"Hmm... What do boys want for their birthdays anyway?" You tapped your chin as you leaned down to look through the watches on display.

 

You saw your friend shrugging as he leaned against the glass counter. "Depends on the guy," he muttered.

 

You heaved a sigh and stood up to put your hands on your hips. "Come on, I asked you to come along with me so I could get some advice." A pile of graphic tees caught your eye and you skipped to the table to sift through them. "It's your birthday tomorrow, right? What would you want?"

 

He strolled over with his hands in his pockets, watching you go through the shirts. "I'm surprised you remember."

 

You gave him a look. "Of course I remember. But I also remember that you don't like to celebrate your birthday. I still don't understand why, though."

 

He picked at the print of one of the shirts and murmured, "It's nothing special. Just another day."

 

"Good thing I have work tomorrow. Can't help you throw a party even if I wanted to." You held up a neon blue shirt with the Superman logo on it and turned to him. "How about this one?"

 

His disapproving face told you to put the shirt back on the table. "If it were me, I wouldn't want a girl to buy my wardrobe for me. Too risky."

 

"Fine," you crossed your arms and faced him. "If your girlfriend had to buy something for you for your birthday, what would you want from her?"

 

"You’re buying something for your boyfriend? You have a boyfriend?"

 

"That's not the point!" Your hands turned into fists at your side, signalling your frustration. "What do guys want? Speakers? Video games? Sunglasses?"

 

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked away. "I don't know..."

 

"Urgh! Men are so hard to shop for!" You stomped away and clutched at your bag, making sure the contents in it didn't move too much.

 

"I told you, it depends on the guy," he said as he caught up but you didn't bother responding. If he wasn't going to be any help, then it was a waste for him to come along. "Hey, why don't you just cook something for him?"

 

"Can't cook," you said through gritted teeth as you scanned the rack of colognes.

 

"Then buy him something he likes to eat."

 

You shot him a look. "Are you only suggesting that because you're hungry?"

 

His hands were stuffed into his pockets as he shrugged. "Maybe," he replied with his eyes on the ground.

 

"Look, I'll pay for your lunch if you help me pick something out. Anything."

 

He sighed and looked at the dark bottles of scents. "Deal. What's your budget?"

 

"Don't have one. Just pick something."

 

His eyebrows creased together but he reached for an amber bottle anyway. "Get this one, then."

 

"Does it smell good?" you asked as you raised the bottle to your nose and sniffed.

 

"I guess. Last time we came here, you said you liked this one when I tried it on."

 

You froze as you remembered the embarrassing moment when you had to stand on your tip toes and smell his neck. You couldn't even remember if you thought the scent was good or not because you had been too flustered about being so close to him. "Oh right." You shakily set the bottle down and grabbed an unopened box. "I'll get this one then."

 

"Finally," you heard him say as you walked to the cashier with a blush spreading across your face.

 

-

 

You swirled your noodles around in the soup, not feeling hungry enough to eat the rest of it. Your bag sat on the seat beside you, hiding the presents.

 

"Are you going to ignore me for the rest of the day?" he asked after chewing his noodles through the awkward silence. You guys hadn't said much since you bought him his lunch but you were busy trying to gather all the courage you had inside.

 

You your lips and stared down at your food. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

 

"About what?"

Putting the fork down, you sat back in your seat. "What if he doesn't like the present?"

 

"Why wouldn't he?"

 

"I don't know... What if he doesn't like the smell?"

 

He put down his fork as well and leaned forward. "If this guy that you like likes you back, he'll like anything you give him."

 

You stared at your lap, letting your bangs cover your eyes. "How do you know I like him?"

 

"Lucky guess. You wouldn't be this stressed out if you didn't like him." You noticed him shift forward and found his eyes staring up at you. "Cheer up, okay? For me?" he said with a pout that made you sit up straight in a hurry.

 

You fixed your hair as you tried to stay composed. "I'm stressed because I tried to get advice but you still haven't given me any," you grumbled.

 

He sat back and when you glanced up, you saw that he was shooting a glare at you. "Here's some advice: if my girlfriend wanted to get a birthday present for me, I'd ask her to let me take her out on a date."

 

"What?"

 

"Yeah, something like today except a bit more romantic and less focused on another guy. Then I'd want a kiss and probably hold her while we watch the sunset together." His words came out in a fury, nothing wistful like one would imagine.

 

You blinked as you felt your ears get hot. On the other side of the table, he also began to look uncomfortable as he realized what he had said. You watched his Adam's apple bob, and wondered if his words were true.

 

"Yeah, romantic like that," he mumbled as he took your trays and marched stiffly to the trash bins.

 

You glanced over at your bag and took a deep breath. Your heart was beating too quickly and your mind didn't realize that you hand was already reaching for the boxes. Setting the boxes and card down on the table, you dabbed at your forehead, hoping you didn't look like you had just stepped out of a sauna.

 

You saw his feet stop as he reached the table and you squeezed your eyes shut for a second. "What's this?" he wondered out loud as he slowly took a seat.

 

"Umm..." You fidgeted with your fingers on your lap. "Happy birthday."

 

Your head was bowed as he opened the card first, ignoring the boxes that held the cupcake and cologne. You waited patiently as he read the card that held your confession but each silent second was torture. Your face got redder and your hands got clammier—

 

He stood up and strode over to your side. His fingers brushed back your hair as he leaned down and whispered, "Thank you." He was so close to you! So close! If only you turned to your side, you could kiss him!

 

You felt his soft lips press gently on your cheek and you forced your stiff neck to pivot. Just as he was backing away, you reached up and kissed him back. The feeling of his lips on yours made you melt and you couldn't even tell if he was kissing back or not.

 

After what felt like an eternity (though you wouldn't mind it lasting much, much longer), your wobbly legs made you fall back into your seat. "I really like you," you sighed without realizing what you had said. Your mind was too focused on the tingly sensation on your lips.

 

"Good," he replied as he knelt down by your chair and leaned in, "'Cause I like you, too."

 

---

 

okay i don’t think i did this request justice because WOOOOW THAT’S A REALLY CUTE REQUEST and it came right on time, too. i had asked my guy friend what a guy would want from his girlfriend the day prior to receiving this request. i also asked two other guys and their answers were also put into this scenario ((except one answer was “birthday ” and i wanted to keep this thing family friendly so i didn’t include it)) but daaaamn, i was honestly expecting the guys to tell me that they wanted actual things but AWWW, THEY ALL WANTED KISSES AND HUGS AND YES, ONE GUY SAID WATCHING THE SUNSET OMG ;A;

tldr: BOYS ARE SO CUTE I’M GONNA RUN MYSELF OVER WITH A TRUCK