“Can’t believe it’s your birthday, and we’re throwing you a party!” Si-won patted Liam on the shoulder. Liam smirked at his friend. His favorite music was playing, his favorite dishes were being prepared, and his best friends had flown in from all over the world to celebrate with him.
It was the first birthday party he let them have because he didn’t like parties. Many things have changed in his life since Nadine entered it, including how he celebrates his birthday. Si-won has always been fond of her. She brought the best out of his friend, and he knew from the start that they had feelings for each other, and all their friends were aware of it.
They had a bet between them on which one would cave first and confess. Si-won knew Liam would fall first because he called him drunk one day and told him how madly he was in love with Nadine and cried because he knew she didn’t feel the same way.
Si-won always laughs when he recalls that phone call because he knew Nadine felt the same way, but neither wanted to admit it for fear of ruining their friendship which was an obvious relationship from the start, but both were just cowards.
Ethan, one of their old friends, was a chef who prepared all the dishes they were about to eat. The party was held in Liam’s apartment in Sydney, and as Nadine brought the drinks to the table, she went to Liam, who was still standing on the balcony with Si-won.
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Si-won noticed Nadine approaching them from the balcony, which overlooked the breathtaking full harbor view. As she walked in, he excused himself. “Hey, Ethan! Did you make the crab salad I told you about?” he asked, stepping inside the apartment and ruffling Nadine's hair jokingly. Ethan’s voice shouted from the kitchen, cursing Si-won for adding so many dishes to the list, followed by their friends’ laughter as their usual rant began.
Nadine laughed as she closed the balcony door behind her and lightly punched Liam. “Here’s the birthday boy. You’re old.”
“Thank you,” Liam replied, laughing at her sarcasm.
“What are your plans for this year? Have you considered getting a tattoo? Or ear pierce?”
“I don’t think I’ll be joining any boy bands any time soon.”
“Why not? You have an uncanny resemblance to them. I pictured you in a band with teen girls obsessed with you,” Nadine scoffed. “It’ll be like a dream come true... girls chasing you... It sounds like a man’s fantasy.”
“It sounds scary if a twenty-seven-year-old man's fantasy is teen girls.”
“What is your fantasy then?” she asked, innocently looking at him.
He softly smiled at her adorable yet painfully sexy expression and said, “Mine is not a fantasy... too close yet too far.” Nadine smiled; his eyes went to her full lips then her smiling eyes. He took a step closer to her when Si-won shouted informing them both that the food was ready.
Wooden strings float from the ground and wrap around his forearm, gluing him to the chair. The strings encircled most of his trembling body. Eleni kept her hands steady, her lips never stopping whispering in Italian to maintain the connection. “Almost there!” Theia said before her voice faded into silence.