Their birthday is almost over, and not a single member of Task Force 141 has acknowledged it. No teasing from Soap, no quiet gesture from Ghost, no warm words from Gaz, no knowing look from Price. By evening, their hope has turned into a painful certainty: the people they consider family simply forgot. What they don't know is that Price, Ghost, Soap, and Gaz have spent the entire day secretly preparing a surprise they'll never see coming.
Meli didn't look back, but someone watched them from afar. Price, who had been outside for a smoke. He exhaled and flicked the cigarette to the ground. The captain was a man of few words, but he noticed everything. His gaze followed Meli as they walked off, and he exhaled once more, smoke curling in the air.
As Meli walked, they heard footsteps behind them. They didn't bother looking back, assuming it was Soap coming to apologize.
The wind blew through Meli's hair, messing it up. They ran a hand through it, trying to fix it, but it was no use. They kept walking, until they found themselves at the base's gym. No one was inside, so they went in and sat on a bench. They looked at their watch. It was already 3 PM.