Morgan's birthday

Morgan's birthday
"I’m not going grand this year,” Morgan Daniels spoke into the phone. It was Friday afternoon and she had just gotten out of the shower when Laiba Fawkham called. After listening to her whine over how Jonah and her mom won’t even let her fix herself a cup of tea. She was either in bed all day or lying on the couch downstairs- which by the way, Jonah insisted on assisting her with that.

Morgan Daniels listened quietly, occasionally replying with “Wow, that sucks and uhuh” to prove that she was paying close attention to everything she was saying.

Of course, Laiba's mom and Jonah were exaggerating, like with the tea thingy, but that was because they were worried for her.

Of course, Morgan didn’t tell her that because knowing Laiba, she would turn the tables and start yelling at the dark-haired. She hated when no one sided with her, even if she was wrong.

Then, amid all her whining, she suddenly remembered Morgan's birthday was tomorrow Saturday. Of course, she wasn't happy hearing Morgan say she didn't want to do something grand like she did last year in the club.

“But why? You always do something grand” she whined on the other end.

“Yes I do, but my favourite people won’t be there,” Morgan searched through her wardrobe.

“Who says I won’t be there?” the red-haired questioned sarcastically.

“And who said you were one of my favourite people? I was talking about Jonah and your mom”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“And besides, you were asked to be on constant bed rest, there is no way Jonah, your mom, and I will let you go to the club” Morgan added. A smile crept to her cheeks once she found the perfect outfit.

“You’re no different than them,” she says, annoyance in her voice, although Morgan couldn’t decipher if it was real or not.

“Yeah, yeah whatever. I’ll probably just come over for dinner, I have something I want to tell you and Jonah either way” this time, Morgan put her phone on speaker and threw it on the bed.

“Can’t you tell me now?”

“No, Laiba, I can’t tell you now. It’s a surprise for both you and Jonah” Morgan replied immediately as if she knew Laiba would want to know what she had to tell them.

“Then you shouldn’t have mentioned it now, I won’t stop thinking about it” she grumbled.

“That was the idea. To keep your mind busy so you don’t realize your mom and Jonah are making your life a living hell"

“Fuck you Morgan” she curses on her end.

“I don’t think Jonah will be okay with that” Morgan retorted sarcastically making the red-haired groan on the other end, before cutting off the call.



It was three-thirty p.m. and Morgan Daniels was currently standing underneath the old sycamore tree on the campus. Maia was running late today which was unusual.

Most times, she was already out here waiting or just walking out of the amphitheatre, but today, she was thirty minutes late.

Morgan fished out her phone and was about to dial her number when suddenly, small hands took her in for a hug.

“I’m sorry baby, the professor didn’t want to leave the hall today,” Maia explained, placing a quick kiss on Morgan's lips.

“It’s okay baby, I just wished you could have informed me,” Morgan took Maia's hand in hers and began walking to where she parked her car.

“Sorry,” she says one more time.

“How were lectures today?” they were now in the car, struggling to put their seatbelts on.

“It was alright, although Customs Tariff seems to be getting harder every passing second” Maia grumbled, leaning back on the chair.

“Yeah, you said that the last time you had that,”

“Yeah, I don’t seem to get it. Calculating VAT, imposable value, the Tariff position and Tariff heading, it’s just all so complex” she continues and Morgan hummed. She was lost as soon as Maia began talking about VAT.

“Have you explained that to the lecturer?”

“No. I’m scared to approach him, he’s not as outgoing as the other lecturers” she says

“What are you going to do then?”

“I don’t know. Do some research, watch videos on youtube, and ask for help from others” she says with a shrug.

“Okay baby,” Morgan stared at her momentarily with a smile on her face before turning her attention to the road.

Both girls were driving to the supermarket to get some things for Morgan's birthday tomorrow. She'd talked with Laiba’s mom and the older wan agreed to make dinner for her birthday, on the condition that Morgan bought what was needed. She had no problem with that.

Morgan parked the car in front of the supermarket and Maia was the first to step out. Deep down, Morgan already knew they were going to take over an hour or two just to shop.



After Morgan dropped Maia at home, she drove to the club. She had to start making the necessary arrangement to get on a head start with the project in the south. More so, she had someone coming in for an interview.

“Let me know once he gets here,” she spoke to Terry, walking past her and going up the stairs.

She closed the door to her office, grabbing the file containing some documents she had started working on for the project. Jonah had included some contacts she could call and talk with for the site.

“Hello, Jamie Johnson?” she questioned, falling back into her chair.

“Speaking,” a deep voice says on the other end.

“Morgan Daniels on the line”

“How can I be of help?” the voice asks.

“Yeah, uh, I did some research and I got your contact on a site, it says there that you have some properties you’re renting?"

“Exactly,” he says

“Great. I am interested in finding out more”

“Uh, that’s not something we can talk about over the phone. When can you come down here so I can tell you everything you need to know?”

“How does this Wednesday sound?”

“Wednesday is fine”

“Perfect. Thank you”

One down, Morgan thought to herself as she stroked that off the list.

A knock on the door had Morgan looking in that direction.

“Come in” I

The door creeks open a bit, revealing Terry who smiled faintly at the older woman.

“He’s in the room at the back,” she says

“Oh great, thank you,” Morgan closed the file before her and walked out of the office. Loud music filled her ears as she descended the stairs, the smell of sweat and cigarettes suffocating her nostrils...

She walked past the counter, smiling briefly at Resha who was flirting with a client. She blushed once she noticed Morgan had caught her in the act.

She walked to the back and opened the door.

Morgan was met with a tall and huge-looking man. His shoulders wide, he could easily pass off as a wrestler. His dark hair was slipped back in a man bun. He had deep piercing eyes that could read into someone’s soul. He was the perfect person for this job. His aura was a mixture of rough and gentle.

“Hi” Morgan greeted warmly, closing the door behind her and walking towards him, sticking out her hand for a handshake.

“Hi, I’m Arc,” he says, his voice deep and sultry, and weirdly enough, Morgan felt a tingling sensation between her legs. She frowned at this.

“I’m Morgan” she replied sternly, trying to get a hold of herself.

“I’m going to be quick about it. Have you ever worked in a place like this before?” I ask.

“Yes. It’s the only kind of job I know how to do” he says confidently.

Great. He will not need any training.

“And are you familiar with drinks,”

“Yes. I make all kinds of drinks, it’s something I am passionate about” he says

“Passionate about making drinks, that’s interesting". Arc blushed at Morgan's compliment. Cute.

“Thank you,” he says.

“Well then, you’re hired. The salary is not much, seven hundred dollars. Any tip you receive is yours to keep. Is that okay with you?”

“More than okay, I didn’t end that much back in my hometown,” he says

“Alright then, you can start now, if you want,” the smile on Arc's face widens.

“Thank you so much, Morgan, you won’t regret this,” he says, excitement in his voice.

“I hope so” was all Morgan said as she walked out of the backroom, and up the stairs. It wasn’t long before she was rushing down the stairs, her car keys and phone in hand.

She smiled on my way out, pleased to see that Arc was already blending in so easily.



"Hi, Mrs Fawkham" Morgan greeted Laiba's mom cheerfully, placing a kiss on each side of her cheek.

"How are you Morgan?" she asks, a big smile on her face.

"I'm fine thank you," Morgan stepped in and stood behind the older woman, giving room for Maia to greet too.

"Hi, Mrs Fawkham" Maia greeted, standing on the threshold, fear evident in her voice.

Maia Shelton was scared of Laiba’s mom, for no evident reason as she had never met her. True, Laiba invited us for thanksgiving last year but they couldn't make it. Maia said she didn't need to meet Laiba's mom before being scared of her. She defended herself saying 'Laiba is a beautiful woman with an angry Arab face, what more of her mom?'

She had a point though, Laiba's mom was scary. Morgan remembered the first time she met the older woman, it was during thanksgiving still. Laiba and Morgan were slowly becoming close. She had the same reaction as Maia, but not any more.

"How are you, Sweetheart?" Mrs Fawkham spoke in a high-pitched tune and pulled Maia in for a hug, leaving the brunette stunned.

"I'm fine thank you," Maia says, a smile on her face.

"Wonderful" Mrs Fawkham says, a hand on Maia's shoulder as she closed the door, leading both girls further into the house.

"How have you been Morgan?" she asks

"I've been alright, thank you".

"That's wonderful," Mrs Fawkham spoke, she and Maia taking the bend for the kitchen.

"Uh Mrs Fawkham, permit me to say Hi to Laiba, I'll be down in a minute,"

It was much later in the evening, six-thirty to be exact. Mrs Fawkham, Maia and Janata were setting the table for dinner whilst Morgan sat in the living room with Jonah, talking over the new project.

Janata Snutch had joined an hour after Maia and Morgan got in and were in the kitchen helping out.

"You guys go shower," Mrs Fawkham says, gathering the papers that were sprawled on the table and putting them in one folder.

Jonah, knowing better than to counteract immediately stood up and rushed up the stairs, whilst Morgan walked into the bathroom downstairs

They were all seated at the dining table. Mrs Fawkham on one side, Jonah on the other with Laiba sitting next to him, whilst Morgan sat next to Laiba and Maia next to her. Janata and Eleanor were sitting on the other side.

"Everything looks appetising" Eleanor praises with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, my dear, let's dig in," says.

On cue, dishes kept moving from one person to another. On the menu was pasta, chou faci, meat, pork, salad, bread, rice and chicken.

"This tastes even better Mrs Fawkham," Eleanor complimented as she stuffed her mouth with a slice of pork.

"Thank you, but Janata cooked that" Mrs Faw6 replies and Eleanor's gaze shifts to Janata, who blushed and looked at the plat before her.

That's weird. Morgan thought to herself briefly but decided not to put much thought into it.

"So, what did you want to tell us?" Lsiba asks before putting a slice 0f chicken in her mouth.

Morgan's gaze shifts to Maia who blushed. Morgan quietly placed her cutleries on the table, picked up a cloth and clean the corners of her mouth.

The room was quiet as everyone waited for her to speak.

"On new year's eve, I asked Maia to marry me, and she said yes," everyone gasped at Morgan's words, except for Janata and Eleanor who smiled.

"Don't play with me Morgan" Laiba warned

"I'm not," immediately, the red-haired stood from her seat and went to hug Morgan.

"Thank you, Morgan, thank you so much," Laiba expressed, her hold on the dark-haired tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe.

"Congratulations Morgan," Jonah says, a light tap on his friend's back.

Finally, Laiba let go of Morgan and returned to her seat. So many questions were bombarded her way. How did you do it, where did you do it, do you know if you want a grand wedding?

The questions were too many, making it difficult for her to answer.

"Morgan, my dear, I am so happy for you," Mrs Fawkham expressed.

Maia's phone goes off next to Morgan. She picked it up and opened the incoming message she received. Curious, Morgan leaned in too.

She wished she didn't.

Because Maia and Morgan were staring at the picture Audrey took.

Morgan knew it was photoshopped, but it looked too real that even she believed it happened.

And if she could believe in a photoshopped picture, she knew then and there that Maia will think the same.

That she cheated on her with Audrey.

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