dix-huit

"Table cloth?"

"Check."

"Food?"

"Check."

"Drinks?"

"Check."

"Cake?"

"Check."

"Candles?"

Rebekah glanced around. "Oh. Wait. I'm sure I packed them." She dug through the stuff in the boxes before reemerging triumphantly with a packet of candles. "Check."

Danny tucked his clipboard under his arm and clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Well, I guess we're all set then."

Rebekah gazed around at what they had managed to achieve in the past few hours. Fairy lights were draped around the gazebo and as afternoon faded into dusk, they twinkled like dozens of colorful stars. Situated at the sides of the room were tables filled with food, most of which Danny had ordered and a few bowls of snacks. Drinks of all sorts sat in the coolers next to the table, ready for when the guests started showing up.

All in all, Rebekah thought that she and Danny had done a pretty good job.

Now all that was left was for the guests to show up.

"Hey Rebekah."

Rebekah turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me. This... this might not seem like a big deal, but it'll mean a lot to Elise." Danny smiled. "She'll pretend to hate it, but I know that she'll love it."

Rebekah returned his smile and waved away his thanks. "It was my pleasure. I'm glad that you asked me to help out. Neither Elise nor Seb mentioned that tomorrow's their birthday. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even have gotten them gifts."

Danny had perched himself on a ledge as she'd been speaking and now patted the space next to him. He checked his watch. "Yeah, I knew that they wouldn't want to mention their birthday after last year's fiasco."

Rebekah grabbed a can of Coca-Cola and opened it before sitting herself in the space next to Danny. "What happened last year?"

He shrugged as he dipped his hand into a bowl of popcorn. "Jane and Lukas happened." He threw some popcorn into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I doubt either of the twins will ever want to speak about their eighteenth birthday."

Rebekah fell silent, watching Danny expectantly. Even though it was only half past five, the sun was almost completely set, a reminder that winter was slowly but surely setting in.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Seb is a one-woman guy. He gave all his firsts to this one girl that he'd liked since fourth grade." Danny took another handful of popcorn and threw it into his mouth, ignoring those that missed and fell onto his shirt.

"Jane," Rebekah said. She tried to keep her voice neutral, but something inside her was hurting to know that Sebastian had liked someone so much before he'd met her.

"Jane," Danny agreed. "The most popular girl from lower school all the way to the end of high school."

Without asking for permission, his hand darted out suddenly and grabbed Rebekah's can of soft drink. He took several gulps before handing it back to her.

"Don't worry," he said when she glared at him. "It's not like I have herpes or anything."

"You should still ask." Rebekah frowned at her now contaminated can.

"Sorry," Danny shrugged. "Anyway, long story short, Seb was already blind when we celebrated their 18th last year. He didn't want a big bash because... well," Danny cast his eyes towards the ground. "He was struggling with... everything, really. His parents thought that all he needed to be okay again was to hang out with friends and have a good time."

Rebekah felt her heart squeeze. She wished that she could've been there to help Sebastian.

"So, despite his wishes, his parents threw a big party for him and E - drinks, DJ, games- everything necessary for a good party. But for most of the night, no one could get Seb to leave his room. Finally, after some pleading from E, Seb came out and began to actually have some fun. That's when he started to look for Jane. He wanted to apologise for saying some unkind things when she'd visited him at the hospital, but we couldn't find her."

Danny swallowed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We eventually found her in E's room with E's boyfriend, Lukas. They were on her bed and..." Danny's voice trailed off as his fingers curled themselves into fists. His knuckles whitened under the pressure and a muscle in his jaw ticked. "When Seb asked her why she'd done it, she simply said that she couldn't stand dating a blind guy and that after he'd lost his sight, he'd become a whole other person she didn't like. Broke his heart like it didn't mean a damn thing." Danny chuckled humourlessly. "Still, I guess that excuse is still better than what E's boyfriend gave her."

"What did he say?"

"That she was a prude for not wanting to sleep with him and that she couldn't blame him for needing to find his fix elsewhere." Danny chuckled. "Though I'm pretty sure he regrets saying that."

"Why?" Rebekah couldn't imagine Elise taking such a comment lying down. "Did Elise break his nose?"

Danny's eyes glittered with amusement. "Even better. She poured boiling water on his... uh..." Danny looked at Rebekah awkwardly then attempted to avoid eye contact altogether.

"I get the idea," Rebekah said, suppressing a smile.

Danny's face turned scarlet. "Sorry. It's just weird with you, you know? I mean, you're Seb's girl and..."

"I'm so innocent," Rebekah finished his sentence for him flatly.

Danny nodded, not noticing the heavy sarcasm dripping from her words. "Exactly."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Okay."

"Anyway." Danny stood up and brushed the fallen popcorn from his clothes. "I just wanted you to understand why this party has to be perfect. I want to make up for last year's." He smiled sheepishly. "But don't tell Seb or E. They'll think I'm going soft."

Rebekah smiled. Danny was a good guy. Elise was blessed to have a guy like him looking out for her.

"Don't worry." She placed a hand on his arm and winked. "Your secret's safe with me."

*

It didn't take long after that for the guests to come trooping in. Danny had kept the guest list relatively short- a couple of the twins' cousins, a few of their old friends from high school, other aunts and uncles and last but not least, Mr and Mrs Crawley.

Rebekah was making small talk with one of the twins' cousins- a slender girl with vermillion curls and a bright smile- when Danny politely interrupted and dragged her to one side.

"Okay. I've told Elise that there's an emergency and I need her to come to this gazebo right away. Have you texted Seb?"

Rebekah shook her head as she dug her phone out from her pocket. "No. I don't know how to tell him without making him suspicious."

Danny grinned knowingly. "Rebekah, just type the five words that are bound to make any guy nervous. I guarantee that he won't even ask any questions." He waited for her to open her conversations with Sebastian before gesturing for her to type the words, "Babe, we need to talk."

Rebekah did as she was told and felt her finger hover over the 'send' button before she tapped it.

"He's going to have a heart attack," she mumbled as she slid the phone back into her pocket.

Danny shrugged. "He'll be fine."

Within moments, Rebekah's phone vibrated with a new incoming message.

Okay. Where do you want me to meet you?

Rebekah smiled. He sounded calm. That was a good sign.

She texted him the address of the place then put her phone away as an older couple headed in her direction. Danny's body stiffened almost immediately, his hand reaching out to grab her elbow as he leaned closer to whisper in her ear.

"That's Mr and Mrs Crawley."

Rebekah's eyes widened, but she had precious little time to process the news as the gentleman spoke.

"Danny! Hello!"

Danny's light grip on Rebekah's elbow disappeared as he shook Mr Crawley's hand. When they were distracted with one another, Rebekah took the opportunity to look closer at the couple.

Tall and carrying himself with a grace that belied his age, Mr Crawley had the same sharp blue eyes as his children and a friendly smile to match. He was dressed suitably for a winter's night with a pair of jeans and a coat covering most of his body.

Mrs Crawley, on the other hand, was the splitting image of her daughter. Although her blonde hair was slowly greying and tiny wrinkles appeared at the corners of her mouth when she smiled, Rebekah thought that she looked more beautiful than women half her age. Maybe it was something to do with her natural beauty; or the way that she carried herself with a rare kind of elegance that Rebekah found alluring.

Either way, she couldn't have felt more daunted about meeting Sebastian's and Elise's parents than at that moment. She dreaded the moment when they would stop complimenting Danny on his party planning and turn to her with a million questions about who she was.

As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long for that moment.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Danny, Mrs Crawley's attention turned to her. Rebekah felt her body tense under the scrutiny.

"You must be Rebekah." Mrs Crawley's eyes softened at the sight of Rebekah. "I'm Harriet, Rebekah's and Elise's mother. This here is my husband, Henry." She threw an adoring smile at the man by her side.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Rebekah said, holding out her hand and shaking both parents'. "I'm glad you could make it." She could feel her smile wavering under pressure. She wanted Mr and Mrs Crawley to like her almost as much as she wanted Sebastian to.

"We almost didn't," Mrs Crawley admitted. "But we wouldn't miss this birthday celebration for the world. Which, by the way," she smiled, "looks amazing."

"We were just telling Danny how smashing this place looks, but we know that kid. He couldn't decorate the side of a barn if he tried," Mr Crawley joked. "He said that you helped him set this up, and I must say, you've done a great job with the decorations."

Rebekah smiled. "Thank you, Mr Crawley."

"Please, call me Henry. Mr Crawley makes me feel old."

His wife jabbed his shoulder. "You are old."

He pretended to grumble. "Watch where you're poking, woman."

Rebekah laughed a little at their banter. It was nice to see a couple who had been married for many years still have fun.

"We've heard so much about you from  our children. I must say, they seem absolutely enamoured with you. Both of them."

Rebekah let out a nervous laugh. "Mr- I mean- Henry, that's extremely kind of you to say."

Mrs Crawley let out a scoff of disagreement. "I've never seen my Sebastian so happy or chatty. He talks about you a lot."

Rebekah felt her heart swell a bit upon hearing that. The idea that Sebastian was such a cheeseball in front of his parents only endeared him further to her.

Gradually, as she fell into an easy conversation with Sebastian's parents, Rebekah sensed the tension in her body ease away. They were one of the nicest people she had ever met and their warm, welcoming attitude towards her made her feel comfortable.

She stole a quick glance around the room. Everyone was chatting with everyone and occasionally, a peal of laughter would echo through the room. Every person in the room seemed to be enjoying themselves and for that fact alone, Rebekah felt pleased.

However, as Rebekah was tuning herself back to Mr Crawley's story, Danny's loud voice broke through the quiet murmurs in the room.

"Heads up! He's coming!"

The whole room fell silent. Rebekah felt a tingle run down her spine. It was so quiet that she could have sworn that she heard a pin drop.

Suddenly, a confused voice broke the silence.

"Why is he turning around?"

There was a pregnant pause before the room erupted into feverish conversations.

"He must've seen us."

"Well, of course he saw us, you dimwit. This place isn't exactly hidden. We're the only damn place all lit up in this park."

"Poor Seb. He's always hated surprise parties."

"Well, someone should stop him from getting out of this one. I didn't travel two hours and skip my basketball game for nothing."

Upon hearing that, Rebekah felt her legs spring to action. Pushing he'd way through the crowd, she scanned the darkness around the well-lit gazebo. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light outside but when she did, she saw a tall figure striding purposefully in the opposite direction.

Taking a deep breath, she willed her nerves to remain calm before breaking into a run. When she was close enough to Sebastian without having to yell, she called out to him.

"Seb."

His walking slowed.

Slightly.

Rebekah groaned inwardly and quickened her pace. When she reached him, she grabbed his hand and tugged him behind a tree, obscuring them both from curious onlookers.

"Seb, stop."

He stopped, obviously surprised by the tone of finality in her voice. Almost as an afterthought, Rebekah realized that he was carrying a bouquet of flowers in his other hand.

They were tulips.

He must've taken my text seriously, Rebekah thought half-heartedly.

"Let go of me, Beck. I don't want to attend your stupid party." Sebastian's eyes flashed with hurt, but despite his words, his fingers tightened around Rebekah's. "I know that you mean well, but I just... can't." His voice broke with the last word.

Rebekah stared at him, frozen. The expression on his face said it all. He wasn't ready.

"I don't know how much Danny has told you about my last birthday," Sebastian's voice was just a whisper. "He might even have mentioned Jane, but you need to know that it's not about her. Not entirely." He drew in a sharp breath and released it shakily. "Every birthday party reminds me of how it felt- that crushing feeling when everything seemed to go wrong in my life and there was nothing I could do about it. It reminds me of how powerless and helpless I'd felt that day. It reminds me of a time that I'd rather forget."

Rebekah felt an ache begin in her bones and spread through every part of her body. The pain in Sebastian's dark blue eyes struck her to her core and she wanted nothing more than to help him- to help him stop hurting.

Almost instinctively, she reached out and cupped his face. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she took in his pale expression.

As if sensing her conflicted emotions, Sebastian squeezed his eyes tightly shut and swore quietly. His breaths came in short, quivering bursts as he held onto her tighter.

Almost instinctively, Rebekah leaned up and placed her lips on the corner of his mouth. His skin felt icy, but when he tilted his head to kiss her properly, Rebekah felt her heart lurch as his warm lips touched hers. Without thinking, she pressed herself closer to him, relishing the heat emanating from his body.

She didn't know what she could say to him to make him feel better, but maybe, just maybe, she could get through to him this way.

When their tongues met, Rebekah could taste his confusion and pain and it made her compulsion to take it away even stronger. She kissed him with the words she couldn't articulate- that she was here for him, that she wasn't going to leave, that she loved him- and hoped that he would understand.

When she eventually pulled away for air, she heard Sebastian's groan of protest and felt the increasingly familiar sensation of his lips pressing against the smooth column of her neck. He nipped gently at her skin and when she let out a hiss of surprise,  his tongue snaked out and swirled around the spot, making her moan softly and pull him closer.

Turning her head, Rebekah spotted the twinkling lights of the gazebo and the silhouettes of the party guests as they waited for her to return with Sebastian. She knew that she should encourage him to attend his own birthday party.

A party she'd spent the better part of a few weeks planning.

But she couldn't.

Not after what he'd just told her.

Tugging gently on his hair to get his attention, Rebekah smiled at the birthday boy.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered.

Sebastian's eyes lit up at her words.

"Where?"

She thought for a moment.

"Somewhere no one will ever find us."

*

Hello fellow Wattpadians!

I know that this chapter was horribly long, but I hope you liked the ending! Just in case you didn't, here's a cute gif of Logan Lerman to remind everyone of how adorable Sebastian is and (hopefully) make up for the boring chapter :)

Have a wonderful week!

Percy