

I close my eyes, and to myself, I say, "I wish Arjun wasn't a convicted criminal and murderer so that I could actually talk to him."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our girl is 22! Yes! Gotta love the day they planned for her! But, it looks like Ashmita is having some conflicting feelings about Arjun. Do you think she's softening up to him? Let me know.

Hey everyone! How's it going? Is anyone else just majorly bored? I've been studying for exams and watching YouTube, and dear gosh, I'm bored. I hope I'm not the only one.

Well, here's a joke, try to crack the answer. Why couldn't the pirate see the movie?

I've got nothing else. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next week with a new chapter of TSOC! Have a great week!

Love you guys,

Shree