moments ; k.powers

08

Jess was spinning in circles. She couldn't think of anything Keith would want for his birthday. She could go big, but she knew he wouldn't enjoy that as much as a quiet night in. She could go for a nice dinner for the two of them, but that didn't feel special enough. Jess couldn't even think of anything he would want. She decided to ask the one person who knew him the best: Dari.

When Jess burst through the doors, Dari already knew she had a lot to say. Jess marched straight up to the desk and asked for a latte and to see if Dari wanted to sit with her for a bit. Dari felt her face get a little red. It wasn't that she didn't like Jess. She thought Jess was a nice girl, a little bold, but just the right one for Keith. It was just that she and Jess rarely spoke.

After Dari declared she was going on her break and Jess got her latte, the two of them sat in a corner to chat. "I have no idea what to do for Keith's birthday." Jess admitted.

Dari laughed once she realized how much she had blown things up in her head. "Sorry, I just- whatever. Keith likes small. But he wants to feel special. It's weird."

Jess nodded and sipped her drink. She gestured for Dari to tell her more.

"It's like, he doesn't want a huge fuss made over him, like a surprise party. But he'd appreciate it if you got a few of his friends over and his favorite alcoholic beverage, some music, and some food going at your apartment. With some gifts of course. Nothing says a birthday party like gifts."

Jess nodded and began typing on her phone. "Okay so a small get together at my place. That's possible. His birthday is tomorrow so I can get the food and drinks together. Can you get his friends together? I want them there, but I honestly don't know who they are."

Dari laughed a little. "I got you. His closest friend, other than me is Cole. Everyone else is just an add-on. People he likes, but won't think too hard about, you know? Friendly faces."Jess relaxed a bit once Dari continued speaking.

"Thank you so much, Dari. Honestly, I was so stressed, and I had to come to you for help. Keith just downplays everything, and I wanted to make it important." The two fell into a comfortable silence. Dari tapped the table gently, and Jess sipped from her drink until it was finished .

Jess went to work immediately. She began calling, texting, dming anyone Keith would want at his party. She decided to do italian catering. Who hated pasta? But most of all, she kept it a secret. Neither she nor Keith even mentioned his birthday. She couldn't tell if he was hurt by her silence or if he himself had also forgotten his birthday. There was no telling with this boy.

But when the day rolled around, Jess was probably more excited than Keith was. She woke up early to prepare breakfast — an assortment of heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes and crispy bacon. She didn't bother brewing coffee since the smell of it reminded him of work and long hours behind the counter. When Keith finally woke up, Jess was flipping the last pancake and using the spatula as a microphone.

"Good morning to you." He said with a smug smile on his face.

Jess immediately stopped. Her face heated up but she couldn't help but smile. "Good morning birthday boy."

Keith crossed his arms and walked closer to her. "Is this my gift? A beautiful girlfriend and bacon?"

Jess shrugged. "If it were, is that such a bad thing?"

"No, but you are about to burn my bacon."

The rest of the day went smoothly. They ate breakfast in bed, watched Netflix, and napped. Once that was over, Keith got up to do a quick lunch with his friend, Cole. Meanwhile, Dari and Jess were decorating the former's apartment. A party at Jess's would be too obvious and too difficult to coordinate. Keith spent more than half of his time there anyway. So, Dari and Jess were streaming fairy lights in the living room and vacuuming underneath the couch.

"Do you think he knows?" Jess asked.

Dari gave her a look. "There's no way he knows. That boy is smart, but extremely clueless. He probably thinks that lunch with Cole is just a show of love- well it is, but with a little more purpose behind it."

Jess hummed in response. In three hours, the catering would arrive and a few guests would start filtering in. Cole was in charge of bringing Keith to Dari's apartment without being too obvious.

For the most part it was working. They had their lunch around 2 in the afternoon. Then, they went for a walk around the park, laughing and joking about the past. When 5 o'clock hit, Cole made an excuse for wanting to see Dari. Something about needing to rummage through her closet to get a hoodie back. Keith went along with it. His birthday was going well, and he would be happy to see another friend.

As soon as he opened the door to the apartment, he was greeted by his loved ones. Music played and Keith had to cover his face to hide his surprised look. When he finally revealed the smile on his face, there Jess was, holding a drink for him and smiling back. His love for her bubbled and overflowed.