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You know that feeling you get when you open your eyes in the morning and you know that today's a really important day, but you can't remember why? You're just lying there, a little sleepy, swathed in soft blankets, sunlight threatening to turn your eyeballs into liquid mush, and it's very slowly dawning on you what day it is. Yeah. That feeling. And then all of a sudden it hits you. You know what day it is. Your birthday. You don't know whether to laugh or complain, but end up deciding to laugh since you usually complain and you feel like a change. After all, you should be glad you actually survived another year of your crazy life that you wouldn't trade for anything. You would open your eyes and turn to greet the love of your life good morning, you really would, except you know he isn't there. He'd never stay in bed past sunrise, and judging from the sunlight's sadistic attack on your eyeballs, the sun has been up for quite a while.
So you wander into the kitchen, still slightly sleepy, and you immediately see the note on the counter because you were looking for it. You pick up the paper and read the rather messy words. "Dear Darren, I'm taking the dogs for a walk. I didn't want to wake you because you looked so peaceful and because you would've hit me with a pillow. I made coffee. Oh, and good morning. Love, Daniel." You can't help but smile at the sweet and slightly absent-minded message. You pour yourself a cup of said coffee and rummage around for fruit, but before you even have a chance to peel anything, the telephone rings, forcing you to abandon your breakfast. The call is from someone at the record company wishing you happy birthday. As soon as you hang up, the phone rings again, and you know this morning will not be a quiet one, but you don't mind. You love attention. You grab your forsaken banana and end up spending the next hour taking phone calls from various well-wishers and friends.
Through a music magazine editor's chattering, you manage to hear the click of the front door opening. But since you're on the phone, you can't go and welcome your Daniel, or your dogs for that matter. Good thing they're all quite capable of coming to you instead. You give Daniel a warm smile, and he returns it with a grin that makes your heart do a little happy polka dance while the rest of your insides proceed to faint with giddiness. You hear the pitter-patter of paws, and certain furry animals flop down more on you than around you. You begin to say goodbye the person on the other end of the line with the intention of turning all your attention to Daniel. You haven't even said hi to your significant other yet this morning, but your significant other isn't picky with things like that. He shakes his head and mouths "go on" to you, so you continue talking. You wouldn't with any other person, but you know Daniel, and you know he really doesn't mind. He nudges a dog out of his way and drapes himself on you, and you laugh softly, which causes the person you almost hung up on to ask what happened. But the person isn't a close friend, so it's none of her business, and you cheekily tell her so. You talk for a while more, and Daniel, who bores all too easily, wanders away with two dogs following him.
The person finally hangs up, and you go back into the kitchen to put away your long-emptied coffee cup to find yet another note on the counter. You pick it up with a little déjà vu. "Dear Darren, I'm sorry I just left like that, but it got too damn boring in there. I went grocery shopping, which had to be done anyway. I'd ask you if you need anything, except it'd be a bit late by the time you read this. If you really need something, I'll go back and pick it up for you after. Love, Daniel." You smile again, and take the paper to your room. You don't know if Daniel knows, but you keep all of his notes in a big brown envelope, and you read them whenever you have to work far from him to alleviate the separation anxiety. Speaking of which, your dogs whine at the negligence, and you remember that you haven't spoken to them yet either. So you take them to the yard and play with them. In the middle of a really intense game of tug of war, you suddenly realize that Daniel hasn't mentioned your birthday in either of his notes.
The thought is one of those flitting ones, one of those that just stay in your head long enough to be registered and then promptly dismissed. It doesn't bother you at all that Daniel has forgotten your birthday. Daniel is different. A birthday card is too materialistic for someone like him. Something like a birthday card is just a shallow little gesture when the man shows his love for you and his gladness for your existence each and every day. You don't mind that your dogs aren't wishing you happy birthday, because they shower you with deep, unconditional love all the time anyway. Same idea with Daniel. You learned long ago that bought gifts are not Daniel's thing.
It's lunchtime already, and you wonder where half the day went. The phone rings again, and it's your parents. You groan because you hate eating on the phone, but you are hungry and you can't very well turn your own parents away; if it weren't for them, you wouldn't be having a birthday. And it's just your luck that Daniel steps in at this moment. You slump in resignation and wonder if you'll have to go through the entire day without talking to him. He gives you a funny look as he walks into the living room, and you mouth "my mum" to him. He gives a small chuckle and murmurs "Oh no," for your mother has a bit of a reputation for being long-winded with her son. You give him a small smack for being cheeky, but you really shouldn't, because you know you're much worse.
Hours and a sinister phone bill later, you step into the kitchen again, only this time Daniel is there. You throw your arms around him. You mean to say hi, you really do, but the opportunity is taken from you as he occupies your mouth with his mouth. A while later, you finally have the chance to speak to Daniel properly. "Hi Daniel, how are you? Good morning, and good afternoon, and thanks for doing the chores, and thanks for the coffee, and sorry I involuntarily snubbed you all day," you say all at once. He just smiles and kisses you again.
He makes dinner while you do your share of chores. You wonder if your share feels intimidated by Daniel's share, since his is so much bigger, and then you wonder how your brain came up with a thought like that. You finish just when dinner is ready, and the conversation at the table is what it usually is: pointless. There's no real need to talk, but unnecessary words between two lovers fill the room with affection. You are just basically confirming that the other has read your thoughts and emotions correctly.
After dinner, Daniel moves to collect the mail. He looks at you with those sparkly green eyes in the middle of sorting through it. "Why didn't you remind me?" He asks, handing you several birthday cards from more friends who care and people who pretend to.
"Because it doesn't matter," you reply, meaning every word of it. Before Daniel, you would have taken a forgotten birthday as a sign of apathy. Now, you see it as a sign of something deeper than love (and slight forgetfulness) from your soulmate.
"It doesn't matter to me, or to you?"
"Both. It used to matter to me, but you are quite a contagious fellow."
Daniel beams, happy that you understand, then pulls you forward for a mind-blowing kiss. As you pause to catch your breath, he whispers "Happy birthday, love" against your heated lips, words that you have already heard from almost everyone today, but just now from the man who means them the most. You just smile and crush your lips together again.
~finis~
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