special chapter ! ( austin's surprise birthday bash ) πΌπ¦Ή
The sun was barely up when Jax, Sam, and Jonathan made their way toward Briar's house, grinning from ear to ear like a trio of mischievous elves. They were on a missionβa very important one.
Today was Austin's birthday, and they were determined to make it unforgettable. But they knew they couldn't pull it off without Briar's help. Jax knocked on Briar's door, and after a few moments, she answered, still in her pajamas and looking slightly confused.
"Guys? What are you doing here so early?" Briar asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "We've got big news!" Sam said, unable to contain his excitement. "Today's the day," Jonathan added with a knowing smile.
Briar's confusion melted away as realization dawned on her. "Oh my gosh, it's Austin's birthday!"
"Bingo!" Jax said, snapping his fingers. "And we need your help to pull off the ultimate surprise." Briar's eyes lit up. "I'm in. What's the plan?"
The boys huddled around her, speaking in hushed tones as they laid out their scheme. Briar listened intently, nodding along and offering her own ideas. By the time they were done, they had a solid plan and it was going to be epic.
"We're going to need the girls' help too," Briar said as she started to text Evie, Grace, and Kaya. "They'll know exactly what to do."
"Perfect," Sam said, rubbing his hands together. "Now all we have to do is keep Austin distracted while you guys set everything up."
"Leave that to us," Jonathan assured her. "We'll make sure he doesn't suspect a thing." Briar grinned, already imagining the look on Austin's face when he walked into the surprise party.
"Alright, boys, go do your thing. And don't let him catch on!"
"Roger that!" Jax said with a salute. The boys dashed off, already brainstorming ways to keep Austin occupied.
πΌπ¦Ή
Back at Austin's house, the boys arrived just in time to catch him heading out the door for his morning run. They exchanged a quick glance, silently agreeing that this was the perfect opportunity to put their plan into action.
"Hey, Austin!" Jax called out, jogging up to him. "Mind if we join you on your run?"Austin looked a little surprised but shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
The boys fell in step beside him, chatting casually as they ran through the neighborhood. It was all part of the distractionβkeeping Austin busy while Briar and the girls worked their magic.
"So, Austin," Sam said, casually throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Have you ever thought about running a marathon?" Austin laughed. "A marathon? Are you kidding me? I can barely make it through a 5K."
"Oh, come on, man," Jonathan chimed in, playfully jabbing Austin in the side. "You've got the stamina of a champ. We should start training today!"
"Today?" Austin repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You guys are crazy."
"Crazy? Nah, we're just ambitious," Jax said with a grin. "Think about itβmarathon training could be our new thing."
Austin shook his head, still laughing. "I don't know what's gotten into you guys, but I'm not running a marathon today. Maybe next year."
The boys exchanged another glance, smirking. "Fair enough," Sam said. "But how about we push ourselves a little today? Go for a longer run than usual?"
Austin gave them a skeptical look. "You guys are really trying to kill me today, huh?"
"Not kill you, just... challenge you," Jax said with a wink. Austin sighed but agreed to go along with their plan. They continued running, with the boys pushing the pace just enough to keep Austin focused on the run rather than wondering why they were acting so strange.
Meanwhile, back at Briar's house, the girls had arrived, and they were in full party-planning mode.
"I'm on it," Kaya said, pulling out her phone to start curating the perfect mix of Austin's favorite songs.
Briar was busy hanging up streamers and balloons, making sure everything looked just right. "This is going to be amazing," she said, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. "I just hope the boys can keep him distracted long enough."
"They've got this," Evie said confidently. "We'll be ready in no time."As they worked, the girls shared stories about Austin, laughing and reminiscing about all the good times they'd had with him. It only made them more determined to make this surprise the best one yet.
πΌπ¦Ή
After what felt like an eternity of running, Austin finally called for a break. "Alright, I'm done. You guys win. I need waterβand a shower." Sam pretended to pout. "But we were just getting started!"
"Yeah, we had a whole day of activities planned," Jax added, waggling his eyebrows.Austin shot them a look. "You guys are weird today. What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Jonathan said quickly, maybe a little too quickly. "Just, uh, trying to keep you on your toes."
Austin eyed them suspiciously but didn't press the issue. "Well, whatever you're up to, I'm going home to shower. You guys are welcome to join me after."
"Actually," Jax said, thinking quickly, "how about we hit up that new smoothie place downtown after your shower? My treat." Austin considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, sounds good."
"Great!" Sam said, clapping Austin on the back. "We'll meet you there." The boys watched as Austin headed inside, waiting until he was out of sight before exchanging relieved glances.
"That was close," Jonathan muttered. "No kidding," Jax said. "But we bought some time. Let's head back to Briar's and see how things are going."
πΌπ¦Ή
They quickly made their way back to Briar's house, where the girls had made incredible progress. The living room was transformed into a festive wonderland, complete with twinkling lights, colorful decorations, and a table loaded with snacks and drinks. The cakeβa massive creation topped with Austin's favorite chocolate frostingβtook center stage.
"You guys work fast!" Jax said, genuinely impressed.
"We're a well-oiled machine," Evie replied with a grin. "How's the distraction going?"
"Barely," Sam admitted, "but we managed to get him to agree to meet us at a smoothie place after his shower. That should buy us a little more time."
"Perfect," Briar said, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Everything's almost ready. We just need to put the finishing touches on the setup, and we're good to go."
As they hurried to finish, Kaya pulled up the playlist she'd created, and soon the room was filled with upbeat music. The energy was infectious, and before long, everyone was dancing around as they worked, laughing and joking.
"Alright, people," Briar announced once everything was in place. "This is it. We're all going to hide, and when Austin walks inβsurprise!"
The group quickly found hiding spots around the room, barely able to contain their excitement. Briar took a deep breath, her heart racing with anticipation. She couldn't wait to see the look on Austin's face.
πΌπ¦Ή
Meanwhile, Austin, now showered and refreshed, was heading to the smoothie place as planned. But as he approached, he noticed something strangeβnone of the boys were there. In fact, the place looked deserted.
"What the heck?" Austin muttered, checking his phone for any messages. There were none.Confused, he tried calling Jax, but it went straight to voicemail. "Where are you guys?" he mumbled to himself.
Then, as if on cue, he got a text from Sam.
Sam: Hey man, change of plans. Come to Briar's place ASAP. It's an emergency.
Austin's heart skipped a beat. An emergency? He quickly texted back asking if everything was okay, but didn't wait for a reply before heading toward Briar's house. When he arrived, he found the front door slightly ajar. He pushed it open cautiously, stepping inside.
"Briar? Guys?" he called out, his voice echoing in the seemingly empty house.Then, out of nowhere, the lights flicked on, and a chorus of voices shouted, "SURPRISE!"
Austin's eyes widened as he took in the scene his friends, the decorations, the cake, everything. For a moment, he was completely speechless.
"Happy birthday, Austin!" Briar said, stepping forward with a beaming smile.Austin blinked, still processing what was happening. "You... you guys did all this?"
"Of course we did," Evie said, grinning. "We couldn't let your birthday go by without a proper celebration." Austin shook his head in disbelief, a huge smile spreading across his face. "You guys are amazing. I can't believe you pulled this off."
Jax clapped him on the back. "Believe it, buddy. We've been planning this for days.""And we almost blew it several times," Jonathan admitted with a laugh. "But it was worth it," Sam added, handing Austin a slice of cake. "Happy birthday, man."
Austin accepted the cake, feeling a rush of gratitude for his friends. "This is the best birthday ever. Thank you, guys. Seriously."
Briar stepped closer, holding out a small gift bag. "And this is from me." Austin took the bag, his curiosity piqued. He reached inside and pulled out a framed photo of the entire group, taken during one of their many adventures. They were all smiling, caught in a moment of pure happiness.
"It's perfect," Austin said, his voice a little thick with emotion. "Thank you, Briar."She smiled back at him, her eyes warm. "You're welcome."
Before things could get too emotional, Jax suddenly grabbed the cake knife and waved it in the air. "Alright, enough with the sappy stuff! Who wants cake?"
The room erupted into laughter, and the party kicked into high gear. There was dancing, games, and more food than anyone could possibly eat. The boys, true to their word, kept the mood light and funny, cracking jokes and pulling pranks on each other.
At one point, Sam and Jonathan tried to start an impromptu karaoke session, which quickly devolved into a hilarious disaster when neither of them could remember the lyrics.
Briar watched it all unfold, her heart full.
Seeing Austin so happy, surrounded by the people who cared about him, made all the planning and stress worth it.
πΌπ¦Ή
As the night wore on and the party began to wind down, Austin found himself sitting on the couch, watching his friends chat and laugh together. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this content.
Briar sat down next to him, nudging his shoulder. "So, was it a good birthday?" Austin turned to her, his smile soft and genuine. "It was the best birthday. Thanks to you."Briar blushed slightly but smiled back. "I'm glad."
For a moment, they just sat there, enjoying the comfortable silence. The laughter and chatter from their friends filled the background, but it felt like, in that moment, it was just the two of them.
"Hey, Briar," Austin said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Yeah?"
"Next year, let's do this again. But this time, I'll help plan it."
Briar laughed, shaking her head. "Deal. But you're not supposed to plan your own surprise party, you know."
"True," Austin admitted, "but who says we can't break the rules every once in a while?"Briar grinned. "I like the way you think."
As the night came to an end, Austin knew one thing for sure he was lucky to have friends like these. And with them by his side, he was ready to take on whatever the future had in store.
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