Her Rebirth.-Chapter 63

The soft morning light streamed through the windows as Amelia stretched, running a hand through her tousled hair. Today was an important day, it was Kai’s birthday.

And her plan? She was going to pretend she had no idea, at least for the time being.

Sliding out of bed, she got ready as usual, fixing her hair, slipping on her heels, and stepping out of her room. When she entered the kitchen, Kai was already there, his sleeves rolled up as he poured himself coffee.

Their eyes met.

"Good morning," Amelia greeted casually, her tone light, completely normal.

Kai blinked. For a second, he seemed to hesitate, as if expecting something else. But Amelia just grabbed a slice of toast, checking her phone.

"You’re going to work early," Kai commented, watching her.

"Yeah," she replied. "Busy day ahead."

And then, before he could say another word, she scurried out the door.

Kai stood frozen in the kitchen, his cup of coffee halfway to his lips.

...That was it? No ’Happy Birthday, Kai’? Not even a ’Did you sleep well?’

He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head.

Well... that was disappointing.

Kai spent his morning at the café, working his shift. However, despite his smiling face as he spoke to customers, his thoughts were far from happy. He was sad, disappointed even.

He wasn’t one to care about birthdays. Not really. He never expected gifts or celebrations. But for some reason, the fact that Amelia had completely forgotten made his mood take a nosedive.

He barely reacted when Annie greeted him, donned an obviously fake smile when customers fawned over his good looks.

Then, at exactly 12 PM, the café door swung open, and Amelia walked in.

Kai straightened immediately, his brows furrowing. Wasn’t she supposed to be at work?

She stood in front of the counter. "Come with me."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Come with me," she repeated.

Kai let out a slow breath, leaning against the counter. "I’m not done with my shift."

"Oh, what a bummer."

Annie’s voice chimed in before Kai could say another word. She walked up beside them, stretching lazily.

"Boss already knows I can’t do night shifts today. So you’re free to go, Kai."

Kai turned to her, his brows furrowed in confusion and suspicion. "...I wasn’t informed."

Annie shrugged nonchalantly. "Oops. Guess that slipped my mind."

Kai’s eyes darkened. Something was definitely up.

Amelia crossed her arms. "Well, since you’re free now, let’s go."

Kai studied her for a moment, then sighed. He sent his fingers to his back, untied his apron, and pulled it over his head.

Amelia, distracted, thought idly to herself, That apron actually looks good on him...

Then warm fingers suddenly wrapped around her wrist. She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts, only to find Kai watching her with amusement.

"Alright," he murmured. "Let’s go."

---

Amelia led Kai through the bustling streets, and Kai, whose hands were in his pockets, let himself be dragged along, amused as he wondered what she was planning. She still hadn’t wished him a happy birthday, not a single mention of it. If she was planning a surprise, she was doing a damn good job hiding it.

Eventually, they arrived in front of a cozy little café with a sign that read Whiskers & Latte in elegant cursive.

Kai stared at the entrance, then at Amelia. "...A cat café?"

Amelia nodded. "Yeah."

Kai lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because you like cats."

He gave her an unimpressed look. "I like one cat. And he’s at home."

Ahhh, damn it. Amelia wailed in her mind. She really thought he loved cats because of the way he always paid extra attention to Poppy.

But the fact that she was wrong—

Aghhhhh!!

She huffed, turning away before he could see the embarrassment on her face. "Just go inside."

Kai smiled, finding her embarrassed expression quite cute.

Inside the café, soft jazz music played, and the scent of coffee filled the air, as expected. Cats lounged on shelves, curled up in corners, or wandered lazily between customers. As soon as Amelia sat down, she was swarmed.

A white Persian curled up on her lap. A tabby stretched against her leg. A tiny kitten pawed at the hem of her dress.

Kai, meanwhile, sat back leisurely, completely untouched. He crossed his arms and watched Amelia struggle as a playful ginger cat climbed onto her shoulder.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I really thought you liked cats."

Kai’s lips twitched. "I do."

"Then why aren’t they coming to you?"

Kai shrugged lazily. "They can tell."

"Tell what?"

"That I’m not interested."

Amelia shot him an incredulous look, then at the army of cats practically worshipping her.

Kai leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "I think they like you."

Amelia scoffed, brushing cat fur off her skirt. "I didn’t come here to get mobbed."

Kai’s smirk widened. "Then why did you bring me?"

Amelia opened her mouth, then closed it. "Because—"

She stopped.

Kai tilted his head, watching her.

Because I wanted you to enjoy yourself.

Because I didn’t want you to feel lonely today.

But she couldn’t say that. It would ruin the whole act.

So instead, she cleared her throat and muttered, "Never mind."

Kai watched her a moment longer before chuckling. He reached out, lazily brushing a stray cat hair from her sleeve.

"You’re really bad at this, Amelia."

Her eyes snapped to his, but before she could retort, he pushed himself up.

"Come on. Let’s go before you drown in fur."

---

After the cat café, Amelia led Kai to their next destination on the list-

The amusement park.

Kai gave her a side glance, smirking. "So, what’s next? You’re going to make me win you a stuffed animal?"

Amelia scoffed. "Like I need you to win one for me."

Kai chuckled. "Confident, are we?"

But before she could fire back, Amelia spotted the roller coaster towering over them. Its tracks twisted high into the sky.

She grabbed his wrist, dragging him forward. "Let’s go."

Kai raised a brow. "You like roller coasters?"

Amelia shot his question back at him. "Well, do you?"

Kai shrugged. "I’ve never ridden one before, so I can’t say."

Amelia paused. Of course, he hadn’t. His childhood had been snatched away from him before he even had the chance to experience it. Well, she was going to make sure that he at least enjoyed a glimpse of what he couldn’t while he was still a child on this special day of his.

After standing in the queue for what felt like hours, it was finally their turn. They strapped into their seats, and afterward, the roller coaster began its slow climb.

The higher they went, the stronger the wind rushed against them. The world below shrank into tiny dots of color, and the sky stretched wide above them, endless and beautiful as it was painted with various arrays of color.

Amelia turned to Kai and said, "Do you know that when you reach the top of a roller coaster and make a wish, it’ll come true?"

Kai glanced at her, amused. "Oh? Where’d you hear that?"

She shrugged. "Just something I heard as a kid."

Well, that’s what Amelia Cosgrove’s mother had told her.

Kai hummed, his gaze shifting forward. They were reaching the peak.

Make a wish...

Amelia was probably thinking of something lighthearted. Maybe a small wish for herself or something simple about today.

But Kai... Kai’s wish formed instantly.

If I’m to wish for anything... I’d wish for you.

He turned his head, just enough to catch the way the wind tousled Amelia’s hair, the way her eyes reflected the sky.

His fingers twitched against the safety bar.

Then—

The roller coaster dropped.

The wind rushed at them, the world spinning as gravity yanked them downward.

Amelia screamed, partly in exhilaration and partly in terror. Seeing her expression full of terror, Kai laughed out loud.

For the first time in a long time, he felt something other than control, pain, and violence.

He felt alive.

And it was all because of her.

After coming down from the roller coaster, Amelia had to go to the side to vomit while Kai stood by her side, gently patting her back and giving her napkins.

Once Amelia was done cleaning herself, they strolled through the amusement park, and Amelia spotted a game stall, her eyes lighting up.

Among the prizes displayed was a cute pillow book. Kai would definitely like it, so without hesitation, she grabbed Kai’s wrist and dragged him over.

Kai raised a brow. "You really are going to make me win you a stuffed prize?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

The game to win was simple, shoot down a row of glass bottles to win. Amelia paid a dollar, took the plastic rifle, and took a stance.

Kai leaned lazily against the counter, watching. "So you’re winning it for me?"

Amelia could feel the embarrassment rushing in again, so she turned to him and shot him a glare. "Shut. Up."

She turned back again and aimed. It was a miss.

She exhaled, steadied her hands, and aimed again. Miss.

Her eye twitched. One last shot.

She took a deep breath, and as expected, missed.

Amelia let out a frustrated groan. She felt like pulling her hair out of its roots, and what made everything worse was that Kai was laughing, at her!

Amelia became determined. She was going to prove Kai wrong. She turned to the game owner. "One more."

She paid another dollar. Missed.

Again. Missed.

Amelia let out a quiet scream. "This game is rigged!"

Kai chuckled, reaching into his pocket and tossing a dollar onto the counter. "Move aside."

She crossed her arms, glaring as he took the rifle. And, more infuriatingly, he tucked his left hand in his pocket and shot thrice, and all three bottles shattered. Without a miss!

Kai blinked, unimpressed. "That was easy."

Amelia gawked, looking at him resentfully.

As much as she hated to admit it, he was good.

The game owner handed him the pillow book, and Kai turned to her with a wide grin. "I believe this belongs to me."

Amelia huffed, a little aggrieved. "I wanted to be the one to win it for you."

Kai chuckled, stepping closer and ruffling her hair.

"My win is also your win." His voice was low, teasing. "So technically, you won it for me."

Amelia stared at him, cheeks warming slightly.

She looked away. "...That doesn’t make sense."

Kai only smiled, holding the prize under his arm as they continued walking.

The sky soon became dark, and Amelia and Kai walked back home, occasionally chattering along the way.

Kai unlocked the door, pushing it open, and reached for the light switch—

"Happy Birthday!"

The familiar voices of Uncle Theo and Annie echoed in the room as it became illuminated. The room had been carefully decorated with gold and navy streamers, fairy lights twinkling softly, and at the center of the table sat a cake, a stack of books made of fondant, with a coffee mug perched on top.

Kai blinked, stunned.

Annie grinned. "Surprised?"

Kai let out a soft laugh. "I... didn’t expect this." He turned to Amelia, his gaze filled with warmth. "You planned this, didn’t you?"

"Happy birthday Kai" She gently said.

The small celebration was filled with laughter, music, and chatter. Uncle Theo told embarrassing stories about Kai as a kid, while Annie managed to force Kai into blowing out candles and making a wish.

But soon, the night came to an end.

Uncle Theo gave Kai a firm pat on the shoulder before heading out, his usual warm smile in place. "Happy birthday, kid. Don’t forget to come by the shop soon."

Annie yawned, stretching her arms. "I better get going too. Kai, next time, you owe me cake." She winked at Amelia before stepping out the door.

Then the apartment fell into silence.

Kai locked the door behind them, and when he turned, he pulled Amelia into a hug. Amelia stiffened, caught off guard.

His embrace was warm and comfortable.

"...Thank you," he murmured.

Amelia swallowed, trying to ignore the way her heart stuttered. Her heart felt happy because Kai seemed happy.

But just as she started to feel too emotional, Kai leaned in, his breath brushing against her ear.

"This was nice. Maybe I should have birthdays more often."

Snap.

Amelia scoffed, shoving him away. "Who said I’d do this again?"

Kai chuckled, his eyes glinting under the soft glow of the lights. "We’ll see."

But as Amelia turned away, her expression dimmed slightly, and she whispered—

"Really... this is the last time I’ll do this with you."