"Lassie!"
"Haha hello Jacob Joseph Jingleheimerschmidt"
"I can't believe you."
"What do you mean?"
"I ran into Harper today at the mall."
"Okay?"
"And she told me she was shopping, FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY PRESENT."
"...I don't follow."
"Lassie! You didn't tell me your birthday is next week!"
"Welllllll it never came up. And I didn't think it was that important."
"Not important? Are you KIDDING me? It's your day of birth! The one day a year where we can celebrate the joy of your appearance into the world!"
"...Jake are you high?"
"What? No. Okay maybe I'll tone down a little, I do seem hyped up right now...but regardless, your birthday is still important, and we're celebrating."
"Okay, how are we celebrating?"
"That is for me to know, and for you to find out."
"But Jake, I hate surprises."
"You won't hate this one Lassie, I promise."
"Jake...you know I can't, like, leave the hospital at the moment..right?"
"Well of course. That's why our birthday date will be more of an internal affair."
"Birthday date?"
"Well yeah...I mean if you agree to it being a date..."
"Oh God. I just did the thing where I made this awkward, didn't I? Ya know what, just pretend I never said it. What I actually said was birthdate, ya know like day of birth and--"
"JAKE"
"Yeah?"
"I would love to go on a birthday date with you."
"Oh. Okay! Then it's a date."
"...Are you blushing yet?"
"Oh put a sock in it Ellinger."
YOU ARE READING
Love on the Line
Short Story"Have you ever been in love?" "...Wow. That's pretty deep for 20 questions, don't you think Lassie?" "That's not an answer. You're stalling." "Okay okay you caught me." "So, have you?" "No, I haven't. But I think I could be soon."
