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“Should I assume that I’m meant to look away?”
Sayaka startled at the sound of Kyoko’s voice, face flushing as she hugged the bouquet close to her chest, trying to obscure it at least partially from view. It was hopeless, she knew, but she couldn’t bring herself not to give up. Not after all the other surprises that had been ruined over the past week.
“How do you keep doing this? I’m starting to think it’s on purpose,” she complained, pouting with little regard for the childishness of it. Gifts, dinner plans, even the outfits she planned to wear—almost everything Sayaka tried to plan for their anniversary had been found out early. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to find her girlfriend lurking nearby at the florist’s. Maybe she should have placed the order online instead of picking something out in person.
“Have you forgotten that I’m a detective? Being observant is something I’m rather good at,” Kyoko pointed out, amusement coloring her voice. “But no, I haven’t been tracking you down on purpose. What would the point of that be when it’s clearly so disappointing to you?”
“I wanted to make our anniversary special. All the plans I’ve put so much effort into, and you figure them all out before I have a chance to present them the way they’re meant to be discovered.” Her arms were still wrapped around the bouquet, probably squashing the flowers in an attempt to maintain some kind of dignity. Kyoko, for her part, just looked at her evenly, calm eyes and blank expression giving nothing away. Sappy, emotional things didn’t mean much to her, Sayaka knew, certainly not enough to be overly expressive in a flower shop filled with other customers. But they meant something to her.
“It’s alright. I’m used to discovering secrets I’m not meant to. Not sure it’s something you can change about me. But,” Kyoko continued, purposefully averting her gaze. “If it makes you feel better, I really didn’t get a very good look at the flowers. So I can leave now, and you can keep this as a partial surprise. Maybe I’ll even hole up in my office for the rest of the day and text you when I’m on the way home. Just in case you have other things to do this afternoon.”
“Really? You’re sure you’ll stay at the office?”
“Absolutely. If anything needs to be done around town that can’t wait, I’ll send Saihara. You have nothing to fear from him, I trust?”
When Sayaka nodded in agreement, a grateful smile spreading across her face, Kyoko swooped in to kiss her. She didn’t linger long, but it made Sayaka’s heart clench nonetheless. She would never get tired of this, no matter how difficult it could be to make things go her way.
“I’ll see you tonight then,” she said. “Have fun at work.”
“Mm, I’ll try my best. Happy anniversary, Sayaka.” And just like that, Kyoko was gone, brushing through the plant-crowded aisle. Sayaka stayed where she was until she heard the soft bell that signified the shop’s front door opening and closing. Only then did she cease hugging the bouquet, gently fluffing out the petals and leaves so they didn’t appear so rumpled. She headed to the counter, intent on asking the shopkeeper about adding a custom arrangement to her order. If this was the one surprise she could keep, she was going to make it extravagant.
Kyoko kept her promise. Her return home that evening was telegraphed well in advance, ensuring that Sayaka could set out the flowers, cook the (expected) dinner, and wrap the (known) gifts. She feigned surprise in an endearingly unconvincing way, but her expression softened into real awe as she traced a flower with one gloved fingertip.
“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”