CHAPTER SEVEN
( SURPRISE )

     CARMEN GLANCES OUT the window. A new day had blossomed, and she found herself being picked up by Zach early in the morning. Carmen had wanted to sleep in for the day, seeing as it was her day. But to Carmen, her birthday was nothing but a usual day that didn't deserve recognition.

"What's wrong?" Zach asks from the drivers seat, taking a moment to scan her neutral expression.

"Nothing," She mutters in response, looking up to meet his gaze. "I'm just tired."

Deciding not to push her, Zach nods, and continues to drive with his eyes on the road. But not even driving could stop his brief looks at her.

Elle, who was in the backseat, didn't question her either, knowing exactly what she was thinking about.

Carmen lays her head back on the seat, fiddling with her fingers. She didn't lie to Zach- she was tired. But not because she stayed up too late, or got up too early in the morning. The dark bags under her eyes only meant one thing; her nightmares had come back.

The night that she stayed at the Why Don't We house, and slept in Zach's bed, she had no problems with waking up in the night. But last night, she had.

She had jolted awake by her own screams, before sobbing to herself. Of course her mother had gotten routinely prepared for the nightmares, so she had been there to comfort her daughter. But it wasn't enough to erase the memories.

Looking into the side view mirror, she flinches at her reflection. She was paler than usual, and her cheeks were even more flushed than what she considered natural.

Even though she hadn't applied any makeup, she looked as though she had. Carmen was thankful for that, as she didn't want to go through the trouble of waking up early, especially after her long night.

As the two finally arrived at the house, Zach was swift to hop out, and retrieve Carmen from the car. He opens the door for her, smiling slightly. She doesn't return the smile, as her attention was fully focused on the thoughts in her mind.

He walked alongside her, Elle following silently with a grin.

And upon entering the house, Aurora tackles Carmen with a hug, yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARAMEL!"

"Thanks, Aurora," Carmen laughs, her mood brightening as she enters the house. She turns her attention back to Zach, who's eyes light up at the sight of her happiness.

"Are you Elle?" Aurora asks, turning to the girl beside Carmen.

"Yep," Elle replies. "With that awesome entrance, I'm assuming you're Aurora."

"I am," Aurora says with a curtsy, before pulling Mark next to her. "Have you met my great, single friend, Mark?"

"I don't believe I have," She giggles.

Carmen smiles, seeing her best friend's face turn red.

"Then I'll leave you two to get acquainted," Aurora says, grabbing Jonah's hand, and leading him away.

Zach turns to Carmen, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, I believe your friend just found her soul mate."

"I think so," Carmen chuckles. "Thanks to Aurora's amazing matchmaker skills."

They then turn, listening to Jonah's conversation with Aurora.

"Now, let's join the other couple and spend money on books that'll make me bawl," Aurora says excitedly.

"You cry over books?" Zach asks, turning to Aurora.

"You don't?" Carmen raises an eyebrow.

"No."

Closing her eyes with a gasp, Aurora places a hand on her heart and dramatically falls back, into the arms of Jonah.

"Way to go, Zach," Jonah chastised. "You've killed my girlfriend."

"Awww," Carmen murmers quietly, catching the attention of Zach.

Opening her eyes, Aurora stands back up again with the help of Jonah. She moves in front of Zach, pointing an accusing finger in his face.

"Dishonor on YOU! Dishonor on YOUR FAMILY! Dishonor on YOUR COW!" Aurora turns around dramatically, stalking off with Carmen in tow. "I can't even look at you right now!"

"Calm down Mulan," Carmen teases. "I can't have you committing felonies on my birthday."

"You can, it'd just be frowned upon."

Carmen merely sighs in response, not wanting to say anything more.

---

Carmen moves forward as Aurora drags her out of Barnes and Noble. The others were shortly behind, receiving confirmation texts from Corbyn.

"I don't want to leave," Carmen complains. "The books are my friends."

Zach chuckles, catching up with the two of them, but stops as Aurora glares.

"I know, Caramel. But we have more plans for your birthday that, unfortunately, don't include the book store."

Carmen plants her feet firmly, refusing to move. Dropping her hand, Aurora turns to face Zach. "It's your turn to try, Heroine."

He shrugged his shoulders and, without saying a word, throws Carmen over his shoulder and carries her through the parking lot. Carmen sighs, but doesn't struggle throughout the process.

"Same seating arrangement as this morning?" Aurora questions, ready to get into Jonah's corvette.

"Nope," Elle informs her. "Zach and I are trading places."

Both Mark and Zach's faces lit up at the offer.

During the car ride back to the Why Don't We house, Carmen finds herself laying her head on Zach's shoulder out of exhaustion. He smiles down at the girl, resting his head on hers.

Chills make their way up Carmen's spine at the contact with Zach. But within minutes, she no longer felt the sparks- as she was already asleep.

---

Getting out of the car, Aurora skips into the house happily with Jonah beside her. Elle shakes Zach, waking him from his peaceful nap.

"Zach!" She hisses. "Wake Carmen up."

He rubs his eyes, noticing the girl that is latched onto his arm, soundly sleeping. His lips twitch up, not going unnoticed by Elle. She leaves them, closing the door behind her.

"Carmen," Zach murmers tugging gently at her sleeve. "Come on, you have to get up. We're here."

She lets out a soft groan, releasing Zach's arm from her hold. Carmen yawns, opening the car door. Mumbling incoherent words under her breath, she stands up, stumbling out of the car. Zach is quick to help her stand, and balantly picks her up bridal style.

Carmen doesn't mind, seeing as she lays against his chest, her eyes adjusting to the outside light.

Once reaching the door, he sits her down, and places his hands over her eyes. Zach leads her over the threshold, and into the house.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone choruses, Zach removing his hands from her eyes. She leans into his chest, gasping as she takes in the scene in front of her.

Balloons were floating around everywhere, and colored streamers hung from the ceiling. Corbyn holds up a cake near the center of the living room, standing next to a table full of presents.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARMEN!"

"Close your mouth, Caramel," Aurora says. "Before you catch flies. Now, let's start with presents!"

Aurora shoves Carmen onto the couch, and drags Zach to sit beside her. He doesn't argue, though, as Carmen smiles.

Aurora places a present on Carmen's lap, before plopping down onto a couch. She lays her head on Mark's lap, and throws her legs over Jonah's.

"Don't you think we should let the birthday girl decide what we do first?" Mark whispers in Aurora's ear.

"Don't be such a Dark Mark."

Not long after, Carmen had almost finished opening her presents. She took her time, being sure to thank everyone a thousand times. And now, she only had one to go; Zach's.

While he ventured around the house to find it, Carmen looked back over the things she received. Corbyn had given her seven tickets to an amusement park for the next day, and a box of caramel taffees from Aurora. Elle had gotten her a copy of Looking For Alaska, followed by a copy of Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone from Jonah.

She received two gift cards; a Starbucks gift card from Jack, and one to Barnes and Noble from Mark. And just for humor, Daniel had bought her a Disney Cinderella dress to match Aurora's.

Suddenly, Zach stumbled into the room with a giant teddy bear. In unison, Carmen and Aurora gasped.

"Before you even ask, the answer is yes," Jonah says to Aurora.

Carmen runs over to Zach, and jumps into his arms in an embrace. "Thank you!" She laughs, placing a kiss on his cheek.

He blushes, but wraps his arms around her waist, nonetheless. From across the room, Daniel sends him a wink.

---

"Make a wish!" Aurora says into Carmen's ear.

Carmen glances up from the cake and lit candles, glancing at Zach before she closes her eyes. She thinks for a moment, a wide-spread smile lighting up on her face.

Zach's heart skips a beat in his chest as he watches the girl.

Then, with a blow, the candles were burnt out, and the cheers began.

"I'll cut the cake," Aurora decides, pulling a knife from the drawer beside her. Sliding the cake down the counter, she examines it closely. "Hey, Jonah, does this frosting seem a bit off to you?"

Jonah looks down at the cake, shaking his head. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"That's because you have to have to get closer in order to see it," She explains, demonstrating as she leans forward.

Carmen opens her mouth to say something, but is cut off by Jonah, who gets immensely close to the cake.

"I don't see any-"

He couldn't finish his sentence, as Aurora slams his face into the beautifully frosted cake. Carmen bursts into giggles, grabbing Zach's shoulder for support as Jonah slowly pulls his head from the cake.

Swiping his eyes, he looks at Aurora.

"You're so going to pay for that, Daniels."

Aurora squeals as Jonah lunges for her, immediately darting from the house. Carmen makes a quick decision as she picks up a glob of cake, and rubs it on the face of Logan Paul.

Zach laughs, followed by a glare from Logan. Then, Carmen follows after Aurora, sprinting outside.

"HELP ME!" Carmen shrieks as Logan catches up to her, picking her up, and moving over to the pool. "DANIEL! CORBYN! ZACH! PLEASE!"

"JONAH MARIAS!" Aurora yells. "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"

Zach watches warily as Carmen struggles in Logan's arms, screaming and pleading for his help.

"Logan, please don't, I'm not good at swimming!" Carmen tugs against his grip on her. "NOOOO!"

Carmen sucks in a breath, closing her eyes tightly.

Her cry is followed by a splash that covers the patio in water. Logan bursts into laughter, along with Jonah, who had just thrown Aurora in the pool. The two hit the cold water instantly, shuffling to the top of the water.

Carmen surfaces, struggling to stay afloat as she coughs. She sputters, trying to catch her breath again.

Zach doesn't hesitate to reach out, pulling her from the pool. He scans her in worry, placing his hands on her cheeks and looking into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He questions, the pad of his thumbs brushing her cheeks.

She nods, putting her wet hair into a ponytail. Carmen hops up just as Aurora resurfaces in the water, and begins chasing Logan down.

"YOU'RE GOING TO WISH YOU NEVER MET ME WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, LOGAN PAUL!"

_____