It turns out Chloe, Landon, and Abby made a mini surprise party for me. The address Chloe sent to me was the address to Landon's apartment. They put in a lot of effort actually. There are balloons and a small banner. And Chloe did buy me a vanilla birthday cake.

Now, we sip on some beer as Chloe sits on the floor playing go fish with Landon while Abby and I watch them and chat.

"Damnit! Why are you so good at this?" Chloe says annoyed as she slaps her cards down on the floor. "It's not my fault you suck. I told you I'd beat you," Landon says.

"Bro that not fair at all. Cheater!" Chloe yells as she points at him. He takes a swig of his beer and laughs.

"He kicked your ass. You'll win next time," I say in hopes of slightly comforting her. Mostly to annoy her but I know she loves me. Abby laughs next to me as she coughs on her beer.

Chloe looks down at her watch, "It's 11 o'clock. Do y'all wanna head home?" she asks. Her bun sways as she looks over to Abby and I sitting on the couch.

"I want some more cake," Abby says, setting down her drink and walking over to Landon's small kitchen. His apartment is amazing. It's not penthouse big, but it's extremely nice. I assume, like Carter, he comes from some wealthy family too. Not that it changes my view of him. He's still one of my closest friends, pretty much the only guy friend I've ever been able to bond with.

Granite counter tops, wide television, and even one of those fancy cappuccino machines are in this place. I've been dying for one of those for years.

"Mandy, what about you?" Chloe asks me. It's my birthday and I've had fun, but I am exhausted, drained, and over worked.

"I think I'll head back," I point to the door and put down my drink.

"Nooo," Chloe pouts. Landon's face becomes sad and Abby gasps with a mouthful of cake.

"Bitch," she says as she walks over to me, still holding her plastic plate of cake. "You're the birthday girl. Why are you leaving? Plus, how am I supposed to get inside your room?"

I roll my eyes, "bitch," I mock, "I have been doing work all week, my back is aching, and I desperately need some sleep. There is the spare key under the doormat that Thomas gave me. You'll be fine."

I grab my small black shoulder bag and she follows me, "We haven't even done presents!" She groans.

Presents?

"I told you guys to not buy me anything," I cross my shoulders. I swear to God they never listen to me. If I wanted presents, I would've given them ideas. She stops eating her mouthful and Chloe slaps her forehead.

"Well..." Landon begins from the living room, "We just got you tiny things. We wanted to treat you."

I roll my eyes, "guys."

They stay silent. I set my bag down with a sigh and head back to the black couch. Abby hands me her gift first. It's a pink envelope with white cursive lettering.

Inside, is a gift card for any store of my choice with the pricing of $100. I give her a hug of gratitude.

"Here's mine!" Chloe exclaims, handing me a taller box that is silver with a red bow. A bottle of my favorite perfume, Prada Candy, sits inside the box. I gape at her and she smiles at me.

"I saw you were out of it a few weeks ago so I bought you one," she smiles and pull her in for a hug.

"Here," Landon says as he holds a larger, but wider box. A pink bow sits on top of a card box named "The Box of Emotions."

"Chloe added the bow, I bought the gift," he chuckles. "You're a psyc major and I heard good things about this so figured you'd enjoy it."

I laugh and lean into him for a hug, one of his arms wrapping around my shoulder in a small embrace.

"Thank you guys," I smile. Chloe gives me a smart-ass expression, "See. You would've left without the presents and that would've made you sad."

I tell them all goodnight and Abby informs me she'll be home soon before I leave Landon's apartment and grab myself a cab. My phone dings with a message.

Mom: Happy Birthday. Hope you had a good day.

I sigh and leave her on read. I don't have the patience, nor the mindset to respond back to her right now. I'm too tired. Mentally and physically.

Before I can close my eyes in the backseat of my cab, my phone dings with another message:

C I enjoyed lunch this afternoon. Care to see me again?

I huff before responding.

M: Not really, but thanks for the meal.

C: Don't be like that, you know you liked it.

M: K.

C: Caught you ;)

M: You're not funny, Carter.

C: Says who? People tend to believe the opposite. I'm very funny.

M: That's debatable.

C: You're debatable.

M: You're existence is debatable.

With that, he stops responding. I smirk with satisfaction before I see those three fucking dots come up again.

C: I left something at your door ;)

I don't respond. I shut off my phone but by the time I look up, my cab is parked at my building. I tip the driver before hopping out.

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

I exit the elevator and make my way down the hall to my room. As I get closer, I make out a box.

A small, flat box. Once I reach my door, see it's a black box, with white ribbon on either side. Unlocking my door and flipping on a few lights, I sit on my bed, the box in my hands.

I untie the ribbon and open the box. Inside lays a flat note.

Speechless, I grab out a soft bag and feel something inside. When I open it, a bracelet slips out onto my hand.

A thin, beautiful bracelet made of herringbone. And it's a real, stunning gold.

I close my eyes in realization to his question this morning. If I preferred silver or gold. I sit there for a moment, admiring the piece of jewelry. I had never been given something like this in my entire life. When I was little, I'd get a Barbie doll or two or even a DVD. In high school, my mother normally gave me gift cards or a candle. I never received anything special.

But this, this was such a beautiful gift.

And from a guy I barley even knew. A guy who seemed to care about me an awful lot to purchase me such a gift.

I slip on the bracelet feeling the coldness of the real gold. I wonder how much this was. To Carter, that probably didn't even matter, let alone make a dent in his pocket.

With exhaustion taking over me, I undress and slip into a bralette and pajama shorts and crawl into my bed. In the darkness, I trace my fingers over my wrist where the bracelet lies.

My eyes begin to feel tired as I drift off.

——————-

In the middle of the night, I woke up dying of thirst for water and saw that Abby wasn't on her air mattress. I assumed that maybe she was just staying out later but when I looked at the clock and saw it was 3:30, I was almost worried.

Not too worried because I went back to bed.

I hear a knock at my door. The sun is rising and I'm scrolling through my phone, the bracelet still on my wrist.

"Good morning," Chloe greets. She's wearing heart pj's and her hair is a mess.

"Morning," I say with a stretch. She grabs one of my blankets and wraps it around her before sitting on my bed.

"Where's Abby?" I ask while yawning.

"She stayed the night at Landon's. She got a bit tipsy after some tequila and passed out on the couch," Chloe chuckles.

I smile. That's Abby for you.

"What time did you get home?" I ask.

"Midnight," She says as she rubs her hands on her arms.

Her attention soon drops to my wrist. "What's that?" She grabs my wrist and examines the bracelet.

"A gift," I say, "from Carter Osteen."

She audibly gasps. "What?!"

I nod my head. Her mouth is gaped open as she touches the gold jewelry.

"That's... nice," she says as her eyes bulge. Nice is an understatement.

"Are you his sugar baby now?" Chloe asks, putting my hand back in my lap.

My eyes widen, "Chloe! What the hell?"

She smiles a cheeky smile at me, "I won't judge." I roll my eyes and slap her on the arm.

"I gotta get some work done and I have that interview at 3 so I'll be busy today," she informs me as she gets up from my bed.

"Okay, talk later then?"

"Sure, sugar," she says with a smirk. I grab a pillow and throw it at her and she giggles are she scurries for the door.

———————————

I spent a couple of hours getting my homework done after I showered and dressed lazily. I wanted to take today slowly and fully relax.

Life was really starting to catch up to me and even if I tried to hide it, my body is starting to feel the exhaustion.

I close my laptop and lay my head down on my arms. The city is so beautiful today. Busy, as always, but I've always loved the fast paced feel.

I still wanted to discover more of what it had to offer. But I never had time. My friends never had time. I guess I'd only be able to truly enjoy it after school ends.

My phone dings next to me and I inhale a deep breath.

I swear to fucking God ever since I gave Carter my number, I have never heard anything less than 20 messages a minute.

I groan as I reach for my silicone phone case and click my screen.

C: I have a surprise. Are you busy tonight?

I roll my eyes.

M: Why???

C: A surprise.

I nearly crush my phone as I respond,

M: I don't like surprises.

C: You'll like this one.

I don't type back. There's something about Carter that throws me off guard. I cant quite decide what it is.

It's almost a mix of being thrown off guard and wanting to see what's next and I've never felt anything like it.

This random guy I've met in a coffee shop has more effort than anyone else I've randomly met.

I type out my answer, not recognizing myself as I do.

M: Okay. What time?

Those three dots come up again,

C: Midnight. I'll be outside the lobby.

M: R u kidnapping me or something?

C: Maybe...

I feel myself smile as I shut off my phone and shake my head.

This asshole.

—————————-

At midnight, I dress warm and head downstairs. My hands are shaky and my breathing is heavy.

I'm nervous.

For once in a long ass time, I'm nervous.

The elevator opens and I see Carters shadow through the door in the moonlight.

He wears another coat, but switched it up to old-skool Vans and his hair is messy. He's holding a bag that appears to have things in it.

He smiles at me as I open the wide glass door.

"Hello," he greets. His deep voice smooth, almost tired.

"Hey," I say as a shiver runs through me.

"Shall we?" He asks as he holds out his elbow for me to take.

Oddly enough, I wrap my arm through his. His warmth immediately heats up my skin.

"I hope you're not tired," he says to me as the lights of New York wisp past us.

"Says you," I say, "you're the one who looks tired."

"Yeah but this is worth it," he says. His blue eyes are focused on the sidewalk ahead of us. The street lights glimmer against them, and I find myself in awe of how beautiful the color is.

"It better be," I snip. He looks over at me and gives me a wink.

We walk to this really luxurious building and Carter informs me that we'll be going up the elevator, to the highest floor.

We stand there, our arms now longer intertwined. But something feels... different. I cant describe it. That somehow the air between us changed.

We make it the top, where an exit door is. I stop in my tracks. Carter, ahead of me, stops and turns to me. His gorgeous face sincere.

"What are we doing?" I ask.

"I told you it's a surprise," he says as he runs a hand through his hair.

I slit my eyes at him. "We're at the top of a building. What sort of surprise sits up here?"

He sighs as a gentle smile takes form on his pink lips, "don't worry, okay? Do you trust me?"

I pause. I've never actually decided that.

He walks ahead of me and opens the door. Carter holds it open, waiting for me.

I walk forward hesitantly, now knowing what will happen next.

The top of the building was slightly small but sturdy enough that a party could easily go on up here. No railing though.

That's when I take a second to take in the view in front of me. The city lights glimmer in the night, the stars above so shiny.

I am at a completely loss for words and air.

This is the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my entire life.

"I told you it wouldn't be bad," Carter says from behind me. I turn around and see him grab a brick to hold open the door.

"What are we doing here?" I ask. I feel a small smile begin to form on my lips and I could almost tear up at this view.

"We're having a little picnic. Just the two of us." He says to me as he strides over and grabs out a red blanket.