Kate's birthday

Edwin and Ralph kept roaming the city to buy gifts for Kate as it’s her birthday. After spending few hours in roaming the city, selecting the items, they ended up buying chocolates and few accessories that she loved.

Exhausted, they both reached Edwin’s house and fell on the bed. Edwin stretched his arms to relax his muscles, whereas Ralph was on the bed like a dead man.

“It’s already evening. I doubt I’m not able to attend the party.” Edwin chuckled.

Ralph replied nothing though he heard Edwin as he was too lazy to even open his mouth.

Edwin turned to his side, asking, “You alive?”

Ralph made a sound, proving him that he was alive. Edwin started to laugh with his actions, then rested for few minutes.

Edwin’s slumber was interrupted with the buzzing sound of his cell phone. He sat straight, taking his phone that was on the table, beside his bed. Seeing Liam’s name on the screen, his lazy body got alerted. He noticed Ralph still sleeping, and without making noise, he stepped away from the bedroom and reached the balcony.

“Hey Li.” Edwin spoke in a low voice.

“Hey Ed. Let’s meet tonight. What say?” Liam said.

Hearing him, Edwin jumped in excitement but in a second, his smile faded remembering Kate’s party.

“Tonight? Li, though I hate to tell this, but I have to. There’s a party at Kate’s house tonight, we can’t meet.”

“Ed, are you serious? You are saying ‘No’ to me.”

“Baby, listen. You already know the issue with Kate, right? If I don't attend her party, things will go worse. Why can’t we meet tomorrow?”  

“Tomorrow? I guess it’s not possible, Ed.”

“Li, but tonight -”

“Fine. It’s okay. No problem, Ed. Enjoy the party.” Liam spoke in a tone that felt rude to Edwin.

“I’m so sorry. I too want to meet you, but...”

“That’s alright, Ed. I’m not angry. You understood me many times, and I think it’s my turn.”

Edwin’s lips curved into a smile with his sentence. He nodded his head, saying, “Thank you.” Then they ended the call.

Edwin turned back to walk to the bedroom, but he was frozen when he saw Ralph behind him, leaned to the wall, with his crossed arms. Edwin’s heart started to pace fast as he gasped out loud.

Ralph stepped forward, asking “What is it?”

Edwin shrugged his shoulders, speaking while smiling nervously, “What is what?”

“I heard you apologizing someone for cancelling the meet or something. What’s it, Ed? Any problem? You look stressed.” Ralph narrowed his eyebrows, concerning over Edwin.

“Problem? No. Nothing at all. It’s... it’s just a friend from my native. He wants to meet me but... you know, I can’t meet him till the vacation. The college works, practice, the competition too is coming near.”

“Yeah! Ask him to come here, Ed.”

“Um... he also will be having works and I don’t want to spoil them. We’ll meet some other day.” Edwin smiled.

“Okay.” Ralph turned to walk away. Edwin exhaled his breath, that he had been holding, as soon as Ralph started to walk away.

They both freshened up and got ready as it’s time to reach Kate’s house. In Ralph’s bike, they both reached her house, that was nicely decorated with lamps, balloons and other decorative items. Most of their college members were already there, talking to each other. Edwin and Ralph joined in their talks with Kate’s parents. In a minute, Kate too joined with them. Then she cut the cake, and everyone began enjoying the party.

Edwin and Ralph kept playing with Kate by commenting her, playfully. While they were making fun of her, Kate got a call from Jacob that she ignored. She started to cut his calls, but he kept calling, that irritated her. She excused herself, and walked away from her friends to talk to Jacob.

“What do you want, Jacob?” She shouted over the phone.

“Kate, please come out. I’m standing outside your house.”

“What? Jacob, go away. Don’t create a scene here. My college members are here. They’ll chop you off, if they know you are here.”

Her already tensed state became more tensed, when she heard Ace’s voice over the phone.

“Really? No one here is afraid of your stupid friends, Katie.” Ace shouted.

Kate held her forehead with her palm, hearing his voice. Ace continued, “He wants to meet you. Either you come out or he'll enter your house.” With that, Ace cut the call.

Jacob was taken aback with Ace’s words, and his eyes widened in shock when Ace cut the call. “Ace, what the hell did you do?” Jacob shouted.

“Relax. She’ll come here.” Ace said while sitting on the bonnet of his car.

“I’ll kill you, man. If she doesn't come, I’ll kill you definitely.” Jacob shook his head in annoyance and kept waiting for her.

Kate didn’t understand what to do, but Ace’s threat scared her. She knew him well, if he says something, he does it for sure.

Thinking for few minutes, she decided to meet Jacob. Silently, she walked out of the house, hiding herself from everyone so that no one could be able to see her walking away. Then she reached the place, where Jacob had been waiting for her.

She shouted at Jacob, “What the hell, Jacob! Do you have any idea what you are doing? Do you know what my friends will do to you if they get to know that you are irritating me?”

“He is not irritating you, Katie. You are the one, who is making him frustrated.” Ace said, gritting his teeth.

“Me? Seriously?”

When they both started to quarrel with each other, Jacob interrupted them. He asked Ace to sit inside the car as he wanted to talk to Kate, alone, and he didn’t want Ace to frighten Kate.

Jacob gave her a small gift box, that containing a bracelet. Kate couldn’t stand relaxed, and she kept an eye on her surroundings, praying no one to see them. She thanked him for his gift and started to go away.

“Kate.” Jacob stopped her. She turned back, asking, “What now?”

He said, “Happy birthday, Kate.”

She smiled gently with his wish, and then she thanked him. Jacob continued, “I thought to gift you many things, but I didn’t understand what to give you exactly, so I bought it. I hope you like this gift.”

Ace, who was eavesdropping their conversation, started to laugh with Jacob’s words. He never saw Jacob speaking like a little kitten in front of any girl.

Kate asked “Jacob, you know the risk of being here, yet you are here. Why won’t you understand that I can’t accept you?”

“I can see you have feelings on me, Kate. Don’t deny it. You are just afraid to confess them. But it’s okay. I’ll wait for you.”

Kate rolled her eyes, saying, “Whatever.” Then she started to walk away.

Her walk was halted when Jacob held her hand. She turned back to ask him to leave her hand, but before she reacted anything, a hard punch landed on Jacob’s face that shocked her.

Edwin was in front of her, looking at Jacob, angrily. “How dare you to irritate Kate?”

Ace got out of the car seeing Jacob fell to the ground, and he made him stand straight.

Ace punched Edwin on his face, shouting, “How dare you to hit my friend?”

They started to quarrel, and out of nowhere Ralph entered the place. Kate trembled, seeing the four of them, fighting. She tried a lot to stop them, but her attempts were going in vain. Irritated with everyone, she shouted loudly “Stop.”

She then held Edwin’s hand and dragged him away, stopping the fight.

Ace shouted “Bloody bastards.”

Edwin shouted back, angrily, “Bloody losers.”

Ace held his collar, clenching his jaw. He yelled, “What did you say?”

Edwin pushed Ace’s hands, shouting, “I said what you heard.”

Ace punched Edwin, shouting loudly, “Don’t fucking bring that topic here.”

“Why? You are the one, who always brings that topic everywhere, every minute. So, why shouldn’t I?”

“Keep your bloody mouth shut, Edwin. Don’t forget with whom you are speaking to. I’ll show you the hell.”

“Show your bloody arrogance in the game. Win the competition and speak. Then we'll remember who the fuck you are.”

When Jacob was about to hit Edwin, Ace stopped him. Ace looked at Edwin with full of rage. He said, “Remember this. By luck, you won the last time. This year, your defeat will get roared. Then you’ll know who the bloody fuck I am.” Looking at Edwin, angrily, Ace and Jacob left the place.

Kate shouted at Edwin, “Why did you hit Jacob?”

“Are you serious? He was irritating you. I saw him holding your hand, misbehaving with you.”

“Huh? He came here to wish me, Edwin. He was not irritating me.”

“But the last time, you said he was irritating you.”

Confused with their words, Ralph asked, “Guys! What’s happening? Why are they here? And you Kate, what’s going on between you and Jacob?”

Kate understood it’s time to reveal the truth to Ralph. Hearing Kate, Ralph was beyond shocked. His already frustrated self, became more frustrated and angrier, but Kate refrained him from doing anything stupid. She convinced Ralph to not tell that to anyone, and he accepted. The night that she thought would be memorable, became a horrible one to her.