I Hate My Brother (editing!)

43.

(Picture of Ally Edison)

A/n: Sorry! This is mostly a filler chapter :(
We are left with only a few more chapters before we conclude the book! It's been a roller-coaster ride with I Hate My Brother, and I can't thank every single one of you enough for patiently waiting for me to update. Thank you thank you thank you for all the love!
❤️❤️❤️
• • •

We get into our individual cars in pairs, heading to a fancy restaurant for my birthday meal they planned. Drew brought along his date, Samantha, so that he wouldn't feel like a seventh wheeler. I, being generous like I am, lent him my car to drive so he didn't have to ride with Wayne this time.

"You spent a hella money on this, didn't you?" I berate Zac as he drives us to our destination.

He shrugs, smirking. "My girlfriend deserves the best in the world." Then he sighs. "Damn, I should've done this way earlier. Feels so good to call you my girlfriend."

I turn my head away from him, trying to hide the silly grin on my face that have been there for the past few minutes. God damn, I'm actually really doing this. Giving my heart and person to someone entirely again; trusting, hoping and praying that he wouldn't wreck me.

"Shy now, are we?" He teases me.

"Shut up."

He chuckles, answering my previous question. "It wasn't that much, really. And I bought all of those things on separate occasion. I just didn't think I'd give them to you all at once."

"You gotta stop buying me things, okay?" I grumble. I haven't actually opened up the presents, but good god, there were at least fifteen different bags in the trunk from reputable brands. I don't even think I did anything to deserve them in the first place.

"That's up to me to decide, don't you think?" He counters.

"People will start to think of me as a gold-digger." I sigh, looking away slightly embarrassed. Guess that's one of the cons of dating someone rich.

"Fuck what others think. There's no need to bother about their irrelevant comments. People will always have things to say, let them."

"It's not that easy... just promise, nothing extravagant from now on, okay?"

Zac glances at me, knowing he wouldn't win me in this anyway. He nods, leaning over to kiss me at a red light, concluding the subject.

———

I gasp, surveying the environment. This isn't just a restaurant! It has freaking stingrays and sharks swimming in a ginormous, circular tank that goes around the entire space—divers even going in there to feed the fishes at the same time we eat.

"I said nothing extravagant!" I slap Zac's arm lightly, still in awe. Not only that, Zac went all out to get us a private room where we have the most amazing view of the aquarium. The water in there so clear and blue, the fishes so bright and so many; it really feels like dining in the bottom of the ocean.

He wraps his arm around my waist, smiling sheepishly. "This was planned before you said that, baby. Besides, it wasn't just my decision."

Right on cue, the rest of our group enter the room and take their seats around the large round table.

"Holy shit!" Drew whistles. "You're spoiling the standards, bro." He jokes with Zac.

"Oh my gosh. He's truly outdone himself this time." Cass and Ally comes over to where I stand by the glass.

"Crazy, right?" I watch a school of clownfish swim pass. "This is beyond magnificent."

"Don't give me too much credit." Zac laughs. "I merely googled the place and paid for it. Wayne's the one who gave me the idea."