Following a sunset viewing, the group spent the evening in a karaoke bar. They danced and cheered along while Barron sang a list of songs, including the song Believer by Imagine Dragons.
"Thank you, everyone!" Barron bowed at them.
"Wow! How is it that while reaching all those high notes, you still manage to smile?" Bemused, Johnny questioned.
"Well, Barron eats CDs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What do you expect?" Everyone started laughing as Daniel responded unfazed.
"I will pick Aiden to sing next," Barron said.
"No."
"Come on, sing a song for Eva," Edward convinced him.
Eva caught Aiden's eyes as she simply smiled and awaited his next move. Then he took the mic away from Barron as he got up from his seat, raising everyone's excitement.
He moved his lips and started singing, "Happy Birthday…"
"Oh god! Seriously, Aiden?!" Barron groaned sternly as the others laughed at Aiden's natural sense of humor.
Eva's enjoyment was suddenly interrupted when she finally received a text message.
"Yes!"
"Why? What is it? Did you win the lottery?" Edward immediately questioned.
Barron gave him a confused stare. "What?"
"No," Eva answered with a smile. "They're going to pick me up and we will be having dinner at a restaurant."
"Whoa. That's very wholesome," Daniel complemented.
Alex suddenly entered the room after going outside to get some warm drinks.
"Honey, your parents are already waiting for you outside," he told Eva.
"Already?"
"Guys, let's pay our respect. Come on!" Barron announced as he rushed out of the room.
Aiden was left alone with Eva as the others also fled the room in a hurry. The two exchanged awkward glances before laughing together.
"They behave as if your parents are their own," Aiden made a shy remark, scratching the back of his neck with his right hand.
"I know right," Eva chuckled.
While on their way out of the karaoke bar, Aiden couldn't help but wonder about something.
"Have you already participated in a debutante ball?"
"Is that like a summer formal party where girls are supposed to show in all their glory and grace?"
"Well, it's more of an entry into secular society… through dance," Aiden replied.
Eva smirked. "You know me, Aiden. I don't do stuff like that."
"I was just curious, because the majority of the girls I know attended the ball after turning 16 years old," he explained. "Also, I thought that you might look absolutely stunning in a ballgown."
Upon seeing Eva halt on her feet, he abruptly came to a stop. She turned to look at him and smiled.
"I appreciate you saying that." Her response made him smile before she continued to walk away.
Before they could completely exit the building, he decided to gently grab her hand and stop her so that he could ask one more question.
"Consider going to the ball," Aiden added. "Among the six of us, may I ask who you will pick for a date?"
Eva is unsure about the need for Aiden to ask that sort of question, but she has also given it some thought.
Who would she choose as a date if she had the opportunity to attend a debutante ball?
Is it ever necessary for her to choose from them?
"What's taking you guys so long?"
Daniel called their attention and interrupted their conversation just as Eva was about to answer Aiden's question.
"Is there something wrong?" he continued.
Eva took her hand off Aiden's grasp as she shook her head and walked toward Daniel.
"We were just talking about something else," she said.
As they finally got outside the building, Eva found her friends having a fun conversation with her parents, who were both waiting for her inside the car.
"Oh, süsse. You're here."
Eva returned her gaze to her mother after a quick glance at her friends.
"What are you guys all talking about?"
Everyone cheered and laughed after hearing Edward say, "We just wished your parents a Merry Christmas and thanked them for bringing you into this world."
"You're so cheesy, Edward. It's disgusting," Daniel groaned.
"Alright, guys..." Barron chides them for being too loud. "Eva's leaving."
Eva waved goodbye to her friends as Alex opened the car door for her. Then, the guys politely bid their farewell before the car drove away.
"Amore mio, how's your day today, daughter?"
Eva looked away from her phone and into the rearview mirror.
"It was fun. I'm actually surprised that they came to visit me and celebrate my birthday," she replied, before looking back at her phone to browse the internet.
"That's really nice of them. Are they already dating anyone at all?"
"Why are you asking, dad?" Eva smirked.
"Well, it's just that... you know, you're already 18 and you're beautiful and—"
Her mother interfered, "Your father is merely letting you know, Eva, that you are now free to have a boyfriend."
Eva couldn't help but feel embarrassed for talking about such a delicate subject as the car was filled with laughter.
"I mean, haven't you seen how courteous Alex was earlier? He opened the car door for our daughter." Her father tried to reason with her mother.
"I also saw how Barron took command of their noises," Victoria added. "Such a gentleman."
Eva kept silent while listening secretly to her parents speaking about her friends.
They must have been anticipating this moment to openly show their appreciation for the guys who actually care for her.
The only reward for their kindness was for them to be allowed to court her, but Eva always has the final word.
"Don't confuse my selection with your father's; he'll go with either Alex or Barron. Mine might be from Aiden or Danny," her mother continued. "I prefer men who are ready to protect you."
"Oh please. I've had enough drinks even though I didn't actually drink on my birthday. Therefore, I won't be considering your advice because I'm still in my right mind," she told them.
"And what do you exactly mean by that, young lady?" Emmanuel asked.
"I'm going to be honest with you. Yes, those guys are attractive," Eva said.
"Okay. And?" her mother asked in anticipation.
"But it would be awkward if I chose someone from them to be my boyfriend. Falling in love comes at the cost of losing friends," Eva explained to them.
"Dear, 68 percent of romantic relationships start with friendship," her mother stated.
"That's completely true, mom, and relationships can ruin friendships."
"It's only because the person in the relationship can't balance their time between their friends and their lover," her father continued.
"Or because their lover was their friend." They eventually fell silent as Eva insisted.
An awkward silence.
Eva understands exactly what they mean when they advise her to prioritize selecting from her male friends when she reaches the point where she wants to be in a romantic relationship.
It's because since they moved to New York for Eva to attend middle school, her parents have personally known these men.
And that is due to Eva's inability to speak English at the time, she experienced extreme bullying.
Her father was from Milan, Italy, where she was born, while her mother was originally from Munich, Germany. Therefore, Eva grew up learning Italian and German as her main languages.
"Eva, we have no intention of interfering with your decision. We simply wanted what was best for you," her mother explained in order to disperse the tense atmosphere created by the sudden debate.
"I know, mom. It doesn't matter," she responded. "But, what do you think of Edward and Johnny?"
"What about them?"
"What if I tell you that I might have a crush on them?"
The car was put into a short silence before the three shared sudden laughs because of Eva's joke.
"You cannot be serious, Evangelia," her father exclaimed as the laughter continued.
Her parents' attention was suddenly pulled to what appeared to be a text message sent to her mother, and there was an immediate quiet.
Eva chose to simply ignore them and continue her online browsing after assuming that it was related to work.
Emmanuel then cleared his throat. "Say, Eva. Are you okay with us having dinner with your aunt Eloise tonight?"
"Why?"
"She wants to see you on your 18th birthday," he replied.
"I thought we'll go to a restaurant," Eva said.
"I believe it would be best for you to stay with your aunt after dinner because your mom and I will possibly be called for work later this evening."
"Oh well, I don't mind staying there for the night," Eva responded nicely.
"Thank you," Victoria said before glancing at her husband. "Let's just… head there."
Eva gave them a quick glance and immediately sensed something was strange about them. Hopefully they weren't trying to abandon her on her birthday.
Not until she noticed her father's driving behavior, such how the speed abruptly increased. She spoke to them for a reason that concerned her.
"Dad, I think you should slow down. It's kind of snowing outside and you may not want to cause a road accident," she told him.
In an effort to settle Emmanuel down, Victoria placed a gentle touch over his shoulders.
"Dad, she's right. You should slow down."
Emmanuel could only hold silence before casting a worried glance at his wife. His eyes are conveying a different message.
Something that is hard to imagine.
One of the car's tires suddenly burst, making a jarring noise that was both loud and distracting.
"Dad!"
The unexpected accident led him to lose control on the road and eventually crash into a post.
Every breath was synchronized with the flashing lights, the smoke emerging from the car, and even the sound of several vehicles honking.
Eva miraculously regained consciousness. The freezing temperature merely helped to lessen her pain by serving as a natural anesthetic.
Shocked and confused. All she could think of was climbing out of the car, despite her injuries from the broken window panes.
When she finally got out of the car, she lay on the road, helplessly. There was no voice coming out of her throat.
And she had only one question in her head:
"Was this supposed to be our fate from the beginning?"