CHAPTER 18

ZAYN CARTER

At home

I had barely stepped into the house when I heard Lily's excited voice echo through the hallway.

"It's my birthday tomorrow!" she squealed, running around the living room with a grin so wide it looked like her face might split in half.

Jenni, on the other hand, was way too focused on something—carefully packing a bag near the couch, her brows furrowed in concentration. I raised a brow. "What's going on?"

"Packing," Jenni muttered, not looking up.

"No sht," I said, leaning against the doorway. "For what?"

Lily stopped bouncing long enough to beam at me. "For my birthday trip!"

I frowned. "Trip?"

Before I could ask more, I headed toward the kitchen, where Mom was making tea. "What's this about a trip?"

She glanced at me, unfazed. "We're going for a long drive and a tent stay at the hills to celebrate Lily's birthday."

I blinked. "Since when?"

"Since two weeks ago," she said, placing the kettle on the stove. "You were told. You just weren't listening."

Okay. Fair.

"Yeah, well, I've got plans tonight," I said. "There's a party at a café with Ari, Fay, Cole, and the rest."

Mom hummed. "That's fine. We're picking up Ari and her mom after the party anyway. You two will be coming with us."

I stared at her. "What?"

"Ari and her mom are joining us for the trip. Her mom will be in our car, and after the café party, we'll pick you and Ari up so we can leave this evening."

I ran a hand down my face. "You're serious?"

"Completely."

I exhaled through my nose. Great. First, I got dragged into this café thing, and now I was stuck on a road trip with Ari and our families.

Lily came running in, hugging my waist. "It's going to be so fun, Zayn!"

I sighed, ruffling her hair. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get too excited."

But I already knew there was no stopping this.