forum Dorm Room 210 [Private RP // Closed — Stalkers welcome!]

Started February 26, 2019 by @Imperfect_Autumn group

tune

[TIME SKIP: A FEW DAYS LATER]

Drew had a key for Caroline’s apartment, so the guys decided to sneak there when William had Caroline distracted. The hot-tempered basketball player decided to take her out. Even though their manager was sharp, she didn’t catch on to the plan that was brewing secretly.

Jace cracked his knuckles, throwing an arm around his girlfriend.

“All right, let’s get planning!”

The cake had already been ordered, as well as other food, so the only thing everyone needed to do was decorate.

“Did anyone actually get any decorations?” Amber wondered as she looked around at the group of guys. “Or did you all just come in here with half a plan?”

Parker snorted.

“Who do you think we are?” He grinned. “Of course we got decorations. We can’t trust the dimwits, like our idiotic children—“ he pointed to Jace and Jude, who scowled. “—so the rest of us, minus Casper and Jordan because they got the cake and the food, got the decorations.”

“We’ve got the confetti, the balloons, the birthday banner,” Holden began counting the stuff on his fingers. “Oh, we also got the glitter. Caroline hates glitter in her hair, but we’re just going to do that.”

"Okay, that's good… Well, except for the glitter part. Do you really want your manager annoyed about glitter being in her hair?" Amber joked with a chuckle. "We should hand the banner first, probably. Are the balloons already inflated? Because someone could do that while the rest of us are decorating."

“Eh, she’ll forget about it once she receives our love~” Drew laughed at what he said before he shook his head. “Casper got a balloon inflator, so two can blow into it while one of us uses the inflator. Anyway, do you and Jace want to do the banner?”

Amber nodded, glancing over at her boyfriend with a smile. "We can do that. Right, Jace?"

Jace grinned, though he immediately went back to pouting at Parker’s earlier comment.

“Of course we can,” he crossed his arms. “C’mon, let’s get started.”

"You big baby," Amber laughed, seeing his pouting. She walked over and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, pulling away to pat his cheek. "C'mon, I'll look for a good place to hang it while you open it up."

Jace shot a look at the other guys before he pecked her on the lips. He wanted to annoy them, and he wanted to kiss her.

“All right,” he nodded, walking over to get the banner. “No fooling around!”

Parker snorted. “Look who’s talking. Before we know it, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum would be running around causing trouble.”

This earned an offended ‘Hey!’ from Jace and Jude.

Amber chuckled, shaking her head before she glanced around. "Hey, what if we hang it in the doorframe? Would it fit? Or maybe above the door to the kitchen?" she wondered, calling over to Jace.

“It’s a little too big for the doorframe, so above the kitchen would be better,” Jace replied, opening the packet, taking out the banner. “How far are you guys on the balloons, guys?”

“We just started, Jace,” Jude replied with a roll of his eyes, trying to tie the knot but failing. “How do you tie this thing?”

"Do you really not know how to tie a balloon?" Amber asked teasingly. "Jace, why don't you hang the banner up, and I'll help the others tie their balloons."

Jace sighed heavily before nodding. Jude, on the other hand, puffed up his cheeks.

“Of course I know how to tie a balloon!” He exclaimed. “My uh my fingers just hurt. Look at how red they are!”

Amber raised an eyebrow at the man, rolling her eyes a little. "Ah, yes, I see… You must have been tying these balloons really hard if they're that pink," she said sarcastically as she took the balloon from him.

“The poor baby,” Parker crooned. “Do you want us to feed you milk, too?”

Jude glared. “Mom! They’re being mean to me!”

Holden looked up from the balloon he was tying, face a little pink from blowing too much. He rolled his eyes.

“Okay,” he said simply. “Get back to work.”

The boys snickered at Jude, who snatched another balloon and began blowing.

Amber chuckled softly, looking over at Jace as he hung the banner up. The group honestly was pretty amusing, if a little immature.

"Need any help over there?" she called over to him, finishing tying one balloon and finding another to blow up.

Jace grinned at her. “Nah, you continue what you’re doing,” he told her. “Casper, get your ridiculously tall self over here!”

The taller man rolled his eyes, giving his balloon to Drew, who had just finished tying his. He walked over to Jace and took the other end of the banner, reaching up to pin it on the wall.

Amber smiled back at Jace and continued blowing up balloons. When she had done a few, she glanced around the room and checked the time on her phone. “What time are they supposed to get here?”

“We’re supposed to call William when we’re done,” Holden answered. “What time is it? Jordan and Casper should be going to get the food soon.”

The two nodded, one setting the inflator away while the other walked over to the group.

“Man, I’m so dizzy from blowing these balloons!” Jude whined, closing his eyes. “Hey, Jace, wanna switch?”

Jace looked at his friend with an eyebrow raised. “Dude, I’m done here,” he said, pointing to the banner. “Why don’t you try using the inflator?”

“Oh, good idea,” Jude walked over to the inflator and began working. Casper and Jordan excused themselves, leaving to get the food they’d ordered.

Amber blew into one more balloon, tied it, then walked over to Jace, smiling up at him.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she said softly, taking his hands and wrapping them around her. “I’m already having fun.”

Jace touched her forehead with his, smiling softly. His arms clasped behind her, holding her in place.

“I’m glad you are,” he murmured softly. “The team’s annoying, but… they can be fun. Jude’s ridiculous, isn’t he?”

“I heard that, you mongrel!”

Jace responded with a snort. “Shut it, you mutt.”

Amber chuckled softly, reaching up to press their lips together softly. “I think they’re all equally ridiculous,” she joked with a grin.

Jace kissed her back softly, cupping her cheeks in his hands. “Well, you’re right about that,” he joked back.

“You’re pretty ridiculous yourself, Jace Foster,” Amber teased, pulling away to kiss his nose.

"Quit making out, you too, and get to work!" Parker called out, rolling his eyes in mock disgust. Jace scowled.

"You're just jealous you don't have a girlfriend, Parker," Jace shot back before shaking his head. "These guys…"

Amber laughed lightly and pulled away a bit more. "He's right, though. We should help set up."

A while later, they finally finished setting up Caroline's home for her surprise party. Someone had called or texted William to let him know, so the pair was currently on their way back. The rest of the team and Amber were hiding in various places — around corners, in closets, under tables — as they waited for them to arrive so they could pop out and yell, "Surprise!"

"So, what's on your agenda, Will?" Caroline questioned, falling into step with William. They'd been quiet for a while, walking around slowly. "You haven't exactly told me why you wanted to spend time with me."

William gave her a look, eyebrows raised. "I just wanted to make this day memorable for you," he replied softly. "Spend this day with you so you can think back and remember."

Caroline stared back at him before her lips twisted into a smile. She turned to look ahead, letting William take her wherever he had planned. He took her to the park, knowing how much she liked rides and games in general. She hadn't suspected anything, so things were working out very great.

Usually, they didn't throw her a party, but it was mostly because Caroline made plans with her family. William used to make her spend her free time with him during that day, keeping her to himself until she needed to go. It was a rather good excuse.

Caroline looked really pleased after they were done with the park. They'd been there for an hour, and William had bought her ice cream. Though she tried to refuse, she still found herself with one in her hands. Now they were walking again, sometimes silently, sometimes mentioning their childhood.

Then William's phone rang, signaling a message. He read it, pretending to be worried, eyebrows furrowed.

"I need to go…" he murmured. "Something broke in my dorm, and I need to check it out. I'll drop you off at home since your dorm is right before mine."

Caroline didn't refuse. Soon enough, they were in front of her door. She turned around to bid him goodbye, but he stayed rooted to his spot. She gave a raised eyebrow.

"I'll leave once you're inside," he said to her softly. "I'd like to know nothing happened while you're trying to open the door." Caroline chuckled, shaking her head before she obliged, unlocking the door and opening it.

Just as she did so, something exploded on her sides, lights switched on and she nearly jumped out of her skin when the noise was coupled with a, "Surprise!"

Caroline stared in shock. Her teammates, Amber–everyone, holding party poppers, a huge smile on their faces.

"Happy birthday, Caroline," a soft, warm voice said from behind her and Caroline turned around, eyes wide with shock and surprise to look into William's. His eyes that were usually cold and cut off were warm when they locked with hers. What did she do to deserve someone like William? Though he had no reason to… he still treated her with such special care…

(sighs)

Amber grinned as she pulled out of her place. The manager looked so surprised about it, which meant William had done a good job keeping the secret.

Then the other woman turned around to look at William after he muttered a few soft words, and Amber found herself getting curious. They'd grown up together, they were like siblings, and she could see it in way he liked at her that he cared for her… But was that really a familial care? Or was there something more to hiding in his softened eyes?

The team, much to Caroline's embarrassment, began to sing the happy birthday song. William chuckled at her behavior, gently pushing her inside so he could close the door.

Once Caroline noticed the decorations and the food, her eyes softened.

"You guys… you didn't have to do that…" she found herself whispering. The boys exchanged high fives, successfully having melted the stern look from her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's a thank you from us to you," Jordan smiled at her. "You've done so much for us. This is the least we could do for you."

"Definitely," Drew agreed. "Plus, you avoided us all the time whenever it was your birthday. You only let William hang around you, which was rather unfair. So yeah, of course, we weren't going to let your twenty-second birthday slide that easily."

Caroline shook her head, running her fingers through her hair to get rid of the party poppers.

"Thank you," she said again before her eyes settled on Amber. "And you, too, for joining, even though we haven't known each other for long. It means a lot to me."