He walked briskly, tugging the multitude of colorful balloons behind him, whilest being careful not to snag them on any doorways or corners. Strolling into the empty office, he paused at the desk in front of him to carefully set down the multiple gifts in his arms. First, there was the box of expensive chocolates, which had been imported from Switzerland. He set them down lightly. And then, there was the card he had hand picked from a rather large selection at a nearby store. It had taken him hours to find just the right one that said exactly what message he wanted to convey.
He set the festively wrapped balloon weight down next to the chocolates and the card and busied himself with arranging the Valentine's Day balloons that were tied to the weight. He was too preoccupied with his work, however, to hear the footsteps coming up behind him.
Russell smirked at the scene playing out before him. His assistant stood, fussing over various gifts, which were wrapped in brilliant reds and bright pinks, splattered with bits of white and just a tiny dose of purple. He leaned against the door frame to his office, content to catch his friend by surprise.
After a moment or two of adjusting the various items so they were just so, Timmy spun around and immediately jumped out of his skin. A hand flew up to his chest in an effort to calm his rapidly beating heart.
"Oh, my goodness, sir! You surprised me."
Russell shoved off the frame with ease and began strolling towards his desk, a sly smile playing across his face. "Presents for moi?" He giddily picked up the chocolates appraising them with a very pleased look in his eye.
Timmy took a few steps back from the desk, wearily watching his friend look over them. "I... " he trailed off, suddenly feeling very unsure.
"Who are they from?" The blonde man asked glancing back at his assistance only once before his eyes turned to the shiny balloon arrangement.
"Well... " Timmy murmured. He blinked a few times and willed his heart to still its constant drumming.
Russell smiled at the balloon that hung high up above the rest. It was a monkey clutching a small, red heart that said simply, "I Love You" across it. It was very cute. The other balloons were rather generic, either white or pink, some purple, all shaped like hearts. The one at the very bottom was rather large and brilliant red. It read, "Happy Valentine's Day" across it in shiny, bubbly lettering.
After a moment or two of silence, he turned to face his assistant, only to find him staring very intently at his shiny, expensive, leather shoes. After a second, Timmy looked up to meet his gaze and said, "Actually, I don't know who sent them. You see, they just came in. They were delivered." He seemed to pause and glance away towards the door, holding his gaze there in an effort to look anywhere but his boss's face.
Russell blinked bemusedly, surveying the various presents once more. Odd. He picked up the card and checked it for a name, finding none. No hand written note either, just the simple love poem that was etched onto the card's inside by the card company.
Timmy swallowed and began to make his way slowly out of the office.
"But... who could they be from? I mean... a secret admirer?" The shorter man muttered dubiously and quietly almost to himself.
The Indian man paused at the edge of the room, near the door. He watched his employer still eyeing the presents. Smiling ruefully he said, "From a pretty girl, of course. As always."
Russell looked back at his friend but couldn't seem to smile back. "Of course." he mumbled, frowning slightly.
"You seem disappointed, sir." Timmy took a step back towards the man, a look of concern growing across his face.
"No... it's just... " The blonde man laid the card down on his desk. "It'd be nice to know who it's from is all."
His assistant nodded, looking very sorrowful. He then turned and made his way out of the office.
Russell watched him leave, a wistful expression playing across his face. He glanced down at the carpeting of his long time office thinking to himself before turning to sit at his desk and immerse himself in paperwork. But not before enjoying a few of the chocolates someone had taken time and effort to pick out for him.
Biting his lip, he tried not to think about how excited he'd felt when he first stumbled upon Timmy setting everything up. He tried not to think about how happy he'd been when he thought that the gifts were actually from Timmy.
He tried not to think about any of this as he enjoyed the decadent chocolates as he sat alone in his office.