Slumber Birthday Party Part II

~edited~

"Dad?" I whispered. I couldn't even tell how he was feeling. His face was totally blank. It always was anyway. "Hey, Vanessa."

I folded my arms over my chest. "What are you doing here?"

He ignored my question, eyeing my attire,"Why are you wearing something so short?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't live under your roof, anymore. I can wear whatever I want," I told him.

He sighed in defeat. "Well, won't you let me in?"

I really wanted him to leave but something told me he wouldn't, even if I told him to. It was best I just let him say whatever he wanted to say and leave.

I couldn't even imagine how he'd react when Nathan comes here. I could introduce him as a friend...but I didn't exactly want to lie.

He was going to find out sooner or later. It was best he found out now. From me, and not from my siblings.

"Fine. Come in," I said and stepped aside. He walked inside and I closed the door behind him, rolling my eyes to myself.

"Oh. You have company," he pointed out.

"Yes, I do. I have friends, dad."

He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Guys, too?"

I slapped a hand on my face. "Of course," I replied.

"Oh. Well, I have something to say to you," he started off,"And I don't want your friends here."

"Don't worry about them. Whatever you want to say to me, you can say it in front of them." I could tell he was a little bit ticked off, but I didn't care.

I just wanted to get this over with.

"Fine. Come home," he demanded. Bella choked on air while Danny let out a loud gasp. I would have laughed if I wasn't so shocked.

"Nope. Not going to happen," I disagreed.

"Yes. It is going to happen. You're too young to be living alone. You haven't even finished your degree! How can you even afford such a place?"

"My boyfriend will help me," I said, proudly.

"Your what?!" He spat.

"You heard her, sir. Her white boyfriend is going to help her. Once he moves in, anyway," Danny informed him.

"Who are you to even speak to me like that?!"

I smirked while replying,"He's my future cousin-in-law." My dad shook his head in disappointment.

"I didn't raise you to be so disrespectful," he whispered. I shrugged, nonchalantly. "I know."

He ran a hand down his face. "And who is this white boyfriend of yours?" As if on cue, Nathan stumbled inside with only in his boxers and a T-shirt. Oops! Not the first impression I was expecting.

Dad eyed him as if he was poop on his shoe. "Who the heck are you? And what are you doing in my daughter's apartment wearing only that?" He questioned.

Nathan gave me a look of confusion and shock and I mouthed 'boyfriend' to him. He cleared his throat and brought his gaze back to my dad.

"Well, I am her boyfriend, sir. Nice to meet you," he said.

"It's not nice at all. I told you when you were still young, Vanessa, that you will not by any chance marry a white man, let alone date him," he reminded me.

"I know that, but you can't choose who you like, dad. Or fall in love with. It just happens. And in my case, I like Nate. White or not," I defended.

"Well, do his parents approve of this...forbidden relationship?"

I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest, once again. "No. But that won't stop us."

"Really, now?" He challenged.

"Yes, sir," Nate replied for me.

"Vanessa, you better get yourself out of this before you get hurt," dad warned.

"I'm not going to get hurt. I know so. Now please, you are ruining our night. It was supposed to be special. We'll talk some other time," I promised, even though it was totally fake.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Your little relationship is not allowed," he warned once again, as I pushed him out the door.

"I already know that," I said and slammed the door on his face. Once he was out, I let out a long breath of air.

"What the hell just happened?" Nathan asked.

"Don't ask. Let's just carry on with our night, yeah?" I suggested, already wanting to forget about it.

He shrugged. "Fine, then. So, what's really happening?" I walked towards him and closed his eyes with my hands. I motioned for the others to go to the dining room.

They got the message and walked in front of us. "What are you doing?" Nathan inquired. I whispered in his ear,"Trust me."

He sighed and didn't say anything else. We walked slowly and soon, we entered the room. The cake was placed in the middle of the table with twenty-two candles on it and it surrounded by pizza.

Grinning wide, I removed my hands from his eyes and almost immediately, Reese, Bella and Danny shouted,"SURPRISE!"

He jumped from shock. "You guys did this for me?" Danny shook his head, while I strolled to them. I stood next to Bella.

"Nah. It was all Vane, cuz," Danny corrected him. I blushed as Nate flickered his gaze to me. "Princess? I–it was you?" He whispered.

"Oh. Not really, I was just–" I was cut off by the death glares I received. I gulped and instantly rephrased my statement,"Well, yeah. I remembered that promise I made you."

"Come here," he whispered. "What?" I questioned. "Come here," he repeated, opening his arms wide. I ran to him and my body slammed into his.

He immediately engulfed me in a tight hug. My hands were pressed on his clothed chest as he continued to hug me.

"Thank you," he whispered. I smiled, teary-eyed. "It was nothing, Blue Eyes." Reese cleared his throat, making us pull away from each other.

I felt cold as soon as he stepped back. I wanted to be in his strong arms again. I wanted to be in his warm embrace once again.

"Anyway, let's carry on. First order of business, is eating," Bella told us all. I took Nathan's hand and pulled him towards the dining table.

He sat down and I sat next to him. Everybody started taking a slices of pizza from the five boxes. "Is this why you wanted that break?" Nathan asked me.

I cleared my throat. "Well, uh...partially," I responded and took a bite of the pizza. I held back a moan because of how wonderful it tasted. I would never get tired of pizza.

"What do you mean 'partially'?"

I smiled and answered,"It's nothing, really."

Nate was about to say something else, when Danny interjected,"After this, we're having a gift hunt."

Thank you, Dan-Dan.

"Gift hunt?" Nathan inquired. "Well, commonly known as the treasure hunt. Only this time, we're looking for your gifts. The person who finds the most first, gets an extra slice of cake, takes a picture with the birthday boy and gets to choose the first movie to watch," Bella explained.

He seemed to understand, since he nodded. "It's a pity I'm not participating," I shared, with a sad sigh. "Why aren't you?" Nate asked.

"I'm the one who hid the gifts," I replied. He looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes. "Really?" I nodded in response.

"Well, this is going to be good," he said. "Definitely," Reese agreed. We had a small chitchat after that and continued eating.

We didn't finish all of the pizza, however, because it was too much and we were making space for the cake and snacks later on.

It was the time of the gift hunt. I had a notepad. All the names of the participants were written there. I'll write the amount of gifts each one got, next to their name.

I used my phone as a timer. They only had ten minutes. There aren't that many gifts, anyway. Only six. Disappointing, I know.

"Okay, guys. Ready, set, go!" I exclaimed and then watched as they took off. And as I expected, Nathan got inside my room first.

I smirked. I could only hope he wouldn't open them right there and then.

***

Ten minutes later, we were back in the dining room. The winner was Bella. She got four gifts. Nathan got the two from the bedroom.

Danny was sulking, whilst Reese seemed to be nonchalant. We were just starting to sing happy birthday. Surprisingly, our voices blended well. We could become a choir if we wanted to.

"Happy birthday, to you. Happy Birthday, to you. Happy birthday, dear Nathan. Happy Birthday, to you..."

It was downright fun to sing that song. Nathan was busy recording as we sang to him. I would be doing the same thing.

"Make a wish! Make a wish!" We coerced him. He thought for a minute, and then blew out the candles. We all cheered for him.

He looked so happy. The grin couldn't be wiped off of his face. And when he was happy, I was happy.

"Time for the gifts! I suggest you start with the bigger ones," I told him. I was only telling him that so that the watch could be the last one.

It was the smallest one, obviously.

He took the biggest gift bag there was and took out what was inside. It was a PS5 game console with a few games inside.

Now I was thinking of Nick. He was definitely going to like Nate now, if he didn't in the first place.

"Reese?" Nate inquired. Reese nodded, with a big smile. They did their bro hug thingy. "How did you know I wanted this?"

Reese chuckled. "I'm your best friend. Of course I knew. I just didn't understand why you couldn't buy it when you have a large amount of money in your bank account."

True that.

Nathan just snorted and didn't comment on Reese's statement. He opened Danny's bag next. Inside, there were new sneakers, a pair of cool shades, toiletries and lastly, two movie tickets.

"What are these for?" Nate asked him. "For you and Vanessa. For your second date," Danny replied. I gave him a grateful smile.

"Aww. Thank you, Dan-Dan," I thanked him and pinched his cheek. "Yeah. Thank you cuz," Nate said and hugged him. As in hugged him.

"I love you, cuz," Danny told him. Nate smiled wider. "I love you too, Danny." We all gasped. They pulled away from each other and Nate looked at us with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Can't I just tell my favorite cousin I love him?" He questioned. I just held up my hands. Next gift was Bella's.

Inside, was a new phone, headphones, powerbank and a Wi-Fi router. I guessed she decided to buy gadgets. He did need them though.

"Aww. Thank you, Bella," he thanked her, giving her a side hug. "No problem, Nate," she said. And then next gift, was from my siblings.

I wonder what they got him. He slowly unwrapped whatever was inside, to reveal an album. We all leaned closer to it.

He opened the first page, and a note was placed inside it, with a nice and neat writing. That was undoubtedly, Zanniah's handwriting.

Nathan took the letter and lifted it closer to his face. He then read aloud,"From the Peerce siblings, to birthday boy. A.k.a, Vee's boyfriend. A.k.a, Nathan Grove."

"Hello, Nate. You're probably reading this letter when we've arrived a long time ago in Durby. I most possibly am sitting on the couch, watching a movie with my year-old son, Imian."

"Anyway, we just wanted to say happy birthday, champ. Take care of our little sister there while we're gone. We love you already, I tell you. You are now one of our brothers."

"We know your relationship with our sister is still new. But, we see something in it. Something unique. We won't say what it is. However, what I'm sure of, is that you guys are far from breaking apart."

"Love each other 'till the end, guys. Just, happy B'day, Nate. We love you. You are our brother. You are our sibling. We were sure you would find this gift very special to you. Until we meet again, little bro. Enjoy your belated birthday!"

That was so sweet of my siblings.

I was honestly at loss of words. Nathan put the note aside, and looked right at the first page. That's when I realized, they were pictures of me and him.

From when we were still friends, up to our first date. How they even got those photos was beyond me. But...the album was really special.

To me, too.

I'd be sure to thank them for it. Nathan instantly closed the album and put it aside. "We'll look through it, later," he whispered. I nodded, knowing he was speaking to me.

Next gift, was mine. I could only hope he was going to like it. He opened the box and continued standing there, observing the watch.

When he finally noticed the words imprinted there, he whispered them,"Avalor. Date One. N+V." I nodded in confirmation.

On that instant, I was back in that warm embrace. "You didn't have to get this for me. Thank you," he told me. "I couldn't not return the favor," I said to him.

"I–I think we need to talk," he stated. I nodded on his chest. "Yes. I do, too," I agreed. He pulled away. "Guys, Princess and I need some time to talk," he informed the others.

They nodded and left us alone in the dining room. I took a few steps back, just to be able to look at him in the eye. I'm surprised a tear hasn't been shed by me.

But, something told me, they were coming.

"Nathan, I honestly don't know where to start," I told him. "No. Don't worry about that. I'll start," he suggested and I just nodded.

"Princess, I meant it when I said I needed you. I have never ever felt like this about any other girl in my life. You're the one for me, Princess. I'm sure of that. That whole five days without you got me thinking."

"B–but what about our parents?" I croaked out. The tears were already there now. Another, falling right after another. Nathan took a step closer. And then another.

"I don't care about our parents. I won't let them come between us, Princess. You know, I'm sorry if I say I need you. But I don't care because I'm not scared of love. When I'm not with you, I'm weaker. You make me strong, Princess."

That was totally One Direction.

"W–what are you saying?" I whispered with a sniffle. "What I'm saying is that I don't want us to go on like this. I can't keep these feelings inside me anymore. They've been eating me up for forever. And now I have the time to say them."

Don't tell me he's–

"I love you, Princess. So, so much. More than you could imagine. I don't think my life would go on without you in it. I want you to be in it, baby. I want you to be my girlfriend."

That's when I broke down. The tears kept on falling on a faster rate, and my wails and sobs got even louder. I didn't believe this, I just didn't.

Nathan wrapped his arms protectively around my waist while I continued sobbing and crying on his chest. Our bodies were pressed onto each other. And I liked it.

He kept on whispering sweet nothings in my ear, trying to calm me down. It worked after a while and I leaned my head back, looking up at him.

"Are you sure you love me, Nathan?" I asked, for confirmation. "A hundred percent sure, baby. I love you, with all my heart," he answered.

"I–I didn't know," I whispered. He wiped the tears left. "Well, now you do. I love you. Very much. And I'll say it all the time if that's what you want."

I smiled weakly. "You know what, Blue Eyes?" I asked. "What?" He asked back. I looked deeply into his blue eyes.

"I'm not perfect. I say stupid things sometimes. I laugh when I'm not supposed to. I have scars left by people who did me wrong. I'm a little crazy, and probably won't change. Love me or not. But I make one promise. That if I love you, I do it with a full heart."

"What do you mean by that, Princess? Tell me," he demanded but I ignored it and just continued gazing into his beautiful eyes. They are the best thing ever.

"To be honest, I never thought anyone would ever make me smile, laugh, and capture my heart as fast as you have. What I mean is, I love you too, Blue Eyes. Always have. And always will."

A tear slid down his cheek and I instantly reached out to wipe it away with my thumb. "Y–you do? You...love me back?"

I nodded vigorously, with a small laugh. "Yes. I love you, too." He laughed at that. Not the 'oh gosh, you're so funny' laugh. It was the 'oh my gosh! I can't believe this' laugh.

He cupped my cheeks with both his hands. He had a big grin on his face. He looked like an idiot, to be honest with you. But I loved him.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you, too," I whispered back. In a flash, his lips were connected with mine. My mind turned blank and I forgot all about today.

Warmth spread throughout my body as he continued to kiss me softly and passionately. I missed that feeling. The feeling of our lips moving together in sync.

The tingles I felt all over my body. He pulled me closer to his body, pressing me further into him. We didn't stop. We didn't stop kissing.

It was our way of showcasing how much we missed each other and how much we loved each other. He licked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth slightly, inviting his tongue.

As he explored my mouth, I didn't even realize I was already straddling him. After a while, we pulled away even though I both knew we didn't want to.

Our breaths mingled together as we dug into each other's eyes. What I saw in his were what I thought I'd never see in a man that's looking at me.

They showed love, adoration and wonder. I knew right then that I wasn't making any mistake. Screw our parents.

We loved each other and that's that.

Nate pecked my lips one more time. "From now on, you're mine and only mine. All rights reserved," he whispered.

I smiled at him. "All yours," I told him. "Screw what our parents say. I don't care if you're black. I love you and it's going to stay that way. They won't change that."

"I don't care if you're white, too. I love you. And I will for forever," I assured him. He held out his pinky finger with a smirk.

"To infinity and beyond," he promised. I chuckled, not expecting him to do this. I connected our pinky fingers, nonetheless and managed to compose myself.

"To infinity, and beyond."

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

A/N: