136 - The chapter with the Pre-party

Rose

I fastened my seatbelt as the jet we were on began landing procedures. It was just after nine o'clock when we landed at a private airport near the Florida's Keys, where Liam's parents had a mansion on a private island. This was our first time flying in a private jet and my friend seemed ecstatic about the extravagant birthday party his parents had organized for him. And I didn't judge him for it, it seems he wasn't the only one who went out of his way to make sure his birthdays were always the biggest and most exclusive parties on campus.

Christian, who was settled in the seat next to me, squeezed my hand a little, drawing my attention to him, making me frown when I saw his tense expression and trembling hands, reminding me of how irritated he was before boarding, almost four hours ago, insisting on sleeping almost the entire trip.

" Are you serious? " I whispered to him.

" Can you not make a big deal of this? " he replied in the same tone with his gaze fixed on the other side of the aircraft, where our friends were playing cards, settled in some seats that were next to a table.

" Not making a big deal of it? You're afraid of flying! Why didn't you tell me? " I returned with amusement.

" Everyone is afraid of something, Rose. You're afraid of bats and Van Derr Waal is afraid of needles, what's the big deal if I feel a little uncomfortable stuck in a metal trap that could fall and kill me in a matter of seconds? " Christian pointed out.

" A little uncomfortable? Chris, you're sweating! " I pointed with a mocking smile.

He took a deep breath, finally looking in my direction, keeping his beautiful blue eyes locked on mine for a second.

" You as my girlfriend should be supporting me and not mocking me,' he returned.

"Don't worry, I won't make fun of you," I squeezed his hand in support, receiving a relieved smile, turning my gaze away from his, before adding, "not now, at least.”

" Rose…”

"I'll wait to reveal your secret when we're in a situation that's extremely awkward for you," I looked back into his eyes.

"You're a terrible girlfriend," he smiled.

" I know, but look at this. We've already landed and you didn't notice," I winked at him.

He looked away, still smiling, and only then seemed to notice that the plane was already taxiing safely down the runway. But before he could speak up, the flight attendant hired to attend to us approached.

" 'Mr. Van Derr Waal, your father asked us to tell you that the driver was a little late picking you up, but we are already preparing some cocktails so that you can wait more comfortably,' the young steward smiled.

As if we could be even more comfortable than we are right now.

" Cocktails? " Sky frowned.

" 'Don't worry, everything will be alcohol-free today, Baker” Liam winked at his girlfriend.

That information took us by surprise. Not that Liam was some kind of unrecoverable alcoholic, but for him, partying without drinking was practically impossible, so we kind of assumed that he would spend the whole weekend drunk, starting with today. Christian and I got up from our seats, walking over to a vacant seat around the table, where Christian sat down, making room for me to settle into his lap next.

" Are you not going to drink anything on the eve of your birthday? What's wrong with you? " Theo teased his friend.

Liam gave a lopsided grin, settling back in his chair, looking embarrassed by the question.

" 'Well, my parents are waiting for us at home and I can't drink right now,' he explained, to our surprise.

We didn't know his parents would be joining us, in fact, we were sure we'd have the house to ourselves tonight.

" Are your parents expecting us? " Camille asked in surprise, accepting a glass with a liquid that was very reminiscent of sex on the beach.

Liam sighed, taking a glass as well, sipping the contents before explaining.

" 'Do you remember last year when I went out the day before to celebrate with just my parents? Well, this year you're going to be part of that celebration," he explained as everyone helped themselves to the impromptu cocktail.

If possible, our surprise grew even more. We hadn't expected to be included in something as intimate as that moment, and I felt a little bad, like we were forcing our presence at a family celebration.

" Liam, why didn't you tell us? We could have come tomorrow with everyone else " Sky frowned, sipping the contents of her glass " wow, this is yummy, what is it?”

" Party at the beach. The non-alcoholic version of Sex on the beach " Liam smiled " and I wanted you to be here, you'll be the first people to celebrate with me and my parents, but it's a bit... complex.”

" Liam, what's complex about you going out to dinner with your parents? Are they going to some super expensive restaurant or something? "Because I don't have the clothes for that," Christian said, and by the look on Camille's face, she really considered that hypothesis.

Liam stood up, going to a closet at the back of the aircraft, grabbing a few bags inside before returning to where we were, handing one out to each of us.

" 'It's not a fancy restaurant, my mom loves themed parties and always puts a lot of effort into them, so…” he said.

I put my cocktail on the table and opened the bag, frowning as I pulled out a Toy Story t-shirt, personalized with Liam's name and age on the front, and my name on the back.

" 'Are you saying your mom throws like... a little kid's party for you? " I sought confirmation.

" No. She throws a big themed party, with lots of food, music, fancy decorations where the only guests are my parents, me and the house staff " he sighed sitting down " Look, it's a very complicated subject and you're the first to know about it, so I appreciate it if you don't make jokes about it.”

For a second, everyone was silent, not knowing how to react to that information, especially because for the first time since we met, Liam asked us not to joke about something.

" Liam, why does your mom have a children's party for you? " Theo asked.

" She always loved parties and for years she dedicated herself to making the best ones for me. But as time went by, I started to grow up and became interested in other things. The last birthday she did for me was when I was nine, that's when she found out she was pregnant and I swear I've never seen this woman so radiant. But it didn't work out and I don't really know what happened, but she had to have her uterus removed " he sighed " she had already arranged an incredible decoration for the baby shower, and everything was saved and in the end, she asked me if she could use it for my tenth birthday .... And... that's it... Every year she throws an amazing party with everything she can think of and every year I... enjoy mini pizzas, hot dogs, chicken strips, cupcakes and all the goodies from children's parties before celebrating with my friends and acquaintances.

" So we'll have mini-pizza today and a party tomorrow? " Cam sought confirmation.

" Actually, today will be a slumber party. They've set up a bunch of movies and games " Liam explained.

" We'll have lots of food, sweets and movies. I don't think I can see any fault in that celebration," I shrugged.

"We'll have a slumber party then," Christian added, raising his glass for a toast.

" To Liam," Sky toasted before we all clinked our glasses, much to our friend's relief.

In any other situation I wouldn't have missed the chance to embarrass my friend for all his childish parties, but after knowing everything, I kind of admired him for being so attentive and helpful to his mother, recognizing her needs, no matter how embarrassing it was for him. At that moment, if possible, my admiration for him grew even more.