The kitchen was covered in flour and egg shells. There was a mix of oil, water, and milk over one of the benches that slowly dripped onto the linoleum covered floor. Standing over a bowl of ingredients, Jason whisked them together, doing his best to keep everything inside the bowl and off the bench. Once the batter was neatly mixed together with no visible lumps, Jason threw the whisk into the sink and looked at the bowl and smiled. Turning the oven on to preheat, he rifled through the cupboard until he pulled out a cake tin. Trying to find the butter under the mess he had made, he threw the tea towel across the room and started to collect empty packaging and rubbish and chucked it into the bin. Finding the butter sitting underneath and unopened bag of chocolate chips, Jason grabbed it and went back over to the cake tin and began to grease the inside of it so the cake wouldn't stick while it was cooking.
Returning the butter to the fridge, Jason looked around the kitchen and pursed his lips and nodded to himself. It looked like a disaster zone and he knew he would have to clean it before Stephanie got home from class. Spying the chocolate chips once more, he shrugged and ripped open the bag and tipped them all into the cake batter. Opening up the random drawer of assorted kitchen utensils, he pulled out a spatula and mixed the chocolate chips in, making sure they were evenly dispersed within the mixture. Pulling the cake tin towards himself, he slowly tipped the cake batter into it, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure he got every little bit in.
Flattening the batter out so it filled every last little bit of the cake tin, Jason placed it in the oven and set the timer for forty minutes. Getting to work on the kitchen, he picked up the last of the rubbish and placed it in the bin. Returning the milk to the fridge and the oil to the cupboard, Jason ripped off some paper towel and placed it on the spill on the floor. Opening up the cupboard under the sink, he pulled out the cleaning spray and wipes and got to work cleaning up his mess.
Not knowing how he ended up getting both flour and sugar on the top of the cupboards, he shook his head and continued his efforts. Not even twenty minutes later, he stood back and examined his work. The kitchen was sparkling clean and the dishwasher was on cleaning everything he had used.
Finding another mixing bowl now that he could see where everything was, he went through the pantry and pulled out icing mix and some candles. Hearing the oven ding, Jason opened the oven door and tested the cake to make sure it was cooked. Taking it out using just a tea towel, he set it aside and turned the oven off. Letting it cool, he got busy on tidying up the rest of the apartment. This was Steph's first birthday where it was just them and Jason wanted to make the day special for her.
Going into the spare bedroom, Jason searched through the wardrobe until he found the present he had gotten for her and smiled when he looked at it. To add a little humour to the day, he found Batman wrapping paper and thought it would make Steph smile. Placing the present down on the coffee table, Jason went back into the kitchen and took the cake out of the tin to let it cool off the rest of the way.
Giving it twenty minutes, Jason checked the time and realised that Steph should be home in ten minutes. Quickly making up the chocolate icing, Jason did his best to make sure he spread it out evenly on the cake and didn't miss a spot. Noticing he had made up a little too much icing, he shrugged and began to ice the sides, using up the last of it. Doing a quick clean up, he added the purple candles to the cake and took a step back and smiled at his creation. It didn't look the best, it was a simple chocolate cake, but he was proud of what he had done.
Hearing the front door lock click open, Jason quickly lit the candles and waited until Steph was inside with the door closed. Walking over to her while singing Happy Birthday, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he looked at his beautiful girlfriend. Letting her blow out the candles he placed the cake down and pulled her into his arms, tenderly placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Happy birthday, my love."