You were jolted awake by a hand on your shoulder. The first thought that came to your mind was your boyfriend’s birthday present. It was finally finished and you hoped you hadn’t ruined it by drowning it in drool.

"How did you fall asleep like this?"

"Hmm?" You quickly covered the present and looked up drowsily at your boyfriend who had a phone in his hand. “Oh, I was working on something last night and I guess I never made it to bed."

He furrowed his eyebrows but didn’t dwell on the subject. “Your friend’s on the phone. By the way, do you know where a bunch of my books went?"

You looked away and made sure that his things were safely stashed under your own books. “Which ones?"

"My lyric book and the series with the beige covers."

"Uh…" You shrugged and put the phone to your ear, trying to look nonchalant. “Sorry, haven’t seen ‘em."

He walked away with a sigh and you blew out a breath in relief.

"Hello?" you asked into the phone.

"Hey, can you come pick us up now? We’re just waiting for my brother to come with the streamers and then we’re all set."

You checked the time and realized they were early by three hours. “My car’s still in the shop, though."

"Take his," your friend suggested, referring to your boyfriend.

You lowered your voice and peeked out into the hall to make sure your boyfriend wasn’t listening in. “But I think he’s starting to suspect stuff. I don’t want to look too suspicious."

She laughed and gave some orders to her friends before coming back to your conversation. “Then sneak out. It’s still a week until his birthday. He won’t notice anything."

You didn’t like the idea of going behind your boyfriend’s back but wasn’t this how a surprise party worked? You had to pull some strings without his knowing in order for your plan to succeed. “All right. I’ll see you in half an hour. Wait for me by McDonald’s."

"Okay, see ya."

You put the phone down and ran your fingers through your hair, combing it as best as you could. You would have to put his books and video games back before he realized how many of them you had taken. Stashing his present into your bag, you dashed to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, your boyfriend knew you too well.

"Are you going somewhere?" he called.

"Y-yeah. I forgot I had an appointment…at the bank. Today." You could imagine the disbelief on his face but luckily he didn’t walk into the bathroom and see how you were rushing to freshen up.

It wasn’t until you were searching for his car keys in his pockets that you noticed you wouldn’t need it if you were actually going to the bank. It was a five minute walk away. Damn, you should’ve told him something else and asked for his car.

Too late. He was already in the shower.

You finally found his keys on the kitchen counter and ran out of the house. You didn’t stop to catch your breath, not even when the car started and you had pulled out onto the road.

-

"Okay, you guys stay out here. Come in in five minutes, okay? If you still hear us in the living room, then give me a bit of extra time," you told your friends breathlessly as you searched for the keys to your front door.

"You’re leaving the door open for us, right?"

You gave your friends a look but couldn’t help the little giggle that bubbled up when you saw them. They carried balloons and streamers and a wide array of dishes but their expressions were better suited for a mission in a James Bond movie.

"Of course," you whispered before opening the door quietly. When you closed the door behind you and took your shoes off, you noticed your boyfriend leaning against the entrance of the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I see you’re back," he said coldly.

You knew you were in trouble but you had to keep up your farce and pull him to the bedroom so your friends could come in and decorate the living room. You merely nodded and took a step closer to his brooding figure.

"How was the bank?"

You mustered the best smile you could and put a hand on his arm, steering him away from the front door. “G-good. It was good."

"Why did you take the car?" He let you bring him towards the bedroom and got to the point of the conversation.

"I had some stuff to take care of and I needed the car," you replied in a small voice when you closed the bedroom door behind you and leaned against it sheepishly.

He stood in the middle of the room and crossed his arms again. You didn’t have the courage to look him in the face so you turned to the pile of books and video games on his bed. “And what stuff did you need to take care of?" His eyes followed yours to the bed and took a seat on top of the blankets. “Actually, why don’t you begin by telling me why I found these in the office room?"

You opened your mouth but stopped when you heard whispering on the other side of the door. Okay, your friends were in and now you just had to stall your boyfriend while they set up everything. Easy, right? “Ah, you found those, I see."

"Yes, I did."

You bit your lip when you understood that he wasn’t taking your bull. “Mmm, would you believe I really needed them for a secret project that I can’t tell you about?"

"What ‘secret project’ requires you to take my books and video games without asking?"

"You’ll find out soon, I promise."

He narrowed his eyes at you and stood up, using his size to intimidate you. “Why don’t you just tell me now if I’m going to find out soon anyway?"

"I can’t. Just trust me, okay?" You pressed closer to the door as he strode towards you.

His voice was low and full of warning when he spoke. “What makes you think I should trust you?"

You felt the blow to your chest and it seemed like you had lost all the air from lungs. His words were well-deserved but they still hurt nonetheless. “Because…" your voice cracked as you felt the lump forming in your throat. You blinked the tears away, searching for something good to say but the only thing that ran through your mind was the wish that your friends would hurry up and give you the signal so you could open the door.

Your boyfriend let out an annoyed sigh and pulled away to his closet. “Call me when you have a good reason." He grabbed his coat and swung it over his shoulders before walking back to you, holding out his hand. “My keys, please."

"Where are you going?" you asked in panic.

He shrugged. “I have secret projects of my own."

His words stung and you decided you had enough of this. The shuffling behind the door was only a muffle but it turned into complete silence when you swung the door open.

"Happy early birthday," you grumbled as your friends stared at the two of you with wide eyes. They were still in the midst of preparations but they soon straightened and went along with the schedule change.

"Surprise!"

You rolled your eyes and went to the pile of presents to pull out your own. “Here." You shoved it in your boyfriend’s hands and he only gave you a stunned look. “Open it," you said when he didn’t move a muscle.

He carefully turned the box over and you noticed his eyebrows raise when he saw the many video game characters you had drawn onto the wrapping paper.

"What…is this?" he asked quietly.

You briefly noted an awkward cough from behind you but you didn’t want to lose the moment of seeing your boyfriend’s surprise. “Your birthday present."

"But my birthday’s next week."

"Yeah, and we’re going out of town so we decided to hold your party early. Now open your present already."

He obeyed and carefully tore the tape to reveal a small, black notebook. “Umm…thanks?"

Slightly irritated, you crossed your arms over your chest. “Open it," you urged.

You saw his eyes light up as he read the title page. “‘50 Reasons Why I Love You’?" He flashed a small smile just as one of your friends behind you let out an “aww."

You tried to hide your blush but it was hard when it seemed like he was ready to read all the 50 reasons aloud.

He didn’t, though, but his smile got bigger every time he flipped to a new page. “You have some of my lyrics in here," he commented quietly, “and quotes from my books."

You your lips and let out an apologetic sigh. “I’m sorry I took your stuff," you mumbled as if you were a little schoolgirl who was in trouble.

He leaned down and planted a light kiss on your lips. “I’m sorry I got mad at you. Thank you, babe." He straightened and looked at the group of friends who were still watching you uncomfortably. “And I’m guessing you took my car to pick them up?"

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding in and leaned against him. “Yes, sorry I didn’t ask you."

Your boyfriend told your friends to start enjoying the food and they listened, effectively ignoring the two of you. “Don’t be. You can make it up for me on my birthday."

"I already gave you a birthday present," you said with a wrinkle of your nose.

He bent down to kiss your nose gently with a chuckle. “We’re going on a road trip, aren’t we? You’ll have lots of time to give me more birthday presents along the way."

—-

_{*shrugs* people don’t touch my things because i get really peeved when they do. idk how people forgive each other for these things because i don’t hahaha i stay weary T_T i’m sorry this took so long but i hope you liked it!}