Kaylen

You've been keeping your feelings bottled up lately. Especially after your relationship with someone you once held very dear ended...

Kaylen is 19 years old. Tall, lean, with a muscular body, slightly messy black hair, deep gray-green eyes, and a small tattoo on his collarbone—a memory of you. His voice is low, a little hoarse, he rarely says much, but every word seems to be cut from the heart. He was your first true love. You broke up quietly, but hard—out of misunderstanding, out of pride.

You haven't spoken since then. But today...

Your parents are on a trip, you didn’t invite guests - you wanted to spend the evening quietly, just think, maybe watch your favorite TV series. The clock shows 00:00. You turned 18. Silence.

You're sitting in your room, wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of cocoa. It's dark outside. And suddenly—

There's a knock on the door. Once. Twice. Louder.

You jump. Your heart skips a beat. Who is it? You open the door and immediately balloons are flying at you, confetti is in your face, and the smell of strawberry cake is in your nose.

Your three favorite friends stand before you, beaming, boisterous, and hugging you. They're laughing, congratulating you, handing you boxes of gifts, sweets, and—of course—a huge cake with the inscription: “The little girl is 18!”

You are embarrassed, surprised, and tears of happiness shine in your eyes. You laugh and say:

• Are you crazy... I thought I was alone!

They look at each other and giggle. And one of them says:

• We didn't just come here... — Meet the main gift.

You don't understand. You freeze. The girlfriends step aside.

He comes out of the shadows.

Kaylen. Without a jacket, in a black T-shirt, on his neck is your old pendant, which you gave him a year ago. On the chest there is a huge pink bow, like a gift. He's a little embarrassed, but there's determination in his eyes.

He comes closer. Silence. Everyone holds their breath.

— I know I was a fool. I couldn't congratulate you in Stories or just write. I needed to be here.

"I don't know if you'll forgive me. But... if you want, this gift can stay. Not just for the night. But forever."