"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
- William Jennings Bryan
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I belonged to that kind of people who said they hated surprises only to get to know the surprise.
There was nothing worse than being told "oh, it's a surprise!" without knowing when and where you would get to know that surprise.
So yes, I hated surprises but only because I was far too impatient to wait for them to be revealed.
But sometimes you could guess surprises. For example, when your boyfriend did his very best to keep you from going home and when your best friend acted mysteriously.
I wasn't talking about their behavior in general. No, I meant their behavior a few days before my 20th birthday.
Even my parents were dodging my questions and attempts to make them spill the secret.
But the moment my sister instantly ended a call when I entered her room, I figured it out.
A surprise party for my birthday. Of course. What else would make everyone act like Sherlock Holmes?
There weren't any clues in our house, but they probably hid the balloons and festoons and everything else at Lisa's.
Now the most important task was to make me stay away from home long enough to set everything up.
That was the reason why Harry insisted on my company for the day.
I was currently on summer break for two months. Today was July 1, my birthday. And I wasn't allowed to go home.
It has been nearly two months since the incident and most reminders were fading away.
But Harry had one last mission to accomplish. "I want to get a tattoo over the scar."
"I don't think they can just ink across the scar," I told him, my eyes fixed on the Crêperie to my right.
God bless French people and their Crêperies.
"Zoey! Oh my god, it really is you! Happy birthday, honey," a squeaky voice called my attention before a fragile figure ran into me.
Astonished, I hugged the girl back. She let go after a few seconds and I finally could see her face.
"Jade?" I asked, uncertainty evident in my voice.
"It's been so long now, haven't seen you in ages," my high school friend rambled on. "Do you have a few minutes? We should get a crêpe and talk a bit."
"That's a great idea. Z, just meet me at the tattoo parlor whenever you're ready," Harry spoke up before I had a chance to decline Jade's offer.
"Oh, hi, sorry, didn't see you. I'm Jade," Jade introduced herself to Harry, outstretching her hand.
Harry shook it, smiling honestly at her. "I'm Harry." On that note, he made a parting gesture and disappeared into the tattoo parlor down the elevator in the mall.
"Woah, he's hot," Jade commented, her eyes on Harry until he disappeared. She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the Crêperie.
At least I would get something good to eat now.
"So, how did you meet?" Jade asked, starting a long conversation.
My initial doubts flew away and I started to really enjoy myself. After high school, Jade and I hadn't kept much contact but we had always gotten along.
We sat there for quite some time and I ate far too many crêpes. I hoped I would still be able to eat something tonight at my surprise party.
The hardest part for me was to pretend that I didn't know anything.
After a long story on how her mother caught her father when he cheated on her, Harry came back, grinning mischievously.
"I'm sorry but I really have to interrupt your little get-together. Zoey and I still have some plans," Harry smiled apologetically at Jade.
I eyed the small bandage peeking out of Harry's neckline. So he really did get another tattoo. I lost count at around 42 tattoos and simply started calling him "the inky man."
We bid our farewells as soon as I promised Jade to get in contact again soon.
"Did it hurt?" I asked him once we were safely inside his car.
Harry shook his head, a smile plastered on his face. "I'm used to it by now. The tattoo on my abdomen was kind of hurtful, even though I'm used to getting inked."
I grinned to myself. The tattoo on his v-line had to be one of my favorites, simply because I liked the reaction I received whenever I traced it with my fingertips.
My hands reached for the sun shade and clapped it down, and I examined myself in the small mirror attached.
My make-up was, fortunately, still on point. The curls in my now chest-long and dark blonde hair have faded a bit and now it hang loosely in waves, the way I actually preferred my hair.
I tugged at my red tank top and eyed my dark blue skinny jeans suspiciously. The color was lighter than usually thanks to all the washings the pair had endured.
Yep, I was ready for my 'surprise' party.
Harry kept up small talk the whole way, but once we reached the Cherry Street, he shut up. From the distance I could tell that there weren't any cars parked in front of my parents' house – therefor more cars than usually framed the street.
"Looks like no one's home," Harry told me while parking the car in front of our garage.
He made sure that I would walk in first. Well, he always let me do anything first, just because he was a gentleman.
I took a deep breath in, preparing myself to act surprised.
The front door squeaked and I grimaced. The noise was annoying, maybe I should butter it.
The hallway was empty but a little commotion could be heard from the living room. I casually walked in – and was welcomed by pitch-black darkness.
All of a sudden, bright light blinded me and a loud chorus of "Surprise" momentarily deafened me.
"Oh my god," I cheered, opening my eyes and looking at my family members and closest friends.
They all approached me and hugged me individually, mumbling their happy birthdays into my ear while holding me inhumanly tight.
George knocked me off my feet and spun me around, going in circles. I felt dizzy and light-headed but didn't complain.
I appreciated my friends more than anything. Theresa and Niall were busy in a corner and Meredith made gagging noises while watching them which, in return, caused Phoebe to burst out laughing.
Harry was quietly talking to Adrian. My sister's boyfriend caught my gaze and winked. He knew it was thanks to him and Phoebe that I met Harry. I was more than grateful.
The next construction area was mission 'Lisa and Mason.' Our sweet Mason was silently sipping at a cup of beer, watching Lisa when he thought no one was looking.
I looked proudly at the group of my friends. Most were embroiled in conversation but the pinging of a glass encased the room in silence.
My father stood at the entrance of the room, next to my mom and Lisa, watching me with shining eyes. "My sweet, little Zoey. You're finally not a teenager anymore. I'm so proud of you. Today we all gathered together to celebrate your birthday. Your mother, Lisa and I decided to fulfill a long-term wish tonight. Come on over, baby girl," my father spoke in a gentle voice.
My eyes watered. It had been a long time since he last admitted of being proud.
I quickly walked over to my parents and Lisa, taking the envelope Lisa was holding out towards me. "Happy birthday," she told me once again, a huge smile on her lips.
I opened the gift, my heart beating erratically in my chest. This had to be something big, why else would they make a big scene if it was just a card with money?
My fingers trembled slightly and I had trouble opening the envelope, but somehow I managed to do it.
A plane ticket and a photo of the Eiffel Tower fell into my hands, making me gasp. "This... this is... Oh my god, is it for real?" I stuttered, my eyes wide open in fascination.
Surely this was a dream and not what it looked like. This couldn't be true.
Lisa squealed and threw her arms around my shoulders. "It took a lot of time and a lot of convincing, but I finally managed to coax our parents into letting us fly to Paris! Zoey, we'll be in Paris so damn soon!"
I screamed in joy and hugged Lisa back. We held each other tight and spun around, chanting "Paris, Paris" all over, again and again.
After so many years of dreaming about the city of love and lights, it was within our grasps.
I read the date on the plane ticket. July 5. That was in four days!
"Oh my gosh, I have to pack my bags! And I need new clothes! And a better camera and-" I rambled, feeling panic arise.
"Ssh," Harry hushed me, wrapping his arms around me from behind. He looked over my shoulder at the ticket and sighed in relief.
I gave him a questioning look but he just shrugged it off, whispering a "later" in my ear.
The rest of the party proceeded pretty well. Adrian guessed that I knew about everything at one point. I let him in on the secret that some people were just acting a bit too obvious for my liking.
Sooner or later, the party had to come to an end. One by one, my friends hugged me goodbye and promised to come to the airport on Saturday to make sure I 'safely got on the plane.'
After everyone except Adrian and Harry were gone, we quickly cleaned the living room. My group of friends weren't a messy bunch; everything was sorted within a few minutes.
Harry dragged me down the hallway to my room, closing the door behind us. "It's time for your birthday present."
"Birthday sex?" I guessed, eying him from head to toe.
His soft laugh filled the air and warmed my heart. He pressed his soft lips on top of mine and caught my tongue in our familiar dance. He let go just as fast, his lips a whisper away from mine. "Nope."
He turned around and walked to my dresser, grabbing an envelope out of his bag.
I shook my head, denying the present. He had already spoiled me at the mall today, there was no way I would accept another gift.
"Zoey," Harry threatened in a deep voice, pushing me against the door. "I won't take 'no' as an answer."
I sighed in defeat and snatched the envelope from his hands, quickly opening it.
"Really?" I questioned, letting out a laugh when I held another plane ticket in my hand.
"England is better than France," Harry whispered in my ear, turning me around so he could hug me from behind.
His hands drew small patterns on my stomach. It was hard to keep my focus on the plane ticket in front of me, but a quick check made sure that the flight was a week after I would come back from Paris.
"Thank you so much," I said sincerely, turning around so I could look him in the eyes.
He stared back at me, those emerald green eyes holding all the answers to every question on my mind. It sounded so cliché-ridden but I did truly get lost in them.
"My grandparents are looking forward to meeting you," Harry told me with a wink of his eyes.
I blushed a crimson red. A few weeks ago, they had called Harry during a rather hot make-out session and he had replied with "sorry, nana, I'm busy with my girlfriend" and had ended the call without missing a beat.
I made a mental note to keep my hands to myself – and Harry's hands off me – if we were staying with his grandparents in England.
An audience was definitely not something I fancied.
"I've never really left this country and now I'm going to Europe twice! I must still be dreaming," I spoke with closed eyes, more to myself than to Harry, shaking my head in disbelief.
I was almost certain when I opened them again, I would be lying in my bed, waking up for another day of college. I would get up and take a shower, remembering the fantastic dream about meeting an extraordinary boy who changed my life for the better.
Lisa would pick me up and drive to school, throwing a random fact at Mr. Sanderson, just as she always did when we were too late to class again. I would tell her about the dream and she would laugh at me, telling me that such a perfect boy didn't exist.
But when I opened my eyes again, curious green eyes were still staring at me. He did exist, after all.
I smiled. Even if this was a dream, I would never want to wake up.
"This is reality. But I'll miss you when you go to Paris," Harry told me, his fingertips tracing my cheekbone, up to my temple and down my face to my neck until they reached my collarbone. I shuddered, immediately hypnotized by his touch.
"It's only a week," I whispered, having trouble to stay focused on the conversation rather than his fingers.
It was only a week but I didn't think there had even been one single day in our relationship when we hadn't seen each other. We always found time, even if it was for just one hour a day.
"A week means you will miss out on much," Harry whispered against my neck, his hot breath fanning over my skin. He gently sucked at my sweet spot, not having any trouble finding it.
I moaned lightly, being unearthly turned on. His soft pink lips connected to my neck once again, before he stood up to his full height.
There was a mischievous glint in his eyes but I had no chance to say anything. His lips silenced me again, moving passionately against mine.
Just when I thought he would push me towards the bed, he turned around and reached for the door handle, winking at me and walking out without as much as a simple goodbye.
I stood there in the middle of the room, utterly turned on with a warm and tingling feeling in my stomach, staring at the door that fell shut just as my mind progressed what had happened.
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Guess who's back, back again?
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