Floating on Love... (Nate Valentine's Special) (Patreon)

Valentine’s Prompt: The unexpected gift

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?” Nate asks, his 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.

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

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

He 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?”

He 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’.”

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

He places his hands over mine. “I think we are, honey-snookums.”

I roll my eyes. “Stop teasing me.”

His arm moves around to trace his 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…” He rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “I thought it would be more romantic than awkward.”

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

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