"Christmas tree... checked," Gulf muttered as he marked the check box on his phone. "... dinner, checked. Decors, checked." He exhaled loudly when he finally saw that all of the items were in order.
The only thing that was left was the arrival of his boyfriend.
Ever since Gulf had the idea to single-handedly prepare a mini Christmas party for them both in their apartment as a surprise for Mew, Gulf had been running around nonstop.
Gulf knew that Mew would be too occupied with his year-end schedules to put in any thoughts for Christmas so when the idea of springing the older one a surprise came to mind, Gulf immediately jumped on it.
From attending baking classes in between his schedules for the past 2 months - to running to search for the freshest ingredients the day before - to decorating their love nest - and finally, preparing a feast to bake and decorating a cake.
Everything had managed to remain a secret, and Gulf was proud of himself.
After completing his tasks, Gulf crashed on the sofa. He had enough time to relax for a bit until the arrival of Mew.
To make his surprise a success, Gulf had chosen a date where he had no schedules and Mew only had one. And to make it foolproof, Gulf had roped in help from Tamp.
But little did he know.
Removing himself from the sofa to get his present for Mew to place it under the tree, Gulf turned around to look at the lair once again - just to make sure everything was in order.
He was feeling a little antsy given that it was their first time celebrating Christmas together as a couple. And it was an effort to show how appreciative Gulf was to Mew for everything he's done for him.
Never has he felt so loved, protected and adored in his life. Gulf was thankful that it was Mew who caused the fluttery butterflies in his stomach and the redness to appear on the shell of his ears.
Whenever Gulf feared being transparent, Mew was patient. And whenever Gulf found no words to say, Mew filed the blanks for him.
In short, Gulf wanted to reciprocate his love and affection after being on the receiving end for so long.
When the clock struck 5:30 PM, Gulf had received a message from Tamp that Mew was preparing to go home.
After doing some calculations in his head, Gulf would only expect Mew to be home by 7:00 PM since traffic was reported to be heavy.
But just to be sure, Gulf sprinkled rose petals on the dining table and laid the feast of premium steaks, kinds of pasta and other Mew's favourites earlier.
There was also a bottle of champagne resting in a bucket of ice and candles waiting to be lit up at the very last second.
Nobody would believe that Gulf could have come up with such a romantic and cheesy event but for Mew, Gulf was willing to go out of character.
Especially knowing how much Mew enjoys romance.
6:45 PM - With a final adjustment, Gulf stood by the door beside the switch so he could operate it when Mew came through the door.
6:56 PM - Gulf was 100% sure that Mew would arrive home any second. He took out the lighter and lit the candles before switching off the lights once more.
Through the loudspeaker, Gulf played their song list - Season of you, Missing baby and Nan Na.
"I hope P'Mew likes this..." The young man mumbled with an anticipating smile etched across his face.
