C'mon guys, more powerstones
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After the bath, they put on some clothes and went into the kitchen area, where the others were already awake.
Halle leaned against the counter with a mug of coffee. Scarlett sat cross-legged on a stool, scrolling through her phone. Caroline was flipping pancakes with intense concentration. Angelina stood nearby, sipping tea and smiling like she knew something everyone else did not.
Max froze in the doorway.
They turned as one.
"Happy birthday, Max," they said together.
"Thanks, gals," Max said with her usual swag and smile.
Caroline prepped a plate and placed it on the dining table. "Eat. Before Alex steals your attention again."
"I resent that accusation," Alex said, pulling out a chair for Max.
"You are literally holding her chair," Halle replied.
Breakfast was loud and fun as always. Laughter filled the space between bites of pancakes and fruit. Scarlett started talking about party ideas before anyone had finished eating.
"We are thinking big," Scarlett said. "Like irresponsible big."
"Music, lights, and family," Halle added.
"And I've made a big cake," Caroline said proudly.
Angelina said as she placed her teacup on the table. "You deserve it."
Max glanced at Alex. "You hear that? I am contractually obligated to be celebrated."
Alex nodded. "I will survive the evening."
After breakfast, the girls vanished into planning mode, phones out, voices overlapping, already arguing about guest lists and decorations.
Max put on a t-shirt, high boots, grabbed her jacket, and tugged Alex toward the door. "Come on. You are mine until tonight."
Alex quickly dressed up for the day.
The BMW M3 GTR waited in the garage. Max stopped in front of it, hands on her hips.
"I am driving," she said.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
She looked at him. "I drive a Mustang GT."
He laughed and handed her the keys. "Fair point."
She slid into the driver's seat with reverence. Alex took the passenger side, watching her adjust the mirrors with serious focus.
The engine roared to life.
They drove with the windows down, the city giving way to open roads and distant trees. Music played softly. Conversation drifted easily, jumping from memories to jokes to comfortable silence. They talked about last year when Alex sneaked into her room through the window with a homemade cake and how they made love.
"I am glad it is just us today," she said.
"So am I," Alex replied. "The world can wait."
They ended up at a quiet overlook far from the noise of the city. The parking lot was nearly empty.
Max cut the engine and leaned back in her seat. "This was a good choice."
Alex turned toward her. "You are the good choice."
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
She leaned over and kissed him again. This one lingered. Her hand rested at the back of his neck, fingers curling slightly. Alex responded by cupping her cheeks and kissing her back more.
They broke apart after a few minutes, foreheads touching, breathing uneven but calm.
Max laughed softly. "We are in a parking lot."
"Yes," Alex said. "Romantic crimes only."
She kissed his cheek, then his jaw, then pressed one more gentle kiss to his lips.
"This is my favorite birthday so far," she said.
Alex brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Good. I plan to outdo it next year."
She smirked. "Ambitious."
They sat there for a while longer, hands entwined, before Max started the engine again and drove out of the parking lot. She drove to the theme park.
They reached the theme park just before noon, the air buzzing with music, laughter, and the metallic rattle of rides warming up for the day.
Max and Alex started with the big rides. The kind that climbed slowly and made you regret every confident life choice on the way up. Max screamed on the first drop, laughed on the second, and demanded to ride it again by the third. Alex let her win that argument, mostly because her joy was contagious and partly because arguing felt like losing on her birthday.
They moved from roller coasters to spinning rides, then to things that looked harmless and turned out to be betrayal disguised as engineering. By early afternoon, Max's hair was a mess, her cheeks were flushed, and she looked happier than Alex had seen her in a long time.
They moved toward the game stalls after that.
Rows of bright targets and stacked prizes called out to Max like a personal challenge. She picked the shooting game with the most dramatic prizes and rolled her shoulders like she was about to enter combat.
"Watch and learn," she said.
Alex watched.
She focused, fired, and cleaned the board with alarming efficiency. Thanks to John Wick's training, she became a pro. The attendant stared at the cleared targets, then at Max, then back at the shelf. He handed her a giant panda that was almost her size.
Max gasped, genuinely delighted, and hugged it immediately. "I won," she said, grinning like she had just conquered a small country.
Alex smiled. "I never doubted you. Slightly terrified, but never doubted."
She named the panda on the spot and insisted it ride on her shoulder for the rest of the day. Alex carried it after ten minutes because physics eventually wins.
They grabbed a quick lunch at a quiet spot near the back of the park. Nothing fancy. Burgers, fries, slushies, and stolen bites. Max leaned against him, panda wedged between them, and declared it perfect.
By five in the afternoon, they had ridden everything worth riding, twice in some cases. Their feet hurt, their voices were a little hoarse, and Max looked happily exhausted.
"I am done," she announced, flopping into the passenger seat and hugging the panda to her chest. "You drive. I have earned royal rest."
Alex took the keys without argument and drove them back through the city, Max half asleep beside him.
At the penthouse, they freshened up and changed. The quiet felt gentle after the noise of the park. Max laid the panda carefully on the bed like it deserved a nap too, then disappeared to get ready for the evening.
By the time Alex finished dressing, it was already dark outside. His phone rang once. It was a text from Halle, telling him the location of the party.
[30 minutes later] [Living room]
Max walked out of the bedroom, wearing a silver gown, hair wavy as usual, and lips painted a dark red that made his head go fuzzy. He looked her over before walking toward her. He stopped before her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two boxes. He placed one on the side desk and opened one box. Inside were two diamond earrings.
Without a word, he took off her old earrings, placed them on the desk and put on the new ones.
"Beautiful," He whispered.
Then he opened the second box. Inside was a diamond and gold bracelet. He gently took her hand and placed the bracelet around her right wrist.
'God! I love him so much. My wish for this year is the same as last year. Please always keep him safe and healthy and happy,' Max silently prayed.
"Do you like it?" Alex asked.
"I love it," Max hugged Alex tightly, her arms wrapping around him like a shield, her cheek resting on his shoulder. He put his arms around her too and held her close.
"Thank you," Max whispered.
They hugged for a while before they broke the embrace and then made their way to the party.
...
[Later That Night] [Yacht | New York Harbor]
Music drifted softly from the deck.
As Alex and Max stepped onto the deck together, the world seemed to pause for half a breath.
Then everyone spoke at once.
"Happy Birthday, Max!"
The sound hit her like a wave.
Earl stood closest, clapping. Sophie was beside him, clapping with enthusiasm that made her earrings shake. Han smiled while clapping. Oleg raised a glass high like this was a victory worth recording in history.
Angelina, Scarlett, Rachel, and Caroline were also there, clapping with a smile.
Halle stood front and center, holding two phones at once, one in each hand, both screens glowing with familiar faces. On the screens, Evangeline smiled softly, wrapped in a jacket. Chloe leaned into the frame beside her, waving with both hands.
Max stopped short.
Her hand tightened around Alex's for a second, breath catching. Then she laughed, sharp and bright, and pressed her free hand to her chest.
"Oh my God," she said. "You all did this?"
Earl stepped forward first and pulled her into a hug. "Of course we did," he said. "You thought we would miss this?"
Sophie hugged her next, quick and fierce. "You deserve every second of this."
Halle leaned in and bumped her shoulder. "You should see your face right now."
Scarlett grinned. "I told you it would be big."
Max turned slowly, taking them all in, her eyes shining. She looked at the phones next.
"You two," she said, pointing gently. "You are cheating."
Evangeline laughed. "We had to be here somehow."
Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "We are absolutely singing later."
Max groaned. "This is a setup."
Alex stayed slightly back, watching her instead of the crowd. The way she stood taller now. The way she laughed without checking who was watching. The way the night seemed to rearrange itself around her.
Caroline cleared her throat loudly.
"Cake," she announced.
A large cake appeared from the cabin, carried carefully like a sacred object by two servers. Candles flickered, their light dancing in the breeze.
Everyone gathered closer as they set the cake down on the round table.
"Make a wish," Halle said.
Max glanced at Alex instinctively.
He met her gaze, steady and warm.
She smiled, closed her eyes, and leaned forward.
The candles went out in one breath and then she cut the cake.
Applause followed, mixed with cheers and laughter and a few dramatic whistles that Oleg absolutely took credit for.
The music picked up a little after that. Glasses clinked. Conversations overlapped.
Max leaned against the railing at one point, watching the city lights pass by. Alex stepped in beside her, shoulder brushing hers.
"You happy?" he asked quietly.
She nodded without hesitation. "More than I can explain."
She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. He squeezed back.
Behind them, laughter rose again. Halle argued with Scarlett about music. Rachel watched it all with quiet amusement. Caroline was already planning seconds for cake. Earl and Han talked low by the rail. Oleg told a story that grew more dramatic with every sentence.
Max rested her head briefly against Alex's shoulder.
"This is perfect," she said.
He smiled, eyes on the water ahead.
---[Ch: 238]---
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