echo // hemmings [completed]

twenty-seven | pulp

—November 19h—

On Michael's 20th birthday, he had woken up at exactly 5:30 AM, a rare thing for someone with as poor sleeping habits as him. But on that day, he didn't mind the weary feeling in his bones and the lack of sun in the sky, because that day was going to be one of the best days in Michael's life.

After he had brushed his teeth, washed his face, and made himself presentable, he left his lonely little apartment, which at the time, he did not share with Drew. And at exactly 6:27 AM he arrived at The Chantilly. 

The Chantilly was a café that he and his friends liked to visit. It wasn't the most well-known place and it certainly wasn't the best place to get a flat white at, but it was a quaint, little place with a good reputation for consistency. And Michael liked the consistency. He liked how his eggs were always prepared the same way, poached with a runny yolk, and how his orange juice always had a little too much pulp in it. He found safety in the way that nothing ever changed there, and that's why he always found himself going back.

He was supposed to meet Calum, Luke, Riley, and Ashton at 6:30 AM that day. However, like always, he was a little early and they were all a little late. This habit of the group's bothered Michael a bit, but when they all arrived, they always greeted him with smiles, smiles bright enough for him to forgive them for their tardiness.

When they walked into the café they were welcomed by a perky boy in his mid-teens. His name was Evan and he was the owner's son, and whenever they came, he was always there to say hi to them. Calum thought it was good customer service, but everyone else knew that Evan just had a huge crush on the dark-haired boy.

As always, the owner, Ms. Burkes, would take their order, and as always, she would smell like burnt bacon and old salad vinaigrette. Michael ordered his usual plate of eggs, Calum asked for a bagel with smoked salmon, Ashton wanted French toast, Luke would request a thick slice of banana bread, and Riley always got an iced coffee. She never ordered food because she always stole bits of their meals to fill herself up.

Michael remembered that day very well as he woke up from his dream on the morning of his 21st birthday. The time was 1:21 PM when he opened his eyes. Leaving less than eleven hours for him to celebrate his day. But instead of being excited about the rest of the day, he felt regret; regret that he hadn't slept through it.

The lavender haired boy was not in a festive mood, if anything he was in a really shitty mood. All the memories of last year, of when Riley was still alive, broke his heart. And now he was celebrating his 21st birthday, with a broken heart. 

He had no hopes that Ashton or Calum would throw him a surprise party of any kind, they were never the type to. Maybe Luke would have if he could still see. So instead of his plate of birthday eggs and pulpy orange juice, he heated a bowl of instant mac and cheese and ate it in silence. He checked his phone as he ate his poor excuse for a breakfast.

Like every year before, his dad had filled his bank account with a few hundred dollars. Sometimes it would be two hundred and sometimes it would be seven, it just depended on his behavior. This year it was two hundred, his dad found out about his impulsive purchase from Calum's shop and wasn't very happy. But to Michael's surprise, there was even an email from his family. A short little note wishing him a happy birthday, more words than they had ever sent him before.

He sighed, assuming that was all the birthday wishes he would be getting, but then he noticed the little red notification symbol next to his messenger app. There were four of them; one from Calum, one from Ashton, one from an unidentified number, and one just to alert him of how much cellular data he had used that month.

The one from Calum was short and somewhat sweet: Happy birthday.

Ashton's was only an emoji longer.

But the third one, from the unknown number, was three whole sentences long.

Hey Michael, it's Rowan. Ashton told me it was your birthday, and I just wanted to wish you a good one. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Michael chuckled when he saw it. 

"I haven't done shit for you," he said under his breath. "I just messed things up."

But in fact, Michael had done things for Rowan. A lot of things actually. He was one of the first people to talk to her other than Drew, well of course other people spoke to her, but Michael really talked to her. He spoke to her with genuine interest, genuine feelings, and Rowan found it endearing. He had also introduced her to a new place completely outside of her comfort zone. A place of insecurity and paranoia, but it was a place that had taught her many things. If she had never been shown in this place, she would never have been able to truly appreciate the things she had.

So without his own knowledge, Michael had helped her out in a way that no one else could have. He had become a milestone in her once simple life and she would always be grateful for that.

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a/n: vote and comment ? i'd love to hear from y'all

and shoutout to sayra for being there <3