Page 224 of Juliet & Her Romeos

Ambrose holds onto him. “I’ve got you. We wanted to show you how much you mean to us. Is this too much?”

Benedict shakes his head. “You prepared me and put this party into my schedule. How many balloons?”

“Two hundred and forty-four,” I make up.

Benedict looks satisfied. “We can count them later.”

Shit, Benedict is right: I shouldn’t lie.

Swan winks at me. “That sounds like an Omega game.”

“But first, blow out the candle and make a wish.” Vito leans beside the cake.

Benedict scrunches his nose up in confusion. “Why?”

It’s easy to forget just how much both Benedict and Swan have missed out on, from birthday parties to ordinary life.

Yet from now on, we’re going to start living.

We are living.

“It’s something people do on their birthdays.” Ambrose grips Benedict by the chin and guides him to lean over the cake.

Benedict thinks hard for a moment, before blowing out the candle.

Swan and I clap, and Vito whoops, jumping up and down.

“I wish,” Benedict starts, “that—”

“Hey,” Vito says, quickly, “don’t tell us or it won’t come true.”

Benedict wriggles out of Ambrose’s hold, crossing his arms. “I rather think that has no factual basis. I wish that I will spendevery birthday for the rest of my life with this pack, until the day I die.”

My breath hitches.

“None of you are allowed to die,” Ambrose commands, icily.

Vito salutes. “No dying, sir.”

“Presents. The most important part of birthdays, or that’s what JuJu has told me.” Swan dives behind the piano.

Swan exchanges a glance with me.

This is important to him.

This is the joint gift that we bought with our first pay check.

The first gift that Swan haseverbought.

Before now, he’s always had to risk punishment by stealing gifts.

Swan pulls out a present that’s almost as tall as he is. It’s wrapped in velvet, green paper with gold ribbon around it.

I spent over an hour trying to wrap it this morning.

Swan staggers back to Benedict, whose eyes widen.

“Happy birthday from JuJu and me.” Swan places the present down in front of Benedict.

---