How do you stay happy when the source of your happiness is fading?
Nardho used to think that he has it all: wonderful friends, caring siblings, a happy family, and a beautiful wife he adores. Life, however, does not always go according to plan. When...
Author's remark: the photos in this chapter are taken from various online shops. The photo of the guitar-shaped spoons was taken from https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Teaspoons-Stainless-Notation-IRONX/dp/B07QC99SZH and the photo of Nardhia's bracelet came from https://www.prana-sana.com/collections/zodiac-collection/products/virgo-zodiac-bracelet while the photo I used for Nardho's pillow came from https://society6.com/product/virgo-zodiac-constellation1063133_sham and the photo for his guitar bag came from a Pinterest pin of an Etsy item https://www.pinterest.com/pin/470837336026825804/
September 6th 2626
"I think Nardhia is mad at me but I really have no idea why. Do you?" Tony asked as he passed a basketball to me. I caught the ball and tried to make a three-point shot—I missed and the ball bounced off the ring. How did Tony manage to always make the shot seem so doable?
"You're as clueless as ever." I replied as I picked the ball off the floor. "Do I need to spell it out? She's annoyed that you haven't been dropping any hints about buying a birthday present for her. If I were you, I would apologize to her right now to stop all this cold shoulder treatment."
"She is so complicated, sometimes I wonder why I'm smitten with her. Good thing I can always talk to you, eh? So, how should I go about apologizing?"
This guy! Why was I even friends with him? Oh right, he took care of me back when I couldn't take care of myself. I gave him a dude, you must be kidding look but he didn't seem to get it.
"Stop joking around, mate. It's not rocket science, just tell her you've been an insensitive boyfriend and then go buy her something nice—perfume, pendant, hair pins, whatever."
"That's the problem! I'm overwhelmed just thinking of all the possibilities. May I borrow your Moira for an evening? Maybe I need a girl's perspective. I'm bad at picking gifts for girls."
"It's the thought that counts. Seriously, though, if you know Nardhia's hobbies it should be a piece of cake. She likes singing and dressing up, so give her something related. You date her, so you should have known more about her, otherwise why bother dating her?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll think about her hobbies more and all that. By the way, although I know your birthday isn't until the eighth, I picked out your birthday present already. You're easier to shop for than your twin." Tony handed me a box with a logo that looked like it could belong in an industrial kitchen or an upscale restaurant. Was this a subtle code for me to cook more often?
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I unwrapped the box and saw that there were a set of teaspoons and coasters inside. The little spoons were shaped like guitars while the coasters looked like vinyl. It was evident that Tony had them customized for me since there were lyrics of my favorite songs engraved on edges of the coasters. To say that I was ecstatic would be an understatement. Still, I decided to tease him.
"I think you're more in love with me than you are with Nardhia. Too bad I'm straight."
"In your dream! I'm straight too, you know. But even if I swing that way, you're not my type."
