Mei groaned when she woke up. Her head hurt, her mouth was dry and she was pretty sure that if she would open her eyes her eyes would burn out because of the intolerance of light. She never should have gotten drunk last night, but there was no other way to forget what was happening at midnight. She just wanted the time to stop 5 minutes to 12, before the clock would strike and bring her into her terrible thirties. She remembered thinking it. Hoping the time would stop.

But here she was, clearly the time had passed, bringing that terrible headache with it. Meaning she did turn 30 last night.
“Ugh, I’m not old enough to be 30” she sighed as she turned on her back and opened her eyes. For a moment she was confused about the scenery. Then she remembered her best friend talking her into getting a hotelroom for her new year’s eve, her new year’s eve on the verge of being 30.

Mei had insisted on them both getting their own room in an attempt to be able to go through this hell that she called her birthday by herself, but she knew that wasn’t going to take long. She knew it would be a matter of time before Kim would break through the door that was connecting their rooms.

Lucky for Mei she was an early bird and Kim was more of a sleep the whole day kinda girl. A glance at the time told Mei she had at least a few hours to herself before the party would commence (her best friend’s words, not hers). She leaned back in the fluffy pillows and enjoyed the comfortable bed. Okay. This had been a great idea. It was definitely better than waking up in her own small apartment.

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. As expected she had received a lot of messages, people congratulating her for her birthday. It made her feel a little better.
Message from Zack
Goodmorning beautiful. I wish you the best of birthdays. I hope you will enjoy it immensely. I’m gonna spoil you later on. 30 is special! <3

Message from Jimmy
Crazy girl! Happy birthday to you! I swear, if you let anyone sing for you before I did I’m not taking you on the great birthday adventure I planned out. Let me know when you are awake, and let me sing to you. Love youuuuuuuu!!!!

Message from Brian
Congratulations with your birthday! That hot ass of yours isn’t looking a day over 21! Don’t sweat it, I’m pretty sure the ageing beautiful doesn’t only apply to handsome men like me! Love you! X!

Message from Matt
Hey don’t be a b**** about turning 30 :P You look as good as ever! Don’t complain, enjoy life. Have a great day! XOXO

Message from Johnny
Happy Birthday!!! We are going to do some crazy partying tonight! Get ready and get you 30 on!! X J

Mei shook her head slightly when she read the messages. How drunk did her best friend think she was for her to believe that these guys would actually send her birthday messages. It did instantly lift her mood though. So when she heard the door in the other room open, she called out.
“I MIGHT BE OLD, BUT I’M NOT CRAZY KIM!”

“Not crazy? But that is why I love you!” The door flew open, revealing her best friend in her most tacky pajamas. She took off and jumped on the bed next to Mei. She sloppily kissed her cheek “Happy birthday, babe! Welcome to the club. You look no day over 29!”
“Shut up!” Mei playfully punched her friend on her shoulder “How are you this happy anyway? I’m pretty sure I remember correctly you drinking even more than me.”

“Oh you young one, you know nothing” Kim put her imaginary glasses on the tip of her nose before she began to speak again “I turned 30 just yesterday-“
“4 years ago!” Mei corrected her immediately, getting an fake angry look from her friend
“Silence! That is not to speak about. I just turned 30 for the fifth time this year”
“Okay, okay, continue” Mei laughed

“Okay… I turned 30 yesterday, and I get to teach you all about your 30 powers. First-“ she counted with her fingers “And this is actually the most important. Men love 30 year olds. We 30 year old women have all the power. We know things because of our life experience. We are not stupid guppies anymore, naïve, stupid, not knowing what we want. We are strong women and we are loyal if the men are too. Believe me…. They want you.” Kim smirked at her friend who looked at her amused
“Second. And we will never admit to it, but it is my duty to welcome you in the 30-world, so I will say it once, and once only. Your body doesn’t like partying for days anymore, so you need to take care of it and take precautions if you do want to party. That brings me by my third and last point.” She threw the waterbottle she had been carrying “Water, lots and lots of water. Preferably before you go to sleep, but this will help too.”

Mei took the water from Kim, but looked at her skeptical. “Oh you, non believer! I am the more experienced of us, please listen to me. You can’t throw my advice in the wind. It’s not allowed.”
“Why not?”
“By laws of everyone turning 30 before you.”

“Oh yeah, sure” she smirked. Mei remembered shards of the dreams she had and a weird feeling came over her. “Do you… When you…”
“Finish a sentence babe, I need a little more than that”
“Have you ever had really weird dreams after you were out drinking?”
Kim looked at her confused before she got a naughty smile on her face “What do you mean? Like wet dreams?!”

A blush came over Mei’s face “No! Not really…”
Realizing there was more to the story, Kim sat up straight “Ohhhh better tell me what that is about!”
Mei hesitated, but she knew it was no use. Kim would force her to tell anyway.

“Those texts you fabricated. I read them before. Multiple times. But every time one of them was missing, and then….”
Mei told her best friend all about her dreams, every single one of them. Kim’s smile got wider and wider. When Mei was finished she looked at her best friend.
“I can’t believe you would have a one night stand with Brian!”

“THAT is what you take from it?”
“Yes! That is high treason to your best friend. Speaking of best friend. I can’t believe I wasn’t in there and you got Johnny to replace me!”

“You are the worst, you know that?!” Mei sighed

“Well… I got you the best gift, but I don’t know if you deserve it after hearing this”

Mei sat up a little more straight. Kim was the best in finding gifts. It was always perfect. She knew she would do something special for her 30th. She had told her the past 6 months. Tormenting her with anticipation. Mei was sure it would be special, but there was nothing that could ruin it anyway. Weird, right, seeing she hated turning 30?

Well, except for the fact that she dreaded turning 30, she had been looking forward to this day too. I mean, how many times in your life did it happen that your favorite band was playing close to where you live on your birthday. Well…. at least once, because the concert tickets where shining brightly on her nightstand. Avenged Sevenfold on her 30th birthday… there was nothing that could ruin this day.

She shook her head, she got sidetracked again “You don’t mean that, you are always way too excited to hand out your presents.”
Kim pretended to hesitate for a minute and then handed her the envelop anyway “Yes. You are right. You know me too well”

Mei thought this day couldn’t get any better with the concert coming up, but she was proven wrong. Proven wrong by the thing she was holding in her hands. Her mouth dropped when she opened the envelop and she looked at her best friend with wide eyes. “Is this real?! You know you can’t fool me on my birthday right? This better be real! Is it real?”
“Oh yes it’s real… Brian is finally going to realize he loved me all this time, forgetting alllll about that little one night stand you two had” Kim smirked. Mei jumped her friend and tackled her to the bed. It was nothing like her to let herself go like that, but a VIP upgrade to their concert tickets would make her hug her best friend for as long as she would like.

“Ohhhh you outdone yourself! This is the best present ever! Thank you so much”
Kim laughed “It’s not only for you, you know”
“Yeah, yeah, I will accept you next to me” Mei stood next to the bed, clinging the tickets to her chest. Her friend looked at her from the bed, enjoying the fact that she made her this happy. Mission accomplished.

“We need to get ready!” Mei panicked suddenly “We need to-“
Kim held her hand up “Don’t worry. You know… the best thing about these tickets… No line. No tall people in front of you. There is a special space for VIP tickets, so we just have to be there at 7 and all will be good. They only sold 20 for tonight, so it is really exclusive”

Mei was radiating happiness and for a second she thought about the fortune Kim must have spend for the tickets. As if her best friend read her mind, she shook her head “Don’t ruin it. You know I can pay for it. My monthly bonus took care of it. Now, let’s get you in one of those comfy robes. We have an appointment at the hotel spa”

---

The women had a relaxing day and even got their hair and make-up done, all courtesy of Kim’s overly paid manager job. When they finally reached the venue they were bare able to contain their excitement. They had been waiting for this day for so long and now it was finally here.
“Tickets please” the guy at the door asked. He was huge, not only was he tall, but he was heavily muscled, and there was no smile in sight. Mei handed him the ticket and he opened the door for them.
“Hey. Maybe you can push out a little smile for my friend here? It’s her birthday” Kim was feeling awfully sassy and Mei was pretty sure that she would embarrass her multiple times today. Apparently she was already starting now. “Kim!”

The man got a half smile on his face though “Happy birthday little lady, please do me a favor, keep your friend in check?”
Mei nodded a shyly.
“Good. Follow the signs, there will be someone waiting for you girls at the end of the hallway to take you to the room where the meet and greet will take place.”

They were the first ones to enter the room. They were amazed at how quiet it was. They both expected there to be way more activity. Then they heard something through the thin walls that made them look at each other with wide eyes.
“Is that-?” Kim whispered
“That must be Matt warming up, I recognize that voice anywhere” Mei agreed.
“Wow”

They listened to the singer they were looking forward to hear in this concert, but soon the voice moved farther away and they weren’t able to hear it anymore.
“Oh! I got one more thing for you!” Kim rummaged her bag until she found what she was looking for. It was a pin, saying ‘Birthday Girl’.
“I’m not wearing that!”
“You will, or I will tell everyone. Your choice”
Mei weighed her options and was pretty sure that Kim telling everyone it was her birthday would be way worse. She took the pin, and put it on her shirt in protest.
“You will pay for this. Mark my words. You have a birthday again too”

The women were still bickering when more people entered the room. Soon the room was filled by the lucky few and the PR lady told them the men would soon join them.

“I can’t believe this is happening” Mei whispered to her friend. Kim could only nod in agreement. They were always joking about these men, but they never thought it would come this far that they would meet them. They both had no idea what they would say, accept maybe complementing them on their music.

The PR lady came their way with a smile on her face. “It’s your birthday?”
“Yeah. She made me wear this” Mei pointed to her friend.
“That’s what friends do, right?” the lady smiled.
“Yeah” Kim smiled back.
“I think it’s better for you girls to move to the back of the line” Both their faces fell and Kim was already opening her mouth to protest.
“No, don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing. I’ve been with these men for 15 years, and I will just say, I know how they can react and I think it’s better you move to the end of the line.”

The two friends moved to the end of the line confused, but they didn’t have much time to think about it, because their musical heroes were already entering. They watched the five men hug every single one of the men and women that were in the room. They spoke a few words with everyone and were slowly moving up the line. This last in the row thing was a bad idea. Now Mei and Kim had way too much time to get nervous.

All of their nervous feelings disappeared though when Johnny appeared in front of them. After exchanging hugs, he pointed at the pin Mei was wearing “It’s like really your birthday today?”
“Yes”
“GUYS! WE HAVE A BIRTHDAY GIRL!”

Johnny got a hold of Mei again and kissed her cheek “Happy birthday! Are you sure you want to celebrate your birthday with us?”
Mei chuckled “Definitely, couldn’t think of a better way”

Before she knew what was happening she was pulled out of Johnny’s embrace. The tall drummer lifted her off the ground and kissed her cheek “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear-“ He looked at her in question “What’s your name?”
“Meike” she blushed as she provided and answer “happy birthday dear Meike, happy birthday to youuuuuuu!” Jimmy sang in his distinctive voice “How old?” he asked as soon as he stopped singing.

“Jimmy! You can’t ask that!” Zack had reached them and punched Jimmy’s shoulder. He embraced Mei and kissed both her cheeks congratulating her.
“It’s okay” Mei giggled “I turned 30.”
“And she pretty much hates it” Kim added, receiving an annoyed look from her friend.

“Ohhh I remember 30! It was amazing!” Jimmy got all excited and hugged Mei again “Congratulations beautiful, crazy girl! 30 is so special! We are going to have so much fun tonight! I’m going to play all your favorite tracks! What are all your favorite tracks?”
Mei laughed loudly. Jimmy was just like she thought she would be. She noticed Zack shaking his head from the corner of her eye. His eyes were even more mesmerizing than they were in the pictures.

“What’s going on over here? Are you fuckers keeping the beautiful girls all to yourself again?” Brian’s smooth voice broke Mei’s daydreaming about Zack’s eyes and she was pretty sure she heard her best friend let out a sigh next to her.
“It’s Meike’s birthday!!!” Jimmy screamed, having a hard time pronouncing her name, but not giving a shit anyway.

“Are you Meike?” He turned to Kim displaying that famous smirk Kim liked so much, turning her to puddy quickly. Kim returned his smirk with a playful smile of her own and the both of them engaged in a staring contest. Brian was pulled away by Jimmy though and turned towards the right girl.
“Of course not, asshole! Haven’t you seen her pin?!”

“Must have been distracted” He shot Kim a wink before pulling Mei into a hug and kissing her cheek “Happy birthday! Do you want me to give you something unforgettable for your birthday?” he whispered and then kissed her just below her ear, sending a shiver down Mei’s spine. Holy shit, was this really happening?
Mei lost herself in how Brian was still holding her close, his scent, his lips somehow still so close to her neck and she was thinking that even though the singer was her favorite, the guitar player wasn’t too bad either.

Just as she considered getting into a fight with her best friend over stealing her favorite, the deep voice that made her toes curl every time, was next to her.
“Are all you guys fucking serious?! There are 20 people here who paid good money for a meet and greet and you guys are all here around 2?” Mei was disappointed by the annoyed tone in his voice. This sure wasn’t her fault?
“But it’s Meike’s birthday!!!!” Jimmy whined
“Her 30th!” Johnny added in the same tone.

“So you are the birthday girl?” Matt’s voice directed to her with a much friendlier tone did all weird kind of things to her insides. Having lost all her wits the second she met his hazel eyes Mei could only nod. The dimpled smile that followed made her stop mid-motion.

She heard Brian somewhere “That happens every fucking time the dimples come out”. Lots of snickers around her, but Mei could only focus on the man in front of her. Who was getting closer. Who put his arms around her. Who smelled real good. Who kissed her cheeks. “Happy birthday”
“Thank you” she whispered when she finally found her voice again.

“I’ll go talk to the other guests” Zack suggested with a smile. He turned to Mei shortly “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, I can find a gift for you somewhere” Mei looked at him amazed, a gift? For her? This wasn’t real. This wasn’t happening.

“Excuses me, you guys need to get ready soon, maybe you should all mingle a little more” the PR lady walked into the little group.
“Yeah, sure, sorry for keeping all of you” Mei quietly said, feeling guilty for keeping all of them from the other fans.

The 5 of them shot each other looks and they huddled up, consulting.

“Don’t worry. I knew this would happen” The PR lady said “Why do you think I moved you to the back of the line?”

The band returned again, all smiles. Matt came closer to Mei, making sure the other fans weren’t listening in. “We really have some duties now, and a show to play, but if you are up for it, we would really like to celebrate your birthday with you.”
“What?” was the only thing that Mei was able to get out.
“She would love to!” Kim answered for her.
“Good! Watch the show from the side of the stage and we will show you some great partying” Johnny added.

The men turned around to talk to the others just a little bit more. But not before they turned over their shoulders one last time

“HAPPY 30th, MEI!!!!!!!”

Notes

So! I said this would be the last chapter, but I changed my mind.
There will be one more chapter....

The question is... will it be the rest of the night? will it be another loop? will it be a timejump?

Questions.. Questions... :P

Let me know what you think!