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A familiar feeling crept over you when you woke up this morning. Dread, anxiety, and overall lousiness clouded your mind. A heavy sigh escaped your lips, taking some of the anxiety along with it. While you wiped the sleep away from your eyes, the dark emotions in your chest indicated that it’s just one of those days where you knew it wasn’t going to be a good day.
It was your birthday.
You scrolled through TikTok for about twenty minutes to procrastinate getting out of bed. Although the entertainment certainly distracted you, it wasn’t enough to remedy your ailing heart, and you decided it was time to face the music and actually get on with your day sooner rather than later. You had no plans for today. You never did. You don’t know if you preferred it that way, or if that’s just how your more recent birthdays came to be, but that’s just how it goes.
After a quick shower, you ate a hearty and nutritious breakfast of Lucky Charms on the couch. Today called for a good lounging around. The rest of the morning was spent sitting on the couch, switching back and forth between whatever was on TV and whatever game you had on your phone until around eleven thirty, when you heard a familiar knock on your door.
“Come oooon!” The voice outside the door yelled out. “Let me in!”
You emitted a soft groan before dragging your feet across the floor to your front door, and despite your foul mood, you couldn’t help but feel giddy and warm as the sight before you when you opened it. At the door was Mista, dressed casually in a graphic t-shirt with shorts and flip flops. It was much more appropriate for the hot weather compared to his normal tiger print jeans and sweater and beanie. His signature dopey grin was even wider than usual when his eyes landed on you and immediately pulled you into a hug.
“Happy birthday!” He said so loud it could almost pass as a scream. His arms enveloped you and practically squeezed you before he plants a giant kiss on your temple. He let you go and continued to smile wildly as you properly returned the hug.
“Thank you.” You replied softly, relishing in Mista’s embrace. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean what am I doing here? It’s your birthday!” He said with that same grin on his face. “I’m not letting you spend today moping on the couch eating Froot Loops.”
“Actually it was Lucky Charms.” You mumbled to yourself.
Mista chuckled good naturedly. “My point exactly. Now go get dressed, I’m taking you out. And don’t argue with me!”
“Fine, fine!” You didn’t have it in you to protest or argue. “What’s the dress code?”
“Cute and sexy!”
“Mista…”
He laughed at himself before he replied with a serious answer. “Casual, don’t worry. I know you don’t like going out out.”
With a proper answer, you wandered into your bedroom and went through your clothes, deciding what to wear. Though you weren’t too fond of celebrating your birthday, you were still looking forward to a nice day out with Mista. You dug through your closet before deciding to wear a linen sundress with comfy sandals.
Mista was sitting on your living room couch when you walked out of your bedroom, scrolling through social media on his phone. The second he heard your bedroom door open, he turned around to get a glimpse of you and let out an adorably obnoxious wolf whistle.
“Look at you! ” He said boisterously. He rose from the couch and wandered towards you and grabbed your hand, holding it high in the air. “Do a spin for me!” You chuckled as you timidly spun in a circle while holding Mista’s hand, giving him a shy smile when you finished. In return, he grabbed onto his heart with his free hand and tossed his head back, looking positively smitten with you.
“Are you sure it isn’t my birthday?” He asked with a familiar flirty goofy cadence in his voice.
“Oh, shush,” You rolled your eyes and smiled up at him. “You’ve seen me wear this like, a hundred times.”
“Okay, and you look good in it every single time, your point?” Mista chided. He was too flirtatious for his own good, and he knew how you reacted to his remarks. The heat on your cheeks became unbearable, and of course there was no use hiding it from your boyfriend. He smiled and bent down to kiss either of your blushing cheeks before grabbing your hand and heading toward the door.
Your day out was actually pretty laid back. The opposite of what you were expecting, considering how extroverted and adventurous Mista is. It started with a small lunch at your favorite hole in the wall not too far from the center of town. The day continued as any other quiet date with Mista normally would, except with the extra emphasis that he would not let you forget that today is about you, and that you could do whatever you wanted to do, his treat.
You were never privy to nightlife or any type of atmosphere like a bar or club. They always overwhelmed you, and Mista knew that. He does enjoy a good nightclub or night out at the bar from time to time, but he never subjected you to it. Instead, all of your outings were usually more laid back and quiet. Once upon a time, Mista would’ve said that that was boring, lame even. But eventually, he grew to like spending quiet nights with you. He started to find them intimate and special, a ritual that only the two of you had, which was meaningful to him. He came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the quietness he started to grow on him, but the look on your face during these sweet moments.
After lunch, Mista took you to the center of town to a local flea market/street fair by the boardwalk. He knew you had been eyeing to go for a while. With the end of summer drawing nearer, he figured now would be a perfect opportunity to take you. The flea market was adorable, and you wanted to take the chance to get a good look at every stall available. You were in your own little world, oohing and ahhing at everything the market had to offer. Despite your protests, Mista bought you everything you glanced at for even more than a second. He even snuck in a bouquet of your favorite flowers while you weren’t looking.
The flea market started to close up shop for the night, which coincidentally happened to be around the same time the street fair came to life. Of course, Mista just had to win you one of those gigantic stuffed animals. With a cocky grin and snicker, he managed to shoot every toy duck in the row, surprising even the game attendant. He happily held onto all of his winnings while you meandered onto the ferris wheel. The ride was about as clichè as you could expect, but charming and adorable nonetheless as Mista pulled you in for a soft kiss, whispering another happy birthday as you reached the top.
Moonlight soon shrouded the earth around you, and you realized you really had quite spent all day out with Mista. You were famished from an exciting day out, and your boyfriend was too. Deciding to stay in the street fair spirit, dinner consisted of food stand hot dogs and french fries with a large soda. The perfect meal to top off an incredible day.
At last, the day ended with a night stroll along the beach, hand in hand with your lover. After a long while, you stopped to soak in the sound of the waves crashing and the smell of the sea salt air. You really, truly did have a perfect day and you didn’t want it to end. Deciding to soak in the last few hours of your birthday, you sat down on the warm sand beneath you, leaning back and overlooking the ocean. Mista followed your cue and sat right alongside you.
“Isn’t it so beautiful?” You softly spoke aloud, gazing out towards the sea.
“Hm. Gorgeous.” Mista grumbled back, looking at you. You turned to face him and didn’t have it in you to make a quippy comeback. Instead you just breathed a light chuckle and leaned your head onto his shoulder as your hand wandered over to his, linking fingers.
“Thank you.” You mutter out. “For today. It was sweet.” You smile bashfully before sighing. “I…you didn’t have to do all that for me. But I appreciate you, nonetheless.”
Mista spoke your name before lifting his head off of yours and turning to face you. “I wanted to treat you and make you feel special for your birthday. You deserve all of that and more.” He unlinked his hand from yours only to wrap his arm around your waist, pulling you in closer to him. “Hell, I’d give you the world if you so asked for it. Anything.” He turned his head slightly to kiss the crown of your head. You only hummed in response and continued to sit in peaceful silence, overlooking the moon on the horizon for a few moments before Mista finally spoke his mind.
“You don’t have to answer this,” he spoke softly while rubbing his hand in smooth circles along your side. “But…your birthday. How come you don’t like celebrating?”
You’ve been in an amorous relationship with Mista for the better part of a year, as well as being friends for even longer before that. Throughout the years, you just never liked to make a big deal about your birthday. In the past, Mista would have just shrugged it off and wouldn’t think twice about it. But now that you were in a relationship, it was different.
You breathed a heavy sigh, in through your nose and out through your mouth before responding. “Just…birthday blues I guess. It’s no big deal.”
“Okay,” Mista replied, continuing to gently caress your side. “Do you wanna talk about it?” I mean, I know I’m the chatterbox in the relationship but, I’ll always listen to whatever you have to say. You know that right?”
“I know.” You spoke softly with a gentle smile on your face. You reached over to grab Mista’s free hand and kissed the back of it before continuing to speak.
“It’s hard to explain,” you started. “But I guess it all boils down to my own self-esteem. You know?” You paused for a moment before finding the correct words. “Like, the idea of celebrating a birthday, a whole day for celebrating a person …” You blinked rapidly as you felt moisture build up in your eyes. “I just don’t feel like I’m worth celebrating. Like, all the pomp and circumstance for what? For me? ” A weak chuckle escaped your lips while you used your free hand to wipe away stray tears near your eyes. “Nah, I’m not special enough for that.”
You sniffled quietly but made no attempt to quiet yourself. Mista only continued to hold you, now cushioning you against his chest as he stroked your hair while you weakly sniffled into his shirt. He pressed his face into your head, kissing you there and rocking you back and forth while you continued to speak and let all of your emotions out.
Mista waited until your tears calmed down enough before he spoke your name. “Baby…” He sighed before he continued. You weakly mumbled, indicating that you were listening.
“God,” Mista chuckled before sighing again. “If only you could see yourself the way I do.” The hand that was stroking your hair made its way back to your side, caressing you. “Listen, I…I’m not a ‘words guy,’ but let me try.” You heard an audible gulp reverberate throughout his body while he took the time to collect his thoughts.
“You are the sweetest, most thoughtful, kind-hearted person I know. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so adamant and enthusiastic about putting the shopping cart back in the corral, helping old people cross the street, recycling your bottles and cans instead of just throwing them away, all that good stuff.” He laughed a bit while you smiled, still burying your face in his shirt.
“Everything you do and say just…has so much thought and kindness behind it. You inspire me to be a better person for you, because you deserve the absolute best.” He paused to stroke your hair. “The world is full of awful people. Absolute assholes. Trust me, I deal with them on a daily basis. Those people? They don’t deserve birthdays. They don’t deserve to be celebrated. But you? You’re special. Even more special than the average person. Not only would you not hurt a fly, but you’d probably like, take it to a doctor if you accidentally injured one or something.” He laughed at the thought, knowing it’s not something completely out of character for you. “You’re good. You’re too good. Too precious. For me, for the world, for anyone. Baby, you’re worth your weight in gold and then some.” He kissed your temple several times while his words simmered into your brain for a moment.
“You probably don’t realize this, but every time I’m out with my friends and you meet up with us later, everyone is just…happier. Your presence alone it’s just so calming and inviting, even Fugo calms down about twenty notches when you walk into the room. You literally light up the room.” Mista smiled to himself and brought your curled up figure a bit closer to him, squeezing you in a tight hug. “When I first told them we were a thing, all the guys thought I was kidding. When they finally realized that I wasn’t, they all basically asked me the same thing. ‘How did you get with her? You’re so you, and she’s so pretty, and nice, and sweet,’ blah blah blah. They still think that sometimes, I’m pretty sure.”
In between pauses, you finally spoke up. “The first time you brought me around, Abbacchio asked me if I was there against my will and to blink twice if I needed help.”
Mista threw his head back and let out a good, belly rumbling laugh, loud enough to make even you chuckle. “Oh, that asshole. That’s funny, though.”
“They all tell me to let them know if they need to keep you in check.” You chuckled again, imagining Mista at the mercy of his friends.
“Heh. Yeah, sounds about right.” Mista hummed as he kissed the crown of your head. “Because baby, it’s so plain to see, you’re such a special person. Even my dumbass friends can see that.” With careful hands, he peels you off of his chest and tilts your chin to face him. Your face was red and your nose was stuffy, evidence you were just crying. His thumbs delicately wiped away any stray tears lingering on your cheeks and looked you in the eyes. His gaze was so strong, it was overwhelming. He looked like he was about to burst, overtaken with his adoration for you.
“Oh, sweet girl.” Mista mused, getting a bit emotional himself. “If only you could see you we all see you. How I see you. Then you’d know how special you are. How absolutely lovable you are.” His own eyes became a bit misty, but he made no effort to deter the small tear falling down his face. “You deserve to be celebrated every single day. Even more so today.” He smiled brightly as he leaned in to plant a kiss on your forehead, your nose, either of your cheeks, and then onto your lips. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll always always tell you how special you are. To me and everyone else with the privilege of knowing you.” A second tear fell from his eye, yet his hands remained on your face, holding you like you’re his entire world. “I love you. So much.”
Your heart felt like it was exploding as you became overwhelmed with emotions. Immediately, you started to cry again, but with happy tears. “I love you too.” You muttered back quietly. You leaned in and caressed Mista’s face back as you two exchanged a long, meaningful kiss.
Mista was the first to break the kiss as he took his arms and embraced you again, kissing the crown of your head before pulling you into a warm hug. “Oh! I almost forgot.” He wiped his face to get rid of his tears and reached into one of the bags from the flea market. He pulled out a small pastry box and opened it for you. “Ta-da!” He said, making you both laugh. In the box was a small cupcake, your favorite flavor with your favorite icing on top with some cutesy decorations.
“When did you get this?” You chuckled and met Mista’s eyes.
He shrugged yet continued to smile like the lovable dope he is. “Nowhere special. Just from the flea market earlier today.” As you held the cupcake, Mista returned to dig through the bag looking for something else. While he wasn’t looking, you took a peak at the logo on the box the pastry came in. Your favorite bakery. “Nowhere special” your ass.
Mista’s search through the bag proved to be triumphant as he pulled out a singular birthday candle, which you noted also happened to be your favorite color. He placed the candle in the middle of the cupcake and you stared at him in awe. “You really are adorable, you know that?” You gleamed.
“Nah, I’m a big tough guy, you got that?” Mista smiled as he kissed your forehead. “A big tough guy who just happens to love to do anything to see his girl smile. Now come on, birthday girl. I got a song to sing.” You smiled brightly as he pulled out a lighter and lit the singular candle. He sang happy birthday with a smile on his face and cheered when you blew out the candle.
“What did you wish for?” He inquired with those annoyingly cute puppy dog eyes.
“I knew you would ask that! It’s bad luck to tell.” You laughed as you took a small bite from your cupcake.
“Fine,” Mista rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue without any malice. “You’re no fun.” He watched you dig into a bit of your cupcake before you offered him a bit, and he took it after you finally persuaded him to take a bite.
“You.” You said, shyly.
Mista’s eyebrows raised and he replied with his mouth full. “What about me?”
“That’s what I wished for.” You bashfully replied, struggling to meet his gaze. “Just…I wished to be with you. For a long time.”
His eyes went as wide as dinner plates. His smile was as bright as the sun. He gently placed the rest of the cupcake in the rest of the box and grabbed your cheeks and kissed you literally all over your face before pecking your lips.
“Babe!” Mista laughed. “What a stupid wish. I’m not going anywhere! Never, ever.”
“You really mean it?” You giggled while Mista was still peppering your face with kisses that tasted extra sweet thanks to the frosting.
“Absolutely.” He smiled, pulling you into a hug.
Before long, you two were in your original position, with your back leaning against Mista’s chest. Except this time, instead of him holding you while you two looked out to the sea, he played with the ends of your hair.
“So…” Mista started as he attempted to braid a strand of hair. “I was thinking…for your birthday next year…”
“Oh my god, don’t .” You laughed. “That’s a whole year away. Let’s enjoy the present.” You turned your head to kiss Mista’s cheek.
“Okay.” Mista replied as he continued playing with your hair. After about another minute, he gave up and pulled you against him. “Happy birthday, baby. I’m so glad you were born, and I’m so lucky I get to be yours. I love you so much.”
You pulled away from him only to turn around so you could face him. “Thank you, baby. Thank you for making this birthday so special. I love you so much.”
Over the next hour, you and Mista overlooked the ocean making idle chat. Once the sun finally came down, Mista walked you back to your place hand in hand. Although you preferred your space, you invited him to spend the night with you. The remaining hours of your birthday were spent in bed cuddling with your lover with a good movie, falling asleep in his arms.