Chapter 44: MIRACE Creation

The girls kept taking pictures of Jace, Max, and Jason. Max and Jason dived into the pool while Jace simply sat at the edge, his legs dipped in the water. Beside him sat a bottle of wine and a glass cup. Music played in the background, lighting up the mood as some people danced. 'C'mon, you guys can do better than this," Jace called out to Max and Jason, who were splashing around. 'How about you join us?" Max swam to his side. 'No, I'll pass," Jace smirked. Max grabbed the glass cup beside Jace, gulped down the contents, and shrugged. 'Suit yourself." He swam off. Meanwhile, Mira excused herself to use the restroom. On her way, she bumped into someone and fell hard on her butt, her bag dropping with a loud thud. 'Haaa! Jeez!" she cried out in pain, drawing attention. 'I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," the guy said, looking genuinely remorseful. Jace rushed to her, brushing the guy aside. 'Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, checking her for injuries. 'I'm good," she muttered just loud enough for him to hear. 'Are you sure?" She nodded. 'I'm sorry," the guy repeated. 'It's fine, Ryan," Miranda replied, then looked around for her bag. Her eyes widened when she saw everything scattered across the floor. 'What's wrong? Oh… your bag? I'll get that for you," Jace said quickly, kneeling to help before she could respond. He began gathering her things, but paused when he saw a small gift box. 'Is this for me?" 'No!" she said quickly, snatching both the box and her bag from him. She stood up, and Jace rose with her. Before she could secure the box, he gently took it from her and raised it high above his head. 'It's not yours! Just give it back," Miranda said, standing on her toes in a futile attempt to reach it. 'I knew you wouldn't forget my birthday gift. So why didn't you give it to me?" he asked, watching her struggle. 'Just give it back," she pleaded, eyes glistening with tears. She didn't want to be embarrassed, not when people might realize she had bought the same gift as her best friend. 'What's going on?" Dorah asked as she approached with Ronald. 'Please… give it back," Miranda sniffled, trying to hold back tears. Jace's expression softened. Using his free hand, he pulled her gently by the waist, drawing her close. 'You know I hate seeing you in tears," he whispered. Everyone around stood in silence, observing the scene unfold. 'I'll give it back on one condition," he said, and she looked up, her eyes wide with fear. 'You'll open the box and show me what's inside. I should at least see what you got me even if you won't give it to me." 'Everyone will think badly of me if I open it," she said, avoiding his gaze. 'Why?" he asked, but she didn't answer. 'How about we go somewhere private? Would that be fine?" he added, gently raising her chin with his fingers. 'Oh… okay," she stuttered. Jace handed the box back and took her hand. 'What's wrong with her? Is she okay?" Dorah asked as they walked past. 'She's fine. We'll be back," Jace replied, and with that, they exited the party. 'What's going on?" Dorah asked, joining her friends. 'You won't want to know, boo," Emma said, patting her shoulder. 'It's better you don't know," Prudence added. Emma smirked and nudged Dorah. 'So… I see you came back with your man, looking all sexy." Dorah blushed, turning her head shyly. Jace led Miranda to his room, where she wouldn't have to worry about anyone watching. 'Okay, can you show me now?" he asked after closing the door. 'Promise you won't get mad when you see what's inside," she said, looking at him hopefully. 'Babe… do you even know how much you mean to me? You're my best friend. Getting mad at you is like hurting myself on purpose." She stared at him, trying to read the sincerity in his eyes. 'C'mon, Mira. Don't you trust me anymore?" he asked softly. She walked to the bed, dropped her bag and the box on it, then opened the box and shifted aside so he could see its contents. Jace stood in front of the bed, expressionless. 'I swear, I didn't know she was getting the same thing! I don't even know how it happened! It's just..... Jace, say something. You're scaring me," she said quickly, panic rising. 'So why didn't you give it to me when I asked?" he asked, frowning as he turned to her. 'What do you mean why didn't I? Don't you understand the situation? I've seen the way you look at Dorah. Everyone knows there's something between you two. She's my best friend, Jace. If I had given you this out there, people would've thought I was competing with her." 'You're overthinking it, babe. Yeah, I may have a little crush on Dorah, so what? You shouldn't care what people think. You have a special place in my heart. You're my best friend. That's all that matters." 'You don't understand," she said quietly. 'Whatever. Can I have my gift now?" he asked, stretching out his hands. 'I'll just get you another one. That's what I planned to do," she said, covering the box again. Jace grabbed it from her hands. 'I want this one." He walked into his closet. She followed. 'What are you doing?" she asked as he dropped the box on the closet island and pulled open a drawer. 'I'm going to inscribe a name on everything, so I can tell it apart from Dorah's," he said, pulling out a fineliner pen. 'Oh," she whispered. A few minutes later, he capped the pen. 'You're done?" she asked. He nodded. 'Let me take a look," she said, stepping to his side. He shifted slightly to make room. Beautifully inscribed on the items except the perfume was the name Mirace. 'Mirace?" she asked, confused. She looked at him. 'Mira and Jace," he replied, gently tapping her forehead with his finger. She chuckled and squinted playfully. 'Wow…" she murmured, blushing hard. She watched as he carefully arranged the items. 'Let's go," he said after closing the drawer. As they entered the living room, they saw Agnes and Joseph talking. 'Dad," Jace called. They both looked up. 'Oh, there you are. Here." Joseph tossed a car key at him. Jace caught it midair and raised a brow in confusion. 'Your birthday gift," Joseph said. 'What the…" Jace trailed off, bolting outside. Miranda followed, with Agnes and Joseph right behind. Outside, Jace looked around. His dad had always been a car enthusiast, so he wasn't sure which one was his. He pressed the key, and an ash-colored BMW X5 blinked and beeped. He was silent for a moment, then let out a loud scream. Joseph and Agnes laughed at his reaction. 'Told you he'd love it," Agnes said, sticking out her tongue playfully. 'God! Dad, thank you! Thank you, thank you!" Jace cried, running back to hug him tightly. People at the pool had gathered outside, curious about the loud scream. 'Thanks, Aunt," he said, hugging Agnes too. As he pulled away, Agnes looked at Joseph, puzzled. 'I don't know anything," Joseph shrugged, watching his son run around the compound like a child. 'Guys! Dad got me a car!" Jace shouted to his friends.