Bianca was sitting alone, watching the boys and girls mingling and dancing. It was not that she didn't want to talk to them, but her thoughts were tumultuous and constantly went to the cafeteria boy. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips and she looked up at the sky… and started counting stars.

"Damn it!

" she muttered. Not able to focus on the dazzling stars, which also reminded her of the man in the cafeteria, she closed her eyes. She has had a few boyfriends in the past, but none had this kind of a stormy yet concupiscent effect on her.

A voice from behind interrupted her thoughts,

"You wanted to go and party with your friends?

" Darius said.

Startled, she twisted her head towards him. A smile tugged her lips up.

"Yes, I wish I could.

"

Darius wiggled his eyebrows.

"Then sneak around and meet me outside, not in the parking area but outside the parking area.

"

Her eyes became wide and she gasped.

"What? Mama and papa—

"

He placed a finger on her lips and winked.

"I will be waiting for you. Come fast. I don't have all the time in the world, as you can already see how important I am to all those damsels in distress.

" Darius got up immediately. He walked and disappeared in the crowd leaving a gaping Bianca. She chuckled.

She rose to her feet and slowly walked out of the gathering, as inconspicuous as possible by staying on the fringes. From the corner of her eye she saw that her mother and father were dancing on the dance floor in the midst of all others to a soft, lilting tune. They looked so beautiful… made for each other… mates for life…

Quietly she made her way out to the parking lot. She crossed it to where Darius was already standing. She gave out a loud cry in excitement and then immediately covered her mouth with her hands when Darius gritted his teeth to show his discontent for garnering attention.

"I am sorry!

" she said and jumped in his jeep.

As they sped out, she was all the more thrilled when she noticed that there was no guard present there. She giggled.

"Darius, for once you have impressed!

" She loved the way this was going.

"Strap the seatbelt,

" he said.

"Where do you want to go for the party?

"

"To The Grand!

"

"Are you crazy? That's like half-an-hour from here, and it would take an hour for me to come back. Our absence would be noted immediately!

"

She pouted.

"That's the only place where my friends would know!

"

Darius pressed the accelerator. He said,

"Or… to a place where I have called them.

"

Bianca's eyes became wide like saucers.

"Darius?

"

He took his hand to her head and tousled her hair to annoy her.

"Happy Birthday Bia!

"

She unstrapped her seatbelt and flung herself to her brother and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you!

" She couldn't believe that this was her brother's idea of a gift.

"You are welcome!

" he nodded with a smile.

She pulled away and then asked,

"But where are we going?

"

"Now that's a surprise!

"

She giggled. It was going to be a beautiful night, beautiful birthday.

They came to a halt next to a small dirt road, which led to a thicket of trees. And right over there was a small canvas tent standing erect. There were lovely Christmas lights hanging all around it, shining like little fireflies.

Eddie was standing outside. A small fire was burning in front of it and a little far away after a small grassy stretch was a tranquil lake over which hung the half moon, reflecting its rays over the smooth surface of the water. Shrouded with the blackness of the night, it was the bonfire's crackle and occasional cricket chirps, which broke the silence.

"This is so beautiful!

" breathed Bianca.

"Thanks…

" Words were not enough.

"Now get down quickly!

" Darius chuckled.

"And remember that I will be back to get you in no more than one hour because that's all the time I can hold the folks up at the gathering!

"

She laughed and nodded. Fascinated, Bianca opened the door.

"Biaaaaa!

" Eddie called and rushed to her.

"Happy, happy birthday!

"

Lydia emerged from the tent and followed him.

"Biaaaaa!

" she called in a shrill voice and they launched themselves on her. As they hugged her, she heard Darius starting the jeep and driving away.

"We got this all set up with the help of Darius!

" said Eddie.

Bianca laughed with pure joy radiating from her face.

"It's beautiful!

"

Lydia held her hand and took her to the camping site. Bianca was extremely amused when she saw that there was a good food supply inside the camp. Pastries, scones, steaks, pizzas and cold drinks were arranged on a small table. Eddie had brought his guitar to play.

Bianca shoved off her sandals and dug her feet in the cool grass beneath her.

"Do you know how much planning went into this?

" said Eddie.

"Oh shut up Eddie!

" said Lydia. She turned to Bianca and said,

"Would you like to eat?

"

Bianca nodded and they devoured the food over every nonsense talk they could think of. The girls teased Eddie and he played his favorite song for her on it. Later, when they were relaxing, Lydia said,

"There's a small boat that Darius has arranged for us in the lake. If you like we can row it to that little island,

" she pointed to a tiny piece of land in the center of it that was covered with thick pines,

"come back quickly, and then wrap it up.

"

"Wow! That would be amazing!

" Bianca was once again impressed how much her brother thought about her. She started thinking of all the gifts she could give him for his birthday, but the problem was that her brother was too choosy. Often if he didn't like the gift, he would blatantly tell the person that he didn't like it and that they shouldn't buy it for him. Although Dawn found him too rude for being so blatant, his explanation was that he didn't want others to waste money on something he would eventually dislike. The argument usually stopped there.

The kids walked to the lake's shore and found a small boat bobbing over the serene water under the stars and the moon. Made from dark wood, it was varnished to a deep mahogany and gelled with the night's blue. The oars were placed inside like chopsticks after dinner, ready to be picked up.

The trio climbed in it. Lydia removed its anchor, as Bianca and Eddie picked up the oars.

"I love it!

" Eddie shouted as he rowed the boat with his strong hands. The girls chortled.

"I love it too!

" Bianca shouted. And suddenly her voice was subdued by a loud boom. She gasped, and then… she saw daisies… in the sky… sparks of white and green and pink and blue… so many that the night sky lit up. From the island, someone was sending them up in the air.

Stunned, they stopped rowing. The boat came to a standstill.

Lydia squealed.

"Oh my God! Who is doing this?

"

Mesmerized, Bianca looked at the sky where the stars were all covered with the various blossoms of the rainbow night. Her heart fluttered. No one in her life had given her such a beautiful gift.

"Thanks Brother…

" she murmured with gratitude.

The fireworks continued until at last, the sky lit a bright 'Happy Birthday Bia', and right beneath it buzzed an image of the face of the blond man she saw at the cafeteria.