::the silence, the secrets, and the late night messages make desire believe the worst. but sometimes, love hides behind things you can't explain.
warning :: pretty emotional, longish?
You'd been planning it for weeks, not because you had to but because you wanted to.
There was something about birthdays that always felt special to you. Not because of the presents or the attention, but because it was one day where someone could truly feel how much they meant to the people around them.
And this year you wanted Desire to feel that special feeling. You wanted him to walk into a room and immediately know that every little detail was chosen because someone cared.
Your laptop sat open on the kitchen counter, the screen filled with different tabs. A bakery website, a decoration page, a list of names, and a note on your phone titled:
You smiled every time you looked at it. Even the smallest things made you excited. The cake, the theme, even he little decorations you knew he would pretend not to care about but secretly love.
You had spent almost an hour deciding between two different cake designs before finally messaging the bakery.
"Hi! I was wondering if I could order this one, but with a few changes?"
You stared at the message after sending it, smiling to yourself. It was ridiculous how excited you were. He wasn't even going to know. That was the best part. You imagined his reaction, the way his face would change when he realized. The way he'd probably laugh and say you didn't have to do all this.
Your phone buzzed it was a message from one of his friends.
"Everything is confirmed. He has no idea."
You immediately smiled before typing back quickly.
"Thank you for helping me! Please don't accidentally tell him."
The reply came almost instantly.
You laughed quietly, knowing he was right. Desire had no idea, and you wanted to keep it that way.
The first sign of trouble wasn't obvious. So small that you didn't even realize it was happening. You were sitting on the couch one night, replying to messages about the party. So engrossed in the conversations you didn't hear him walk into the room.
You looked up quickly as Desire stood there, looking at you.
The second the words left your mouth, you noticed his confused, hurt expression.
You smiled softly. "It's nothing."
But something about the way he looked away made your stomach twist. Because to you, it was nothing. Just something you couldn't explain yet. But to him? Maybe it sounded different.
Over the next few days, you tried even harder to hide everything, you turned your phone over whenever he walked near, you took calls in another room, you even left the apartment for "errands" that were actually last minute party details.
You thought you were being careful. You thought you were protecting the surprise. But you didn't notice what it looked like from his side.
You didn't notice the way Desire watched you. The way he went quiet when you smiled at your phone, the way he stopped asking where you were going because he didn't want to seem like he was questioning you.
The way he started overthinking..Thinking maybe you weren't excited to see him anymore. Maybe something had changed in the relationship.
The night before his birthday, you were sitting on the floor surrounded by supplies. Everything was finally coming together.
The decorations were hidden, the plans were confirmed, and the last messages were sent.
You looked around and smiled knowing tomorrow was going to be perfect.
At least you hoped it would be till the front door opened and you quickly closed your laptop way to quickly.
And that was when you realized. Desire noticed. You looked up and he was standing there, watching you. And for the first time he didn't look curious. He looked hurt.
"Desire." You said softly.
He didn't answer immediately. He just looked at the laptop you had closed so quickly, then back at you. "What are you doing?"
The question was simple but the way he asked it made your heart sink.
You swallowed. "Nothing."
And you hated yourself for saying that because you saw the small change in his expression. Like every time you said "nothing," he felt himself getting pushed further away.
He looked away for a second, a quiet breath leaving him. "You've been saying that a lot lately."
"You've been saying that every time I ask what's going on."
"Because nothing is wrong."
"Then why does it feel like something is?"
You wanted to tell him about the surprise, you really did. But you couldn't.
"Desire, I promise it's not what you think."
His eyes met yours. "What do I think?"
He stepped closer just trying to understand. "I feel like I don't know what's going on with you anymore."
Your chest tightened. "That's not fair."
His eyebrows pulled together slightly. "Not fair?"
"No, because I'm trying."
The question came out faster than he meant it to, and after that there was a burning silence between you two.
He looked away. "I'm sorry."
You shook your head. "No, it's just," you sighed. "I can't explain everything right now."
His expression fell slightly. "Why?"
You looked down. "Because I can't."
"That doesn't answer my question."
You stayed quiet and that silence answered his questions.
His voice got quieter. "Are you avoiding me?"
Your head lifted immediately. "What?"
"Because that's what it feels like."
You were trying so hard to do something good. And somehow you were hurting him anyway. "I can't tell you."
"No, I just.." He stopped before running a hand over his face. "I don't understand."
"I've been sitting here wondering if I did something wrong." He admitted.
Your expression softened. "You didn't."
"Then why do I feel like you're already halfway gone?"
"Then why does it feel like I'm losing you?"
You stood up before stepping closer. "Desire."
His voice cracked slightly. "Are you still happy with me?"
You hesitated slightly. "I just need you to trust me."
"When you won't tell me what's happening?"
You went quiet before he nodded slowly.
"I don't want to fight with you," he said before sighing, his shoulders dropping. "I just feel like I've been with you all week, and somehow you've been somewhere else."
"I love you, " you whispered. "I promise."
His expression softened for a second. "I love you too."
"That's why I'm so scared."
He nodded once. "I need some air."
Your heart dropped. "What?"
"I just need a minute." He grabbed his keys. "I'm not leaving you."
He opened the door not looking back before shutting it behind him.
The apartment had never felt so quiet. Everything was exactly the same. Except it didn't feel the same anymore.
You sat on the couch, staring at the decorations hidden away in the corner of the room. The ones you had spent hours choosing. The ones you had been so excited about.
Your phone sat beside you. No new messages. You knew he needed time alone, but that didn't mean it was easy to think about.
You wanted to make him feel loved, not unloved. You wanted him to know how much he mattered. But somehow he was sitting somewhere thinking the complete opposite.
The lock on the door finally turned and you immediately stood up. Desire stepped inside quietly. Thankfully looking calmer than before.
Then he closed the door behind him. "I'm sorry."
The words came out before anything else. You blinked. "What?"
He looked down. "I shouldn't have left like that."
He sighed. "I got in my head."
You looked at him carefully.
"No, I mean, " he looked back at you. "I really thought I was losing you."
You stayed quiet before stepping closer "Desire, I wasn't.."
"I know," he interrupted softly. "Actually, I don't know."
He took a breath. "You've always been the person I can go to. The person I tell everything to."
"So when I started feeling like you didn't want to tell me things anymore," his voice lowered. "It scared me."
Your eyes started burning. "I wasn't trying to make you feel like that."
"But I couldn't tell you."
you couldn't hold it anymore. You looked away. "Because it was supposed to be a surprise."
You swallowed. "Your birthday."
His face changed slightly. "My birthday?"
You nodded. "I've been planning it."
You walked toward the cabinet where you had hidden everything. Your hands were shaking slightly as you pulled everything out. The decorations, the notes, the invitations, the cake confirmation, everything.
You placed it all on the table. "I wasn't hiding something bad."
Your voice cracked slightly. "I was hiding something good."
He looked back at the decorations. "You did all this?"
You nodded. "I wanted it to be special."
A small laugh escaped you, but it wasn't happy. "I wanted you to walk in and be surprised. I wanted you to see everyone there and know how much people love you."
You wiped at your eyes. "I didn't want to ruin it."
The guilt hit him all at once. "Wait."
He stepped closer. "So all those times you were texting?"
You nodded. "The invitations."
You gave a tiny, sad laugh. "Yeah."
He looked at you. "I thought.."
"I thought you were falling out of love with me."
He shook his head. "I know how stupid that sounds now."
"It doesn't sound stupid."
He stepped closer. "I should've trusted you."
"I should've asked you properly instead of assuming the worst."
"I'm sorry." He sighed. "Iโm sorry I made you feel like you had to choose between keeping a surprise and reassuring me."
Your eyes softened. "I just wanted tomorrow to be perfect."
He smiled sadly. "You were trying to make me happy this whole time."
He looked around at everything. Then back at you. "And I was convinced I was losing you."
A small breath left him. "I'm so stupid."
You laughed quietly. "A little."
He stepped closer removing the gap. His arms wrapped around you. And this time, it wasn't because everything was magically fixed.It was because you both needed the reminder that you two still loved and cared for each other.
"I love you." He whispered.
You closed your eyes. "I love you too."
He held you a little tighter. "Tomorrow was supposed to be a surprise."
You shook your head. "You didn't ruin it."
He pulled back slightly. "You sure?"
A small smile appeared. "Now you just have to pretend you're surprised."
He looked at you. "Think I can do that."
"You are terrible at pretending."
He smiled. "Still worth a try."
The next day, Desire walked into the room, and even though he already knew he still stopped. Because knowing about something wasn't the same as seeing it.
The decorations, the people, the effort, the love.
You watched him carefully. "So?"
He looked around dramatically. "Hmm."
You narrowed your eyes. "Desire."
He looked offended. "I am."
It wasn't exactly the perfect surprise, but it was better than anything he would've wished for.