The Thoughts Between Us // CHALEX

Thirty-Four

Alex

Zach 🤘🏻
>Happy Birthday Mate! 🍻🍾 

Thanks Zachy! How r u?<

>Surviving on meds and what not
>Where are you? If you are having any celebration, I'm not gonna b able to join you :(

I'm at school<
It's lunch period so waiting for Tyler to show up<
And no celebration this year<

>Well no worries
>We will celebrate in Dempsey style once I'm back to Liberty

Sureee<
Anyways u go rest, Ty is here now<

>Alright, best wishes to u again!
>And don't celebrate too much!😎

Thank you Zach<
Bye 👋<

Shaking my head in amusement, I locked my phone and gave a small smile to Tyler as he sat down opposite me with his lunch tray. We were sitting on one of the outside tables today, under the trees. It was a good and calming day, and I was having a calming mindset today too, surprisingly.

"Hey, Alex," Tyler greeted, smiling back as he opened his backpack. "Happy Birthday."

He kept a rectangular present in front of me, covered in blue wrapping paper. I gave him a knowing look, but he continued smiling guiltily at me.

"What am I gonna do about you?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "Thank you for this, Ty."

"Open it." Tyler motioned towards the present as I looked it over. "I hope you like it."

It was medium sized and thin, so I guessed that it will be a book.

"Okay, first, you didn't have to bring me anything." I replied, opening the wrapping paper. "So now of course I'm gonna like anything you --- wait a second, is this what I think it is?"

Tyler just nodded in reply as I continued to look dumbfounded. 

"Holy shit. How did you even managed to get this?" I asked, holding up the vinyl album. "Last I checked, they were in great demand and sold-out on their official website."

"Well, one of my cousins works in their management company, and she owed me for clicking her pictures for her beauty pageant," Tyler shrugged at me. "So you did like it."

"Are you kidding? I love this. Thank you so much, Ty!"

He has brought me the latest vinyl album of my favorite band. And it was signed by all the members too. I mean, how can anyone top that?

"So, what are your plans for today?" Tyler asked, eating his sandwich while checking his phone. He typed a text to someone and then locked his phone. "Going out with family?"

"Naah, after last year's arcade fiasco I requested my parents to let me spend my day at home." I replied, remembering the tantrum I threw in front of so many people there. "So most probably I'll be lying on my bed today hearing this awesome album."

"A wish come true for you." He laughed slightly, then looked at someone in the distance behind me. "Oh great, Charlie's here too."

"Now please don't tell him it's my birthday today." I mentioned to him hurriedly. "I have gotten enough attention on me that will last a year. Jessica wished me loudly in front of our whole English Lit class in first period, it was so embarrassing." 

"Oh, well, too late then." Tyler replied, as he waved at Charlie. "I told him yesterday itself."

I face palmed myself, as Charlie sat himself down beside Tyler, then started laughing after looking at me.

"Let me guess." He said, keeping a box in front of me on the table. "You told Tyler not to tell me about your birthday, but then you got to know he had already mentioned it to me."

"Wow, you know me so well." I replied sarcastically as both of them laughed. "No offense to you, Charlie, but I don't like celebrating my birthday. That's why I didn't mentioned it to you."

"Well, no offense to you, Alex," He replied, smirking at me. "But I take it upon myself to celebrate birthdays of my close friends. So, happy birthday to you."

Charlie opened the box he had brought as both me and Tyler looked inside to see various delicious looking cupcakes. Their aroma hit my nose and my mouth started watering.

"Did you made this?" Tyler asked, sniffing the aroma too. "If yes, well, this is definitely topping my gift to Alex."

"Well, it wasn't something I couldn't do." Our friend replied, shrugging his shoulders. "They are freshly baked out of the St. George's kitchen."

After the whole getting-high-together-at-the-party night, I have been paying more attention to Charlie. His minor panic attack at the hospital had scared me, but I also noticed that it was the first and only time Charlie had shown sign of struggling. All the other times, he is still the normal happy-go-lucky quarterback I am friends with.

"There was no competition here," I stated and looked at both of my friends. "But Charlie has clearly won today."

"I'm not even feeling bad because I get to eat these." Tyler said, motioning towards the cupcakes. Charlie, meanwhile, was blushing at our words.

"Seriously, Charlie, thank you so much." I smiled at him. "Apart from my mother making me a birthday cake up until primary school, no one has put this much efforts for me. It truly means a lot."

"You deserve celebration too, Alex." He replied, smiling back. Then out of nowhere, he put a candle on one of the chocolate cupcakes and kept it in my lunch tray. He lighted it with a pocket lighter. "C'mon, blow the candle and make a wish."

"I'll do that after you guys promise not to sing the song." I warned them as they both chuckled. "It's too embarrassing. I mean, what is someone supposed to do when others are singing the birthday song for them?"

"Alright, alright," Charlie laughed. "As it's your birthday, we will listen to you. Now can we please move on?"

I sighed, shaking my head at them. Then I closed my eyes and wished just one thing.

I want my friends to be happy.

Because they were the only reason why I could celebrate my 19th birthday today. Without any of them, Clay, Jessica, Tony, Zach, Tyler, Justin, Ani and Charlie, I wouldn't be sitting here blowing out a candle in peace. I owe them, and the least I can do is wish for their happiness.

Opening my eyes, I blew out the candle as more than two pairs of hands started clapping.

Tony and Jessica has arrived too, and were grinning at me with Tyler and Charlie.

It felt like I wasn't a lonely kid anymore.

××××××××××××××××××××

Hey there!

So as mentioned in the last chapter, I changed the title of the book from 'Don't Break My Heart' to 'The Thoughts Between Us' because it felt like the new title suits the book theme well.

Tell me your thoughts on this!

Also, I know this chapter is short, but I wanted to write one for Alex's birthday as Season 4 forgot about it. This is my attempt so tell me how it was :)

I'm open to any suggestions so don't shy away to write in the comments.

Vote & Comment!