Shadows By The Poolside

Promises Kept Part 1

It had been two days since Arielle walked away from the three boys beneath the glow of the campus streetlights, leaving behind words that lingered far longer than any of them had expected. In those two days, the silence between them had stretched into something unfamiliar, something heavy enough to be felt even when no one spoke of it. Calls went unanswered, messages remained unopened, and every attempt to bridge the distance seemed to dissolve before it ever reached her.

Yet life, indifferent to bruised hearts and wounded friendships, continued to move forward.

The weekend had arrived.

And with it came a day they had spoken about for years.

Sunday would mark Noah Carter’s twentieth birthday.

Among the three of them, Noah had always been the oldest by only a few months, a fact Bryson never failed to complain about whenever birthdays came around. It had become an old joke between them that Noah was forever reminding everyone he reached every milestone first, while Bryson insisted those few months hardly counted. Arielle would always laugh until her stomach hurt, and Maxwell, as usual, would be the one pretending to settle an argument that had never truly existed.

Only a few years earlier, they had been sixteen-year-olds sitting beneath the old tree behind Mr. Carter’s house, arguing over whose twentieth birthday would be the most memorable. Bryson had insisted his would be celebrated with the loudest music the town had ever heard. Noah had laughed and declared that turning twenty meant he was finally old enough to taste alcohol, a statement Maxwell had immediately rejected with the seriousness of a concerned parent. Arielle, unable to stop laughing, had promised she would bake every birthday cake herself because, according to her, nobody could be trusted with such an important responsibility.

Maxwell had listened to all of them with quiet amusement before making a promise of his own.

“Then it’s settled. When each of you turns twenty, we’ll make it unforgettable.”

At the time, it had sounded like the easiest promise in the world to keep.

None of them had imagined how quickly life could complicate even the simplest promises.

The apartment Maxwell, Noah and Bryson shared was unusually quiet that Saturday morning. Sunlight filtered through the cream curtains, washing the sitting room in a gentle golden glow, yet the warmth did little to soften the strange emptiness hanging in the air. The television played softly in the background, ignored by everyone present, while the smell of toasted bread drifted from the kitchen.

Breakfast had come and gone with very little conversation.

The silence she left behind had settled over the apartment like an unwelcome guest.

The apartment was unusually quiet again, save for the occasional clatter of dishes as Maxwell finished washing the breakfast plates. Bryson sat lazily on the sofa with the television on, though he hadn’t paid attention to a single programme since it started. Noah remained by the window, absentmindedly watching students pass by outside while his phone rested face-up on the coffee table beside him.

Every few minutes, his eyes drifted towards it.

Every few minutes, the screen remained dark.

Maxwell dried his hands before stepping into the sitting room.

“Both of you,” he said, reaching for the car keys resting on the counter, “go and get dressed. We’re heading out.”

Bryson looked up first.

“Where?”

“We’re picking up Noah’s birthday cake.”

For a brief second, neither of them moved.

Bryson lowered his eyes to the table before murmuring almost to himself, “I thought Arielle said she’d bake the cake herself this year.”

Silence settled over the room.

Not an uncomfortable silence.

A sad one.

The kind that carried memories.

Maxwell remained standing beside the kitchen counter, his expression calm, though something almost imperceptible flickered across his face before disappearing just as quickly.

“She’ll probably be busy today,” he replied evenly. “We’ll get one ourselves.”

Noah slowly lifted his gaze.

“Have you heard from her?”

The question lingered between them.

Maxwell hesitated, only for the smallest fraction of a second, before giving a slight nod.

“She’s alright.”

“Did she say she’s coming tomorrow?”

“I…” Maxwell paused, choosing his words carefully. “I think she just needs more time. She’ll come around eventually.”

Noah let out a quiet sigh and leaned back in his chair, disappointment evident in his expression.

“Maybe we should leave the cake for another time,” he suggested. “It won’t feel right celebrating without Ari.”

Bryson nodded almost immediately.

“We’ve celebrated every birthday together since we were kids. We can always celebrate mine or Noah’s properly once she’s talking to us again.”

For the first time that morning, Maxwell’s composure shifted ever so slightly. He folded his arms across his chest and looked from one boy to the other, his voice remaining gentle but carrying a firmness neither of them could ignore.

“It’s Noah’s birthday,” he said quietly. “Not Arielle’s.”

Neither of them replied.

“I know all of you have always done everything together, and I know this isn’t how any of us imagined this weekend would be. But you two need to understand something.”

Bryson looked down at the table.

“It isn’t about stopping…”

“I know.”

Maxwell sighed softly before continuing.

“You both have to understand something. Arielle is nineteen now. She’s growing into her own person. University has introduced her to people outside the four of us, and that’s how life is supposed to be. She has every right to make friends, spend time with them and build a life that doesn’t always revolve around us.”

His words were calm, almost fatherly, but they struck far deeper than either Noah or Bryson expected.

“If we keep expecting her world to revolve around ours, we might end up hurting her without even realizing it.”

The room fell silent once more.

Bryson stared absentmindedly at the wooden grain of the dining table, Maxwell’s words echoing somewhere deep within him.

He had never thought of it that way.

To him, protecting Arielle had always felt natural, almost instinctive. Looking out for her wasn’t something he consciously decided to do; it had simply become part of who he was. The possibility that his protectiveness could one day become a burden rather than a comfort had never crossed his mind.

Noah, too, found himself strangely unsettled.

He had spent years convincing himself that whatever feelings he once carried for Arielle had long since faded into brotherly affection. Yet hearing Maxwell speak about allowing her to grow without constantly standing over her awakened a quiet uncertainty he wasn’t ready to confront.

Maxwell watched the silence settle over them before softening his tone.

“I’m not saying Arielle won’t come tomorrow,” he said. “I’m saying Noah deserves to celebrate his birthday whether she walks through that door or not.”

Neither Noah nor Bryson argued.

Because somewhere beneath the disappointment…

They knew he was right.

Even so, accepting the truth did not make it hurt any less.

For as long as either of them could remember, Arielle had been woven into every important memory of their lives.

Birthdays.

School festivals.

Examinations.

Summer afternoons.

Christmas dinners.

Even the smallest victories had somehow felt incomplete until the four of them celebrated together.

The thought of spending Noah’s twentieth birthday without her left an ache neither of them knew how to describe.

After another long moment, Bryson finally rose from his chair with an exaggerated sigh.

“You always win these arguments.”

“I wasn’t arguing.”

“That’s what makes it worse.”

A faint smile finally appeared on Maxwell’s face.

“Go and get dressed.”

Bryson pointed lazily towards the hallway.

“Bossy.”

“I’m not.”

Bryson groaned dramatically as he disappeared down the corridor.

“I swear one day I’m moving into my own apartment.”

Maxwell shook his head with quiet amusement.

“No, you won’t.”

“Probably not.”

Noah smiled for what felt like the first time that morning before following Bryson towards their rooms, leaving Maxwell alone in the kitchen.

The smile faded almost as quickly as it had appeared.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

His thumb hovered over Arielle’s contact for several seconds before he finally began typing.

It’s Noah’s birthday tomorrow. We’re heading out to get the cake. I know you’re still upset, and I’m not asking you to forgive anyone today. I just wanted you to know they’re worried about you… and they miss you.

He read the message twice before pressing send.

Then he slipped the phone back into his pocket without expecting a reply.

*****

Several streets away, the gentle vibration of a phone disturbed the quiet stillness of the girls’ residence hall.

Arielle was sitting cross-legged on her bed with a novel resting against her knees, though she had scarcely turned a page in the last twenty minutes. Ironically, it was the very book Maxwell had recommended to her a few weeks before everything fell apart. He had insisted she would enjoy the author’s style, claiming it reminded him of the stories she secretly dreamed of writing one day. At the time, she had laughed and accused him of setting impossibly high standards for her. Maxwell had only smiled in that infuriatingly patient way of his and replied that she was capable of far more than she believed.

Now, every chapter she read seemed to carry his voice with it.

The vibration came again.

She reached lazily for her phone, expecting another notification from the Writers’ Society. Instead, Maxwell’s name appeared across the screen.

For a moment, she simply stared at it.

She had ignored countless messages over the past two days. Noah had sent three. Bryson had sent far more than she cared to count, ranging from awkward apologies to poorly timed jokes that he had probably hoped would make her smile. Maxwell, however, had remained unusually quiet. That alone made his message impossible to ignore.

After a brief hesitation, she unlocked her phone.

@Max: It’s Noah’s birthday tomorrow. We’re heading out to get the cake. I know you’re still upset, and I’m not asking you to forgive anyone today. I just wanted you to know they’re worried about you… and they miss you.

Arielle lowered the phone onto her lap and closed her eyes.

How could she possibly have forgotten?

She hadn’t.

That was the painful part.

For as long as she could remember, Noah’s twentieth birthday had been a milestone all four of them anticipated with childish excitement. Years earlier, while they were still sixteen, they had spent an entire evening planning how they would celebrate it.

“The first thing I’m doing when I turn twenty,” Noah had declared proudly, “is tasting alcohol.”

Bryson had burst into laughter.

“Only if Maxwell dies before then.”

Maxwell had thrown a cushion straight at his head.

“I’m sitting right here.”

“Exactly,” Bryson had replied without missing a beat. “That’s why I said it’ll only happen if you’re dead.”

The words had earned him an appalled stare from Arielle and an exasperated sigh from Maxwell before all four of them dissolved into uncontrollable laughter.

“You’re unbelievable,” Maxwell had muttered that day.

“But I’m funny.”

“No.”

“Admit it.”

“I’d rather not.”

Those memories had once been nothing more than harmless jokes.

Now they felt painfully distant.

She closed the book and rested it on the bedside table before leaning back against the headboard.

She hadn’t bought Noah a birthday present.

Not because she hadn’t wanted to.

Life had simply become overwhelming since the fight. Between lectures, assignments, the rumours spreading across campus and the emotional distance growing between herself and the boys, the days had slipped away without her noticing.

She sighed deeply.

Whatever had happened between them, Noah was still Noah.

The boy who had stood beside her since childhood.

The one who never forgot her favourite books.

The one who silently walked on the roadside whenever they crossed busy streets.

The one who had become the brother life had chosen for her.

She could not imagine allowing his birthday to pass without being there.

Almost instinctively, she reached for her phone again and scrolled until she found Emily’s number.

The call connected after only two rings.

“Hello?”

“Emily… are you free?”

There was a brief pause before Emily answered, amusement already creeping into her voice.

“I was planning to spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing. Why?”

“It’s Noah’s birthday tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

Emily sat upright on her bed.

“He never mentioned that.”

“Well…” Arielle smiled faintly. “Now you know.”

“I suppose I do.”

“I was wondering if you’d come with me.”

“Where?”

“To buy him a birthday present.”

Emily didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she smiled to herself.

“I’ll come,” she replied warmly.

Arielle let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Meet me outside in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes later, Arielle was already standing beneath the shade of the residence hall entrance when Emily emerged from the neighbouring block. She adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag before smiling as she approached.

“So…” Emily asked, “where exactly are we going?”

Arielle laughed softly.

“I honestly have no idea.”

Emily blinked.

“You don’t know?”

“I know I want to buy Noah something.”

“But not what.”

“Exactly.”

Emily looked genuinely surprised.

“I thought sisters were supposed to know these things.”

Arielle smiled to herself.

“I do know him. That’s the problem.”

Emily tilted her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Noah has never really been someone who asks for things. Growing up, he was always happy just having everyone together. We usually planned each other’s birthdays weeks in advance, and that was enough for him.”

Her smile slowly faded.

“When we were younger, I’d bake cookies for him every single year, and somehow that was enough.”

Emily noticed the quiet sadness creeping into her voice.

“But things are different now.”

Arielle nodded absentmindedly.

“They’re probably planning everything without me.”

Emily hesitated before asking carefully, “You all still haven’t made up?”

Arielle shook her head.

“No.”

She looked up almost immediately.

“But..I still have to be there.”

“No matter how upset I am, Noah is still my brother.”

There wasn’t even the slightest uncertainty in her answer.

The conviction in those words warmed something inside Emily’s chest.

It was strange, she thought, how effortlessly Arielle could set aside her own hurt whenever the people she loved were involved.

Emily slipped her hand through Arielle’s arm.

“Then let’s make sure he gets the perfect gift.”

“And where exactly do we find that?”

Emily grinned.

“The City Mall.”

“The one everyone keeps talking about?”

“The very one.”

“I’ve never been.”

“Then you’re about to see why students spend half their allowance there.”

As they began walking together, Emily suddenly asked,

“So… what’s your budget?”

Arielle smiled mischievously.

“I’ve been saving for Noah’s twentieth birthday since I was sixteen.”

Emily stopped walking.

“You’ve been saving for four years?”

Arielle nodded proudly.

Emily stared at her before laughing.

“They’ve really spoiled you, haven’t they?”

Arielle rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Maybe a little.”

Their laughter followed them all the way towards the mall.

⸻

The journey across town passed easily, their conversation drifting from classes to lecturers, from Emily’s latest painting assignment to Arielle’s newest story for the Writers’ Society. By the time they stepped through the wide glass entrance of the City Mall, Arielle found herself slowing almost instinctively.

She looked around in quiet amazement.

The building was far larger than she had imagined. Bright storefronts stretched across multiple floors, each one displaying everything from books and clothing to jewellery, electronics and cafés overflowing with weekend customers.

“You were right,” Arielle admitted with a smile. “This place is enormous.”

Emily laughed.

“I told you.”

“I’m beginning to think we’ll be here all day.”

“We probably will.”

Their first stop was a sneaker store.

After browsing through several shelves lined with trainers in every imaginable colour, Arielle finally spotted a pair that reminded her immediately of Noah. They were simple, practical and understated—exactly the sort of thing he would never buy for himself but would quietly treasure once someone else did.

“What do you think?” she asked.

Emily examined them thoughtfully before nodding.

“They’re very… Noah.”

Arielle laughed.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

The price was higher than she had hoped, but still within the amount she had carefully saved over the years.

She paid without hesitation.

As the cashier carefully wrapped the sneakers inside an elegant gift box before placing it into a dark blue gift bag, Arielle smiled to herself.

He’s going to love these.

Their shopping didn’t end there.

They wandered through bookstores, clothing boutiques, accessory shops and gift stores, laughing over ridiculous mugs, debating whether Noah needed another hoodie and rejecting nearly a dozen ideas before finally deciding they had done enough.

As they made their way towards the exit on the second floor, Emily suddenly stopped walking.

“What?”

Emily pointed towards a small art supply shop tucked between two larger stores.

“I’ll be back in a minute.”

Without waiting for an answer, she hurried inside.

Arielle watched curiously through the display window.

A few moments later Emily emerged carrying a neatly packaged box.

“What did you buy?”

Emily held it behind her back.

“Nothing.”

Arielle raised an eyebrow.

“Emily.”

“My paintbrushes are old.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So I bought a new professional set.”

Arielle’s eyes drifted briefly towards the illustration printed on the packaging before she looked back at Emily with the smallest smile.

“Noah would like those.”

Emily looked almost offended.

“They’re not for Noah.”

“No?”

“They’re for me.”

Arielle nodded slowly, though the knowing smile never left her face.

“I believe you.”

Emily narrowed her eyes.

“You don’t.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You were thinking it.”

“I was.”

Emily burst into laughter before lightly nudging Arielle’s shoulder.

“You are impossible.”

“And you’re a terrible liar.”

By the time they left the final shop, both girls were carrying several bags, laughing over how a simple trip to buy one birthday present had somehow turned into an afternoon wandering through almost every corner of the shopping centre.

The afternoon sun had begun its slow descent when they finally stepped outside.

Arielle adjusted the gift bag carefully in her hands before looking towards Emily with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For coming with me.”

Emily smiled back.

“I think… Noah’s going to have a very good birthday.”

Arielle hoped she was right

Several miles away, Maxwell, Noah and Bryson were also finishing their own shopping, the birthday cake carefully secured in the back seat of the car alongside several bags of decorations that Bryson had insisted were absolutely necessary, despite none of them having the slightest idea how to use them properly.

The atmosphere was lighter than it had been that morning, though an emptiness still lingered quietly between them. Every now and then, one of them would glance at the spare seat in the car, as though expecting Arielle to be there teasing Bryson about his terrible taste in decorations or correcting Noah whenever he became too practical.

No one mentioned it aloud.

Some absences were loud enough without words.

After visiting three more stores in search of balloons, ribbons and everything else Bryson confidently claimed they needed, their outing finally came to an end.

As the afternoon slowly faded into evening, both groups made their separate journeys home, each carrying gifts they hoped would make Noah smile, neither realizing that before another year could pass, this birthday would become one of the last memories they would all wish they could relive.