Mid December
Celebration!
"Alright, careful!" Fretted Jeremy as he and Paul struggled to get a large package wrapped in a couple of trash bags off the bus. After a couple of hair-raising minutes they were both on firm ground with a decent hold on the two-meter long box. The pair of nerds set it down on a nearby bench to take a breather.
"This things not that heavy, but it sure it awkward!" Complained Paul
"Yeah, I know! Not much further though."
"Ok, good. You owe me big time for this Belpois!"
"Yeah, I know," replied Jeremy with a chuckle. The two of them hefted the box under their arms and finished the quarter mile hike between the bus stop and Jeremy's apartment. Neither of them were in particularly good shape either and were huffing and puffing by the time they arrived. After fumbling with his keys for a minute, Jeremy managed to get the door open and the two of them walked inside.
"Hi, Jere...my..." greeted Aelita awkwardly when she saw Paul and the package. "Uhh, hello, Paul," she said, seeming to have gotten a little bit over her surprise.
"Hi, Aelita!" Jeremy chirped, and he and Paul kicked off their shoes. "We'll be back in a second!" Jeremy led the way to the front room and the two of them set the box down on the couch.
"Alright, my work here is done! I'm gonna take off," said Paul. "It was nice seeing you again though," he added, waving at Aelita.
"You too..." she trailed off.
"And thanks again for helping me get this here," added Jeremy.
"No problem, but you still owe me!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know!" The two of them chuckled, then Paul left.
"What's going on?" Asked Aelita curiously.
"Happy birthday!" Exclaimed Jeremy and his wife squeaked out a giggle, covering her mouth with her hands.
"I completely forgot!" She said with a laugh. "And that..." she said questioningly, pointing to the plastic wrapped box.
"It's your birthday present!" Answered Jeremy.
"Really? It's enormous!" Jeremy chuckled.
"Do you want to open it now, or after dinner?" He asked cheerfully. Aelita only thought for a moment before deciding that waiting until after dinner would be torture!
"I think I'll open it now." An excited grin sprouted on Jeremy's face. Aelita slowly approached the large package, wondering just what it could be! Jeremy helped her remove the trash bags first, revealing the brightly colored wrapping paper that was much more fitting for the occasion! Aelita gingerly worked at the tape points for only a few seconds before giving in and tearing the paper off with gleeful abandon! Under the wrapping, the large box was unlabeled, adding to her curiosity. With increasing excitement she pulled out the tabs holding the box shut and with a deep breath she slowly lifted the lid. Upon seeing the contents she gasped.
"Oh Jeremy, this is too much..." she said breathlessly as her eyes glanced up and down the knobs and buttons of a slightly outdated, but professional grade mixing board.
"Not for you it's not," Jeremy said softly, walking up and wrapping his wife in a gentle hug from behind.
"Can we even afford this?" Asked Aelita.
"It's already been paid in full. Remember those charges you found last month?" The young woman thought for a moment before realizing that the amount wasn't anywhere near retail price for the equipment, even used! "It wasn't working when I got it, so I was able to get it at a great price," Jeremy added before his wife could ask.
"It wasn't that hard to fix either! William helped pick it out."
"Wow. Thank you so, so much, Jeremy." Aelita turned around and hugged her husband.
"You're welcome, Aelita. I'm glad you like it."
"I love it!" She exclaimed with her face buried in Jeremy's shirt. The two stayed that way for a few minutes before separating again. "I guess I owe William a 'thank you' too."
"Yeah, probably," said Jeremy. "I know we're trying to save money, but I also picked up a some ingredients a few days ago and stashed them away to make dinner a little special." He added with a grin. "But right now it's time for me to make dinner, and for you to leave it to me!"
"But..." Aelita started to protest.
"No 'buts.' Out! Shoo!" Jeremy teased playfully, waving the back of his hands on her direction.
"Can you at least help me put the board somewhere I can set it up?" Aelita said quickly.
"Mmmm, Ok," he relented. "But then you stay out of the kitchen!"
"Deal!" Aelita agreed, grinning ear to ear!
Since they had recently finished their puzzle, they put it away and moved the board to the now-vacant spot. Jeremy offered to help set it up, but Aelita declined. With his wife was the most competent person he knew when it came to electronics, Jeremy left for the kitchen and got to work.
Aelita had just finished setup and just managed to get the first sounds running when she felt a warm, soft pressure on her cheek. She pulled off her headphones, grinning at her husband's stolen kiss. Aelita looked at him for a moment before pulling his face down into another kiss on the lips!
"It's time for dinner," Jeremy said when they'd pulled away.
He led her to the kitchen and Aelita breathed in the wonderful smell of her husband's cooking and gasped as she walked through the doorway. Plated out was what looked like some sort of fish, along with some other fixings, accompanied by a glass of white wine for each of them.
"I made parmesan crusted haddock, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus," Jeremy explained, pointing at the dishes as he went. "There's also some hollandaise sauce for the asparagus, all paired with a Sauvignon Blanc." He added, gesturing to the wine.
"Wow," breathed Aelita.
"I trust that the meal is to your satisfaction?" Jeremy teased with a phony accent.
"This looks amazing!" Aelita stood on her tip toes and kissed Jeremy's cheek eliciting a smile.
The two of them took their plates and went to the dining table.
"Mmmm," moaned Aelita after taking her first bite of the tender fish. "This is delicious!"
"Good!" Said Jeremy. "I was a little worried that I was being a bit too ambitious, but I'm glad it came out."
"It's wonderful."
She then took a sip of the wine. Jeremy did well there too. The bright vintage mingled beautifully with the delicate flavor of the haddock. The potatoes were also delightfully creamy, and the asparagus was cooked enough to leave some firmness.
The two continued eating their meal, savoring every bite, and afterwards Jeremy did dishes while Aelita continued playing around with her birthday present. When he was done he went to the front room and to his delight, his wife had a wide grin plastered to her face! When she noticed him she bade him to sit with her and shared the little bit she'd come up with so far, along with all the board's features she was most excited about! He didn't understand much of what she was rambling on about, but he listened as best he could with a wide grin of his own. He was just pleased that his wife was so happy!
When it started getting late the two of them got ready and went to bed.
"Thank you for remembering my birthday," Aelita said, beaming at her husband. He put his glasses on the bedside table and turned off the lamp before scooting closer.
"You're welcome," he whispered quietly.
"It was the best ever too!"
"I'm glad you think so." Jeremy leaned his head forward and kissed Aelita softly. After a moment of not pulling away, Jeremy's kisses started becoming more amorous. Aelita cooed happily, realizing that the evening wasn't over just yet!
A/N: I'm back! I deeply apologize for the incredibly lengthy delay since my last chapter, but I was getting burnt out and needed a break. I think I'm back in the saddle though, and ready to finish up the story!
On a side note, I wrote an original story in the meantime, so if anyone's interested in that, send me a PM and I'll send you a link (or at least tell you what to google search!)