Chapter 125: Chapter 125

4 Months and 2 weeks later

Ethan's POV

I feel uneasiness bubbling in the pit of my stomach as I park my car nearby Black Swan and unbuckle my seat belt.

" What now Ethan ?", Michael asks me in a soft voice, unbuckling his own belt.

" Baby, I feel sad...and also guilty.", I say.

He sighs shaking his head. " I shouldn't have told you actually."

" No..it's better you told.", I mumble, leaving a sigh.

The thing is actually, tomorrow is June 7, our birthday. And currently it's Friday evening 4 : 35 Pm and we are in front of our usual cafe Black Swan. Gavin, Grace, Milan and Dulce are inside there and they are now gonna give me a small surprise birthday party.

So to make things clear, none of them still knows Michael's birthday is also tomorrow. We haven't told them anything. The only people who knows we got switched at birth are Me, Michael, Michael's parents, his older sister and my Mother.

Yes, we told my Mom. It was just two week after I went to Michael's house. Michael's Dad wanted to confess everything to my Mom and apologize her as soon as possible. He was ready to face any consequences. And so we decided to arrange the meeting between them. Michael and I went home on the weekend after school reopened after sem break. His parents were to come and meet my Mom on Sunday.

When we told my Mom on Saturday evening that Michael's parents are coming to meet her morning, she was very surprised and confused. In fact she was feeling something strange and fishy since I went to Oklahoma at that midnight. And Michael's Mom had called her and talked to her asking her to let me stay a few more days there. I actually ended up staying six days in total. And even on the sixth day, they were telling me to stay for one more day and tell my Mom I would come tomorrow. I don't know how I escaped from there.

Anyway my Mom was totally confused from then. Cause which parents would make their son's boyfriend stay at their house for six days after they first met him ? That's strange, right? And she was suffocating me with a lot of questions when I came back home.

Although she was really confused about Michael's parents coming to meet her, she never thought they would give her such a shock. My Mom was heavily shocked that day. I've never seen her in such a condition before. At first she couldn't believe anything. She chuckled at my biological parents saying we are all together pulling a prank on her.

But as they kept on looking at her guiltily, she was scared to the core. She couldn't believe her eyes as they showed her Alex's pic. She looked at us and she was more afraid seeing my and Michael's nervous faces. Eventually she came to the realization that everything they said is true. And her whole body was shivering from the shock. She couldn't say anything. She went numb.

She sat still like that blankly staring at Michael for at least five minutes, making us all scared. And then she suddenly exploded into tears and shootings. She almost went violent, just like how Michael became Violent that day when I barged into his room and caught him cutting his arms after Kevin and Amelia tore away his portrait. No.. Mom was even worse than that. I've never in my life seen her that angry and mad, even in my childhood while Mom and Dad were having worse fightings.

At last she shouted ' Get out ' at my biological parents and howled at them that ' they can't take me away from her.' They said they are not to take me away but she wouldn't listen and she kept on shouting them to Get out of our house until they walked out.

Michael was so scared. He was almost crying. He didn't know whether to go out with his parents or stay. He stood there frozen as Mom slumped down on the couch and started crying and weeping. Thank fully Eve was not at home to witness all this Drama. We had dropped her at her friend's house on our way back from airport after picking Michael's parents, as we knew things like this would occur. Apparently the three of us went to pick them from airport.

Michael at last turned and walked out of the house. Mom didn't even look up or say a word.

" Mom, Michael is your Son.. ", I told her in a low voice.

" No ! You are my son, Ethan ! ", She yelled looking up furiously before going back to crying. I then rushed out of the house to see Michael consoling his parents in our porch.

Michael's Dad told me to call a Cab for them and I did. Michael too was going to return to the Dorm along with them. I tried to prevent him from going but he said it's better he leave then and give my Mom some time to process the things. And I finally agreed. He quietly went inside and walked up the stairs to pick his bag from my room while I stood in the living room, looking at Mom. She was still crying on the couch. She didn't look up even when Michael came downstairs with his bag and excited the front door. Soon the cab arrived and Michael and his parents left.

It took a lot of time for my Mom to calm down. She then went to her room and shut her door. I prepared lunch and knocked on her door after 3 PM or something. She opened the door and let me in but she said she don't want food. She hugged me and cried on my shoulder for a long time while I tried my best to console her.

Michael's parents could only tell her the story upto the doctor switching the both of us. After that Mom exploded and they couldn't tell the rest or apologize her. So when she calmed down, I told her the rest of the story and how much Michael's parents love him and how they brought him up like their own son and how he never even imagined he is not their Son until he realized our birthdays are on same day. I tried to convince her, Michael's Dad's situation at the time of my birth and how sorry he is now. But she was still so mad at them, the doctor and literally everyone.

I asked her whether she hates me cause I'm the reason for everything. She said no and she loves me the most and she just wants me and Eve and I'm her son. Then she again cried hugging me for a long time. I whispered in her ear that I also love her the most and for me she's always my mother, no matter what. When she calmed down, I asked her to have the lunch I made, if she loves me. And she ate.

After she finished her plate, she asked me whether Michael went to Oklahoma with my parents. I said he is at dorm and she instantly wanted to see him. And she made me drive us to school that evening with a confused Eve sitting in the passenger seat beside me, whisper asking me ' Eddy, what happened to Mom ? And where is Mickey'. Apparently we had picked her from her friend's house on our way, so she was utterly clueless about what happened.

I told Eve that Mom got angry at Mickey and Mickey went back to hostel and so now we are going to go see him and make things up to him. Thankfully she believed. All throughout the ride, she was turning around and worriedly looking at Mom who was in the backseat, looking blankly out of the window, deep in thought.

It had past 6 Pm when we reached at the hostel. I didn't want to cause a scene at the dorm, so I asked Michael to come to the garage after parking the car inside.

Mom started crying hugging him as soon as he hopped into the back seat. I picked a confused Eve from the passenger seat and walked away leaving Mom and Michael alone in the car. For the next two hours I showed Eve around our school- football ground, volleyball court, basketball court, swimming pool, then I took her to Black Swan and ordered her Pizza, Milkshake and Ice-cream. After that we walked through the streets for sometime. Then I finally got Michael's call and we went back to the garage. Then we drove back home with Mom leaning comfortably in the backseat against Michael's shoulder.

We didn't attend school on Monday and Tuesday. Mom also didn't go to office. Like my biological parents, she also wanted to ask Michael a lot of things. She made Eve go to school on both days. Evy doesn't know anything and we aren't letting her know, anytime soon. She isn't big enough to understand all this. Maybe we will tell her after some years or she will find it out herself.

Gavin called me on Monday itself asking, why we didn't come back. I said I have a fever and so Michael also took leave. He believed it and thankfully he or Grace were not at dorm on Sunday and no body knew Michael came at hostel on Sunday noon.

We went back to school on Wednesday morning and continued our lives like nothing happened. We didn't tell anything to our friends. We had already took a decision that we won't let this news go out to public or tell anyone else.

Michael was afraid what will happen to his parents if the news gets flashed. Especially if our relatives comes to know. Most especially if his biological Dad, Mom's ex-husband comes to know. What if they all ask Mom to complain at court and ask his parents for compensation or something. And also then, they all will be coming to see the long lost Son and it will be so difficult to Michael and all of us. So Mom and we together decided to keep the secret to ourselves.

But our friends are a bit surprised at how close Michael is to my family. After Mom came to know the truths, we both go home on every weekend, so we don't spend much time with them, like earlier. Grace once told me, my Mom is so cool for letting me bring my boyfriend home on every weekend. Still we didn't tell them anything. It's not that we don't trust our friends, but we are all just human beings and such secrets can involuntarily slip out of our tongues at some particular occasion. So it's better we don't let more and more people know.

But now I feel really bad for not letting them know, after coming to know from Michael that they are giving me a surprise birthday party here at Black Swan.

If you are thinking, why party today, when my birthday is tomorrow, then the answer is that we all are going back to our houses today and we will only come back to hostel on next Monday (not this coming Monday). Cause our last semester exams are starting on next Monday and we are having a nine day study leave from tomorrow until then.

I and Michael were feeling relieved thinking, our friends would forget my birthday in the hurry bury of all assignment submission and last minute record submission and lab practical exams. And this week they were literally going crazy preparing for lab exams and getting their notes and printed notes and all stuff together. So we really thought they would forget. But Grace remembered it in the middle of everything.

She remembered it yesterday afternoon, to be exact. And she went to Michael and asked him why he didn't remind them about my birthday. Michael was shocked when she asked her. But anyway he managed to lie, he didn't want to stress them with my birthday during this busy time.

So then Grace made a chat group called 'Ethan's Birthday' yesterday night, consisting the five of them and started planning how and when to celebrate my birthday. At last they decided to cut cake at Black Swan before we all head back home.

Their plan was that they pretend like they forgot my birthday and then they will all leave after saying Bye to me. But they will be waiting at Black Swan with my cake and then Michael would bring me here saying he wants to have an Ice-cream. But as we step into the restaurant, they all surprise me with cake and singing happy birthday. Michael told me everything this morning. What a surprise birthday, right ?

And what a pity ! Michael took part in their birthday discussion and arranged everything when he is also the birthday boy.

" Ethan, make sure you act..surprised, okay ?", Michael tells me whilst opening the passenger seat door and hoping out. I leave a sigh and hops out, falling into steps with him. And I mentally prepare myself for acting surprised.

We enter the cafe and Michael guides me upstairs to the small private hall of the cafe which they rent for birthday celebration and other functions. I didn't know Black Swan has such a facility until now.

We step into the hall which is decorated with a few balloons and ribbons. I stop in track and dramatically open my mouth, looking at the wall opposite to me, where 'Happy turning 19’ is written in glittering letters. However there is no sign of anyone inside the hall and I glance around in confusion.

I turn around to look at Michael, just as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small party popper and shoots confetti straight into my face. The next moment Gavin, Grace, Milan and Dulce are all jumping up from behind the counter at the side and screaming the words ‘Happy birthday’ as loud as they possibly can.

I jump back in surprise. Not acting this time, but I actually flinched. Cause Michael didn't tell me about the party popper and this sudden jumping up and all. To add to that, they are all wearing big ridiculous matching party hats over their heads.

I laugh at them as they walk towards me, singing 'Happy birthday'. Gavin is holding the cake and he is swinging it from side to side.

" Were you surprised?", Grace asks me laughing once they finish with the birthday song.

" I didn't expect this guys. ", I say whilst shaking my head and looking at the small beautiful round chocolate cake in Gavin's hands. I can’t help but chuckle looking at it. Cause, instead of ‘Happy 19th birthday’ ‘ I'll miss you 18’ is written on it in attractive red letters.

" Cause we are actually celebrating the last moments of your 18.”, Grace smiles. Sure I'm gonna miss 18 badly. And I'm gonna miss my high school life. It already ended. Only exams are there to finish.

" C'mon..now let's cut the cake.", Gavin squeals and takes the cake to the big table in front of the wall.

" Make a wish and blow the candle.", Dulce says as I get the knife from Milan's hands and goes to cut the cake.

I make my wish and blow out the candle. They squeal and clap their hands while I cut the cake. As I give the first piece to Michael and he smears a little cream on my nose, they all laugh and smile fondly at us. After that I cut pieces for all of them and soon the whole cake is over and my face is fully smeared with cream and they all are laughing hard, clutching their stomachs.

Looking at how happy they are, I feel really guilty for hiding everything from them. What if once they come to know our secret ? Then will they feel like we didn't actually consider them our best friends? I hope they will understand our situation.