Forbidden (Fallen 2)

“Make a wish,” said Diana and I did, blowing out the candles.

Two wishes? Was that okay?

Patrick began cutting pieces of cake and placing them on the white, glass, square plates that Amelia carried in. Danny and Mason dug in looking like fools as they devoured their pieces of cake in seconds and requesting seconds. Amelia, Patrick, Joseph (Seph), Jonathon and Diana picked at their pieces of cake, making it look like they were really eating but really just making a mess. I took a bite and flavor exploded in my mouth. The cake had an orange flavor with thick butter cream icing. It was the best cake I have ever had.

“Where’d you get this cake it’s delicious?” I asked Diana.

“Jonathon got it,” she said shrugging her shoulders so I turned to Jonathon for him to answer my question.

“Luigi made it. He doesn’t usually make cakes but he said he’d make an exception for you,” Jonathon said with a smile. I remembered Jonathon and I’s first day out on the town together and how he had taken me to Luigi’s Bakery.

We finished eating the cake and Diana was more than thrilled to move onto the presents.

“Open ours first because we know it won’t top what they’ve gotten you,” said Adam and Aiden jokingly. Aiden handed me a box that looked like it had been wrapped by a five year old. I unwrapped it slowly avoiding the inevitable. I opened the box and found a Yale sweatshirt lying inside. It wasn’t much but I loved sweatshirts and it looked like one that would be good for snuggling into. The small gesture warmed my heart. This was the best gift my brothers had ever given me. When I turned five they gave me a bag of worms, for my eighth birthday they gave me a slug, and the list of disgusting birthday presents went on and on. I hugged them both.

“Thanks you guys, this means so much to me. This is the best thing you guys have ever given me,” I said with a smile.

“I told you she would like it,” Aiden said to Adam.

“Of course she likes it. It’s better than a bag of bugs.” Adam said as they started bickering.

“Guys, we’re still here.” I said waving my hand in front of their face to bring them back to reality. They always got into conversations or arguments and forgot that there were other people in the room. They snapped out of it, grinned sheepishly, and said sorry at the same time. I guess it’s a twin thing. I noticed Danny and Mason tended to be the same way.

Diana scurried over to me with a medium sized box wrapped in metallic purple paper. “Open mine next,” she said handing me a box. I opened it up peeling away the aqua colored tissue paper I found a pair of shoes. They were flats and appeared to have peacock feathers on them. They were the cutest pair of flats I had ever seen.

“Thank you so much, Diana,” I said moving into give her a hug. She moved away from me sticking her hands in front of her. I would have been hurt by the gesture if not for her words.

“Wait, don’t thank me yet. There’s more.” She said. I glanced down into the box and saw a gift card to the store Aqua lying on the aqua colored tissue paper. I opened it up and saw that the card was for five-hundred Euros. My eyes bugged out and I nearly choked.

“Diana this is too much. I – I can’t accept this.” I stuttered.

“Of course you can. It is a gift after all,” she said and shrugged. She flipped her pale blind hair over her shoulder and smiled at me.

“Thank you.” I said trying to compose myself this time she accepted my hug. I put the gift card and shoes back in the box which I then set back on the coffee table. “Better be careful with that,” I said more to myself than anyone else.

Joseph handed me a neatly wrapped gift also in the metallic purple paper. “Diana wrapped it for you. She said my wrapping was an insult to humanity,” he said breaking out in a grin that made dimples appear in his cheeks. I unwrapped it and laughed out loud; bringing tears to my eyes. “I know how much you love my Corvette so I got you one. Well, more specifically I made you one. So you can look at it as a magnificent sculpture by the amazing Seph Pulmer.” He said in a dramatic voice making me laugh harder. In my hands I held a model of a Corvette, it was medium sized, and as close as I’d probably ever get to owning my own. It was navy blue with red leather interior just like Joseph’s own Corvette.

“Thanks Seph,” I said giving him a hug.

“No problem,” he said smiling. “I’m pleased that you like it. Diana said that you wouldn’t.”

“Well, I do. Don’t listen to Diana.”

“I never do,” he said with a laugh and a glimmer in his eye.

Danny and Mason stepped forward. Both grinning from ear to ear. They had to be up to something. They handed me a small box wrapped haphazardly. Obviously Diana hadn’t been allowed to wrap their box. Mason handed it to me as he grinned like a fool, I accepted it rather reluctantly. I glanced at Jonathon and saw that he was looking at the twins quizzically. Obviously he didn’t know what it was either. He glanced nervously at me and shrugged.

Amelia looked at her sons in a scolding yet lighthearted way, “Boys I hope you haven’t done something awful for Kylie’s birthday. If you ruin this for her I can promise you that you will be in deep trouble.” Neither Danny nor Mason commented but just kept smiling.

“Come on open it,” said Danny. I unwillingly began to unwrap the present. Inside was a small white box. I slowly lifted the lid off. Stuffed inside were what looked like many different small plastic wrappers. Then I read the label and understood what it was. Condoms. My cheeks flamed a brilliant red and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head.

Danny, Mason, Adam, and Aiden, all busted out laughing; it must be a twin thing.

“We weren’t sure what size Jonathon would need so we got one of each,” said Mason through bouts of insane laughter. Oh dear, I thought I might be ill.

“Yeah, they’re for later tonight,” added Danny. My cheeks became an even more unflattering shade of red. I glanced at Jonathon and saw that his pale white skin had become just slightly pinker.

“They’re for never,” I said glaring at the two angelic vampires.