Chapter 16 - 20th Birthday

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The next day we go sightseeing, Nate and I leading the way as we take our friends by St. James Church, Holetown Monument, and Sir Frank Hutson Sugar Museum, to name a few. Afterwards we head to Limegrove Lifestyle Centre to do some duty-free shopping.

"Ugh, you girls sure can shop" Landon groans as Sophie pulls us into yet another store.

"Suck it up," I swat at him. "We aren't coming here again so better buy what you want now."

"Come on, guys," he tells Nate, Mike, and Brett. "Let's go find a bar." They jump at the prospect and soon have disappeared from our sights.

We shop for another hour, after which we start searching for the boys.

"Just pick the closest bar" Sophie says. And we do. And what do you know? We find the guys there, sipping rum.

Brett pulls Miranda to his side by her waist, landing a big kiss on her cheek.

"'Aight, you guys ready to leave?" I ask, pointing to the numerous bags we're carrying.

"Yeah, my feet are killing me" Stella complains. "We've walked all day."

Nate sinks down his drink and gets up. "Sure."

Sophie drives the other car, following close behind me as Nate isn't fit to drive anymore. We dump our purchases to our rooms and start preparing dinner. We ate lunch in town, but we all were too tired to want to dine in a restaurant.

After dinner we scatter around the house, each doing our own thing. I plop down on my bed, closing my eyes for a second.

I wake up much later, my power nap having turned into a full-out sleeping session. I check my watch. It's two-thirty. I'm officially twenty years old. I don't feel any different. Well, I feel hungry but that's nothing new.

I roll out of bed and head downstairs to the kitchen. I'm surprised when I notice light coming from it. I walk through the doorway and spot Landon going through the fridge.

"Hey," I declare my presence and he jumps, hitting his head against a shelf.

"Owh!" he massages his head. "What are you doing awake?"

"Woke up hungry," I shrug, leaning against the table, still wearing the same jean shorts and white V-neck top as earlier, not having changed for bed as I hadn't planned on oversleeping.

"Yeah, me too," he says, going back to pulling things out of the fridge. "Care for a turkey sandwich?"

"Sure," I nod. I watch him fix the sandwiches. He offers me one and I take it, eating in silence.

"Oh, hey," he lifts up his head. "Today's your birthday, right?"

I nod, surprised he remembers.

"Wait a minute," he tells me and hurries out of the room. He returns a short while later, carrying a little satin box in his hand. "Here," he gives it to me. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," I take the box. I'm reminded of Christmas. I open the lid carefully, feeling his eyes on me the whole time. My lips part as I let out a breath. It's a gold necklace with a delicate pear-shaped diamond pendant. It's exquisite. I brush my fingers over it. "Thank you," I say sincerely, looking up at him. "It's beautiful."

"Just like you," he says. I blush and look down, my stomach suddenly filled with butterflies.

"Here, let me," he says and takes the necklace from me.

I turn around and lift my hair our of the way. He fastens the clasp and the pendant comes to rest against my skin. His cool breath fans my neck, and I'm tempted to turn around and kiss him. I fight against the urge, and before I have a change to do anything stupid, he takes a step back. I let my hair fall back down and turn around to see Landon's retreating back.

---

"Happy birthday!" Stella, Riley and Miranda come storming into my room, waking me up effectively. I took a long time to fall asleep after the moment between Landon and I last night, so I didn't even bother turning on an alarm.

"Thanks," I smile as three wrapped packages land on my feet on the bed. I tear into them and find a white v-neck top covered in lace and a short white pencil skirt that matches it, as well as pretty pale pink high-heeled sandals.

"Thanks guys," I hug them each. I save the outfit for later, for now putting on comfortable beige high-waisted shorts that are tied at the waist, and a white long-sleeve shirt that leaves shoulders open. I pull my hair on a high ponytail, still wearing Landon's necklace, and let the three girls lead me downstairs. They sit me down at the dining room table and all the others appear, Nate in front carrying a huge chocolate cake with twenty candles.

"Happy birthday!" they all yell in unison and can't help but smile widely. I blow out the candles in two tries and clap.

"Thanks you all," I say as they each come hug me in turn. I cut the cake and hand everyone a slice. It's heavenly.

"Landon and Mike baked it" Sophie tells me, smiling. I'm not even surprised.

"What do you want to do today?" Miranda asks me, sitting across from me in a floral maxi dress.

"I don't know," I ponder about it. "We could go clubbing in the evening."

"An excellent idea," Stella grins. "We could go to the beach in the meantime? I don't think any of us has the energy to walk around town today." Everybody agrees.

"Let's go to Carlisle Bay," I suggest. "It's south of Bridgetown, like a twenty minute drive from here."

Riley gets on her phone, searching quickly. "They offer an adventure where you can go swim with turtles and explore shipwrecks."

"Oh yeah, I remember that" Nate says. We did it when we were kids and it was amazing. "We should totally go. Book it."

She does and we all go get ready.

"Heads up!" Nate throws a gift at me, leaning against the door frame. I catch the hard packet and shake it, trying to guess what it is. No idea. I rip it open and find a Ray-Ban case. I flip it open and find a wicked pair of white sunglasses. I put them on, posing ridiculously, making him laugh.

"These are cool, thanks," I check my reflection in the mirror.

"No problem."

"Nate! Avery! Come on!" Landon yells from downstairs. "We're leaving."

I quickly grab my beach bag and hurry after Nate. We load into the two rentals and drive down to Carlisle Bay. We still have two hours until our snorkeling trip, so we get some lounge chairs and umbrellas and enjoy the white sands and turquoise water.

"I wish everyday could be like this" Miranda sighs, sipping on a strawberry daiquiri.

"Tell me about it" Stella turns to her stomach, enjoying the hot sun. The guys are all in the sea, not really understanding grilling under the sun. I love it. I know it's not actually healthy for you, but I love laying under the sun, feeling the rays warm my skin. And, as an added bonus, you get a fine even tan. I've already achieved a beautiful glow these past three days.

"Hey Avery?" Stella's voice comes from the lounge next to mine.

"Yeah?" I keep my eyes closed, laying on my back.

"You know Mike pretty well, right?"

"Yeah," I say, already guessing where this is going.

"Do you think he'd like it if a girl made the first move?"

I open my eyes at that and turn my head to the side. Stella is looking at me, nibbling her bottom lip. I've never seen her so unsure about anything before.

"Actually, I think he'd be really into that," I tell her truthfully. From what I've seen of his dating life, he's always preferred the confident, go-for-it types.

"Yeah?"

"Totally," I nod. "So just plant one heck of a kiss on him the next time you're alone," I wink.

"I just might," she grins and closes her eyes from the sun again. I do the same and relax.

---

The experience is even better than I remembered. We all have fun diving around the six wrecks and snorkeling with dozens of turtles and fish. We grab dinner at the beach and then head home to shower. I wash the saltwater out of my hair and this time even blow-dry it. I leave it down and pull on my new outfit, perfect for a night out.

It's already eight o'clock when we're all ready. We head for a bar for drinks, sitting down and enjoying each other's company. After that we find a lively nightclub where we can go dancing. Or well, us girls can. The guys pick out a table overlooking the dance floor and sit down, keeping an eye on us.

"Is it just me or is it awkward having them watch us dance?" I ask, moving to the rhythm. The DJ plays all the familiar upbeat hits we know and love. I'm a fairly good dancer and usually have no problem dancing in front of people, but Landon's eyes are making me nervous.

"It's not just you" Miranda says, trying to keep up. She doesn't have that great of a sense of rhythm but she's still dancing her ass of, which I respect the hell out of. She's dressed the most modest of us; in a top and a long flowy skirt, while Riley and Stella are wearing short dresses.

"We should put on a show" Stella smirks, her eyes going to Mike. "Show them what they're missing not joining us."

"I'm game," I grin and as if on cue, the music changes to Bailando. I let myself feel the beat and move my body to it, moving my hips rather sensually, mouthing the lyrics. I peek a quick look toward the tables, where Mike and Landon are staring holes into us, while the other two are deep in conversation.

Three Latin looking guys approach us, one of them moving closer to me. He smiles and moves his hips like a salsa pro, and I grin back and dance with him, forgetting our audience. The second guy is flirting with Stella, while the third tried to dance both Miranda and Riley, but the former quickly shakes him off and heads to the tables.

I can't help but smile widely, having fun. It's been a while since I've been clubbing. The song fades and Pitbull's I know u want me starts blasting. My guy takes my hand and spins me around. I laugh and rumba against him when the part comes on. I turn around so that my back is to him, his hands going to my hips as our bodies move together. He's a good dancer.

"Get your hands off her," an angry voice disrupts the fun.

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