29. Birthday Surprise

Part 1

August

LA, California

"Trace if you don't tell me what's going on I'm going to hit you." I cough back a laugh.

"If I tell you what's going on Lilah, Justin will hit me. Either way I lose." Trace fakes a pout as he hauls me along with him into yet another store.

We're in LA at one of the many shopping malls on my birthday no less looking for god knows what. Trace won't tell me and this is maybe the tenth store we've been in, in the last fifteen minutes. Yes, today is my birthday. No I don't like dwelling on it. I mean, come on, who really enjoys getting older? Sure, when you hit the milestones like sixteen, eighteen and twenty-one you couldn't be happier but after that what's the big deal?  I know I sound like a spoilt sport but I'm sure I'm not the only person who thinks that way.

I guess part of my issue with my birthday is family and Ethan related. My family spent my last few birthdays trying to make me forget about Ethan and Ethan always had some crazy surprise up his sleeve back when we were together. But whatever...I'm not going to focus on that, or on the fact that he called me some odd days ago. I'll deal with all of that when I get back to Higher Heights. Right now, I'm about to trip Trace if he doesn't stop dragging me all over the place.

"Trace!" I wail, stopping dead in my tracks and pulling myself out of his grasp.

He jerks forward before turning to look at me with accusing eyes. "We're almost done...hang on." He mutters before leaving me and going over to one of the sales people who, judging by the look on her face, knows exactly who he is.

I'm starting to realize that Trace is a celebrity in his own right. I can't even count how many times we got stopped today for autographs and pictures. Plus, of course some of the fans asked about Justin as well. What I couldn't figure out...the weird looks I kept getting, like these people knew me or something. It was creeping me out. Seriously, we need to leave this mall and soon.

As I stand awkwardly in this clothing and accessory store waiting for Trace to be done, I feel my phone vibrating in my jeans pocket.

I pull it out and can't help but smile when I see Justin's name flashing on the screen.

"Hey J!" I say into the line after placing the phone to my ear.

"Hey birthday girl, where are you?" Justin asks.

"Ugh, with Trace in some store in some mall somewhere in LA." I mutter and I hear Justin's soft chuckles on the line.

"Well that's specific." He voices sarcastically. "Are you all getting back soon? It's kind of getting dark out." Justin explains and I nod though he can't see me.

"Yes, as soon as Trace gets what he wants. But he won't tell me and I think you know..." But I'm cut off by Rachel's voice in the background.

"I'm on the phone with Lilah Rach! I'll come to help you. Give me a minute." Justin barks at her. "Sorry Lilah." He diverts his attention back to me.

"No worries. But Justin what are you up to?" I ask suspiciously.

"Nothing...hang on a minute baby..." He drifts and I hear shuffling on his end of the line.

I'm now starting to find it odd that Trace said he had some errands to run and insisted I came along with him to get out since I've spent most of the day around the house with Justin just hanging out, playing around and having fun which is how I liked it. Justin didn't make a huge deal about my birthday but he did pamper me incessantly today and cooked for me and everything since his mom was out today. It was sweet and thoughtful but then later in the day things got weird. Trace is being secretive and Justin is acting clueless. I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach about what they might be up to...

It doesn't help that I miss my parents and home in Boston. The one time in the year I really get to spend with them, I'm using some of that time on Justin. I'm not regretting, I just kind of wish they were here as well. But, I have been talking to them and even Ryan regularly since I've been out here. They called to wish me happy birthday today and everything.

"Ok got it! We can go now!" Trace hollers, snapping me out of my thoughts as he comes over to me.

I shoot him an evil glare, still waiting for Justin to get back on the line as I hold the phone against my ear and allow Trace to lead us out of the store.

"So, what did you get?" I ask Trace, trying to take the small bag from his hold to see what's inside.

He dodges my grip and picks up his pace. "Don't even try Delilah. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you'll get your way." Trace voices smartly and I huff, following behind him. "We're going home now." He adds in and I roll my eyes, staring at the back of his head.

"Whatever." I mumble.

"What's wrong with you?" Justin's voice filters through the line again and I completely ignore Trace as we make our way towards where he parked his ride.

"Trace is being stubborn. He won't show me what he got or tell me why he dragged me down here." I whine on the phone and Justin laughs at my distress. I really don't see how any of this is funny.

"Lilah, you've been home all day. You needed to get out for a while. And it just so happens, I asked him to pick up something for me while he was out."

"Let me guess, you all are throwing me a surprise party and needed to get me out of the house." I blurt out, shocking Justin into silence. "Come on Justin, it's freaking obvious." I say when he doesn't respond immediately.

There's a brief pause as I listen to him breathing on the line.

"Do me favor?" He says softly into the line and I giggle.

"What?"

"Act surprise when you guys get here." He says quietly.

"Aw, that's sweet and thoughtful that you'd do that for me but Justin, I asked you to not make a big deal out of my..." but he cuts me off.

"It's really not that big of a deal. I only invited a few people over." He states and I frown.

"Like other celebrities? But I don't know any of your friends except Trace and Rachel. Justin...how am I supposed to..."

"Lilah, chill, it's fine. Just, get here and you'll meet everyone and I promise you'll have a good time ok? Hurry back. I gotta go help Rach set up the drinks." Justin explains and I sigh heavily in return.

"Justin, you didn't even try to deny that you were throwing me a party." I point out.

"Why should I? It's better this way. Now you can prepare yourself and not be caught off guard."

There's a hint of amusement in his voice when he says this, but he keeps his tone serious for the most part.

"Right...well, we're on our way." I state, stopping next to the passenger door of Trace's ride.

"Good, see you soon." He responds and with that I'm met with a dial tone.

I root the phone from my ear and stare at it briefly before stuffing it back into my pocket and getting into the car when Trace unlocks the doors.

Now safely inside the car, I turn to look at Trace as he brings the ride to life.

"Not a single word." Trace smiles while looking at me from the corner of his eye.

I raise my hands in defeat, giggling.

As he pulls out of his parking spot getting ready to head unto the highway, he's caught off guard and slams down hard on the brakes when flashes start going off around us.

I jerk forward in my seat, a soft gasp escaping me when I see a swarm of people appear out of nowhere, quickly surrounding our ride with cameras in their hands.

"Great. This is just what we need. Fuck...this is bad." Trace mutters, his eyes wide in disbelief as he glares at the people standing around the ride preventing him from going anywhere.

"What's going on?" I ask bewildered as I squint under the blinding flashes.

"Delilah! Delilah Marshall!"

Wow, how do these people know my name?

"Get out of the fucking way!" Trace barks, honking his horn and inching the car forward.

Thank god our windows are rolled up, but the windscreen isn't tinted.

"Delilah is it true? Are you really Justin's new girl?!"

"What happened between you two at that boarding school?!"

"How does Jessica feel about you taking her place Delilah?!"

"Trace, how do you feel about this whole thing?!"

"Oh my god." I gasp, slapping my palms over my mouth and ducking my head to get away from the bright flashes.

"Shit..." Trace rolls down his window slightly, full of anger. "Get the fuck out of my way else I swear to god, I'll run some of you fucks over and take the jail time for it." Trace barks.

I guess his outburst worked because they move to the side, still flashing pictures and calling at us as Trace quickly picks up speed and drives off, heading onto the highway and leaving them behind.

When we're safely on the highway heading back to Justin's I release a sigh, feeling my rampant heartbeat slowing down as I stare out of the window in a trance.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck..." Trace grumbles under his breath, angrily hitting the steering wheel in the process.

"Trace?" I whisper.

"Delilah, look, I'm really sorry." He apologizes but I shake my head.

"No, it's ok. It's not your fault. But...what just happened?" I ask still a bit dazed.

"That was the paparazzi. They must have heard we were at the mall. That was only one of many encounters you'll have being with Justin. At least we were already in the car. It's a lot worse when you're out there with them. I'm really sorry..." Trace explains and I nod slowly, keeping my eyes focused on the many cars out on the highway with us.

"When Justin explained to me about this, I still had no idea...god that was a horrible experience." I cringe. I can't believe Justin goes through this on a regular.

"I'd like to tell you that eventually, being in this lifestyle long enough, you get used to it. But you don't. You never get used to it. You simply learn to accept it and tolerate it as part of the package based on the life choice you made." Trace voices and I nod again, not bothering to respond this time.

The rest of our ride home is done in silence as I start thinking about what it is I'm really getting myself into with Justin and this life. Can I really handle being with a celebrity like Justin? He's not simply Justin from Higher Heights. As much as I wish that were the case, it's not.

**

As Trace heads up the driveway after punching in the code to Justin's gates of his estate, I'm wondering what kind of surprise party this is supposed to be. I don't see any cars parked anywhere and that makes me a little nervous.

Trace finally kills the engine and hops out of the car still fuming. He's not as upset as when we left the mall, but he's certainly not over our little paparazzi encounter which means, Justin is going to hear an earful.

I silently follow behind him up the stairs and pause when he knocks on the front door.

The door swings open seconds later to reveal a grinning Rachel.

"Oh you guys are back! Just in time." She says cheerily before gripping my arm in hers to lead me in with Trace in tow.

"You'd never believe what happened to us..." Trace begins.

If he tells Justin about the paps now, Justin is going to end up in a shitty mood. He seemed so happy when I spoke to him on the phone. I don't want to spoil that...not tonight before my birthday is up.

"Trace?" I pull myself out of Rachel's hold and turn to look at him.

"Yes?" He curves a brow at me in question.

"Don't tell Justin. At least, not yet...not tonight. Please." I beg him and he frowns deeply before releasing a groan.

"What's with you all keeping shit from each other?" He blurts out and I scowl at him, not understanding his statement.

Before I can ask him what he means, Justin appears from around the corner to greet us looking amazing in simple faded jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.

"Took you all long enough." Justin says happily before coming over to me and cupping my cheeks in his palms. He leans down and plants a firm kiss on my lips which I gladly accept. "Hey there birthday girl." He coos softly, his blues searching my grey-browns.

"Hey there." I mock him, smiling slyly.

"So, are you ready for your surprise party which isn't a surprise anymore?" Justin jokes and both Rachel and Trace laugh softly.

Well at least Trace is respecting my wishes and keeping his mouth shut. It's not like Justin won't find out. I'm sure our photos are going to be everywhere by tomorrow.

"Uh huh...let's get this party rolling. I take it the guests aren't here yet?" I giggle, looking around, realizing that the lights are dimmed and there's soft upbeat music playing in the background.

Justin's lips twitch slightly as he looks away from me for a brief moment before a huge smile forms on his face.

"They're here.  But first, I have something I want to give you." Justin says softly and I frown in suspicion at the innocence behind his statement. Oh, he's not fooling me.

"Really? And what might that be?" I play along.

"You'll see. Hey T, you got the stuff?" Justin questions, diverting his gaze to Trace who's studying the both of us intently.

"Here..." Trace hands him the small bag in his hand and Justin takes it from him before looking between Rachel and Trace, the three of them exchanging some type of knowing stare. Obviously I'm out of the loop but I'm simply going to wait and see what happens.

"Ok, guys, would you excuse us for just a few minutes and we'll join you in the game room in a few?" Justin voices and they both nod, Rachel being the first to excuse herself quietly.

Trace lingers behind, still eyeing us. Justin notices this and frowns at his best friend. "What's up T? Something wrong?" Justin asks.

Trace shakes his head hesitantly, releasing a soft sigh. "No, just..." he drifts. "I'll uh see you guys in the game room. I'm gonna grab a beer." He quickly voices before darting off, leaving us alone.

"That wasn't weird at all." Justin mutters sarcastically, giving me his full attention. "Did something happen while you guys were out?"

"What? No. Trace is just being Trace I guess." I shrug.

"Uh huh..." Justin drawls, his eyes narrowing slightly before he brushes off his suspicions. "Ok, well come with me." He grabs my hand gently in his and begins leading us upstairs towards his bedroom.

I pause before we enter his room, causing him to stop as well since he was holding my hand.

Justin slowly turns to look at me, giving me an askance look. "What?" he inquires, his lips curving into a light smile.

I watch him closely, really taking in the sight of him before I release a light sigh and shake my head. "Nothing." I mutter and he frowns.

"Nothing huh?" He mocks me, glaring at me.

"It's just..." I drift, biting the inside of my lip.  "I can't help but still wonder every now and then...I mean I know how we met and all but I can't help but still wonder you know?" I refrain from stating my full thought and he knows this because he's pulling me into his room now and shutting the door behind us.

He drops my hand and turns to face me with his arms tightly folded.

"Let's not go there Lilah." He warns and I look away from him, swaying on my heels.

"Justin...you're this...this mega superstar." I practically whisper and I hear him sigh as I continue to avoid eye contact with him. "And, I'm nobody...really....and the more I think about it, the more time that goes by, I can't help but just feel...just realize how...how off our pairing is or something. I mean, it doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. We don't make sense Justin. All this...everything that happened, the way you ended up at Higher Heights, the way we got stuck with each other, the way you fought my battles for me...to now. I don't know. I mean, had this been us living our regular lives, we probably wouldn't even care to know each other. So now it's...I mean my family loves you but, I'm not sure how well I fit into your life outside of school."

"You should have some Hollywood starlet on your arm...or you should be out playing the field, partying or whatever it is your kind do but, you're so...not acting like the celebrity you are. You've invested so much time in this change your life has taken, so much time in me, in us and I can't help but just really wonder why. I mean I know what you said but..." I ramble out, stopping myself before I can go any further. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to say you're wasting your time, I'm happy we are where we are...I...I'm just gonna stop talking now." I cave, shaking my head in disdain.

This sounded so much better in my head. The last thing I want is to upset him. I'm just trying to make sense of everything, of if this is all worth it. I'm trying to figure out if we really have some type of future together or if we're kidding ourselves and should quit while we're ahead.

There's a brief pause before Justin responds to me and surprisingly, I don't pick up on any anger in his tone when he speaks.

"Lilah..." Justin begins, but trails off. I lock eyes with him in that instant and I'm surprised to see the smile on his face that stretches all the way to his deep beautiful blues. "I love you...isn't that enough? Isn't that enough to just forget about everything else, everything you just said and see where this takes us?" He questions.

I have a feeling that's all I'm going to get out of him at this moment so I relent, shaking my head shyly. "Yes, I'm being ridiculous huh?" I giggle but he shakes his head in protest.

"No, not ridiculous...never that." Justin whispers as he closes the small gap between us. "Actually, I know where you're coming from. But, worrying about the ‘what ifs' isn't something I'm keen on doing right now so..." He leans down, kissing me lightly before pulling away. "So, what do you say we get these birthday celebrations over with first huh?" He chuckles lightly and I smile, deciding to give it a rest. I happen to know that things would be so much easier if I was a different person and because of that, maybe I do need to change a bit more and reinvent myself if I really want this relationship to work.

"Ok, then, let's start by you telling me why you dragged me up here." I state and I note how Justin's mood lightens almost immediately.

"Do you remember that time back at the prison when coach, Manny and your bro walked in on us in the locker rooms during the dance before summer break?" Justin inquires as he moves away from me and heads over to one of his dresser draws.  I scowl in thought. How could I forget?

"Uh sure? And the school is not a prison Justin." I laugh.

"Uh huh, do you remember what we were doing before they walked in?"  He pulls out a box and turns to look at me expectantly with a smirk on his face.

I roll my eyes, giggling softly. "Is this going somewhere?"

"Answer the question Lilah." He demands and I groan.

"Fine! Yes, I remember." I snicker.

"And...did you ever figure out what I was trying to tell you that night when I kissed you?"

He's serious now, searching my grey-browns and my smile falls significantly as I swallow hard. "Uh...I um..."

Walking over to me, he lifts the box in his hand into my line of sight. "Open it." He voices, ignoring the fact that I didn't answer his last question.

"Hey, is that the same gift..."

"Uh huh." He cuts me off. "I told you, you'd get it for your birthday once you came out to visit. I was able to add some more to it though since some time passed."

Curving my brows in interest, I take the gift from him and slowly begin to open it with Justin silently standing and watching my every move.

"What is it?" I ask suspiciously, shaking the box before I continue ripping the wrapping off. Once I get everything open, a deep frown graces my face as I pull out the object from the box, enjoying the cool feel against my fingers as I study it intently.

"Do you like it?" Justin asks, grinning.

"You got me a...a charm bracelet?" I question in bewilderment.

"Yes. It's a white gold, diamond encrusted charm bracelet to be exact." Justin beams with pride and I look at him, still holding the object awkwardly in my hand.

"It's...it's beautiful." I admit. "And thank you..."

Before I can say anything else, he takes it out of my grasp and instructs me to extend my hand. I do just that and watch as he unclasps it and places it securely around my wrist.

"There, happy birthday." Justin coos, eyeing me as I eye my gift.

"Am I going to have to ask you what each charm stands for, or..."

"I thought you'd never ask." He laughs. "Actually, I got this for you to symbolize and make you see just how much I appreciate and cherish every moment we've spent together...so far. Seeing as you always doubted shit, I had to find a way to show you that ‘us' ending up together had to mean something and that I valued your company even if I annoyed you and still do." He grins widely.

"Wow...well...I guess now I have no choice but to believe that you loved being around me." I joke.

"And vice versa. Don't even play. You know you loved having me around too." He mutters cockily, jumping away from me before I can pinch him and I laugh.

"Ok, ok...so explain these charms." I say excitedly as he lifts my hand, his thumb toying with the bracelet while a thoughtful expression floats over his face. This should be interesting.

"Well, the small text book indicates when we first met at that school and you literally called me out before showing me to my first history class; the plate indicates my first encounter with ‘the jerk' in the cafeteria and you came to my rescue..." Justin laughs at that and I can't help but shake my head with a smile. "The paint brush is the first time I joined you in art class and you were checking me out." He says smartly.

"I was not!" I defend, feeling myself blushing.

"Yeah you were, don't lie, you liked that I was the bad boy who defied the dress code rules." He snickers.

"Whatever...continue please." I give him a playful shove and he chortles.

"Ok, the small ball symbolizes our first school game we went to together and me being on the team with your support afterwards. The tiny dress, is for me getting you to go to the school dance with me when you clearly, didn't do dances and still don't. Oh and you wore a dress which according to Sandra and Michelle is a rare feat. The small bottle symbolizes our first illegal party we threw for my birthday in the dorms...it was a great birthday by the way, especially with Trace and Rachel surprise visit." Justin beams and I can't help but get lost in all the memories and moments we had together at that school.

Wow, I guess I shouldn't be surprised he remembers all these things and deem them as important milestones or whatever they are.

"Most of these are straight forward when you look at them. Oh this one...the pen attached to an open notebook, symbolizes when I learned about you...about your past and your life. You could call it me getting a peak at your diary if you will. Especially that time at my place when you got drunk and was upset over ‘the jerk' and told me what happened." Justin shakes his head in thought, his eyes narrowing slightly before he moves to the next charm. He's made it a point of duty to not speak ‘the jerk's' name. hmm.

"The guy and the girl..." Justin begins and I cut him off, looking at the small charm of a guy and girl kissing.

"Our first kiss?" I question, remembering it quite clearly. We were out in the halls, he told me he made the team and the rest...

"Yes. And the first time we..." He drifts, looking at me and swallowing hard before breaking eye contact.

"Made love?" I finish his statement but he doesn't look at me or respond. He simply moves to the next charm and I frown at that.

"The boxing glove...I couldn't resist. It was the first time I put the jerk in his place and something tells me it won't be the last." Justin says with a sinister smile on his face.

"Why do you even have that as a charm?" I ask.

"Because that's when I realized you were worth fighting for." He simply states and I nod.

"Ok..."

"Some of these are minor, some obvious, like the plane, which means me visiting you in Boston and you visiting me out here...but this one..." Justin voices, spinning the bracelet around on my wrist to grip a charm in his hand as he stares at it. It's the only charm on the entire bracelet with ‘color'. All the others are made of the same white gold as the bracelet except this charm. "The heart...it...it's for when I realized I loved you, when I told you I loved you, when I knew I would always love you, when we make love, when you told me you loved me....so...I'd say, it symbolizes the love we share and hopefully, that love will continue to grow." Justin explains, looking at me as he toys with the heart-shaped charm. I'd say this one was also obvious but I think it's the most important one on here.

"It's beautiful..." I choke out, now feeling the familiar sting of tears as I really begin to understand how much thought went into this one gift.

"I had the jeweler craft the shape of the heart out of the ruby stone. So, take good care of it." Justin explains and I nod in understanding, getting the double meaning behind his words and now wondering about the price of this entire bracelet with the charms included. I'm guessing the heart wasn't the only custom-made charm. But it's the most important one to him because...it's doesn't just symbolize love does it? It symbolizes his heart and the fact that he's maybe wearing it on his sleeve with me or he's given it to me.

"Oh, and there's one more charm to clip on for today." He adds in and I stare at him, watching him dip into the same small bag Trace brought back from the mall.

Whatever is in that bag, we scoured the mall to get it so I'm sure it's important or something.

I look on as he pulls out a small box before tossing the small bag to the side. He opens the box and pulls out a tiny solid gold key.

I'm silent as he clips on the final charm right next to the ruby red heart.

"All done. I hope you like your surprise." Justin grins.

I look at the key with a deep scowl. "Justin?"

"Hmm?"

"What does the key symbolize?"

"If I said, it was the key to my heart would you think I was corny?" He jokes and I laugh.

"Oh yes." I laugh loudly.

"Well then it's a good thing it's not." He pouts and I sober up.

"Aw, but it would still be cute."

"Corny and cute? Wow, that's...that's great." He mutters dryly.

"Don't be like that Justin." I plead, smiling.

"You already have my heart Lilah, we have a charm for that remember?" He wisecracks and I huff.

"So then what is it for?"

"That's for me to know and you to eventually find out."

"Wait what!?" I gasp. "Justin! Tell me." I beg and he shakes his head no, moving away from me with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Nope sorry. That's all the surprise you need for one night...well almost but..." He places his thumb to his lips, shaking his head in protest so he won't give anything else away.

"You're so mean! I had to wait all this time to find out what my gift was and now, there's a charm on here I have no idea what it means but I'm wearing it."

"But you trust me, so you'll keep wearing it." He adds in.

"And if people ask?"

"Tell them the key to the heart thing. Women eat that shit up when a guy's all sensitive and crap." Justin voices in a deep tone, clearing his throat loudly and I roll my eyes at his elaborate attempt to stress his manhood.

"Ok, fine you win. I'll wait. So, now that's out of the way..."

"We head down to the party, live it up, get fucked up, come back up to my room later when the party's over and everyone is gone and fuck like monkeys...unless you wanna skip to the end first and..."

"Ugh Justin!" I belt, cutting him off before he can finish his statement. He's laughing uncontrollably now by the twisted up expression on my face I'm sure. "Sometimes you're so rude." I point out.

"Maybe, but I can promise you that you will be mine tonight Lilah...no doubt about that.  So, we'll see how that goes." He says in a deep husky voice, winking at me as I look at him in shock. He's irresistible and he knows this...hence the cockiness and why I need to pinch him every once in a while.

"Oh you wanna give me some ‘birthday sex' huh?" I say in a sing-song voice and he groans.

"I hate that song." He laughs. "I heard it way too much. It's a love-hate relationship. And no, it's not about the birthday sex because by then, it won't be your birthday anymore. I'm simply confident that you'll be mine contorting in any and every position I desire later."

"Oh really? Wanna bet?" I tease him and he growls deeply, gripping me and pulling me in his embrace.

"You should have learned by now to not make bets with me Lilah. I mean, majority of the time, I win our little banters. Like that bet we had where if I scored higher than you on our art exams you'd come out to Cali to visit." Justin quips, leading us out of his room and down the stairs towards where my supposed surprise party is being held I guess.

"Oh please, that was a fluke."

"I won."

"Yeah but we decided I was going to visit even without the stupid bet Justin, so..."

"Yes, but the point is I won. So, either way, you would have made it out here."

"Whatever...you got higher than me by two points Justin. That hardly calls for celebration." I say stubbornly, giggling like an idiot as we make our way through his house hand in hand.

He turns to give me a look, holding back his laughter.

"You're a sore loser Lilah."

"And you're a sore winner Justin!" I counter and he chuckles.

"Maybe..." He drifts as we stop in front of the shut door to his game room. I'm thinking he set up the party to take place in there. Leaning down, Justin brushes some of my hair behind my ear before he leans in and whispers softly in my ear. "But, you're still going to be mine later. It's ok, don't worry. I'm pretty sure you'll be the one to initiate it anyway."

I swear that man is so cocky sometimes! But, for him, it works.

When he pulls away from me with a sly smirk on his face I glower at him, partly in shock over the fact that he can be so blunt and raw with me and partly over the fact that I'm getting excited and hot just thinking about all the things I'd love to do to him.

I should have a medal for being able to resist Justin the way I've been doing. Then again, that resistance is wearing thin with each passing day I'm in his presence so...

"On three, I'm gonna swing the door open and they're gonna yell surprise. You ready?" Justin questions and I nod nervously, not sure of who is on the other side of that door but praying I don't end up being star struck over any of his friends and end up making a fool of myself.

"Ready." I blurt out.

"Ok, one...two..." Justin turns to look at me, giving my hand a light squeeze before he releases his hold on me and suddenly swings the door open. "Three!" He yells, pushing me inside of the room, catching me off guard.

I stumble in and I'm momentarily deafened by the loud chorus of "surprise" and "happy birthday" that soon follows.

As  I gather my bearings and begin to scan the faces in the room, my heart speeds up and my mouth hangs open while my eyes bulge out of their sockets when I take in the smiling faces of my mom, dad, Marco, Sandra, Michelle and even...Ryan?

Everything else is a blur; I don't see all of the other guests whom I don't know, I don't pay attention to Rachel or Trace or even Justin for that matter. All I see are my family and friends and the fact that Justin maybe paid for them to come out here just to surprise me on my birthday because he knew how much I was missing them.

This has to be the best birthday surprise ever and I know that this little party is going to be fun.

"Ha! I got her mouth hanging open and everything!"

The sound of Rachel's voice snaps me out of my daze and I notice that she's holding a camera in her hand probably looking at the embarrassing picture she just took of me, with Trace laughing up a storm.

I sigh, shaking my head as I begin to smile again... "Wow." I say shocked.

"Thanks for ‘acting' surprised like I asked...you should win an Oscar." Justin jokes, knowing damn well I wasn't acting. He did this on purpose.

Before I can reply with a smart comment, I'm surrounded by my family and friends and in no time flat, I'm hugging and kissing and gushing over them realizing for the first time that I'm never going to get anyone else who comes even remotely close to the amazing person that Justin is.