Iris's POV
The ticking sound of the clock felt unusually loud in the silent living room.
For a few seconds after opening my eyes, I could not even understand where I was.
The table beneath my arms felt cold, my worksheets were scattered around me, and the faint yellow light above the dining area remained the only thing awake in the dark house while the night outside stayed quiet and still.
Then slowly,
I remembered.
I had fallen asleep while studying.
My eyes blinked once more before finally focusing properly on the figure sitting across from me.
Or more accurately,
sleeping across from me.
Kaizer's head rested against his folded arms, his dark hair falling slightly over his forehead while his breathing remained calm and steady as if he had accidentally fallen asleep while waiting.
For me.
The thought made something inside my chest pause quietly.
I stared at him for a few moments longer than necessary.
The clock hanging near the kitchen read 2:03 AM.
The entire world felt strangely slow at this hour.
Only then did I realize something warm resting over my shoulders.
A blanket.
I looked down at it in confusion.
I definitely did not bring one here.
A soft gush of cold air entered through the slightly open window nearby, making the curtains sway gently. Kaizer shifted slightly in his sleep because of it, and before I could even properly think about what I was doing, I slowly pulled one side of the blanket from my shoulders and carefully covered him too.
The movement felt strangely natural.
Almost dangerous in how natural it felt.
I quietly sat properly and started collecting my worksheets one by one, trying not to make noise.
But before I could finish, I heard movement.
I looked up.
Kaizer slowly lifted his head, still half asleep, his eyes unfocused for a brief second before finally settling on me.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then in a sleepy, deep voice that sounded rough from just waking up, he asked softly,
"Are you awake?"
I suddenly forgot what I was about to say.
His voice sounded unfairly different at two in the morning.
I looked away first and nodded lightly.
"Mhm."
He sat up slowly before glancing toward the clock hanging on the wall.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"It's finally 15 November."
I frowned slightly.
The weird behavior from yesterday suddenly returned to my mind.
Before I could ask anything, he looked toward me again and said quietly,
"Happy birthday, senior Iris."
My fingers froze over the papers in my hand.
For a second I genuinely thought I heard wrong.
"…What?"
"You heard me."
I stared at him blankly.
My birthday?
How did he know my birthday?
The confusion on my face probably became obvious because Kaizer suddenly looked amused.
"You forgot your own birthday?"
His tone carried the slightest bit of disbelief.
And somehow,
that made me realize something even more shocking.
I really had forgotten.
My own birthday.
A strange feeling slowly spread inside my chest.
When was the last time someone wished me exactly at midnight?
I could not even remember clearly anymore.
Grandma used to.
Back when her condition was better.
Anya always texted me every year too.
But this…
This felt different.
Because according to me,
Kaizer and I had only met recently.
I knew his birthday because I had spent two years liking him quietly from afar like an idiot.
But him knowing mine?
That should not even make sense.
Yet he sat there looking completely natural about it.
As if remembering my birthday was the easiest thing in the world.
Before I could gather my thoughts properly, he reached into his pocket and took out a small pouch.
Then casually placed it in front of me.
"This is for you."
I looked down at the pouch slowly.
Then back at him.
"You bought me something?"
"You're asking too many questions for someone who just received a gift."
I opened my mouth slightly before closing it again.
Kaizer stood up before I could reply.
"Go sleep now," he said while walking toward his room.
Meanwhile I still sat there staring at the pouch.
Right before closing the door, he glanced at me once and added,
"Staring at it won't tell you what's inside."
Then he disappeared into his room.
I stayed motionless for another few seconds.
Then slowly picked up the pouch.
My fingers carefully loosened the string around it before I opened it.
Something silver slipped softly into my palm.
A bracelet.
A delicate silver bracelet with a small charm hanging from it.
The letter "I".
My breath caught slightly.
For a few seconds I just stared at it silently beneath the warm yellow light.
It was beautiful.
No,
beautiful was not even the right word.
It felt personal.
Carefully chosen.
As if someone had actually sat down and thought about what I would like.
A smile slowly spread across my face before I could stop it.
Then it widened further.
And further.
Until I was literally covering my mouth with my hand because I could not stop smiling like an idiot at two in the morning over a bracelet.
I carefully picked it up again.
Very carefully.
As if even putting it down for too long would somehow make it disappear.
The silver chain rested softly against my palm while the tiny charm reflected faintly under the room light, and for some reason, I found myself smiling all over again without even trying to stop it.
This was dangerous.
Nobody should be allowed to make me smile this much at two in the morning.
Still holding it carefully, I quietly walked toward my room before closing the door behind me.
The moment I entered, my phone suddenly started vibrating violently.
Anya.
Video call.
I quickly accepted it before the ringing became loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood.
The moment the call connected, Anya shouted loudly enough to damage human ears.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY—"
I immediately lowered the volume.
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"YES. WITH LOVE."
I sighed.
Then suddenly her expression narrowed suspiciously.
"…Wait."
I froze.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"I'm not."
"You literally look like the female lead of a romance drama right now."
I looked away immediately.
Anya gasped loudly.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"You're blushing."
"I am not."
"You are."
I wanted to end the call.
Immediately.
Unfortunately Anya had known me long enough to recognize every tiny expression on my face.
Then her eyes suddenly narrowed even further.
"Did someone wish you already?"
I stayed silent for two seconds too long.
Anya's mouth dropped open dramatically.
"IRIS."
I sighed in defeat.
And somehow,
within the next ten minutes,
I ended up telling her everything.
The midnight wish.
The gift.
The bracelet.
The moment I finally showed her the bracelet through the camera, Anya went completely silent for a few seconds.
Then she stared directly into my soul and said,
"Iris… this is not normal friend behavior."
My face instantly became hot.
"Anya."
"I'm serious."
"He's just being nice."
"At two in the morning?"
"…Yes."
"With jewelry?"
"It's a bracelet."
"With your initial."
I looked away.
Anya placed her face dramatically against the screen.
"You are finished."
I immediately ended the call.
Silence filled my room again.
But this time,
it felt warm.
My eyes slowly drifted toward the bracelet resting around my wrist now.
Then unconsciously,
I smiled again.
Kaizer's POV
The moment I closed my room door, I leaned against it quietly and exhaled.
That went better than expected.
And somehow,
far worse too.
Because now I could not stop replaying her expression in my head.
The surprise in her eyes.
The way she froze after hearing "happy birthday."
And most dangerously,
that smile.
I rubbed my forehead lightly before walking toward my bed.
Why was she smiling like that over a bracelet?
It was just a bracelet.
A normal gift.
Completely normal.
Then suddenly,
an old memory surfaced quietly inside my mind.
Tiny hands clumsily tying colorful threads together.
A little girl sitting cross-legged on the floor with complete concentration on her face while sunlight entered softly through the open window beside her.
I remember staring at the small birthday cake placed near her and asking honestly,
"What's birthday?"
The little girl immediately looked up at me.
"It's the day we come to the world!"
I frowned in confusion.
"But you were already in the world when I came."
For one second she simply blinked at me.
Then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Bright.
Completely unrestrained.
"Dummy! Everyone has different birthdays!"
Then proudly, she lifted the crooked bracelet she had made herself and wore it around her wrist before showing it to me with the happiest smile imaginable.
"And I like bracelets."
The memory faded slowly.
I looked down at my hands quietly.
A small smile appeared on my face before I could stop it.
So many years had passed.
And somehow,
I still remembered that.
The next morning, sunlight had already started entering faintly through the curtains by the time I finished getting ready for school.
The house remained quiet.
I glanced once toward Iris's room while wearing my shoes.
Still asleep.
Honestly, after staying awake till two in the morning, that was expected.
I quietly picked up my bag and stepped outside.
Cold morning air brushed against my face while the streets slowly started waking up.
Unfortunately, peace lasted only until Lux appeared.
He walked toward me while eating chips at eight in the morning like an actual criminal.
"You know," he started seriously, "Angry Bird uploaded twelve birthday statuses for Sister Iris."
I glanced at him once.
"Twelve?"
"She's emotionally unstable."
I ignored him.
Lux continued walking beside me before suddenly narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Wait."
I already disliked that tone.
"You do know it's Sister Iris's birthday, right?"
"…Yes."
Lux gasped dramatically.
"And you're this calm?"
"How else should I behave?"
"Like a caring roommate at least!" he complained. "Wish her properly. Human emotions. Friendship. Basic civilization."
"I already did."
Lux immediately stopped walking.
"…You what?"
I continued walking normally.
"Nothing."
"That is not nothing."
I ignored him again.
But despite all his nonsense,
one quiet thought still lingered inside my chest.
She liked it.
And somehow,
that stayed with me the entire morning.
Iris's POV
Anya kept glancing toward the clock every few minutes while sitting upside down on the sofa like a completely uncivilized human being.
"Is the cake here yet?" her mother asked while walking out of the kitchen.
"No."
Her mother sighed dramatically.
"Good. Then I still have time to hide the evidence."
From the kitchen came the voice of Anya's father.
"You mean your cookies?"
"They're artistic."
"They're dangerous."
Anya snorted loudly.
Her father walked toward the living room while still talking to one of his doctor friends through phone call, and without hesitation Anya dropped her head onto his lap dramatically.
"You're heavy," he said.
"You raised me."
"That sounds like emotional blackmail."
"It is."
Her mother walked out holding a tray filled with slightly burnt cookies.
Anya stared at them in silence.
"…Did you try poisoning us for her birthday?"
"They're homemade!"
"They look homemade by enemies."
I just laughed.
Before her mother could throw a spoon at her, Anya's phone buzzed.
"The cake!" she shouted before immediately getting up and running toward the door.
I also followed behind her.
But when she opened it,
nobody was there.
We frowned before walking further outside.
Then finally spotted someone standing a little distance away holding a cake box carefully.
Grace.
Anya's expression instantly flattened.
Grace looked equally awkward standing there.
Then suddenly a loud bark echoed nearby.
Grace visibly flinched.
Anya blinked once.
Then noticed the small dog standing near the gate happily wagging its tail while Grace looked genuinely terrified of it.
"…You're scared of that?"
Grace looked offended.
"It has teeth."
"It's the size of my slipper."
"It still has teeth."
Anya stared at her for another second before sighing and taking the cake box from her hands.
Right then, Anya looked towards me.
"What happened?"
"Princess artist is losing a battle against a dog," Anya answered casually.
Grace immediately frowned.
"It barked at me first."
I laughed softly at that.
And somehow,
the awkwardness eased slightly.
Anya adjusted the cake box before speaking casually,
"You already carried the cake here. Just come inside before it melts."
Grace looked slightly surprised.
But followed quietly.
Inside the house, warmth immediately surrounded them.
The smell of coffee.
Burnt cookies.
Anya's parents arguing lovingly in the background.
Grace stayed quieter than usual while observing everything around her carefully.
Almost as if she was not used to this kind of atmosphere.
Soon the cake was placed on the table while Anya aggressively lit candles with unnecessary enthusiasm.
We talked for a while.
About midnight wishes.
About school ending.
About future plans.
"I'm taking computer science," I said quietly.
Anya immediately pointed dramatically upward.
"I'm travelling the world."
"With what money?" her father asked from behind.
"Manifestation."
He looked disappointed in her.
Then everyone looked toward Grace.
She stayed quiet briefly before answering softly,
"I applied for a junior character designer position in a gaming company."
Anya's mother blinked.
"That sounds cool."
Grace shrugged lightly.
"My parents still want me to choose something more stable."
"But you still applied," Iris said.
Grace looked toward her briefly before nodding.
"…Yeah."
The evening passed more softly than expected.
With terrible cookies.
Cake.
Small conversations.
And Anya's parents continuously arguing about whose fault the cookies were.
---
By the time I returned home, night had already settled quietly over the streets.
The house lights were on.
I stepped inside slowly and immediately spotted Kaizer sitting in the living room reading something.
The moment he looked up, my heartbeat suddenly became strangely aware of itself again.
I awkwardly adjusted the sleeves of my dress.
Then quietly walked closer.
Kaizer looked at me calmly.
"Yes?"
I hesitated.
Then slowly lifted my hand slightly.
The bracelet rested around my wrist beneath the warm light.
"I…" I looked away immediately. "I liked it."
Silence followed for one second.
Then two.
When I finally glanced back up, Kaizer's eyes had already lowered toward the bracelet.
And for some reason,
the way he looked at it felt strangely soft.
"…It suits you," he said quietly.
My face instantly became warm again.
So I escaped to my room before he could notice.