"Wait, I haven't given my gift yet!" I squeaked.
I ferreted about my vicinity for my gifts until I finally found them beneath Bruno. Thank god there was nothing that the pup could have squashed.
I placed Kelvin's gift on his hand with a subtle smile, asking him to open it. While he was unwrapping it, I tossed June's surprise pillow towards him.
"Whoa, I got a gift too?" Jonas asked in rapture.
He turned the pillow and busted in mirth seeing the inscription.
"Perfectly matches you two," Kelvin commented, still unwrapping his own one.
Kelvin examined the keyring for a while before realizing that it had a secret mini photo frame.
"You can keep your parents' picture there," I whispered. "Then they will always stay with you wherever you go."
Kelvin went silent for a moment as he looked up at me. He was staring at me with his moistened eyes, staring like never before. Those eyes were looking for something in mine. As if without any warning, droplets of tears began rolling down his cheeks.
I had never seen him shed more than a lone tear. It was the champagne probably; he couldn't control or hide his emotions like he usually did.
"Thank you," he muttered, wiping the tears on the sleeves of his shirt.
"Both of you," he added.
"You know-" he mumbled, "-nothing felt like a family again in all these years."
His eyes were fixed at the night sky now.
After a short pause, he continued, "But it does, now."
"I would have probably committed suicide by now if you weren't there bruh," he laughed, turning his head towards Jonas.
"And you Miss Amyra," he said, shifting his glance towards me now.
"Never thought I would say this, but I have laughed wholeheartedly after years ever since you came. At our fights, at your and June's childishness, even at the way you both would forcefully involve me in it. And today, of course."
"Managed to never display it though," he added with a chuckle.
Jonas nudged me by the elbow, leaning in closer to whisper something.
"The champagne seems to have done a great work on Xav Bro," he grinned. "Mr. Detective would have never confessed all these otherwise."
I giggled back. True.
So Mr. Angry Young Man needed champagne to get out of his angry version, eh?
"Did you say something?" Kelvin inquired, getting a hint of our whispers.
"Oh yes, I was saying that we completely forgot about the sky lanterns and fireworks!" Jonas cooked up a pretext.
"Oh yes, that!" I played along.
I grabbed the shopping bag from the corner to uncover the sky lanterns and firework sticks that I had chosen at the mall when Jonas muttered, "Wait, I got another idea."
Before I could ask about his idea, he had already made his way to his room.
"How did you know this is my favourite colour?" I heard Kelvin's voice.
I turned around to see him lifting a blue balloon from the floor in wonder.
"Who knows," I smiled. Maybe my heart did.
Jonas returned in no time just the way he had disappeared like the gush of wind. He had brought a permanent marker.
"The lanterns will have our names," he illuminated as he marked down three of our names on the three lanterns.
"Someone came up with a good idea for the first time in life," I remarked with a giggle.
"You wish," he chuckled back.
"I'll get the matches," I suggested, but Kelvin stopped me when I was just about to leave.
"I've got a lighter," he informed, taking out a stainless-steel lighter from his pocket.
I wondered if he carried a lighter with him 24/7.
Each of us picked up the lantern with our name as Kelvin ignited the fuel cells of the three carefully in turns.
"Ready?" I asked when I was prepared with mine.
"To a new journey," Jonas whispered, just the way he did the last time.
Kelvin and I gazed at him this time too, but unlike last time, a smile flashed across both of our faces as we breathed in unison, "To a new journey."
The three lanterns soared into the air as we released our clutch, the names "Kelvin", "Amyra" and "Jonas" flashing on them. The new trio maybe.
I observed them as they drifted higher and higher until they were just three tiny spots of luminosity in the dark backdrop of the night sky.
Kelvin played the guitar again as the night continued, Jonas and me playing with the fireworks in the background. We munched on chips while sharing some of our interesting stories from our previous birthdays. The two guys were in stitches when I told them the story where I almost drowned after Brian and Sierra had suddenly pushed me into our swimming pool at Valdez Mansion on my eighteenth birthday.
"I think you are sleepy Amy, you should go and catch some Zs now," Kelvin suggested when the night was almost fading.
"Yea, I'm drowsy too," Jonas yawned, getting up.
"Where you off to?" Kelvin interrupted, grabbing June's hand to pull him back down.
"Planning to spend some alone time with you today," Kelvin apprised as a grin curved across his face.
I could see him giving Jonas a side hug, but I was sure from June's reaction that Kelvin was pinching him secretly.
"Are you two sure that nothing is going on between you both?" I jested, intending to end the night by pulling their legs.
"Well, nothing from my side at least," Jonas clarified with a shrug.
"Don't know about him though," he snickered.
"An innocent man wishes to spend some brotherly time with his best friend, and you two are throwing false accusations at him, huh?" Kelvin sighed, faking a puppy face.
"Make sure it stays to brotherly," Jonas ridiculed, throwing an air quote at the word 'brotherly'.
"You two make the perfect pair though," I chuckled as I left the veranda with a sleeping Bruno in my arms.
My slumber stretched till afternoon the next day, and I woke up only by a knock on the door. Bruno leaped towards the door even before I did; no doubt he was hungry. I unlatched the door to find Jonas on tenterhooks. He informed that Kelvin had summoned both of us immediately, not forgetting to mention that he seemed to be in a serious mood.
What was wrong now?
We traipsed to the dining space in apprehension and found Kelvin standing there with his arms crossed.
"So, after what you both did last night," Kelvin sounded off, "did you think I'll let you go away like that?"
His hangover had dwindled by now; so was he now mad at us for mistakenly getting him drunk?
He couldn't be giving us a punishment or something...
"I've decided that-" he paused with a sinister silence.
"-I'm going to give you both a return gift."
The grim on his face changed to a hearty smile at that sentence.
I breathed a sigh of relief before commenting, "C'mon, you had scared the wits out of me!"
"Xav Bro's acting skills, my God!"
"A detective can pull out pranks too," Kelvin grinned.
"So, what's our gift?" Jonas asked ardently.
"We'll go for parasailing today," Kelvin revealed. "In a few hours, to be specific."
"Whoa!" Jonas hurrahed, almost jumping from his position.
"Parasailing!" I exclaimed.
I had seen many videos of it over the internet, but Pappa always said that it was too risky for me.
"But I've never done it before," I muttered, wondering if that required some kind of experience.
"Then you'll enjoy it more!" Jonas whooped, clearing my confusion.
I was too excited to react back. I was keyed up with a kind of sensation of feverish anticipation that I hadn't experienced twice in my life.
We dropped Bruno off at Mrs. Arabella's house after lunch. I wanted to take him along, but sadly pets weren't allowed for parasailing. Kelvin had already visited her in the morning with three large slices of the cake to thank her for the pizza last night.
Kelvin geared up the motorbike; we had decided that a bike journey would be more enthralling than a car one. Jonas settled behind Kelvin on the main bike while I took my position in the sidecar. My hair swayed with the sudden puff of wind as the bike accelerated its pace.
"You should have tied that," Jonas complained as the wobbling strands of hair blocked his view.
Well, I was glad that I hadn't tied it; the feeling was pleasant.
I knew I was having fun, but little did I realize that I was making memories with these two idiots.
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