Better Off As Lovers

6.19.17

1:17. I yawn. There's only a few people still at the party, most of them my closer friends. Andra left around midnight, her curfew for special occasions.

"It's present time!" Rick shouts. Missy and Amy drag me towards the couch, where a pile of boxes and cards sit. They push me onto the cushions and throw confetti in my face, making me laugh.

"You guys, you really didn't have to get me all this."

Missy shushes me and shoves a box in my lap. "Open mine first!" I stare at it for a second, then start tearing off the wrapping paper like a child.

"Oh my god, you got me a box! It's everything I've ever wanted, thank you so much!"

Missy laughs. "Open the box, idiot. There's more inside." I smile and take the lid off, revealing a pocket watch. I gasp and whip my head up to her. "Maybe now you could be on time to something for once."

"I love it so much, thank you! I don't know what to say," I babble.

"It's really no big deal. I got it from my grandfather, and there was no way I was ever gonna use it. It'd ruin my aesthetic."

I laugh as Amy hands me her gift. "It's just a gift card for Barnes and Noble. We gotta go together sometime."

"Thank you," I say. Danny walks in with his hands behind his back, giving me a cocky smirk that says 'My gift is going to be so much better than all of those.'

I open cards with heartfelt wishes and more gift cards for book shops. Am I really that transparent? I guess so.

Danny plops down next to me on the couch, hands still behind his back. "My turn." He hands me a flat package with a bow on top. I rip off the blue wrapping paper to reveal a large manila envelope.