Chapter 46: Chapter 45- Birthday Surprise

Fast forward many months later

Catherine gasped for air. She couldn't get enough of Jackie.

They lied on their bed. Catherine's body was tingling and she could smell Jackie's perfume scent on their sheets. Her neck has marks from Jackie.

"I love you so much Porcupine," Catherine said as her cheeks went red and kissed Jackie on the cheek.

Jackie grabbed Catherine's hand, intertwined their fingers together and smiled.

"I want you to know that I will always be there for you. I will always be your first. I can be anything you want," Jackie replied.

Catherine kissed Jackie again. It was a kiss that managed to be soft, yet so intense at the same time.

The ebb and flow of time carried Catherine and Jackie through the tapestry of life, where their love not only endured but flourished each passing day. Like seasoned sailors navigating uncharted waters, the challenges they faced became the wind in their sails; propelling them towards the next chapter in their lives.

Both Catherine and Jackie were inseparable, to the point that Jackie decided to move in to Catherine's apartment and let two young college girls rent her apartment place in California.

****

"Ok, thank you to the students in PSYCH 95 for all your hard work this semester. You all got our marks back for the research essay and your final exam. In comparison to previous years that students took this class, the course average has increased by 10% and is now the highest course average for Introduction to Abnormal Psychology in Stanford's Psychology Department History. Everyone in this room should be proud of themselves on what they achieved this semester. Now, if anyone is interested in doing the Psychology Honours program, I would suggest that you talk to Professor Jessica Day about the admission process and the program information. Hope you all have a wonderful break and I hope to see some of you in the Introduction to Clinical Psychology unit, in which I will be co-ordinating that unit next year as well."

The sound of college student's shuffled feet hurried out the seminar room door. Some students stopped by to say their thanks and kind words to Catherine before they head off.

"Thanks for teaching this unit Professor Stark. You are an amazing teacher and an inspiration for all of us."

"I love this unit and am definitely will take the Introduction to Clinical Psychology unit. Thanks so much Professor Stark."

"Definitely will recommend other students to take this unit! The content is actually quite interesting."

Once all of the students left the room, Catherine looked at the empty classroom but with a smile on her face this time. She never had students come up to her after class and said all of these kind words to her.

It truly meant a lot to her.

"Wow. We did it," Catherine whispered to herself.

She started to quickly pack her bag as she needed to head out as soon as possible. The main reason is that it's Jackie's birthday and she needed to make sure her birthday surprise runs smoothly. Catherine knew that Jackie never really celebrated her birthday, but Jackie would always brush it off. She brought it up again a couple of weeks ago, and finally Jackie told her reason why.

"It's someone's special day next Friday," Catherine said while she bent down and wrapped her arms around Jackie's waist.

Jackie was putting the dishes in the dishwasher and felt Catherine's arms while she was finishing off.

"No idea who you are talking about," Jackie replied. Her face looked quite solemn.

"Come on, it's your birthday!"

"Eh, who cares. It's just a day that I came into this world. I don't celebrate it really. My mum would only use me to get those free birthday freebies for her when I was a kid and never celebrated my birthday; apart from the fact that she cared so much about everyone else and forgot that her own daughter does exist. No one remembers my birthday in my family. I would say they aren't my family anymore, but  Mark and Wade are the only ones that sent the usual 'Happy birthday' to me via text. Anyways, don't worry about my birthday. It's not that important."

The moment that Jackie said 'not that important' shocked Catherine, due to the fact that it is important to her. If Jackie was never born, she wouldn't have met Catherine and god knows what her life would be like without her.

Once Jackie was done with the dishes, Jackie embraced Catherine's hug and hugged her tightly. Then they went to the living room and sat down on the coach; with Jackie's head on Catherine's right shoulder.

They both sat down and cuddled in silence.

From then on, Catherine knew that she needed to come up with a special birthday plan for Jackie.

*****

Jackie was frantically pacing up and down in her bedroom as she couldn't decide on what she wants to wear for her birthday.

"Uhhh I need Rachel!" Jackie said to herself with frustration, as she started to throw her clothes everywhere on the bedroom floor.

Once she had her moment, she sat down and leaned her head against the bedroom wall and thought about what her birthday surprise is going to be like. She's not a massive fan of surprises, but if Catherine is on to something then she knew it would be good one.

"What a mess I made," Jackie sighed as she looked at the mess and started to clean it up.

Then she heard the doorbell ring on the front door and looked at the time.

"Oh shit. It better not be the taxi driver because I'm not ready," Jackie said to herself.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming! Just a sec!" Jackie shouted as she navigated through some of Catherine's piles of Psychology textbooks on the floor.

She opened the door and was surprised that it was Sean. He was carrying all of his makeup and hair tools.

"Oh my god, hi Sean. What a surprise! I'm so confused about what's going on right now, and I'm not ready and-"

"Jackie, I'm here to help you get glammed up for your birthday. We don't have much time so we better chop chop!" Sean quickly interrupted.

"Be warned. Our place is a mess at the moment because I had a... frantic moment," Jackie replied sheepishly as she moved aside to let Sean in.

As Sean walked in to their apartment, he immediately placed his things on the dining table and started to unpack his things. He didn't care about the mess at all.

"Did Rachel or Catherine ask you to come? Because I had no idea that you will be coming over," Jackie asked Sean as she leaned against the couch.

"Rachel and Catherine thought it would be a great idea to give you a birthday makeover. Plus, Rachel knows that I'm the 'go-to-guy' for glam. So here I am!" Sean grinned, as he started to pull out various makeup products and hairstyling tools.

"Well, I appreciate the effort. I guess I could use some glam today," Jackie chuckled.

As Sean set up his beauty arsenal, Jackie went on to explain her dilemma on choosing an outfit. Sean listed attentively, offered suggestions and shared his expertise. Then they quickly got into the groove, chatting and laughing as Sean transformed Jackie into a birthday glam goddess.

****

Meanwhile, Catherine was busy preparing the rest of the surprise. She had arranged for a small gathering of Jackie's closest friends at a local rooftop bar to celebrate Jackie's birthday.

Once all of the preparations were done, Catherine started to pace around the rooftop bar while looking at the stunning LA view. She started to fiddle with her fingers, her heart was racing a mile a minute and started to get anxious.  Luckily, Rachel saw Catherine outside by herself and joined in with her.

"Just to let you know, the beach preparations have been sorted out. Thanks to the help of Wade and Matt.. Hey, are you okay?" Rachel asked.

Catherine couldn't come up with any words for explaining how she's feeling and what's in her mind at that moment. She just wanted her plan to go well.

"I'm scared, Rachel. I'm scared that the plan won't go as planned. I don't know how Jackie is going to react. Will she like it? Especially the beach bit..." Catherine said.

Catherine started to fiddle inside her purse and pulled out a small box. Inside the box is a ring, and she stared at it.

"Catherine, I swear to my whole life that she will say 'yes'. If she doesn't, then I don't even know anymore. The first time I met Jackie, she was totally different. She always worked hard and I could tell that she was not happy with all of the 'Tommy facade' that she has to put up with. Everyone was asking her about her 'secret boyfriend' but I knew that there wasn't a boyfriend in the picture. The day that Jackie asked if it's okay for her to bring a friend to the last Neptune premier, I was totally  shocked. She doesn't really have many friends, as she only has me, Wade, Matt and the whole Neptune team at the time. Then she brought you along and I could see the change in her. The way that she puts you first and tried her hardest to make sure that you are included. Poor Jackie had to wear a  mask for a long time because she was worried that the media will hate her for dating a woman. Well after the accident, she told me and Sean that she wants to make change. She said that she wants her fans to know that it's okay to be open about your sexuality and to not change for anyone. She wants you to be at her events, premiers and everything. Jackie truly loves you."

Catherine was trying to hold back her tears and crossed her fingers that Jackie would accept her proposal.

"Shoot is that the time already? Jackie and Sean will be here any minute!" Rachel spoke as she checked the time and started to hurry herself back inside.

Catherine started to follow Rachel inside and said these words to herself.

"Just breathe. It will be okay."

****

Jackie thanked the taxi driver for the ride and gave him a tip for his service once she arrived at the venue with Sean. She then quickly took a selfie with the taxi driver on his phone, as his daughter is a die hard Neptune fan.

Once the taxi driver drove off, Jackie looked at the rooftop bar venue and was admiring the place and the beautiful view of the beach facing towards it.

"Oh my god. This place is amazing!" Jackie was beaming with excitement.

Sean was busy messaging Rachel to let her know that they arrived at the venue. Then 3 minutes later, Rachel quickly manoeuvred the crowd and met up with Jackie and Sean at the main entrance.

"Oh my God, Jackie. You look amazing! Also, cannot forget our lovely Sean who glammed the birthday girl. You look great, Sean," Rachel quickly said as she hugged both Jackie and Sean tightly.

"Oh stop it," Sean replied as he playfully slapped Rachel's arm and smiled.

Jackie started to look around for Catherine.

"Rach, where is Catherine?" Jackie asked.

Rachel looked at the ceiling of the venue and smiled back at Jackie.

"I'll show you," Rachel said as she led the way.

****

Once Jackie got out of the lift and arrived at the top floor, she was shocked.

When Jackie entered the venue, she was met with cheers and birthday wishes from her Neptune team and friends. The surprise was evident in her eyes, and she couldn't help but smile at the effort put in to make her birthday so special. Furthermore, the atmosphere was filled with joy, laughter and love.

Catherine watched Jackie's reaction from a distance, and her heart was swelling with happiness. She was in awe with Jackie all glammed up for her birthday. Her hair was out and she was wearing a white summer dress.

"The prettiest girl I've ever seen," Catherine said to herself.

Once Jackie and Catherine made eye contact, Jackie walked over to Catherine with a smile on her face.

"Happy birthday, Porcupine," Catherine said as she hugged Jackie and kissed the top of her forehead.

Jackie kissed Catherine back on the cheek and held her hand. She was amazed with Catherine's beauty, and loved her baby blue floral midi dress.

"This is the best day of my life. I can't believe that you did this for me," Jackie said as she looked at the view from the rooftop, while holding Catherine's hand tightly.

Five minutes later, Rachel and Sean found them. They were in party spirit.

"Ok, come on you guys. Let's get this party started!" Sean shouted.

Everyone started to join in the cheer also and Jackie followed Sean to the dance floor. Catherine stayed behind and watched Jackie as she danced. She never saw Jackie this type of happy before and it made her smile. However, a mix of nerves and anticipation lingered as she waited for the second part of the surprise to be ready- the moment she had meticulously planned at the beach.

****

After some time, Rachel texted Catherine to let her know that the beach plan is all good to go.

Catherine discreetly excused herself from the party and headed to the beach location. As per Sean's recommendation, she had arranged  for a cozy set up with candles, fairy lights and a blanket under the starlit sky.

Jackie was surrounded by her friends as she continued to enjoy her birthday celebration. Soon later, Rachel asked Jackie to be excused and guided Jackie to the planned beach rendezvous.

As they approached the beach, Jackie noticed the romantic setup and the flickering lights in the distance. The expression of confusion, mixed with curiosity painted on her face as she looked around the beach for any unexpected surprise.

Rachel saw Jackie's facial expression and was trying not to laugh. She grinned and gently nudged Jackie forward.

As Jackie got closer, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the gentle sea breeze  added to the ambiance. It was then that Catherine stepped into the view.

"Surprise, Porcupine," Catherine said as her eyes sparkled with the mixture of both excitement and nervousness.

Jackie's eyes widened in surprise and her attention was now solely on Catherine.

"I know you're not a fan of surprises, but I wanted to make this birthday special for you," Catherine said as she continued to step closer to Jackie.

Jackie was still processing the unexpected turn of events and managed to give Catherine a small smile.

"What's going on, Catherine?"

Catherine took a deep breath and grabbed the small box from her dress pocket. She opened the box and revealed the ring inside. The moonlight reflected off the delicate piece of jewellery and added a glimmer to the moment.

"Jackie, I have loved you from the moment I met you in Professor Hecht's office. I love how you can make me laugh at any moment. I love you how you don't care about what other people think about you and us. I love having you by my side with me."

Catherine paused for a minute as she was trying to find the words to express her feelings.

"I love you, Jackie. You've been my anchor and my partner in every adventure. I can't imagine my life without you. So on this special day, surrounded by the beauty of the beach and the love of your friends, I want to ask you a question."

Jackie's eye widened as Catherine got down on one knee, while holding the ring out facing towards her. The realisation of the moment hit Jackie, and the entire beach seemed to hold its breath.

Meanwhile, Rachel, Sean, Wade and the Neptune team were hiding behind the rocks at the beach. They were waiting for Jackie's answer.

"Oh Jackie, you better say yes or else," Sean whispered to himself.

Catherine took a deep breath in and out before she said her words.

"Jackie, will you marry me?" Catherine asked with unwavering gaze.

For a moment, time stood still. The waves continued their rhythmic dance, and the stars above witnessed a pivotal moment. The question lingered in the air, all eyes were on Jackie, awaited for her response.

After what felt like eternity, Jackie's eyes brimmed with tears and a radiant smile was shown on her face. In a voice choked with emotion, she replied with the words that Catherine was waiting to hear from her.

"Yes, Catherine. A thousand times yes."

The beach erupted in cheers, and their friends joined in the celebration after discreetly watching them from a distance. Catherine slipped the ring onto Jackie's finger, sealing the promise of a lifetime together.

****

The night continued with laughter, dancing and heartfelt moments. Jackie soon realised that sometimes celebrating your birthday could be a beautiful experience, especially when you are surrounded by people who cared. She learnt that you can choose your own family, and family doesn't have to be connected by blood.

Jackie saw Catherine's happiness as they partied away together back at the rooftop bar. Catherine talked to all of Jackie's friends and she  enjoyed the moment when Catherine told everyone that she's 'taken'. Jackie knew that Catherine was never a talkative person and tends to be the jealous type, but she's happy that Catherine made the effort on getting to know all of her friends.

As the clock nearly hit midnight, Jackie made a wish before blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Then she kissed Catherine on the lips as fireworks started to come on display.

After the kiss, she looked at Catherine, who was standing by her side and holding her hand, and silently thanked the universe for bringing them together.

A/n: I decided that this is not the last chapter, as I decided to split my original plan for the last chapter into 2.  The next one is special 👰🏼‍♀️💍👩‍👩‍👧 👶🏼

Personally, I started to cry because I can picture this chapter in real life 🥹. Stay tuned for the second half of the special chapter xx

Thanks for reading my story. Please vote and drop a comment. Comments will help me a lot more than you might think. ❤️

*Credits to Equally Wed for the picture.