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"I wanted balloons, but Amo was very strict about the decorations," Kaia explained after we stopped to inspect them from above.
"Because of the turtles," I noted. He had told me about his projects and how he spent his free time trying to save all these animals.
Kaia nodded. Actually, I had expected to be annoyed by all the unknown people at the party, but the longer I looked down and realized how much fun they were having at a stranger's birthday party, the more I liked the idea. Because it was so different from what I was used to.
My parents' parties were always full of strangers, but unlike here, I couldn't say that I felt comfortable there. I had always tried to evade and escape, even if only mentally. Now nothing was further from my mind. I wanted to enjoy this evening.
"Blake and Amo will join us later. They still have court hearings, but they told me to go ahead and congratulate you," she continued. "Kaden should be here soon, too. I think Lei was with him, right? Nikau's already at the bar getting us our first drink." She pointed toward a small hut that seemed to house the bar. "There are also some presents, but I had them brought up here because I'm afraid they could be gone by the end of the evening otherwise."
Without further ado, I leaned against the railing. Nodding, I listened until Kaia was forced to take a breath. The second she did, I joined in. "We were at my parents' earlier," I said, I had wanted to tell her all along.
Her expression changed. Suddenly she was less overexcited. A small wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. "And what was it like? I didn't know. Did you plan it?"
Obviously, Lei hadn't said a word about it yet. Relieving– and at the same time all the more difficult for me, because it meant that I had to tell all the details myself.
"They invited me spontaneously. Birthday coffee and cake. As it happens. They weren't thrilled I brought Lei."
"Oh, they didn't know you were dating yet, did they?"
I shook my head. Just like Kaia and the others had no idea that the last few weeks of our relationship actually fell under the category offake.
"No. Because Lei and my dad work together, and no one really cared what I've been up to these last few weeks anyway. Where I was. Anyway, apparently they invited me so I would apologize. My father even talked about disinheriting me."
Kaia narrowed her eyes. "But you didn't apologize, did you?"
"Of course not. I was terribly upset that Alexander started talking about how he and I could try again."
"Hypocritical asshole," she groaned quickly, followed by a cough and a grin.
"So I made it clear that wasn't going to happen. And after Lei and I talked briefly..."
"You dropped the bomb."
Nodding, I confirmed her statement. "After which things got even worse. I'm a whore, and Lei... well, apparently so is he, because my dad knows exactly how many women he's been with and he's not thrilled that I'm next on his list."
"Except you're not an item on his list. I mean, even a blind man could see that the two of you were meant to be together."
"But Lei is older and..."
Kaia started to laugh. "That's one of the stupidest arguments ever. You're both adults and you know what you want. So there's nothing wrong with that, right? Blake and Amo are both older than me. That hasn't caused any problems yet."
Still, I think we both knew that wasn't the real problem with my family. "I think it will be a long time before we meet again. Right now I couldn't look my father or mother in the eye with a clear conscience. They wanted to use me, and now that I'm going my own way..."
"It probably sounds harsh, but the bottom line is that you don't need them. Just because they fathered you doesn't mean they have the right to treat you this way. I've seen your mental health develop over the past few months. You're doing fine without them. You don't blame yourself, do you?"
How could I care when I had found out through all this that there was potential between Lei and me– and that we had both lied to each other about our chances together?
"As a matter of fact, I sometimes think about what it would have been like if something of this nature had happened a lot sooner."
"There is a time and a place for everything. Sometimes you just have to wait a few more years before the time comes and everything becomes how it was always meant to be."
"And you think it finally happened this year?"
Kaia made a sweeping gesture. "Look around you. It's your birthday. There's a big party. You're surrounded by friends. You've got a man who's crazy about you. Tell me it wasn't worth the wait."
Lei
The setting sun blazed through Audrey's strawberry blonde hair, making her almost look like she was on fire. The way she and Kaia twirled through the sand to the music, blending in with the rest of the guests, was a sight that would be etched in my memory forever. I had never seen her so free and happy at any birthday party. She was laughing and obviously feeling good, which had never been a given in the past. Seeing her like that made me happy. After the unnecessary stress of this afternoon, this was not the result I had expected– and yet it was exactly what I wanted to see.
