The Perfect Surprise
As Caleb carried Preston to the door, he smirked mischievously before dropping him gently to the ground. "Alright, birthday boy, walk from here," he teased.
Preston playfully swatted his arm. "Oh, now you're tired?"
Caleb chuckled. "Not tired. Just building the suspense."
Preston narrowed his eyes but followed Caleb inside. The moment they stepped in, the house was engulfed in darkness.
Then—
"Surprise!"
A chorus of voices rang out as balloons popped, filling the room with confetti. Jason and Annabel emerged from their hiding spots, grinning widely. The house was beautifully decorated with shimmering lights, banners, and a massive "Happy 18th Birthday, Preston!" sign.
Preston blinked in shock, his heart swelling. He turned to Caleb, eyes wide. "Did you… did you plan this?"
Caleb simply nodded with a proud smirk.
Preston let out a breathless laugh before rushing to hug Jason and Annabel. "You guys are unbelievable!"
Jason scoffed. "Obviously. You really thought we'd let your 18th birthday slide without something epic?"
Annabel nodded. "You should know by now we don't do basic celebrations."
Preston chuckled before turning to take in the decorations. That's when his eyes landed on the wall.
His laughter faded into silence.
The entire wall was covered in carefully arranged pictures—photos of him growing up, pictures from childhood, moments he didn't even remember being captured. Some were of him and Caleb when they were younger, but what truly shocked him were the ones Caleb had no way of having.
Preston walked toward the display in disbelief, fingers lightly tracing the images. His throat tightened. "Cay… how did you get all these? You weren't even around when I took this one… or this one—" he pointed at the pictures, his voice thick with emotion.
Caleb walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around Preston's waist in a warm back hug. "I told you," he murmured softly, "I've always kept my eyes on you. I may not have been there physically, but I was always watching, always keeping track of you."
Preston turned to look at him, his vision blurred with tears. "You did all this… just for me?"
Caleb cupped his face gently, wiping away his tears with his thumbs. "You don't know how much you mean to me, Preston. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you happy."
By now, Preston was crying in earnest, his emotions overwhelming him. Caleb pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, whispering, "No more tears, Pee. You're breaking my heart."
Jason groaned dramatically. "Okay, okay! Enough of the romantic movie moment. We single people are suffering here!"
Annabel sighed. "Honestly, we should have just left after setting up. I clearly don't belong in this love story."
Caleb smirked. "It's not too late to go. You guys can leave and give us some privacy."
Jason scoffed. "Oh, so you use us and now want to ditch us? The audacity!"
Preston finally laughed, shaking his head. "You guys are impossible."
Jason turned serious for a moment and reached into his bag. "Happy Birthday, bro." He handed Preston a beautifully wrapped gift.
Annabel did the same, smiling. "And mine. You deserve everything good today."
Preston took the gifts, touched beyond words. "Thank you, guys. This means everything to me."
"Yeah, yeah," Jason waved him off. "Now let's eat before Caleb gets any ideas about kicking us out again."
They all moved to the dining table, where a beautifully decorated two-tier cake sat in the center. As Preston stepped closer, he noticed the words written on it:
"Happy Birthday, My Pretty Boy."
His cheeks burned instantly. "Cay! What the hell?"
Caleb grinned shamelessly. "What? It's the truth."
Jason burst into laughter. "Oh, I love this. My Pretty Boy—I'm never letting you live this down."
Preston groaned. "I hate you all."
Annabel winked. "No, you don't. You love us."
Preston sighed dramatically before finally giving in and cutting his cake. As they laughed, ate, and teased each other.