Chapter 17 Birthday Gift
Amara bolted down the stairs and made a beeline for the school gate, spotting Leopold's car right away.
Leopold was chillin' against the car hood, rocking a light beige tee under a long dark gray coat, and some slick black casual pants. Dude looked like he just stepped out of a college campus—Moore and buzzing with energy.
People couldn't help but sneak glances at him.
In just three minutes, he checked the time three times.
It was already past the agreed time of ten o'clock.
He pulled out his phone, found Amara's number, and was about to call when a sweet, soft scent hit him.
Amara wrapped her arms around Leopold's neck and purred, "Have you been waiting long?"
"You're late." Leopold shot her a look, hands lazily stuffed in his pockets.
"Sorry, I swear I'll be on time next time."
Seeing he wasn't mad, Amara let out a secret sigh of relief.
"Get in the car."
Leopold saw through her little tricks but decided to let it slide.
Amara hopped into the passenger seat and started chattering non-stop.
Leopold turned the steering wheel, eyes on the road, occasionally throwing in a word or two.
The car stopped at an intersection, and Amara glanced out the window. A massive LED screen was flashing an ad for the new Universal Studios.
She got all excited and tugged at his sleeve, eyes sparkling, "Babe, can we hit up Universal Studios today?"
"Sure."
It was Amara's birthday, and Leopold didn't care where they went.
Leopold casually handed over a bag with a fancy jewelry logo, "Birthday gift."
Amara opened it and gasped, "Isn't this the latest limited edition Chanel bracelet? It's crazy expensive and super hard to get!"
She immediately took it out of the box and put it on, admiring the shell design and the chain encrusted with sparkling white diamonds. She couldn't help but wave it in front of him.
"Does it look good? How'd you know I wanted this?"
Her playful tone melted the guy's heart.
The light turned green, and Leopold hit the gas.
He glanced over and saw Amara snapping pics with her phone. He casually said, "As long as you like it."
Juniper said she'd take her somewhere, and Camilla didn't expect her to be so early.
When she got the call, she had just woken up.
Juniper urged her, "Hurry up, Camilla, I can't park downstairs. You got ten minutes!"
Ten minutes later, Camilla hopped into the car and handed her a sandwich.
Juniper took a bite and clicked her tongue, "You're never late."
The sports car zoomed off, racing all the way to Universal Studios.
Camilla looked up, "…This is where you're taking me?"
"Hey, you've been buried in books all the time. It's the weekend; you need to chill. I'll go grab two tickets, wait here."
She came back shortly with two tickets and two headbands.
"One for each of us."
Juniper handed her the white headband and kept the pink one for herself.
After putting it on, she saw Camilla hesitating and urged, "Why aren't you putting it on?"
Reluctantly, Camilla slapped on the headband.
Juniper stood in front of her, gave her the once-over, and nodded approvingly, "Fluffy, not bad, super cute."
She grabbed Camilla's hand, "Let's roll, I've got the whole day planned. We're gonna have a blast!"
"Ah!"
"Oh my God!"
The screams went on for a solid five minutes. Camilla rubbed her ringing ears and looked at the pale-faced Juniper, who had just hurled, gently patting her back with a mix of amusement and concern.
"Feeling better after that?"
Seeing Juniper about to hurl again, Camilla quickly whipped out some tissues and opened a bottle of water. After she was done, she handed her the water. Watching Juniper rinse her mouth and stop gagging, she finally relaxed.
"They say the roller coaster here is insane. Now I get it. Scared the crap outta me."
Juniper wiped her mouth with a tissue and patted her chest.
Camilla said, "Who was it that wanted to push her limits?"
Juniper had a fear of heights, and insisting on this was just asking for trouble.
"I regret it, okay?" She leaned on Camilla's shoulder, catching her breath.
After chilling for a bit, Juniper's energy bounced back.
It was lunchtime, and Camilla suggested they grab some grub.
Halfway there, tourists stopped and excitedly snapped pics of the sky.
"So many balloons! Is this some kind of opening surprise event?"
"With so many balloons, it must've taken forever to blow them all up!"
Camilla looked up. The clear blue sky was filled with balloons, like a vast blue ocean. The colorful ribbons tied to the balloons fluttered in the wind like dancing butterflies.
Many people saw short videos and enviously said, "Mystery solved! A rich dude in Central Plaza did this for his girlfriend."
"Why don't I ever get to experience something this romantic?"
Juniper wasn't into such gestures and nudged her companion, "Let's go; I'm starving."
"Okay."
Universal Studios was packed on the weekend, and the pirate ship near Central Plaza had two long lines.
Leopold stood in line while Amara grabbed a cold drink. She looked at the line ahead, "Just ten more people, hang in there!"
The temperature was scorching today. Leopold had ditched his coat and draped it over his arm, playing on his phone out of boredom while waiting.
People around them started chatting, and Amara followed their gaze.
Near the carousel, a sea of balloons slowly rose into the sky. A guy holding a bouquet of red roses walked towards a woman, and they embraced, looking like a scene straight out of a romantic fairy tale.
"Is this a birthday surprise? So romantic."
Amara felt a bit of anticipation. Today was her birthday, too. She wondered if Leopold had any other surprises planned besides the gift.
Leopold glanced lazily in that direction and then looked back down, expressionless.
What others found romantic, Leopold found boring.
He knew Amara's expectations but had never arranged such flashy things when he was with Camilla. He sure as heck wasn't gonna start now.
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