Strictly Platonic

☼ B O Y F R I E N D

A chorus of happy birthdays greeted me after I recovered from the shock of all my friends yelling 'surprise!' at me. At least their plan was effective.

"So, what do you think?" Jace questioned, standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders. I looked up and matched his grin with one of my own.

"This was amazing," I breathed in awe. I addressed the crowd of people, then. "Thank you all so much. This means so much to me."

They all cheered and gave me smiles, even El who was clinging to Doug. I saw many familiar faces, including Chris - who had his arm around Adams shoulder, Matthew (Sarah was whispering something into his ear), Cody with Parker (who looked as if she felt incredibly awkward surrounded by so many unknown people), my sister and her husband, as well as their children - and finally, many of my fellow schoolmates.

I didn't know those people very well, but they were sort of acquaintances. There was a table with gifts piled on top and I felt my eyes widen. That was a lot of presents.

I spent the evening chatting and laughing with my friends, eating tons of food, and opening presents. It was definitely a birthday to remember.

It was nearly midnight by the time the guests - including my friends - left. I bid all of them farewell, thanking them for the kind and unique gifts.

I was exhausted and ready to sleep by the time Jace and I got into his car.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" He glanced at me through the rear view mirror and I nodded, yawning.

"It was amazing. The best birthday I've ever had, honest." I smiled at him and he leaned towards me, kissing my cheek. I gasped, slapping him away. "You're driving, Jace! Be careful, damn it! I don't want to die at eighteen."

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist." He replied cheekily. I rolled my eyes, barely containing my smile.

He drove for a while longer, and I frowned when I noticed he drove past my house.

"Um, Jace? You drove past my house." I pointed out. "There can't possibly be any more surprises. It's 11:27, there's hardly anything open right now."

"I know," he grinned. "Give it a minute."

I leaned back in my seat, shooting him a perplexed look. My eyebrows rose when I spotted sand through the window.

Suddenly, it clicked.

We were at the Hangout.

"Why are we at the beach?" I asked. I was hardly in the mood to swim.

"Your present." He answered simply. I was extremely confused. What could possibly be at the beach?

He parked and we got out of the car and I followed him as he walked. Suddenly, he stopped and I copied his actions. He turned to me, a nervous smile on his face.

"What?" I said after several seconds of silence.

"Here," he held up a bandana. "Let me put this on."

He tied the bandana around my eyes and grabbed my hand, guiding me further across the beach. I was extremely happy I'd decided to leave my heels in the car.

It took a few minutes before Jace stopped trekking through the sand. He took a deep, audible breath before untying the bandana from around my head.

I blinked and when my eyes focused on the sight in front of me, my jaw dropped.

There was a blanket set up and a picnic basket, as well as some candles and a couple flashlights.

Although cliché, it had my heart racing.