It was now December 22nd. Today was Tiffany's birthday. Justin didn't know how to feel. Was he excited? Was he nervous? It felt like both.
"Oh God..." he said, trying to get a grip on himself. Tiffany was supposed to be coming any minute now. Of course, his house was a mess. Maybe, she'd want to go to a restaurant or movie theater instead?
Then, there was a knock on the door. Yep, he knew who it was.
"Hi, Tiffany." he kindly greeted, trying to hold in his anxiety.
"Hi, Justin." she greeted back.
"H-Happy birthday!" he said, still having a large amount of anxiety.
"Awe, thanks! So, can I come in?"
"C-Come in? Here?" he said, still hoping she wouldn't want to.
"Yeah, come in your house. What's wrong?" she asked, showing slight concern.
"I-It's nothing! Yeah, totally nothing! My house isn't dirty." he said in a hysterical tone.
"Um, okay? Why would I care? It's your house, not mine. If it's a little dirty, it's fine."
He got some grip on himself. Yeah, she's right. He let her in.
"Oh my gosh! You did a great job decorating the place." she said, complimenting him on the Christmas decorations.
"T-Thank you! I had help." he said.
"I figured someone helped you." she said. Oh lord, does that mean I'm stupid and unable to decorate by myself?
"Are you sure you don't want to go out to eat for your birthday?" he asked.
"I'm sure, Justin. I just wanted to spend my birthday on the couch watching Christmas movies."
Suddenly, Lailani walked in. But, she wasn't wearing her usual purple dress and flip flops. She was dressed up like a playboy bunny, a typical outfit meant to be sexualized.
"Hi, Tiffany." she greeted. Tiffany saw her and was completely distracted by her outfit.
"Um, hi Lailani. What's with the outfit?"
"I just thought I'd get dressed for a special occasion. Isn't it your birthday?"
"Yeah, it is. But, I didn't think I needed a playboy bunny girl around for my special day."
"I'm dressed like this because Justin hired me to be your waitress this evening."
"WHAT?!" he screamed.
The blondie looked at him blushing. "Awe, you didn't have to do that, Justin." she said. He was completely unaware what was going on.
"Tiffany, I didn't hire her to be a fake waitress. She's doing something weird." he tried to explain.
"Don't worry about it. I think pretending to be on a date could be fun. It also costs less than an actual date."
He sighed. She did have a point but this was just childish.
"Follow me to your table." Lailani said. Him and Tiffany followed her to the dining room, holding hands.
She sat them down at a table with a red tablecloth and accompanied by a vanilla scented candle.
"Thanks for taking me out this evening." Tiffany said, acting as if this was a real restaurant.
He felt uncomfortable, almost embarrassed. Lailani came by and "took their drink orders." He got a cola and Tiffany got a tea. She came back and gave him a can of cola and her a large bottle of tea.
"I don't buy tea, Lailani." he said.
"I know. That's my tea I brought with me from home." she responded.
She took the food orders. The "menu" she gave was just a piece of paper with the words "chicken alfredo" on it.
"Well, since your menu only says chicken alfredo, we'll have the chicken alfredo." he said.
Lailani left and started cooking. She was making alfredo from scratch. Well, since this would probably take some time, he figured it was a good chance to chat with Tiffany.
"So, how's school been?" he asked.
"Oh, it's going great. After Christmas break, I will be on my last semester before graduation."
"Wait, really? Has it already been four school years?" he asked.
"Yeah, pretty much. Doesn't feel like it, does it?"
"Y-Yeah. So, are you going to be a nurse or?"
"That's what I've been in college for. I actually know a lot of medical stuff. You know what? Let me test my knowledge on you."
"What are you saying?" he asked.
"Like, I'll ask you a specific question about your body or mind and see if I'm right."
"Um.. okay?"
"Alright, let's see... Are you left-handed or right-handed?"
"I guess it depends on what I'm holding. For writing or using silverware, I'm left-handed. For throwing a baseball or jacking off, I'm right-handed."
"That means you're ambidextrous, meaning you can use both your left hand and right hand for different things."
"Oh really? I've never heard of that."
"Yeah. Oh, and you saying it depends might mean you have mild autism."
The moment she brought up the word 'austim', he went into a panic. That word has a rather bad stigma around it.
"Tiffany... I'm not autistic. Even if I was, nobody would need to know."
She frowned, knowing that he was in denial.
"Justin, you're autistic. Don't deny it. Why else were you in that place for almost two years?"
"Tiffany, I'm not autistic. I have bipolar." he said, suddenly irritated.
"What's wrong with being autistic?" she asked. Of course, this question had a deep meaning to him.
"There's a lot wrong with being autistic. It gives off the impression that the person is unable and can't take care of themself. I once told a girl that I'm autistic and their immediate response was: 'I don't date people with autism'. That's why I deny it all of the time."
She frowned. Was that the reason he never said he had autism?
"Just because you're autistic doesn't mean you're unable. That bitch that said that to you is what they call an ableist."
Ableist? Is that like being racist but with mentally disabled people?
"Either way, having autism is a curse, in my opinion. It chases people off."
She didn't like him saying that about himself.
"It's not a curse, babe. It's just a unique feature. Even if one person doesn't like it doesn't mean nobody else will. I actually like people with autism. They're so interesting to talk to."
"So, you'd be OK with me having autism?" he asked.
"Yeah. Honestly, I'd much rather date someone with it than without. From what I learned, those with autism are sweet and caring."
"Um... okay. I have mild autism." he admitted.
"I already knew, Justin. I'm glad you finally admitted it."
"So, you're not mad that I lied to you?"
"You didn't lie to me if I knew the entire time."
Really? She knew that I was autistic the entire time we've been friends?
Lailani came in and set a large bowl of creamy chicken alfredo on the table. It actually looked very appealing. She even added broccoli and used spaghetti noodles instead of macaroni noodles.
"One bowl?" he asked.
"Yes, two people, one bowl. You get what you pay for." she said. He didn't know how to feel about sharing a bowl of alfredo with Tiffany. She didn't seem to mind it.
Of course, during their dinner, the cliché trope where they have the same noodle attached and end up kissing happened.
"Ah!" he screamed.
"What's wrong, Justin?" she asked.
He finally broke. He grabbed the commitment rings she gave him for his birthday. He forced one onto her finger, then he put the other on his.
"J-Justin? Is that?" she said, completely thrown off guard.
"Yes, it's the friendship rings you gave me for my birthday last week. Tiffany Maye, would you be my long-term romance partner?"
She was speechless. Was he being serious?
"Justin... I-I... don't know what to say."
"Tiffany, I'm tired of the playboy lifestyle. I'm tired of having sex for fun. I want you to be my long-term girlfriend and hopefully get married in the coming years."
She smiled. She got up from her chair and hugged him. This was not an ordinary hug, it was a serious hug. The type of hug that gave off the 'I love you so much' vibe.
"I accept you as my partner, Justin. I love you." she said, smooching him.
He was so happy. Lailani and Momo watched from the other room. Momo almost let out a tear. Looks like their cupid work paid off. Or rather, Kyu work.
Momo then came in and gave them dessert.
"Who's ready for dessert?" she asked. She then set out two oversized candy kisses. Tiffany's sweet tooth kicked in and she immediately started eating.
They spent the rest of the evening on the couch watching Christmas movies. Lailani got him hooked on Mallhark. They fell asleep on the couch, both holding onto each other. Justin's playboy lifestyle was finally over...