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Joe rushed to put up the final decorations, nearly tripping over the box of party favors on the ground as he did. How could he have forgotten about the most important part of the day? With a final piece of scotch tape, the streamers were set up, and he looked at his work. It was a little bit messy, and maybe it looked like he had set it up in five minutes- which he totally did- but it worked. He flicked off the lights and took a seat at the table, his chair turned to face the door.
He didn’t have to wait long before the door to the apartment swung open. “I’m back!”
The lights turned on, and Joe jumped out of his chair, a smile on his face. “Surprise!”
Sara gasped, closing the door. “No way.”
“Yeah way!”
She threw her arms around Joe, pulling him into a tight hug. “Oh Joe, you shouldn’t have!”
“But I did!” he laughed, giving Sara a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, this isn’t all!”
Sara let go of Joe and took his hand instead, letting him guide her into the living room. There was a small stack of presents on the coffee table, next to two slices of birthday cake. They sat down on the couch, and Sara laughed. “Joe, this is way too much!”
“Aw come on, Sara, nothing’s ‘too much’ on your birthday!” He picked the top present off of the stack and handed it to her.
Sara turned the small box over a couple times in her hands, trying to guess what it was from the outside. After a moment of that, she unwrapped it, carefully trying to save the paper. She opened the box and-
What?
“That’s- Joe, that’s a spoon,” she said, lifting the small piece of metal out of the box.
“Not just any spoon!” he replied, beaming. “It’s silver!”
Sara looked back at her boyfriend, then at the spoon in her hands. “Are we eating soup for dinner?”
“Wha- no! It’s a keepsake!” Joe said, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I thought you’d like it.”
She giggled, putting the spoon back into the box. “Of course I like it. Thank you.”
“Really?”
“Really,” she said, giving Joe a peck on the cheek.
Joe’s face turned even redder, and he handed another present to Sara.
“More spoons?” She teased.
“Hey!”
They laughed, and Sara opened the rest of her presents with Joe looking over her shoulder to make sure she liked her gifts. She set all of her new possessions onto the table, smiling happily.
“You really went all out for me?” Sara said, not really believing it herself.
“Duh!” Joe laughed. “And this isn’t even all of it!”
“More gifts? Oh, Joe-“
“It’s even better than a gift, Sara!” He laughed, pulling an envelope out of his back pocket.
He handed them to her, and she couldn’t hide a tiny laugh. “You dork.”
“Hey!!”
She opened the envelope, pulling out the card inside. It was glittery, with a cheesy “Happy Birthday” message on the front. Sara had to resist the urge to tap the edge of it on the table to try and shake the excess glitter off.
She opened it, noticing a piece of paper fall out of it, but began to read the inside, handwritten by Joe.
Happy birthday, Sara! Sorry for the super cheesy card, haha. But really, jokes aside, happy birthday. I mean it! You mean the world to me, Sara, you really do.
I love you!
-Joe
Sara smiled, blushing as she closed the card and put it down on the table. She picked up the piece of paper, looking at the blank side. She didn’t turn it over, though, choosing instead to look back at Joe.
He was beaming, almost bouncing with anticipation. “Well?”
“Well?”
“What do you think?”
She laughed. “Oh, thank you, Joe. You really didn’t need to do all of this for me.”
“Yeah I did!” He replied, smiling back. “Sara, you mean everything to me. I needed to spoil you a little bit.”
“A little bit?” She laughed, leaning against Joe. “I’m practically spoiled rotten at this point!”
He smiled, pointing to the piece of paper in her hands. “But you’re not even at the best part!”
“I’m not?” She questioned, turning the paper over.
It read in bold and colorful letters: “Free kisses! Redeemable whenever and always!!”
“Oh, you romantic!” She giggled, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into another hug.
“Come on, Sara!” he replied, returning the hug. “I thought it’d be cute and stuff!”
“Mission accomplished, then!” she said, resting her head against his chest.
He chuckled. “Knew it.”
Sara closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of being in her boyfriend’s arms. “Really Joe, I can't thank you enough for this.”
“I’m just trying to make it the best day ever!”
“It really is, then.” She snuggled closer to Joe, moving them into more of a cuddling position.
He moved his arms, wrapping them around her waist as he planted a kiss onto the top of her head.
The two stayed like that, sitting comfortably in silence with each other, broken only by the occasional shifting of their position.
It really was the best day ever, Sara decided.
“Hey Sara?” Joe said quietly, trying to not disturb the moment.
“Hmm?”
“I love you.”
Sara giggled, looking up at Joe. “I love you too.”