"Luckily, fate was on my side. Even though it made me suffer the pains of love, you didn''t get scared away."


    Hearing this, a phrase suddenly popped into Elysia''s head: Love is the great equalizer; rich or poor, everyone has to suffer its trials.


    She smiled teasingly. "What do you mean, ''young and reckless''? You were already thirty!"


    Tarquin shot back without missing a beat, “A man at thirty is in his prime."


    "Oh, really? So should I start calling you Mr. Prime Time, then?"


    Keaton suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs. He was wearing ck trousers and a striking peacock-blue shirt, a sly grin on his face and a twinkle in his charming eyes. Thanks to Winona, his stylish, medium-length hair had been chopped into a ridiculous, messy crop, but he was still as dashing and handsome as ever.


    Elysia instinctively thought of his infamous ‘alpaca hairstyle'' while marveling to herself: They say hairstyle makes or breaks your look, but truly handsome people look good no matter what. Setting aside Keaton''s yboy ways, his looks were wless. You''d be hard-pressed to find anyone in all of Jindale City who could top him.


    Tarquin shot Keaton a look. "Is everyone here?"


    "They''ve been here for ages, just waiting for you two. Elysia, you look beautiful tonight."


    Before Elysia could respond, Tarquin cut in, "Get lost! And get your eyes off my wife!"


    Keaton made a ''tsk-tsk'' sound. "See, Elysia? He''s so possessive. You''re the boss in this rtionship, you should just rename him Tarquin the Jealous."


    Tarquin retorted, "Then should we start calling you Keaton the yboy?"


    "Keaton the Adonis would suit me better."


    Elysia was speechless. One called ''Prime Time'', the other ''yboy''. They sounded like a matched set. It suited them both!


    Ignoring their banter, she asked Keaton, "Are Winona and Blossom in the private room?"


    "They are. Knowing they''re your best friends, I''ve been taking excellent care of them. Come on, let''s go find them."


    The three of them headed towards the top-floor suite. It was Keaton''s personal VIP room, exclusively for gatherings with his friends and not open to the public. As they reached the door Keaton personally opened it for them, then quickly stepped back.


    Before Elysia could figure out what he was up to, party poppers exploded above their heads. A crowd of people ambushed them at the doorway, setting off a storm of colorful streamers amidstughter and cheers.


    Tarquin instinctively pulled Elysia into his arms, shielding her head with his hand. After the party poppers were all spent, the group ofughing friends shouted in unison, "Happy Birthday!"


    Gale Windham''s voice rose above


    the rest, "It''s our house rule! Whoever''ste has to take three shots! The birthday boy gets three shots! And if you bring your girlfriend to meet the guys for the first time, that''s another three shots!


    Booker Murphy chimed in, "But Ms. Thorne isn''t just a girlfriend, she''s his honest-to- God wife! So three shots aren''t enough. It''s gotta be ten! A perfect ten for the perfect couple!"


    "Right, right, nine shots!" Gale agreed.


    "And that''s not all!" Booker continued. "Three shots for having both a son and a daughter, and another three for having twins! How many is that in total?”


    "Fifteen shots!" Gale yelled.


    “Fifteen, you idiot! It''s eighteen!" Booker shot back.


    Keaton looked at them with utter disdain. "Did your gym teacher teach you math? Good thing you two are only children, or you''d never be able to split an inheritance correctly! It''s twenty-one shots!"


    Gale and Booker counted on their fingers. "Oh yeah, Keaton''s right, twenty-one! So, Tarquin, are you going to take the shots, or are you going to give your wife a public kiss? You can choose between 21 shots or a 21-minute kiss!"


    The men started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"