"Giving to others will not take away from what you have but will in fact add to your life." ~Catherine Pulsifer

• • •

It's officially Abel's birthday. And also, the last day of term, so double bonus.

I jump out of bed half an hour earlier than usual so that I can do my makeup. As I said before, make up isn't usually my thing, but since its Abels birthday I've decided to try a little harder. I take a quick shower and wrap my robe around my body before sitting myself in front of my mirror. I decide to go for the relatively natural look by doing my eyebrows, foundation, mascara, concealer and a little bit of highlight to add some glow.

Happy with what I've done, I head to my wardrobe to decide on what to wear. I would have done this last night but I got distracted by talking to Abel on the phone and falling asleep to his voice.

Anyway, I slip on the blue pair of jeans that Abel loves so much and add a knitted white long-sleeved top which make my boobs look absolutely massive by the way. That wasn't my aim but I'm guessing Abel won't really mind.

I rush down the stairs to quickly grab some food and wait for my dad to come down so that I can hitch a ride with him. I told Abel not to drive me to school today and when he asked why, I gave a vague response of my parents wanting to talk to me about something. The obvious disappointment in his voice last night when I told him almost had me giving in but my strength prevailed and I powered through.

My dad finally makes it to the kitchen to make himself some coffee before we leave.

"Hurry up dad, I want to get to school earlier than usual today." I say urgently.

"What's the rush Keziah?" He takes a sip of his drink and sits at the table.

"It's Abels birthday and I have something planned that requires me being at school early, so can we get a move on?"

"Alright alright."

I slip on my camo puffer jacket and combat boots before taking a quick look at myself in the full-length mirror we have by the door. Deciding that I look pretty good, I head out the car to wait for dad. A minute later, he joins me in the car.

He makes the relatively short drive to my school and drops me off with a goodbye.

Since it's only half 7, I still have about 20 more minutes until Abel arrives.

I quickly head to his locker and open it up to place the several balloons I got for him inside. I also place an origami heart with a handwritten note inside it before shutting the door.

Since it's almost time for Abel to arrive, I go and hide round the corner to wait for him.

"Hey Keziah, what are you doing?" Ana, Rolo and Rani stand in front of me completely in sight for Abel to see when he gets here.

"Ssh!" I grab their arms and pull them away from view. "Its Abels birthday today remember, I put some stuff in his locker. But what I want you guys to do is when he opens his locker, jump out, blow these and scream happy birthday okay?" I pass all three of them some party blowers and tell them to get ready.

They give me a weird look before sighing in acceptance.

I look back to the hallway to see Abel walking up with Raph and Israel who are laughing at something that was said. I watch as Abel opens his locker causing all the balloons to slip out before ushering my friends out to meet him.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Abel jumps slightly from shock as they scream this. He murmurs a quick thank you and bats the balloons away from his face while laughing.

I watch as he takes out the heart shaped origami that I made and unfolds it to reveal the words written on it.

I give him some time to read it before stepping out and heading straight towards him. I tap his back causing him to spin around. "Happy birthday Abel." I whisper softly.

Abel folds up the note before wrapping me up in a tight hug, lifting me off of the ground. "Thank you, baby. And thank you too everyone."

They all respond back to him before heading their separate ways. I tell Rani and Ana that I'll be in form soon and that I'll see the others later.

"I read your note Brown Eyes." Abel places his hands on my waist and stares down at me.

"It wasn't too cheesy was it?" I say feeling a bit shy.

"Not at all, I loved it. I'm also guessing this is the reason you didn't want me taking you to school?"

I nod my head while passing a small smile.

"Good, I was beginning to think you were blowing me off and I had done something wrong."

I shake my head with a laugh, "Is there something you've done that I should be worried about?"

Abel pulls me closer to him, "Is that a trick question? I'll end up saying something wrong which you'll get annoyed at and probably hit me for."

"No I won't you idiot." I respond with a laugh.

Instantly, the bell rings signalling the beginning of form. I remove myself from Abels hold and start heading in the correct direction.

"What, no birthday kiss?"

I turn around to find Abels arms spread open with a pouty look on his face. I blow him a kiss and giggle away. "That's all for now babe."

I quickly head to form where my nosey friends are awaiting.

As I enter the room, Rani whistles loudly, "Geez girl, you're looking good today."

I make my way to my seat and plant myself down, "You saw me five minutes ago Ran."

"Yes, but I didn't get a good look since you had me watching Abels locker. By the way, how did that go?"

"Oh, it was fine. He actually thought I had ditched him this morning because I was annoyed but obviously, I wasn't."

"What did he think of the gifts?" Ana asks.

"I haven't given them to him yet. I probably will at lunch."

For the rest of the time, we talk about Anas relationship with Raph and Ranis fling with Jaden. Turns out, she's actually started to gain feelings for him which is a good sign. With how chaotic her home life is, it would be nice for her to have someone who will comfort her like she needs. It's definitely different being reassured by the person you're dating rather than friends.

Of course, Ana and Raphael are still going strong; it's almost like nothing phases Raph meaning problems don't occur.

My lessons pass by slowly with my thoughts focused on Abel and whether or not he'll like the gifts I got him. How should I even give them to him? Do I take him somewhere or give it to him in front of everyone? Does it really matter? Of course it matters, I want today to be special for him in every way.

With that in mind, I head straight to the lesson Abel was in and wait for him outside. It's really convenient that my teacher let me out early today; it helps me make things nicer for my boyfriend.

The door to Abels class opens causing swarms of students to leave. I stand on my tip toes to find his unruly dark locks when I spot him heading in a different direction. I quickly run through the crowds to catch up with his long legs and grab his arm. "Abel, wait up!"

He turns around in surprise to look down at me. "I was just coming to meet you."

"I was actually waiting outside your class for you but you clearly didn't see me." I huff slightly from my quick movements.

Abel laughs gently, "Sorry Brown Eyes. You're so small that it's easy to miss you."

"Great thanks." I respond sarcastically. "It's not like I just risked my life in those crowds to get to you."

Abel pulls me in a hug, not caring about the obstruction we're causing. "That's a little bit dramatic but I appreciate the gesture."

He wraps his arm around my shoulders and starts leading me towards the common room but I quickly stop him. "Actually, I was wondering if we could go out for lunch today?"

"Yeah of course, what did you have in mind?"

"I'll just lead the way Abel. It's you're birthday after all." I throw him a smile which leads to a brief kiss on my forehead.

I text the others to let them know that Abel and I are going out before dragging Abels arm.

"Come on come on." I say as he lags behind.

"Relax Brown Eyes." He chuckles at me,
"What's the rush?"

"Given the fact that we have a limited time frame, it's probably best not to take 500 million years to get to where we need to be."

"Hmm, you may be right."

"Of course I am."

Abel grabs hold of my hand and walks beside me. After a minute, he starts to swing our intertwined arms while humming a song.

"Abel, you're going to rip my arm out of its socket if you swing it any harder."

At this, Abel stops and smiles sheepishly at me, "Sorry, I guess I'm just happy."

I chuckle at him lightly and step closer to him to wrap my free arm around his.

Eventually, we make it to the spot I intended for us to reach. I took us to the forest area behind the school; it's a relatively open space filled with picnic tables and little solar lights in the ground. This part of the forest is technically owned by the school which is why it has all these little things.

Anyway, my favourite part of this spot are the colourful flowers that usually adorn the ground. Sadly, since it's winter, they aren't here for me to enjoy. Seems I'll just have to bring Abel back another day.

I lead Abel to the picnic table directly in the middle of the forest since there's no one else around. We sit down next to each other and Abel instantly grabs my hand as if it's become second nature for him.

I clear my throat causing his eyes to fall on mine rather than everything around him. "I didn't get the chance to give you my gifts." I say to him.

"You really didn't have to get me anything Brown Eyes. I was happy with what you did for me this morning and the note you left for me."

"I know that but what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't make this day special for you?"

"It means a lot to me, more than you know."

I remove my hand from his to grab the wrapped gifts from my bag. I take out the smaller package and pass it to him. "I hope you like them. I have to admit, it was pretty hard shopping for you especially as I've never done this before. If you don't like it, I'll understand. I can just return it back to-"

Abel shuts me up by pressing a short but passionate kiss on my lips, "You're so cute Keziah."

He finally finishes unwrapping the present and picks it up. Since he's musically talented unlike me and enjoys playing the guitar so much, I got him a personalised red guitar pick with his name inscribed in calligraphy on one side and a song note on the other.

"Oh wow." He says to me.

"Hold on, there's more." I start reaching inside my bag again.

"More? You really didn't-"

"Have to, I know." I finish for him with a giggle.

I pass him a slightly larger box with a ribbon on it and watch while he unravels it. One he's done, he takes the necklace that I got him out. It's a silver dog tag necklace with a section of it missing. On the necklace are miniature stars on the front and a small love heart on the back.

"Keziah, I don't even know what to say. I love it. It was so thoughtful of you." Abel smiles softly at me, "But I don't really understand the necklace, it has some of it missing." A look of confusion crosses his face making his eyebrows adorably scrunched.

I take out the necklace that's underneath my shirt to reveal a bronze-gold heart with similar stars on it to show him before lifting his up to fit into mine like a puzzle piece. "I didn't want to get anything too cheesy but I saw this and just thought it was you know nice, I guess. I'd understand if you're not too keen on it." I say shyly. I begin to focus my attention on the ground and trace it with my foot.

Abel grabs my chin gently to lift it up and places a soft kiss on my lips. "I can't explain how happy it makes me that small things like this make you think of me. Of course I like it, how could I not? Everything that comes from you will always be one of my most favourite things." He lets go of my chin to put his necklace on.

I smile at him happily, "And it's even manly enough that it doesn't look silly."

"Either way, I wouldn't mind."

For the next few minutes, we both become lost in each other's presence; touching and kissing in every way. When it's time for us to head back, our lips are completely swollen and eyes dilated from excitement.

"Did I mention how beautiful you look today? Those boots are really sexy. And are you wearing makeup?"

"I actually wanted to look nice for your birthday."

"You always look nice though." Abel looks at me in confusion, fully believing what he said.

Is he being serious? The things I wear to school sometimes..

"I mean I don't but okay."

"I also love that top. It fits you so well."

I look at his face to find his eyes focused on my chest area.

"That's only because of my boobs which I know you're staring at."

At this, Abel's eyes widen and instantly move to my face where I have a smirk plastered on. His cheeks are tinted the slightest pink and he looks really guilty. I mean, it's not the worst thing. Should I be complimented? I don't know.

"Sorry, I uh-" Abel scratches the back of his head out of nerves.

"Yeah yeah, I know you're not actually sorry you perv." I laugh loudly causing Abel to relax.

Since lunch is nearly over, we start to walk faster back to school grounds.

Abel is apparently going out with his family tonight so I tell him I'll see him in the holidays.

"But I can drive you home though." He says insistently.

"No, don't worry about it. It's your birthday, go home and celebrate. I'll have someone else take me home." I reply.

"But-"

"No buts." I give him a quick kiss and start walking to my next lesson. "I'll see you soon Abel."

I'm on my way to Biology when I'm intercepted by Carter. Again.

"Keziah! Can I talk to you now?" He asks pleadingly.

"Carter listen, I appreciate you trying to be nice all of a sudden but it's not going to work. You and I? We're not friends. You made sure of that. Now if you'll excuse me."

I try and walk around him but he grabs my arm gently, "Please?"

I sigh and look at my watch, "You're going to make me late for Biology so this better be good."

Carter lets out a deep breath and walks ahead of me, assuming that I'd follow. He leads me down the hallway and into the sixth form block. As we walk in, the few students milling about on their free period give us a strange stare obviously knowing mine and Carters strained history.

We head to the top floor and sit as far back as possible from sight.

"So, what did you need to tell me that was so incredibly important." I say.

Carter rubs his hands together nervously before looking out the window. "I never hated you despite what you think. In fact, it's probably the opposite."

I look at him in confusion and start to speak when he continues on.

"I know I taunted you, irritated you and just kept pushing but it was the only way to get your attention. Throughout our years in this school, you never noticed me except from the occasional smile thrown my way. You always stuck to your small group of friends and pretty much ignored everyone else."

Not true by the way, I am friends with several people in my year, just not close to them.

"Ever since that party when you stood up to me and said you didn't want me around you, it kind of made me think. I hated that you felt that way and that I was the cause."

He pauses for a second to rub his hands over his face, "And then all of a sudden, Abel comes along and grabs your attention straight away without even trying." He says bitterly. "It made me jealous. What I'm trying to say is that I like you Keziah and I always have. I regret all the things I've done and how I got your attention. Just give me a chance." He grabs my hands in his, "I promise I can be the guy that you want me to be, even more so than Abel."

He looks at me with hopeful eyes that almost make me pity him. "Carter." I remove my hands from his, "That doesn't excuse how you acted towards me. From what I know, when you like someone, you go out of your way to make them happy and you've done exactly the opposite. Abel is my boyfriend and I'm happy with him so I'm sorry, but there's never going to be an us."

I stand up from my seat, "We can try and be friends Carter but nothing more. And for your piece of mind, I forgive you." At this, I head back down the stairs and into the main block where my Biology class is held.

I look down at my watch and see that I'm 15 minutes late. Just great. Now, Dr Keaton is going to rip my head off in front of the whole class. That's what happens when you're as nice as I am.

I open the door to the class, praying and hoping that there are group activities going on that would prevent him from noticing my entrance. Of course, I'm not that lucky.

"Miss Callayo, you're late." He says dryly.

"No kidding." I say sarcastically. I realise my mistake as soon as those words slip out of my mouth and brace myself for punishment.

Instead, he just stares at me, "Take a seat Keziah."

That was strange. I have never in my life watched him miss an opportunity to yell or give out detentions to anyone.

I sit down next to Noah and give him a concerned look, "Is he alright? He didn't even comment on my sarcasm."

"He's been like this since the beginning of the lesson. Weird right?" Noah asks.

"So weird."

"Hey, where were you though?"

"Carter."

"Really? What did he want?"

"We had that chat he's been begging me for and it was... interesting."

Noah nods his head but refrains on questioning me further.

"So, how's your relationship with Abel going?"

I instantly perk up at his name and smile brightly, "It's good."

"I'm glad. Do you have any Christmas plans?" He asks, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I have lots of family coming down, it's going to be crazy." I say with a laugh.

"What about you?"

"Nothing much, just spending it with my parents and siblings. I'm probably gonna be bored out of my mind." He says with a groan.

"Small gatherings can be good too you know." I bump his shoulder with mine.

After that, we both focus on the worksheet given to us in silence.

Once school ends, I head straight to the school car park intending to see Abel before he leaves. I do plan on telling him about what Carter said, just not today since it's his birthday. I know how possessive he can get sometimes which is really hot by the way but I don't want that to upset him in any way.

I skip over to where he's about to open his car door and hug him from behind. "Hi boyfriend." I whip my head around his back to look at him and smile widely.

"You sure you don't want me to drive you?" He asks sweetly.

"Of course Abel."

He turns around and gathers me in his arms, "Thank you for everything today, it means a lot."

I wrap my arms around his neck and lean on my tiptoes, "You don't need to thank me." I kiss him deeply and run my tongue over the seam of his lips to grant me access into his mouth. Our tongues familiarise themselves with each other, exploring every space possible. I nibble gently on his lips and tug on his dark curls just as he likes forcing the most irresistible sound to leave his mouth. I break apart from him and leave trails of kisses all over his face and neck causing his hold on my waist to tighten.

"How's that for a birthday kiss?" I say in a breathy voice.

Abel places his face in the crook of my neck letting out a loud groan. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?"

"I can probably guess since it's exactly how I feel about you."

"You make me crazy Brown Eyes." He leans closer to me to brush our noses together before pecking me on the lips.

I push him away gently, "That's enough birthday boy. Time for you to get home and enjoy the rest of your day."

"I'd enjoy it a heck of a lot more with you by my side." He pouts at me in a childish but adorable manor making me smile.

"You'll see me soon. I'm just a phone call away."

"Then you better expect me to call you tonight then."

"I can't imagine anything less."

I remove his hands from my waist and open the car door for him before pushing him inside. "Bye Abel!" I blow him a kiss as he drives off while he pretends to catch it and place it on his heart.

I can literally feel myself liking him more and more each day; it's just crazy that he's mine. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

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