"Hello, Momoko speaking? Oh, hey, Nick, what's up?"
Momoko's expression brightened considerably when her boyfriend answered the phone that morning. The Kelly family was currently on vacation in Hawaii, a place Momoko had always wanted to see growing up. Obviously, she had been incredibly jealous that she couldn't tag along with Nick and the Kelly family, though she understood that it meant a lot to Nick's mom and dad, seeing as how Hawaii had once been the site of their honeymoon.
"It's hot as heck right now," Nick groaned from the other side of the call.
"Nick, you're in Hawaii. It's naturally supposed to be hot there," Momoko giggled.
"Well, this is kinda overdoing it!" Nick responded. Momoko imagined him flailing his arms about much like Hazuki would whenever a ghost was involved. "I'm glad that my sister isn't roasting out there, otherwise we'd be kinda..."
"I feel ya," Momoko laughed, even though she could hear conversation in the background, most likely Nick's sister Kirino telling some random story to her father about their old adventures.
"I know I always say I'd rather sweat than freeze, but this is just overkill!"
"Relax, Nick, you'll be back soon, I'm sure," Momoko quipped. "Back to New York's nice balanced weather."
"Here's hoping," Nick replied. "Oh, mom's back. We're heading out for breakfast, so I'll call you tonight, 'kay?"
"You got it, Nick."
"Oh, and before I forget... happy birthday, Momoko."
A click, and that was the end of the call. Nick must have been in a hurry.
Still, Momoko couldn't help but smile. No matter where he was, Nick never forgot about her birthday, even if he wasn't around in person.
He's such a thoughtful boyfriend, Momoko thought.
Momoko went through most of the day as she expected to, only to receive a big surprise when she returned from school.
"Mom, I'm home!" Momoko called out, knowing her mother was usually there to greet her when she arrived back home.
But as Momoko swung the front door open, she was greeted with something else entirely.
Momoko was honestly stunned, as if she didn't know exactly how to process this information.
Was this real? She wasn't dreaming, was she?
"What's wrong? Are you so stunned that you don't have any words?" Nick teased.
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Momoko squealed loudly and threw herself into the arms of her boyfriend.
"Please tell me you're real," Momoko stated.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Nick replied, returning his girlfriend's happy embrace.
"I thought you guys weren't going to be back for another three days!" Momoko exclaimed.
"That's what we wanted you to think," Nick explained. "We just got in this morning. Mom knew that I wanted to be here for your birthday, considering you're my dang girlfriend, for crying out loud. You know I'd never pass up a chance to do something cool for your birthday."
Nick pulled Momoko closer to him, so that her head was resting on his chest. "And you know what I always say... no matter where you go or what you experience, there's no place like home."
"You got that right," Momoko giggled, wiping a couple tears from her eyes. "You're so sweet to me, Nick."
"Hey, I wouldn't be doing my job as your boyfriend if I wasn't," Nick laughed.
"And I wouldn't be doing my job as your girlfriend if I didn't show my appreciation," Momoko replied, leaning up so she could kiss Nick.
As they kissed, Momoko reflected on how she'd met Nick back in fifth grade. Though there had been a definite attraction between the two for a long time, they hadn't really acted on it out of fear of losing what they had (Nick even admitted how cliché that reasoning was).
But by the time high school rolled around, Nick had finally decided he'd had enough of waiting for a chance, and had decided to tell Momoko how he felt. Extremely relieved to finally have it all out in the open, Momoko had accepted without any hesitation, and the two of them had been going steady ever since.
"I love you, Nick," Momoko giggled.
"I love you, too, Momoko," Nick replied.
"Okay, okay, if you two lovebirds could stop making out for a few seconds, get in here so you don't miss the cake!" Kirino shouted, gesturing towards the kitchen with a bright smile on her face.
"Don't get your sleeves in a knot, sis, we're coming!" Nick responded. "Well, let's head on in before Kirino scarfs all the cake."
"Good idea," Momoko laughed, taking Nick's hand so they could enter the house together.
Nick was right. There was no place like home.