**** IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END OF THE LAST CHAPTER, I JUST ONCE AGAIN WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS CHAPTER WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ONLINE OVER A YEAR AGO. I HAVE SEEN STORIES WITH VERY VERY SIMILAR CHAPTERS AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE BELIEVES THAT I HAVE COPIED OFF SOMEONE ELSE. NOW THAT I HAVE THAT OUT OF THE WAY, ENJOY :)***

Lyla's P.O.V:


"Get up, get up, get upppp!!!!!" Vic shouted loudly as he jumped up and down on the bed. All of the commotion startled me awake, which I'm guessing was his goal. I groaned loudly and buried my head under the pillow attempting to block out Vic's excited screams. Why he was so adament about waking me I had no idea, and I really didn't want to find out. I just wanted to go back to sleep. But knowing Vic that wouldn't happen. "Llllyyyylllllaaa!!" He drew my name out as he continued to bounce on the mattress like a little kid. I didn't move, not even an inch.


Suddenly the jumping stopped, the silence filling the room once again. I let out of a sigh of relief and closed my eyes. I was clearly wrong in thinking that he had given up so easily. The blanket was ripped off of me and the pillow yanked from above my head before I was hoisted into the air and tossed over Vic's shoulder. "What in the hell are you doing, Victor?" I shouted as he carried me out of the room and down the hall. He opened the door to the bathroom and took a couple steps in, setting me down on my feet in front of the sink. I gave him a dirty look, but he chose to ignore it, a big smile plastered across his face.


"You need to get dressed and get packed or we're going to be late," he said simply. I furrowed my eyebrows as I glared at him.


"What are you even talking about? Late to where? And why in the world do I need to pack?" I was thoroughly confused. My confusion was met with a devious smile as I awaited some sort of explanation. "Vic?"


"We're going on a little vacation. Just for the weekend. So hurry up we have to leave in an hour," he stated, as if it was no big deal, before he turned on his heels and walked out of the bathroom. I was still so confused.


"Vic! What are you - Vic!" I hollered down the hallway after him, but it was to no avail; he had already disappeared down the stairs. I shook my head in frustration, not at the fact that he had planned a vacation without me, but at the fact that he wouldn't tell me anything and he sprung it on me with only an hour to prepare myself.


There was obviously no point in arguing with him or pressing it any further, at least not at the moment. I directed my attention to the mirror and got to work on my hair and makeup, doing a half-assed job due to my limited time frame. After I was partially satisfied with how I looked I stomped back to the bedroom to get dressed and packed. Not only did I have no idea what to pack because I didn't know where we were going, but my options were pretty limited. I hadn't brought a wide variety of clothing with me to Vic's. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and pulled a suitcase out of Vic's closet, transferring clothes from my suitcase to his.


"You don't need much. We'll only be gone a couple of days," Vic said from behind me and I turned around to look at him. "Pack enough clothes for the weekend. Oh, and pack that dress you brought," he said with a smirk. I couldn't help but laugh under my breath, more out of frustration than anything.


"Are you really not going to tell me what you're up to?" I questioned and he shook his head dramatically like a little kid.


"Nope," he said, popping the 'p' at the end. "You'll find out soon enough, babe." I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed. I continued to shove a few more things into the suitcase before calling it good and zipping it up; I could always buy whatever else I needed when we got to wherever the hell we were going. "Ready?" he asked, his voice laced with excitement. I nodded my head as I grabbed my phone and my purse; Vic grabbed my suitcase and his own and lugged them down the stairs as I followed close behind.


The house was surprisingly quiet, no trace of the other 3 amigos at all, which I found odd considering how early it was. Vic grabbed his wallet and phone off of the counter, shoving them in his back pocket, before opening the front door and motioning me outside where a taxi, as well as Mike, Tony, and Jaime, were waiting. "About fucking time you two! We're gonna be late if you don't hurry your ass up!" Mike hollered from where he was leaning up against the outside of the van.


"Well if Vic would just tell me where we are going it wouldn't have taken me as long to pack!" I retorted, a smile playing at Mike's lips. Everyone was acting so weird! Vic finished loading our bags in the trunk and we all piled into the cab, the four of them annoyingly silent as we drove off towards our destination. I glanced at Vic every now and then, shooting him questioning glances, but once again I was only met with smiles and laughter. No one would crack, not even Tony, and I was for sure he would tell me something. But no, he sat in silence just like the rest of them.


After a 20 minute drive we pulled up in front of the airport causing my mind to race even more. Now the possibilities were practically endless. We climbed out of the van and Vic pulled me into the airport, his fingers interlacing with mine as he grinned at me. The frustration was beginning to dissipate, being replaced with excitement as I allowed my mind to wander to all the possible places we could be going to. I had no idea what Vic had up his sleeve or why he was doing all of this, but I was anxious to find out.


Vic and Mike proceeded to the ticket counter to check us in and hand off our luggage, leaving me behind with Jaime and Tony so the secret would remain a secret for a little while longer. I wrapped my arms around Jaime and he looked down at me, startled. "Hime-Time......please tell me," I begged sweetly as I batted my eyelashes and pouted out my bottom lip. He bit down on his lip nervously and stared down at me. He sighed out of defeat and leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. I sucked in a breath as I awaited his response.


"No," he whispered in my ear before he erupted in laughter. I pushed him away and stuck my tongue out at him as he and Tony laughed. "Sorry Lyla, I'm under strict instructions not to say a word," he said with a fake apologetic smile. I crossed my arms over my chest and rolled my eyes, but a small smile made its way to my lips. Vic and Mike returned and we made our way through security and towards our terminal.


As the terminal came into sight I squinted my eyes and furrowed my brow at the two familiar figures waving at us. "Frenchi? Jessica?" I questioned with a hint of excitement as I approached Mike and Jaime's girlfriends who were seated in our terminal. "What are you guys doing here?" I hugged each of them, but their lips were sealed like everyone else's. I took a seat next to Mike and Frenchi, Vic plopping down next to me and tossing his arm around my shoulders. I looked over at him. "Viiiccc!! Please tell me!!" I pleaded with a smile.


"You don't understand the concept of a surprise, do you?" He asked as he chuckled under his breath. I sighed loudly and slouched in my chair, resting my head on his shoulder. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You'll find out soon enough." I just wanted to know already! I wasn't good with surprises. I'm too impatient for them!


After 15 minutes our boarding time finally came. "Now boarding Flight 734 to Las Vegas," the lady spoke over the intercom. I sat up and looked at Vic, my face obviously etched with excitement.


"We're going to Vegas?" I asked almost in disbelief. He nodded his head as his smile spread even wider across his face. "Why?" I questioned, still a little confused about the abrupt decision to go to Vegas with everyone. He pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapped tightly around me as our bodies pressed together.


"For your birthday, silly," he responded. Realization swept over me. "What, did you think I forgot?" He asked with a hint of worry.


"Honestly, I forgot," I responded with a small laugh. I had been so preoccupied I hadn't even remembered that today was my 27th birthday; with all the confusion this morning the thought hadn't even crossed my mind, though that should've been the first thing I thought about.
"Well, I could never forget." He leaned down and kissed me, lingering for only a moment before he pulled away. "C'mon, babe, let's go," he said as he took my hand and led me into the plane.


-------------------


"Vic! You didn't have to do all of this!" I squealed as we all pushed our way out of the crowded taxi and stood in front of the hotel, marveling at the sight. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.


"I know but I wanted to. We all wanted to. It's your birthday, we have to do something special," he said, kissing the back of my neck. My heart was fluttering with excitement; no one had ever done anything like this for me before. We all walked into the hotel that was bustling with people; I was taken aback by it's beauty. It was exquisitely decorated, just like I had always imagined Vegas hotels to look. I had never been to Vegas. I know, the horror, right? We made our way to the front desk, Jaime pushing in front of all of us.


"Excuse me, this isn't the real Caeser's Palace, is it? I mean, Caeser didn't actually live here, right?" Jaime asked the lady behind the desk and I face-palmed myself, everyone else laughing a little.


"Yeah, cause I don't hear that enough times during the day," the lady shot back; Jaime tossed his hands in the air in defense and backed away from the counter. I shook my head at him; of course he would be the one to do something like that, but that's why we all loved him. Vic pushed his way up to the counter and checked us in. "Okay, here you are Mr. Fuentes. Your suitemates have already checked in. They arrived about an hour ago. Enjoy your stay," she said with a smile. She pushed several room keys across the counter towards Vic, shooting Jaime another irritated glare.


"Suitemates?" I asked as I was once again left confused. Vic winked at me and I followed him towards the elevator where a bellhop was waiting with all of our luggage. We rode the elevator to the 15th floor, everyone but me chattering excitedly. I stood silently in the back, nervously tapping my foot as I waited for the elevator to come to a stop. Suitemates? Just when I thought we were done with surprises.....another one was awaiting me in our suite. We finally reached our floor and I practically yanked Vic down the hallway towards the room. Vic unlocked the door and I walked into the room, my jaw falling to the floor as I looked around. The suite was enormous! The living room was spacious, decorated nicely with a fireplace in the corner. Huge picture windows lined one wall giving us a view of the entire city; all of the lights, the buildings, everything was sprawled right in front of us. On the balcony sat a large jacuzzi. I walked in a little more, the shock turning to pure joy when I was met with two all-too familiar faces.


"Lyla!!!!!" Austin shouted loudly as he practically jumped over the kitchen counter. In 2 large strides he was in front of me, pulling me into a hug and spinning me around in circles. I clung to him tightly, squealing with excitement. I had been in San Diego for almost a month now and I hadn't seen Austin since before I left; I had missed my best friend so much.


"Austin! What are you- you're here!!" I shouted. He sat me down, still clinging to my shoulders.


"Hell yeah I am! Your boyfriend invited me and I couldn't turn down a Vegas birthday party!" I smiled widely and shot Vic a thankful glance.


"What about me, Lyla? I'm here too!" Alan piped up from behind Austin. I stepped around Austin and hugged Alan tightly.


"I'm so glad you are, my ginger princess!" I replied.


We all stood around and had a couple of drinks, everyone pitching in ideas of what fun things we could do this evening. Vic had made reservations at Cut, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, for 7 o'clock, and after deciding we would hit the strip after dinner we all wandered off to our rooms to get ready. Vic led me to our room, which was breathtaking to say the least. The view was indescribable, the room littered with flowers and candles and rose petals.


I shut the door behind us and pushed Vic down on the bed with no warning, climbing on top of him so I was straddling his waist, his hands resting gently on my hips. "I can't believe you did all of this, Vic. You didn't have to do anything. This had to have cost a fortune-" he silenced me before I could continue.


"Stop. It doesn't matter how much it costs, I don't care about that. It's your birthday, baby. I wanted to surprise you and give you a weekend you would never forget, a weekend with all of our friends, just having fun and worrying about nothing else. You deserve it," he said with a sweet smile. I felt tears poking at my eyes; not sad tears, not at all. They were happy tears. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have Vic. He was mine, and he would be mine forever.


"I love you so much," I whispered as I leaned down, kissing him hard and passionately.


"I love you too, Lyla," he replied against my lips before smashing his lips back into mine.
----------


Vic had kept the surprises coming. We arrived at the restaurant and were met with four more familiar faces: Kellin and his fiancé, Katelynne, and Jesse and his wife, Ashely. A smile was plastered to my face all evening; everyone I could ever want to be here was here, all of my friends, and Vic's. I had no idea how he had managed to put all of this together and get everyone here without my knowledge, but I couldn't be happier.


All 13 of us chowed down on our food as if we hadn't ate in years. It was the best food I had ever tasted in my entire life; I couldn't get enough of it. We finished eating and the waiters promptly cleared the table. Vic stood up, a glass of champagne in his hand, and cleared his throat getting everyone's attention. "I want to propose a toast to Lyla. I just want to say happy 27th birthday, baby. I love you so much. I'm the luckiest, happiest man in the entire world." I felt tears threatening to pour out but I choked them back in an effort to keep my makeup intact. "So here's to Lyla and here's to having a kick ass time in Vegas!" His voice getting louder towards the end. We all hooped and hollered as we clinked our glasses with those of the people next to us. I leaned over to Vic and kissed him.


"Thank you. I love you too," I responded with a smile as I squeezed his hand under the table. My attention was redirected towards the table when a group of waiters came rushing over with a small cake, singing happy birthday to me loudly. Everyone at the table joined in as I looked anywhere else, my cheeks blushing as all eyes fell on me. We all clapped and they set the cake down on the table, lighting the candle before walking off.


"Make a wish, Lyle!" Austin shouted from down the table. I smiled and leaned over, pulling my hair over my shoulder to keep it away from the flame. I closed my eyes and quickly blew the candle out before leaning back in my chair.


"What'd you wish for?" Vic asked as he leaned over to me, squeezing my hand even tighter. A smile pulled at my lips.


"I didn't wish for anything. I have everything I could ever want," I replied. Vic's eyes seemed to sparkle and a smile graced his lips. He leaned in and kissed me again, a little more passionately this time.


That was true: I hadn't wished for anything. There was nothing else I wanted. I had my friends, I had my dad back, and most importantly I had Vic.


I didn't need anything else

Notes

ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT!!!