An hour and a half later, I reluctantly finished cleaning everything up.
Ella said I had two more surprises coming, and honestly, I couldn’t wait to see what else she had planned.
Just as I stepped back into the office building, my phone buzzed — it was Lucas.
[Lucas: Hey man, happy birthday!]
I frowned, surprised. Since we became friends, not once had he bothered with birthday wishes.
Maybe I took too long to reply, because he messaged again, sounding kind of anxious.
[Lucas: Seriously, why are you so quiet? Didn’t see any birthday post from you. You okay?]
[Oliver: What’s with the sudden concern?]
[Lucas: Thank God, you’re alive! So, how’s your birthday going?]
That caught me off guard. I had no idea how to answer.
I wasn’t big on birthdays, so I wasn’t us
