Double Life: Happy Birthday

“Josh” a whisper guided him to a shadow under a big tree, a few meters away from the house. As he walked towards the voice that called him his eyes grew accustom of the dark.

“I was starting to believe I wasn’t going to eat birthday-cake” Nic said tasting the icing of the cake. Josh smiled and she smiled too. “It´s good. Happy Birthday, Josh” she hugged him with one arm. He made her stay a little longer wrapping both his arms around her waist. “I´m concerned about that cake you´re balancing at my back” she said feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Her breath tickled his ear and he clucked as he let go of her.

Without another word she started to walk forward,deeper into the shadows of  the big trees that covered the garden. Josh follower her. They walked in silence until they reached a small artificial pond, it was surrounded by flowers and small bushes trimmed in shapes. There was a very long bench in which Nichole sat to quietly eat her cake.

“I couldn´t take the drinks” Josh apologized as he sat next to her.
“mmh” she mumbled “my mom designed this whole place” she continued sharing her thoughts for the first time “she dreamed of this pond, of the fish in it, even ...the lights...” the girl´s mind seemed to be somewhere else.
“she was a great designer. The house and this place are beautiful” Josh complimented with a small smile
“she never got to see any of it” Nichole´s voice was sad and distant.
“I bet she was only thinking on you when she planned it all, so she´s seeing it through you” when Josh looked at Nichole she was smiling at him, she seemed pleased with the possibility that Josh had brought.
“you´re good” she smiled
“I must be good indeed, look at you, smiling” he winked. Nic laughed
“right” she rolled her eyes and put the now empty plate on the grass. She laid down on the bench to look up to the trees and the sky that could be seen through the tree´s leaves.
A comfortable silence fell upon them, they stayed like that for a while.

“You should go back to your party” Nic broke the silence. Her eyes were closed, her voice had been quiet as if she was about to fall asleep.
“It´s ok, I like it here”
“being in the dark while everybody else is having fun?” her tone purposely showing disbelief. Her eyes still closed.
“It´s not much fun to be with the same people every single minute”
“I see... They´ll miss you though”
“Do you want me to go?” Josh tone was somewhat offended.
“I think you might regret wasting your time here”
“I´m spending my birthday the way I want. What´s best than that for a birthday?” he lifted an eyebrow but Nic still had her eyes closed, however; a smile was drawn on her face. They remained silent after that. The breeze started to get cold.

By that time, Josh observed the dark scenery in which they were was not really dark, lights were close to the edge of the pond making it look like a black shiny glass. Some leaves of the flowers covered bits of the lights making interesting tiny patterns where the shadows fell. The sound of a cricket was heard as well a the sound of a frog somewhere near the pond and then it jumped into it.

“I like fogs” Nic commented. Josh looked down to her. Her arms were folded, she seemed cold, after all she was only wearing a tank top. Jack took off his jacket and put it over her as a blanket. She didn´t motion at all but he saw the tiny crease between her eyes disappear. Her face was smooth again. He wondered what she was thinking. She really was a quiet person.

“what are you thinking?” he asked, the curiosity becoming too much. She snapped open her eyes and stared at him causing him to blush lightly.
“Is your family here?” she closed her eyes again. He didn´t know if that was the answer to his question or just her way of pushing him away of her private thoughts.
“I saw mom and dad earlier but I doubt they´re still here, I´m not sure... I think some of my cousins might be around too”
“Don´t you want to be with you family?... I remember you were upset for being sent to a boarding school” she explained knowing he´d get angry thinking she didn´t want his company. I kind of like it, she admitted to herself, he´s the opposite of what I am.

“I was upset for the fact that it was a punishment -he sighed- not because I was really homesick, maybe a little, but not really, maybe even on the contrary” he explained laying down as Nichole had done a long while ago. The top of their heads was touching.

“If I hadn´t limited my deadly touch to my hand, you´ll be dead by now” she thought somewhat scared that it might actually happen.
“Did you have motives to want to be away?” he asked noticing the hint of that he had added, that means he is willing to share, she thought.
“mh, well, yeah.... well, it´s not like people at school and our neighbourhood were going to be nice after what happened..”
“And...” she prompted when a silence fell upon them
“I was dumped quite in a scandalous manner... that´s not something that´d make you want to stay”
“ah... too bad she didn´t believe in you” she sympathized
“eh?” he uttered his confusion at the strange comment.
“she dumped you after the fight that got you expelled” Nic heard Josh sighed confirming she´d been right about Josh’s scandalous ex-girlfriend but she was not going to ask since doing so meant he was going to be free to pry in her life as well. And, it was his birthday after all, the event had made a big impact on him, making it a no as a birthday topic. The silence that had fallen was broken by Josh´s cellphone.

“Hello” he answered and heard the person speaking “just out” he chuckled. Nic guessed it was his twin. “ah, come on!” Josh complained to the phone “ah, ok” he finished and put his phone back on his pants pocket.

“mom wants pictures -he said to Nichole who seemed to be asleep- they´re about to cut the cake” he informed and she laughed quietly taking the empty plate and moving it in a toast manner. He chuckled. “I´m leaving now” he announced.

“You´re jacket” she said starting to remove it.
“Keep it” He took the empty plates and slowly walked back to  the house
“Happy birthday Josh” she said as he left. She adjusted the jacket to cover her better.