Chapter 33: Chapter 33

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!" We sing loudly. Jasper stands near his birthday cake, grinning at me. We're all wearing white T-shirts with blue jeans. Well, except a few adults.

"So you'll cut the cake after we spell Jasper," Mrs. Lawrence says and he places a hand on his chest to fake a touched expression.

After the count of three, we spell, "J-A-S-P-E-R!" He cuts the cake and we clap. He remains there as we present our gifts. I intentionally stay back while others present theirs. After that, everyone gets a piece of cake and we go to the back of the house for the dinner.

"Man, I can't believe you're having a family birthday," Kevin laughs and Ayo joins him. At our table there's me, Jasper, Melody, Alice, Kevin and Ayo. Nes is sitting with my family while Jasper's family is seated at another table.

"He never celebrates his birthday at home," Ayo chips in when I look at him. I shake my head at Jasper as if in pity. He rolls his eyes.

"Trust me, outdoor birthdays with friends are awesome," he defends, chewing on his food.

"But mum's cooking surpasses all else," Melody chimes in and we all agree.

"Hey, where's Simon?" Ayo asks.

Alice smiles before responding. "He travelled." Ayo nods.

"So this is the point where we talk about the celebrant. Make him feel special by talking about something he's done that we love," Kevin starts, giving Jasper a side look.

"Aww," we the girls coo at once, looking at Jasper. He's clearly not comfortable with the whole cuteness as he readjusts on his chair. We laugh at him.

‘Jasper's cute when he's shy.’

"Okay, I'll go first," Melody chirps. ‘Always in the mood.’ "When I first knew Jasper, I was scared of him. He looked mean but one day when I was in dire need of assistance in school work, he offered to help out of the blue! And by school work I mean impromptu test," she whispers the last part. "Don't tell anyone I cheated. I felt like I would die because that mean teacher attached a whole lot of marks to that test."

Laughter erupts around the table, gaining other people's attention. I feel a little jealous, missing out on certain things that involved him.

"Okay Alice, you go next," Ayo says.

She looks at him with a smile and he does the same. "Well, there was a time when I was down. There was a lot going on and I couldn't focus. He was there. He gave me a shoulder to cry on." Everyone nods with a smile. Jasper smiles in remembrance.

I don't know why I'm feeling left out in this whole circle right now.

"So he gave you just one shoulder? Not the two?" Melody suddenly asks, causing laughter to flood out of our mouths. A brief silence follows after.

"I'll go," Ayo begins. "You know we guys have a lot to do with money." He pauses to look at us with a grin. We all roll our eyes at him except Kevin who supports by nodding.

"So this guy gave me a lot of cash. I mean more cash than needed when I asked for it. Thanks man, that was life saving."

"It's fine," Jasper replies.

‘I still don't even know where he claims to work.’

I make a mental note to ask him.

Kevin clears his throat. "If there's anything I know about Jasper, it's that he's one of the nicest people on earth. He may act crazy on the outside but inside, he's one cute little boy." Jasper's face drops as he glares at his friend. The rest of us laugh secretly but I'm sure he notices as he looks at us suspiciously.

"Dude, don't spoil my speech. So as I was saying, he's a great guy. He’s been my best friend even in my darkest times and I hope we share more adventures together." Something transpires between the two friends as they exchange looks.

In no time, everyone is looking at me. I purse my lips in thought, looking at him. "Okay, like you've all said, Jasper is a great guy and he's always looked out for me wherever and whenever. Even though he refuses to admit it most times." The others make teasing sounds and Kevin even pokes him in the side. I'm not the one being laughed at but I find myself blushing.

"Thanks a lot everyone. I've always celebrated my birthdays partying with friends but I have to admit, this is one of the best birthdays ever; if not the best even. Having you guys here means a lot to me. And I want to specially thank someone for saving my life." He looks at me and the others follow suit. I give a flustered smile. The events of a few weeks ago come flooding back. "Thank you," he says to me and I nod.

"Cheers to this family of friends," Ayo raises his glass and we do he same.

"Cheers," we chorus as glasses clink against each other.

It feels great to have, not just your biological family but also a 'family of friends' as Ayo just called it.

"On behalf of Lima," Melody says, raising her glass and we raise ours too.

***

"Wanna go somewhere?" Jasper whispers into my ear from behind. It's 8pm, the party's over and the backyard has been cleared. Everyone has gone home but I stay behind to help with little things.

"Where?" I ask, turning to face him.

He shrugs, "just say yes. I have surprises for you."

My eyes open wide in excitement. "Really? What?"

He huffs. "You ask too many questions. Plus, you're not getting anything if you don't give me my gift."

I gasp. "Stingy boy. What if I was broke and couldn't buy you a gift?" I ask, following him to his car.

"Then we'll have to make do with what we have at hand," he states.

"And what might that be?"

"You." I stare at him in surprise as we drive off.

"You're crazy." I shake my head. A brief silence ensues before I speak again. "Do you know how many times I insulted you mentally?"

I turn to see a shocked Jasper looking at me and I chuckle. "Now this is heart wrenching," he mutters, making me laugh.

"You know I didn't really mean them," I say. I suddenly frown, remembering I left his gift with Nes.

"Um, Jasper? I forgot your gift," I confess. He sighs.

"Then we'll make do with what we have," he states and I scoff.

"I was going to give you one of the surprises on prom night but..." He doesn't need to go further. I adjust on my seat uncomfortably as I think of the event in the woods. He seems to notice as he passes me a questioning look.

"Is there something you're not telling me about that night?" he queries. "The day you told me everything that happened, you looked uneasy. Tell me the truth Isa."

I sigh. "It's nothing, Jasper."

He is silent for some time. "Is it that you don't trust me? Trust should be one of the basis of this relationship, Isa. I may not be the most trustworthy person one earth―"

"It's not about trust," I cut in. "So, don't think you're not trustworthy. You’re right though, there's something I didn't tell you."

"You can talk to me, whatever it is."

"That night when I ran, I was followed by one of the men. He caught me and tried to..." I'm still not comfortable talking about it.

"Tried to what?" he presses on.

With a deep breath, I say the words. "He tried to rape me." We suddenly jolt forward as the car comes to a screeching halt.

My heart is almost out of my mouth as I stare, wide eyed at Jasper. Thank God the road is not busy. He closes his eyes, steadying his breath and I lean back into my seat.

He takes ahold of my hand and rubs it gently, looking at me. "I'm sorry for making you go through that. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if he had succeeded." He can't hide the anger in his voice. I nod and smile genuinely.

"I'm fine." I assure him. He sucks in a deep breath and seems to relax.

"Sorry about that," he chuckles, referring to how he almost gave me a heart attack.

We drive for some time before he parks somewhere close to the bridge.

"I like this place," he says as we walk to the bridge. Cool breeze brushes against my skin, making me close my eyes.

"It's beautiful." I open my eyes to look at the waters below.

"Here," he says, handing me a wrapped object. It's flat and hard. "The first surprise."

I eagerly collect it and look at him for permission to open it now. He nods and I grin. Tearing open the leather, I am met with two things. The flat object is a frame containing a pencil drawing of... Me. The other one is a necklace hanging on the frame. The pendant is half a heart. I smile up at him, really grateful.

"You like them?"

"Are you kidding? I love them!" I chirp, hugging him. He helps me wear the necklace before showing me his. It's the other half of the heart.

‘Aww, I was totally sure Jasper would be zero romantic.’

His face drops and I cover my mouth, realising I said that aloud.

"Well, at least I've been proven wrong," I grumble when he doesn't seem to recover.

"I'm the most romantic guy you've ever known," he says, finally flashing a grin.

"What's the other surprise?" I ask eagerly.

He leans on the guardrail, smiling to himself. I place a hand on the guardrail and the other on his shoulder, looking at him.

"Remember I told you that I work?" he asks, his gaze, meeting mine.

"Yeah. I was gonna ask you about it tonight," I say.

"I can't believe I told you this last year and you only care to ask tonight," he mumbles, making me laugh.

"You know it's not like that. I was simply minding my own business, owing to the fact that you weren't the open type," I expound and he shrugs in surrender.

"Well, I'm a software designer," he informs. He chuckles at the shocked look marring my face.

‘He's kidding right?’

"You're kidding right?" I manage to ask.

He shakes his head in repudiation. "No. It took me time to learn it and when I did, I designed one for a company. The owner asked to see me and he wanted to employ me but I told him I needed more time to tell my family because my dad wouldn't hear of it. He wants me to be a soldier for reasons unknown to me. So I didn't start working officially, although I did some things and he paid me a good sum of money but now, he has offered me a scholarship to study the course at a university he owns here in the country and I kind of have a spot in his company already. It's a short course that'll last say, three years." He shrugs.

When he sees the way my mouth is hanging open, he laughs. He doesn't seem to comprehend why I'm so shocked.

"What?" he asks, seeing that I'm not about to catch myself anytime soon.

I shake my head, snapping out of my daze. "Wow," I breathe. "That's a lot. And I'm super happy for you!" I wrap the hand on his shoulder around him and lean my head on him.

"So, told anyone yet? Your family especially." I raise my head to peer at him.

"No," he replies, standing upright and facing me. "I'll tell them but for now, let's not talk about all of that. Do you remember the day we first met? How my dog harassed you?" He asks, smirking at me.

I scowl. "You should be apologising for the crimes you committed that day," I say, much to his amusement.

"I liked the way you looked at me. I couldn't help but take note of your every move. And then in the hallway," he laughs. "Gosh that was a funny encounter."

All my attempts to keep the laughter in check are futile and I join him. The laughter dies down and my mood begins to change.

"What's wrong?" he asks me and I shake my head.

"I'll miss all of it; all the moments. I'll miss going to the G. Spot as Melody would call pink bubble," I laugh. I can feel tears welling up. "I'll miss all the crazy moments. Even the ones involving fights. I'll miss my friends. It's strange how I am so attached to the people here in the space of one year. I don't even miss my friends from Texas anymore."

I look around, trying to hold back the tears. "I'll miss you." I finally break down. Jasper engulfs me in a tight hug and I cry into his shoulder. "I don't want to let go."

"Neither do I. But it's alright, you still have a few months here. Just be sure to make the best out of them. Plus, you'll surely get to see us some day, somehow. Me especially; you know I won't quit stalking you right?" His words bring a wave of relief to me and I laugh, letting go.

He sighs. "You know, I've come to realize recently that a lot of things that happened in my past may have been preparations for my future. Audrey died, I became depressed, I started taking drugs and decided to do whatever I wanted. That led me to work without my family's knowledge. If my past didn't go the way it did, we wouldn't have had to move to Nigeria. I wouldn't have gotten this scholarship and my dream job. I wouldn't have met you."

I feel really happy that Jasper has finally opened up to me.

"Who knew you could be this open?" I ask with a smile.

He chuckles, looking down. "I'm sorry it's starting now. If only I had been reasonable from the start, this wouldn't have started so... late," he apologises, referring to our relationship.

I shake my head. "It probably needed to start the way it did. You needed to be an annoying dude for this to happen." He chortles at my words.

"Mind you, teasing you is my sole responsibility."

I roll my eyes. "Oh please." Silence blankets us again as we gaze at each other.

Jasper raises his hand and rubs my cheek, making me discover that the tears came back without my knowledge.

‘And I thought I felt emotional when I was about to leave Texas.’

I felt nothing close to what I feel right now. Jasper leans down, brushing his lips against mine. I don't let him pull back as I wrap my arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. His breath smells of vanilla and I'm sure mine does too because of the cake. After a long kiss, we pull apart and I let out a flustered laugh.

"Isa?"

"Hmm?" I look up at him.

"Can we go? I can't take my mind off that gift you left with Agnes." He grins while I scowl.

"Unbelievable." I shake my head as we start walking back to the car.

"Can you believe we just kissed in public? I hope your dad drove by," he jives and I slap his arm jovially.

"I hope your dad drove by," I retort.

He fakes a gasp. "You're not nice."

"Neither are you."

We continue to banter as we walk to where his car is parked. I know more will come. Challenges and all but one thing I'm sure of is that we'll take everything one step at a time and eventually conquer. But for now, I'm contented with the present and will make the best use of the time I have left here before leaving for school in December.

I look up at Jasper as he laughs over his victory in our argument and smile.

‘This has definitely been the best year of my life.’