A week had passed by so quickly. Shana felt so much better being away from everything. She had decided to get a job, move out of the place Geo and she lived in and start over. It was not going to be easy but she had to and wanted to do it. She spoke about moving back home with mum but mum had told her no. She needed to live and find her direction. Home was good but there was not much to move forward. She wanted to be home for her birthday which was in three days. Mum would be the best person to spend her birthday with she thought. She sat on the swing in her back garden. Her tears for Geo had lessened. She still hurt but she came to an understanding it was pointless crying over it. She was just too hurt, he left her for someone else instead of talking to her and sorting things out. The question since when he did not see a future with her kept playing back of her mind but again she kept dismissing it as there was no point. He had spoken, been honest with her and now she needed to accept it and move on. The kitchen door opened and her mum walked out. Mum joined her on the swing next to her. " It's your birthday in three days love, what would you like to do?" Shana spoke quick knowing if she left it to her mum she would practically invite the whole town. " Just us mum, you and me that's it" she said sternly. Mum nodded and smiled at her.
two days later at Eleven-forty-five pm, she laid in bed awake. She could not help herself thinking of the past four birthdays she spent with Geo. On her first birthday with him, he got her necklace with a wings pendant. The second Birthday he had got surprised her with a stay over at a luxury hotel. Her Third birthday present was a day out at a spa and then a Silver bracelet. Her last Birthday they went on a weekend cruise. She felt a punch in her heart. She wondered if he remembered it was her birthday. She turned to look at the clock. Two minutes more and it would be midnight. She felt lonely and sad. She never felt like this before. She looked at the clock and had thirty seconds left. In her mind, she did the count down and then as soon as it was midnight she covered her face with the blanket and closed her eyes. When she woke up in the morning it was almost eight-thirty. She got out of bed and looked out of her window. The weather seemed good. She smiled and thought to herself it's going to be a brand new day and a brand new start for her. She whispered to herself " Time to move on". She had a bath and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink t.shirt. She walked into the kitchen and found her mum decorating a chocolate cake. She giggled when she saw her mum and mum came to her and hugged her " Happy Birthday darling". Mum said smiling and happy to have her daughter home to spend the birthday with. " Cake for breakfast?" Shana asked laughing. " Why not?" replied mum laughing back. The day continued to be fun and quiet. She enjoyed spending time with mum. They went through old albums. She got a few calls from friends and relatives who remembered. They decided to order Chinese for lunch and after they were done both drank green tea. Mum walked into her bedroom for a few minutes and when she came out she had a small wrapped up box in her hand. Shana smiled at her warmly. " Oh mum!" she said softly. Mum sat beside Shana and handed the box to her. Shana squeezed mum's hands and smiled " Thank you". When Shana opened it, tears swelled up. It was a pendant her dad gave mum when Shana was born. She used to love this pendant and always played with it when mum used to lay her down to sleep. She looked at mum and no words needed to be spoken. Her mum hugged her tight and after a few moments mum said " Don't let anyone change the direction you want to go, baby, you decide the direction of your fate. Sometimes it works out sometimes it doesn't and when you fall down remember there will be someone to lend a hand to pick you up even if it's your old mum." They spoke a little while longer and then Shana wanted to rest. She went to her room and fell asleep in no time. She woke up feeling well-rested and then realized after ages she slept so well. She smiled feeling good. She picked up her phone and went through her messages. There were a couple of friends wishing her and then to her surprise a message from Geo. It read " Hope your ok. Happy Birthday, Shana". She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She missed him but did not cry. She opened her eyes and felt glad she did not cry. She replied, " Thank you for remembering, I am doing better". She went on to the next message which was from Jin. She instantly lit up with a bright smile. His message just read " Hope you like surprises". she read it again and tried to think what it meant. He knew she was home so how could he surprise her. She wanted to call him but thought she would do it later. The time read six-thirty. Mum and she had made plans to go out for dinner. She got out of the bed quickly and ran into the bathroom to have a wash. She had chosen to wear a white lace knee-length dress. She let down her hair and curled the ends a bit. Wore the pendant her mum had given her earlier. Pleased with how she looked she went out to see if mum was ready. When she opened her bedroom door, She heard her mum talking to someone. She was hoping mum had not invited someone over when they had made plans to go out. She quietly walked to the living room to see who it was. Her jaw dropped open when she saw Jin sitting on the couch talking to mum. Her heart skipped a beat. She did feel excited and happy to see him but what was he doing here? Did he drive all the way to wish her for her birthday? She had so many questions in her head. Mum noticed her standing and was the first to speak. " OH there she is!" mum said smiling " you have a surprise," Mum said giggling and with a wink, she walked into the kitchen saying she will go get some cake. Jin was standing facing her. He looked at her with a warm smile. She felt her heart skip a beat again. He was wearing a bottle green and black tie-dye silk open shirt with black skinny and black pants.
He looked hot she thought! She did not know why she felt so excited to see him but she did. She smiled at him and walked closer to him. He reached her before she could and then had a boyish grin " Hope you like your surprise" He said breaking into a laugh. She just hoped he did not see her cheeks changing color. ' SO this is what you meant" she said laughing. " It's nice to see you, Shana, are you ok?" he asked looking concerned. She smiled at him again. He was always caring she thought. " Yes, to be honest. Coming home was the best thing I did. I feel so much better now". mum walked in with three pieces of cake. They chatted while eating. Jin spoke about his work and wanting to visit his family as well. He was very close to his mum. And seeing Shana's mum made him want to go see his soon as possible. At seven-thirty Shana looked at mum and said " Are you getting ready for dinner?" mum looked at Jin and then at Shana. " Why don't you two go out for dinner. I am feeling a bit tired." Jin bit his lower lip trying to hide his smile but Shana saw it and glanced at mum '' mum he can join us but you can come!" Shana insisted. " No no! You two carry on. I am still full after lunch." Shana tried a few more times to persuade mum, but mum had made up her mind and Jin did not seem to say anything except smile at mum. They arrived at the restaurant and Shana walked into check on the booking she had made. The manager showed them to their table. Jin pulled the chair for her to sit and then sat across her. Both sat silently feeling a bit uncomfortable. Jin spoke first. " Would you like something to drink?" Her throat was dry so she said: " Some wine would be good". Jin signaled to the waiter and ordered looking at the wine menu. Shana was feeling nervous and started playing with the chain on her purse. He looked out of the french window for a few minutes and then looked at her. " When do you plan on coming back?". " I was hoping to return after my birthday" She replied. " By the way did you drive here?" she asked him. " no, I took a flight and got a place near the airport till tomorrow afternoon." She then wondered how did he know her address, She tried to think if she ever gave it to him. She wanted to ask him without being rude. " Jin, I am happy your here but don't get me wrong. How did you know where I lived?" He was quiet for a few seconds and then cleared his throat " I asked Geo" He said almost trying to whisper. She was surprised. She did not know what to think. She frowned maybe a bit too much" I am sorry for bringing his name up" he said feeling bad. " No no that's fine, I was just curious that's why I asked". The waiter came with their wine and took the rest of their order and left. They spoke casually. Shana was enjoying Jin's fun personality. It was nice hanging out with him. They kept the conversation light and funny. Certain parts where Geo had to be mentioned he tried to avoid it but she assured him she is ok about it. They ate their dinner and Jin adamantly wanted to pay. The night was still young and stars were in a plethora. They decided to drive to town and get some ice cream. While passing the lake she mentioned to him how much she loved the lake and he asked if he could take a look at it. She did not mind as the lake looked beautiful at night.
When they walked to the lake there were few people. A couple having a romantic picnic, another couple walking holding hands. A family having a barbeque and a few others. They walked for a bit in silence. Both appreciating the beautiful scenery. She took off her shoes and asked him to take his off too. " It's no point coming to the lake if you are not going to wet your feet at least." she said with a grin and started walking faster. He caught up in no time laughing. They playfully played in the water. Wetting their feet. He sprinkling water on her and she did the same to him. After a while, Jin found a big rock and sat on it. He watched her play in the water and then looked at how pretty she was in the moonlight. He swallowed hard and felt his lips were getting dry. Feeling nervous just watching her. He laughed at himself. She noticed he was sitting and decided to join him. " Are you tired?" she asked. He shook his head quietly. She looked at him and wondered why he was quite suddenly. He stood up and faced her. She looked up at him and stood up just because he stood up. " I forgot to wish you earlier." He said smiling " Happy Birthday Shana." He said in a soft tone. She looked into his eyes and smiled. " I am happy you came Jin, Thank you." They decided to drive back home. Without realizing the time an hour had passed. They drove quietly. The car radio played some songs and Shana hummed to the songs she knew. She kept glancing at him and for some reason, she felt he was nervous. She tried to think about why he would feel like this but they reached home soon. He got off and ordered a cab online. He walked her to the door and she said she will wait till the cab comes to pick him up. ' Your welcome to come home for breakfast" she said leaning on the wall. He smiled and nodded " I would like that" He walked closer to her and stood right in front of her " You will be coming home soon right?" he asked looking at his shoes " why Jin? do you miss me that much?" She said jokingly. " Yes, Shana I did!" she thought he was joking back but when she looked at him he seemed serious. She blinked looking at him. He was looking straight at her. His face showing he meant it. " I wanted to see you badly that I took your birthday as an excuse to come here." she looked at him confused. Expecting any moment for him to start laughing. she opened her mouth to ask him what was he on about but the cab arrived. She heard him saying "Damn it " under his breath. He shouted at the driver to give him a few more minutes." I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable" he said looking at her again. " You did not Jin, I was just not expecting that." She said clutching her purse. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned forward to give her a kiss on the forehead. Shana without realizing it lifted her head to look at him found his lips close to hers and his eyes looking deep into hers. She was almost about to move back when he put his arms around her waist and stopped her. Her heart started beating so fast she was sure he was able to hear it. " Would you be upset if I kissed you?" he asked. Her eyes could not get any wider when she heard him... She could not believe he was soo direct. She wanted to tell him he was Geo's best friend but she found herself wanting to kiss him back. She was trembling and confused. He smiled gently and she closed her eyes to meet his lips and waited for his to meet hers but he kissed her on the forehead and hugged her tight. Before she could understand what had happened she saw him walking towards the cab and then getting into it. He shouted " See you tomorrow Shana"