bound to happen | complete

chapter fifty | birthday girl

M E L A N I E L E I G H T O N

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" FEET that don't belong to me catch my ribs as they jump up and down on my made up bed on Ben's floor.

Rubbing my eyes and somehow opening them up, the bright smiles of Dewi, and Leilani catch my gaze as I sit up and smile.

The rest of my family stand around my bed and Ben's like some sort of serial killers. I only got to bed about two hours ago after Carter snuck in and snuck back out of my room.

That would've been awkward...

Either way I still have his shirt on, and my clothes are still all over my bedroom, thankfully since babies Ben and I have always slept in the same room the night before our birthday, so no one is going anywhere near my room.

As kids we'd make a huge fort on the bed and sleep in that, but definitely not this year, especially with the noises I heard coming from his room last night, just so happens I caught Hannah sneaking out last night too.

"Happy birthday, Mellie." Eilonwyn jumps up from Ben's bed to mine. Crushing my ribs as her hands come right into them.

"Thank you, Lonwyn." I cwtch her back as she wraps her arms around me.

A couple minutes later, everyone from the room leaves and I throw myself back down onto the pillow, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed and do nothing, that was my plan for this year, unfortunately Carter is getting his way.

I let out a loud groan as Ben puts his head over bed and looks down at me. "Are you ready for it?" He asks, the same look of tiredness on him as on me.

"No." I sigh, "are you?"

"Absolutely not. But let's go."

❦ ❦ ❦

I CAN NOT believe this. The pub is rammed with people I know. A lot of my family are here too. Ones I haven't even spoken with in years.

All my friends are here too. It's weird seeing this many people here for me, for my brother and I, and not for our father.

I'm very thankful for this, obviously, but I still think staying home and eating ice cream would have been a good thing to do as well.

A hand on my stomach causes me to turn, Carter stands behind me, a drunken smile on his lips as he looks down at me. It's about 11PM now, we've all been here since at least 6PM.

"Hi, Baby." He looks down at me, slightly swaying us as the soft sounds of the music fills our ears. "You okay?"

"I am," I look up at him, "are you?" I ask when I see his eyes lock in deeply on mine.

"I am now." He says, leaning down and placing a soft kiss in my lips, I do the same back before pulling away and leaning my forehead on his chest.

His hand comes up and rubs against my back for a few moments, he talks to someone but I don't pay attention, just listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

The song changes and the moment the first beat comes, I spin around and lock eyes with her. Seren runs over to me and I run to her, we meet in the middle and immediately start singing. 'Love Story' by Taylor Swift comes through the speakers, everyone around us sings, but right now it's just my sister and I in this moment.