Rhys set his keys down on the kitchen counter and rubbed his temples. It had been a long day at work, many meetings, loads of paperwork to sort through, everyone coming to him with one concern or another, and having to fix whatever it was quickly before someone yelled at him for not having it fixed already. He looked at the clock, it was going on nine at night, and all he wanted to do was go to sleep. He was just about to, when someone tapped him on his shoulder and he turned around. Sasha was there in front of him, in a dress he had never seen her wear, and it was beautiful, just like her. She had a small wrapped box in her hand, and a crooked smile on her face. Rhys was happy to see her, but was trying to figure out exactly what was going on, and was drawing a blank.

"Please tell me you know what day it is," Sasha said, the smile on her face fading. Rhys was suddenly trying to become more aware of the time of year than had been in weeks, having a very hard time remembering the date. "Rhys, seriously? You forgot your own birthday?"

Rhys breathed a sigh of relief, thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't forgotten their anniversary or Sasha's birthday. He was never any good with remembering dates, including his own birthday, he guessed.

"Oh, oh yeah, you're right, sorry," Rhys said, shaking his head at his own forgetfulness.

"You don't have to say sorry to me because you forgot your own birthday," Sasha said, smirking and handing him the box, presumably his birthday gift. He took it, smiling down at the neat handwriting scrawling out his name on the wrapping paper. He tore the paper open, and was looking at a wooden box, which he pulled open to find a small remote control with a single button on it. Rhys looked up at Sasha, extremely confused. Sasha, stifling a giggle, said "Close your eyes."

Sasha turned off the lights in the kitchen, grabbed Rhys' hand and took him out to their dark backyard. Rhys was getting more and more confused with each step, but he went along with it. Sasha let go of his hand and had him stand in a particular spot.

"Okay, press the button and open your eyes." Rhys pressed it, and instantly saw the lighting change, even through his closed eyelids. He opened them, and his jaw dropped. All of the trees in the yard were covered in lights and glowing lanterns, and a speaker on the picnic table started playing a slow, relaxing song. There was a layer of three blankets spread out on the grass, and on top was two pizza boxes.

"You usually don't like huge gifts, so I figured a night to just hang out and eat pizza would be nice, and doing it in the house wasn't big enough, so what do you think?" Sasha said spreading her arms out, as if to say 'Tada!'

"I love the way you think," Rhys said, leaning down slightly to kiss her.

"But before that, may I have this dance?" Sasha asked in a mock-fancy voice, and Rhys stepped forward and pulled Sasha close to him, and they swayed in time with the music. All of the stress of the day was being pushed out of Rhys' mind, as if it happened months ago. It occurred to him that this was the first time they had ever danced together. They had been together for over a year now, but the opportunity had never presented itself. He had imagined it in his head a few times, but living it was so much better. But that was usually the case, the closer Sasha was to him, the better he felt. He had always thought of himself as a bad dancer overall, but tonight, swaying with her felt like the most natural thing in the world.

After the song ended, they found themselves sitting on the blankets in the grass, eating pizza. The wide sky sprawled out above them, the stars blinking brightly against the dark canvas they sat upon.

"I still can't believe you like pineapple on your pizza, that's a tragedy. That's why I ordered two pizzas, I can't handle pineapple pizza even sharing half the box with mine," Sasha said shaking her head, but smiling.

"I know, its weird. Your guess is as good as mine as to why I like it, I just do. By the way, this is really cool," Rhys replied, looking around at the lights surrounding them. "How long did this take you?"

"Eh, just all day, its no big deal. I've been planning it for a while though. I'm sorry you had to work for most of the day, but I figured coming home to this would be nice. Oh yeah, there is also ice cream in the fridge when and if, ah who am I kidding, forget the if, you are going to want some."

"All of my favorite things in one place, this is definitely the best birthday I've had in a while. I hate when my birthday is a huge thing, and there are a bunch of people, it just gets to be too much. Thank you." Rhys said, looking at her intently.

"Its no trouble."

"I mean it, this is exactly I needed."

"You're welcome, I was happy to do it. To be honest, we're just getting started. I have something else lined up for you if you would like to follow me," Sasha said, standing up and giving Rhys a quick coy glance before heading inside. Rhys watched her go, and with a smile spreading on his face, he stood up, turned off the lanterns, and followed her to their bedroom.