Keepsakes

Everything was going all according to plan.

Had your TV with all the streaming apps in the world on it for her to choose whatever movie or drama she wanted. And to think that this was how she finally got you to subscribe to all of them instead of finding rips off the internet.

Got her that camera she’s been eyeing for a while as a gift, all wrapped up with a memory card and an extra battery. Costed you a pretty penny, but for her, it’s all worth the investment.

Picked up your order from her favorite sushi bar, got it all nice and ready with her favorite dipping sauce, a couple of plates, chopsticks, and all sorts of beverages. Water, juice, beer, you name it, you got it.

Even got her a small cake with a cat and some silly phrases on top that wasn’t as great as the cake she posted earlier today (likely from the girls) that you’ll surprise her with right there on the doorway to make her laugh and happy and teary-eyed and—you’re getting carried away.

Anyway, it was going to be perfect. Perfect, you think. Down to the last minute detail.

And all that was left was to wait for her to get home from one of her schedules. Which, judging from her text, was already done and dusted, leaving you nervously waiting for her to come in the front door, ready to head straight to the door with a cake in hand the moment it opened.

So you waited. Kept yourself company by doing silly back and forths with her on the phone. Sending her memes to make her laugh like pics about her gachapons, her group’s antics going viral, and she responds with a set of her own about your ‘stupid’ obsession you call your latest hobby. Reminding her to drink water (she sends you a pic of her water bottle), letting her spill the tea about the photoshoot taking longer than it should’ve and that Chaewon finally admitting her crush on one of their managers.

You don’t know how long it took for her to come home. Could’ve been five minutes, could’ve been fifty. Time didn’t matter as long as you were with her. That at the end of everything you’ll still have her, and her you. No matter what happens.

The thought makes you smile. If only you had the balls to get on your knees and show her the ring you’ve had stashed away in your closet. You hope she hasn’t found it yet, even if you hid it pretty well if you do say so yourself.

But that’s for another day.

Today, you’ll be spending every single bit of your time, attention, and affection into celebrating her day. Whatever she wants, you will provide for her.

And when she tells you she’s gotten off and riding the elevator up to your floor, to your home, to you, you’re there standing in front of the door, cake in hand and ready to surprise her.

The familiar beep of your door rings out, and it swings open to show Sakura in the flesh, looking beautiful as ever even with the hectic schedule she has. Sure, her brown hair is disheveled and she looks incredibly tired from all of today, better than most days she has at least.

But seeing her eyes light up in surprise, joy, relief, all sorts of emotions upon seeing you makes your heart melt. Her gasp transforms into a grin when she sees what you’re holding, and suddenly you’ve forgotten everything you’ve planned for the day.

You blink, reality coming back down when you hear the door close. You grin and hold the cake up.

“Happy Birthday!”

The melody you call her laugh rings true in the hallway, the dull thud of her bag follows as her eyes turn into crescents and her hands come to her cheeks in surprise. “Honey!” The awe in her voice is evident, her gaze moving between you and the cake. “You didn’t have to get me a cake.”

“I wanted to,” you reply, shrugging before walking closer to her. “It’s not as big as the one you got earlier but–”

“I don’t care.” Sakura takes it in her hands, her head moving around to see all of it. “It’s yours, and that’s all that matters.” Your heart might’ve melted even more from that, until she looks at you accusingly. “Unless this is a red velvet cake in disguise?”

You chuckle as you pick up her bag from the ground. “It’s not a red velvet cake, Kkura.” Your hand rests on the small of her back as you guide her into the living room. “It’s ice cream cake, your favorite.”

She smiles up at you, letting herself be led. “Don’t lie, you were tempted to have it be red velvet.”

“Just cause it’s myfavorite doesn’t mean I’ll get it for you.” You place her bag down on the kitchen top as you pass by, moving behind her and placing your hands on her shoulders. “It’s your day, not mine.”

“Fine. I’ll believe you for now.” She rolls her eyes, making small steps to avoid having any accidents with her cake.

Cute.

You lead her to the living room, your preparation finally bearing fruit when she pauses to look at it all. And for a second you thought she’d start tearing up seeing how far you’ve gone for her. No matter how simple it was, she always appreciated everything you’ve done, and this was no different.

Maybe a little different, but still.

Sakura puts the cake down next to the platter and comes running towards you, almost tackling you for a hug. The air damn near gets knocked out of your lungs, stumbling back as she wraps her arms around you.

She mumbles something incomprehensible, muffled by her mouth being pressed into your shirt. You chuckle, tapping the top of her head as a way to tell her that you don’t understand a single word she’s saying.

“Hey,” you murmur, messing up her hair even more and making her look up at you so cutely it makes you want to pinch her cheeks. “Words without my shirt on your mouth, please?”

Her puffing her cheeks made you actually pinch them while she speaks. “You seriously didn’t have to do all this for me.” Her wide eyes are watering, and her arms tighten around you. “I’m happy to spend the rest of my birthday relaxing, you know?”

“It’s not that much, really,” you smile, and it wasn’t. She could have a lot more than what you’ve gotten her. She could’ve had a party with her members, and you already know Yunjin’s gonna get on your ass for stealing Sakura away from them for the evening. “Besides, it’s your day. My girl’s gotta have the best dinner her man can afford.”

The light pinch of her fingers makes you jolt. “Don’t,” she admonishes, pulling back a tad to give you a look. “Don’t start with that.”

“It’s a joke, sweetie.” Mostly. It was your pride talking, and you know she doesn’t mind you earning a lot less than her considering her job, but it gets to you sometimes.

Eyes narrow, gazing at you, looking for any form of deceit. It was intense; having her look at you like that. Studying your smile, the funny raise of your brow, every inch of your features until she’s satisfied with what she sees. And when she finally does, she softens, coming back to hugging you tightly.

She says a simple word that gets eaten by your shirt once again, yet the message was already understood. It hasn’t even been five minutes yet and you’ve managed to screw up your plan.

You sigh, patting her head before running them through her locks. “Sorry,” you start, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Didn’t mean to ruin the mood for you.”

“I should be the one apologizing.” Her cheek presses up on your chest, her mouth free of the cotton you’re wearing. “I made a big deal out of it, I just–” The pause comes with an exhale, her frame hugging you closer. “I don’t like hearing that from you.”

“I know, sweetie. I know.” Your hands come to cup her cheeks, pulling away slightly to get a better look at her. “Promise I won’t do it again, okay?” You squish her cheeks slightly, where she makes a cute whine. “Please forgive me for making a stupid, self-deprecating joke.”

She doesn’t answer straight away, letting you play with her cheeks—poking at them, rubbing them together, pinching them before she sighs. “Okay, okay. Now stop it with my cheeks.” Her head shakes, slapping your hands away playfully with giggles. “I need to shower, hun. Can you get the food ready?”

“Sure, Kkura.” You nod, bopping her cheek one last time before stepping away. You let your hand hold hers for a moment longer, rubbing circles on her skin. “We okay?”

“Yeah, you idiot,” she answers, her fingers leaving yours to cup your cheeks and give you a peck on your lips. “We’re okay.”

The taste of her lips entice you, yet she pushes you away before you have a chance to act. “Ah, ah. Not yet, honey.” She grins at you, already knowing what you’re up to.

“Alright, alright.” You raise your hands up in surrender. “Anything specific you want on your plate?”

“Whatever the chef recommends,” Sakura says, before turning around and heading to her shower. “I’ll be quick!”

You watch her turn the hallway, and your shoulders slump. “Idiot,” you mutter under your breath. Almost messed things up on her birthday because you thought of a funny thing to say.

Well, it did sound pretty funny in your head, but you weren’t expecting her to get on your ass about it. Not that you’d ever blame her for it. You’re lucky enough that she knows you mean well, else this night would be completely different.

You take a deep breath. That’s in the past now, you two are okay. It’s happened already, don’t dwell on it, put it out of your mind and just focus on her.

Her saying she’ll be quick means that it’ll take her ten minutes max, usually. Plenty of time to get everything ready.

And you spend that time preparing dinner. Wasn’t too much to get it ready though, getting her some of the sushi she likes from the platter plus some of yours, placed that can of mango juice she’s gotten addicted to recently right next to it and that’s all good and prepped.