[Complete] Ariel and the Bandits

16 - Have Your Cake

Naz starts to step away. "I can bring Ariel over--"

Jake grabs Naz's wrist. "No. You're not getting involved."

Naz stares at Jake's hand. Her eyes widen, and she turns her head to me. I can't tell whether the blush on her face is from physical contact or alcohol. The only thing I can think of saying without smiling is: "Make sure she doesn't interrupt them. In fact, keep her away from them."

"With pleasure." Jake interlaces his hand with hers and gently pulls her to the kitchen. Naz glares at me until I am out of her sight.

When Luke and Charlotte find me, I thank them for everything they did despite having their wedding to plan. As both the older ones and the mom and dad of our friend group, it's no surprise that the two of them made it fit into their planning.

"Liam and Jake went cake tasting with us, and they tried out some flavors for you," Luke shares.

Charlotte laughs. "The workers at the bakery thought they were together. They played it off for as long as they could until they had to inform the workers it was a birthday cake so they could write your name."

My eyes want to meet the back of my head. "Of course they did."

I excuse myself and head to my room. With the door shut behind me, the music muffles. The aftermath of the heavy bass music and the loud voices attempting to talk over the music itches my ears with white noise, and the soundwaves coat my skin with soft vibrations. My slow strides stop once in front of my closet.

I'd been wearing a simple black polo all day, but given how nice Ariel looked, I figured I'd at least put on a dress shirt. Halfway through buttoning my shirt, there's a knock on my door.

"It's me," Ariel announces. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah."

She slowly pushes the door open and peaks in before stepping into my room. Ariel looks around the room, almost as if looking to see who else is in here with me. She closes the door and leans against it with her hands behind her back, keeping her eyes on me. I couldn't exactly keep my eyes off of her either. The confidence she radiates in her attire activates the reward system in my brain-- like I've been blessed to even look at her.

"You look like the little mermaid when her dad finally gives her legs, and she steps out of the ocean in that sparkly dress."

"That's exactly what I was going for," Ariel grins. "Happy Birthday, Park."

"Thank you," I say. As curious as I am about Ariel's conversation with Serena, it surprisingly doesn't concern me. My mind is getting creative with compliments-- both appropriate and not.

"You know, I really struggled to figure out what to get the million-dollar quarterback he couldn't get himself."

"Oh, you didn't have--"

"Don't even finish that sentence, Park. I figured it out anyway." She brings her hands forward and reveals the gift bag. She holds it out for me to take and gestures for me to open it.

I remove the tissue paper and pull one of the items out. It's a stack of sealed envelopes tied together.

"I hope I'm not getting ahead of myself, but I uh, I figured that you'd be busy with training and the season, so I thought you might like some "Open When" letters, for you know, when you miss me."

I undo the string to shuffle through some of the topics and smile at some of these. Open when: you feel stressed, you've won a game, you're in the mood--

I cock an eyebrow. "In the mood?"

Ariel averts her eyes from me. Her fingers play with the material of her dress. "There's something else in the bag that goes along with that."