rain. |h.s|

28

Noelle Benjamin

I hate birthdays.

I think they're one of my least favorite things about living.

Getting gifts, messages, and candles from people who couldn't care less if you don't live to see another birthday. Of course in exception to Harlow. But in the past five years, I don't remember my birthday being a memorable day. 

Today's my 22nd birthday, and honestly, all I want to do is move onto tomorrow. But it's only 7:06AM.

"Goooood morning birthday girl." Harlow rushes into my room with her hair and makeup done, and a little breakfast-in-bed tray that contains eggs, pancakes, and a glass of milk.

"I feel underdressed." I laugh groggily, struggling to sit upright in bed.

"Hurry up and eat. We have so much to do today." She lays the tray in my lap and pats my cheek.

"Har, you do know that I have classes today right?" I take a sip of my milk and furrow my eyebrows.

She snorts, "Of course I do. But they end at five. Five o'clock is when our party starts."

I laugh and watch her smile after her sentence. Harlow is always the only exception for these kinds of things. I don't know what I'd do without her.

"Do I get to know what you've planned for today?"

"Never." She gasps dramatically. "Okay, time for round one of presents." She gives me a light kiss on the cheek and lifts the tray off my lap.

As if they were hiding behind the door the whole time, Zayn, Harry, and Niall come into the room with a present in each of their hands. Even Harry.

I want to hide under the covers for a moment because I look like a possum just crawled out of its mother's vagina. I didn't want anyone to see me like this before I got dressed for the day, especially on my birthday, but whatever.

"Me first." Harlow gives Zayn a glare as she bumps him out of the way with her passive aggressive voice.

Harlow's gift is wrapped in dark blue wrapping paper with a silver bow on top. I try unwrapping it gently, but after a point I give up and just rip apart the damn thing.

"Har! A new cardigan? And it has stars on it, like the one we saw that day on Queen's Street." I pull her in tightly and squeeze the cardigan between us.

Zayn hands me his and we both give each other a light smile. His present is in a bright yellow bag with floral tissue.

"A new coffee maker! I needed this, thank you Zayn." I pull him into a hug and gently kiss his bearded cheek. 

"Glad you like it." He grins as he comes out of the embrace and lets Niall show me his gift.

I furrow my eyebrows when Niall hands me a cardboard box with a silver bow on top. I hesitantly open it as he looks just as unsure as me.

I pull out a huge wine bottle with my name on it. "Wine?"

"Not just any kind of wine, Noelle." He takes a seat next to me in bed and grabs the bottle from me. "This is your personalized wine. It has your name on it, see?"

He shoves the bottle in my face to show me how largely my name has been printed onto the label. I widen my eyes and push the bottle away from me to properly read it.

I laugh lightly, "Yes, yes I see. Thank you Niall."

I don't give him a hug, just a friendly high-five. He sinks back into my bed and watches Harry come up to give me his present.