Floating on Love... (Nat Valentine's Special)

Valentine’s Prompt: The unexpected gift

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Boomf…boomf…boomf…

The many, many balloons bop together as they hang in the air, prevented from rising to the ceiling by curled pink and white ribbons attached to heart-shaped weights.

“Is it too much?” Nat asks, her expression creased in uncertainty.

I stare with wide, unblinking eyes at my living room, which almost blinds me with the glare of a hundred metallic Valentine’s balloons expressing a myriad of sweet and overly lovey-dovey sentiments.

“No, its…uh…It’s just a surprise!” I manage to stumble out, blowing out a sharp breath to keep one of the balloons from knocking into me.

Nat shakes her head. “It’s too much. I knew it was. I was excited and—”

I turn in the doorway and place my hands on her arms. “It’s perfect,” I say with a smile. “You’re perfect.”

She tenses beneath my fingers a little at that statement before relaxing and returning my smile. “Nothing can be more perfect than you, [redactedpetname].”

“Oh man,” I say with a slight moan. “Are we one of those couples?”

She raises a brow before frowning. “What couples?”

“You know,” I clear my throat to put on my best high-pitched voice, “‘Oh, sweety-dumpling, you’re the best. Oh no, honey-snookums, you’re the best’.”

She bursts out a laugh, the rich sound of it enveloping me and drawing a bright smile onto my face before I can stop it.

She places her hands over mine. “I think we are, honey-snookums.”

I roll my eyes. “Stop teasing me.”

Her arm moves around to trace her fingertips in circles over my lower back. “Would you prefer another kind of teasing?”

My body springs to life at the intimate touch before my gaze shifts to my apartment. “Unless you want to get strangled by ribbons, then not right now.”

“Yes, I apologise…” She rubs a hand over the back of her neck. “I thought it would be more romantic than awkward.”

“It is romantic,” I argue. “And I love it…sweety-dumpling.”

Her frown breaks into a relieved smile. Then I wrap my fingers into her shirt to yank her closer and show her just how much I appreciate the unexpected gift.