Autumn is a second spring

68. Anniversary

Fluke took a huge sip of water as he swallowed the ibuprofen. The headache was killing him and his whole body was tired.

It had been a week since he returned, and he was working back-to-back without a break. The work from the days he was gone had piled up. He had been working day and night to make sure that all the work was completed.

He barely got any rest the whole time. The only sleep he got was the shuteye during the travel from one shooting location to another.

He was fully aware that, the crisis he had been dealing with before he returned was not completely over and that at any moment, he might have to go back. Thus, he never dared to slack off even for a bit.

Fluke got out of the car and headed into the house. The two-storied house had been his and Ohm's love nest. Being there oddly made him relax.

"It's so good to be back home," He said to himself as he took off the shoes at the door.

The motion sensor light at the main door turned on automatically as he stepped in. But the light went out all of a sudden.

"Au? Why did the light go off?" Fluke muttered, frowning.

Just then, tiny fairy lights lit up around him. He was a bit taken aback, given that he hadn't noticed them when he entered.

He walked in, looking around and admiring the beautiful decorations. The whole room was decorated with blue, black, white, and golden metallic balloons. His breath hitched as he stood frozen, staring at the huge 'Happy anniversary' foil that was hung across the wall.

He had totally forgotten that it was his and Ohm's anniversary. He had been so busy dealing with all the family matters and finishing off the pending work he had left behind that he hadn't been paying attention to the date.

Fluke slowed and walked towards the table in the middle of the room. The table had a cake that said Happy Third Anniversary. Next to it was a blue colored box. With trembling hands, he reached out to pull the blue golden ribbon on the box and slowly opened the box.

Inside the box, there were a few red roses, a few chocolates that he really liked, and something that looked like a pyramid but was made from paper.

He pulled the string that was wound around the pyramid structure. The topmost layer of the pyramid flipped open, revealing the words 'Happy anniversary'. He flipped through the layers that had photos of him and Ohm.

Seeing all those photos, all the beautiful memories that he had of their relationship came rushing to him. Subconsciously, his eyes teared up.

Suddenly he felt a pair of warm hands engulf him in a bear hug. "Happy Anniversary na Nhu," His boyfriend whispered in his ears. 

"Do you like the gift?" Ohm had to ask again due to the lack of response from his boyfriend. That was when he realized that the latter was actually crying. "Nhu?" He quickly turned Fluke around. "What happened, baby?" He asked with concern.

"I love you," Fluke said as he hugged Ohm and buried his face in his boyfriend's chest. He knew that Ohm had made the whole pyramid album by himself as each photo seemed to be handpicked. He could see the effort his boyfriend had put into preparing the gift and he really appreciated it.

Ohm chuckled at Fluke's reply. "I love you too, Nhu. I love you a lot." He placed a kiss on top of his boyfriend's head. 

"Thank you," Fluke looked up at his boyfriend's face which had a soft smile adorning it. "Thank you for the surprise. Thank you for the gift and thank you for loving me." He was really grateful that Ohm still loved him despite all his faults and flaws.

"Just thank yous? Am I not going to get any rewards?" Ohm tapped his cheeks, looking away.

Fluke cupped Ohm's face, making the taller lower his head a bit while he stood on tippy toes as he pressed lips against the latter's. Ohm's one hand tightened around Fluke's waist, balancing the younger while the other hand made its way to the shorter's neck, pulling him closer as their kiss deepened.

A lustless kiss that was enough and more to convey the romantic feelings they had for each other. They felt complete and content.

Both of them had blissful smiles on their lips as they parted. 

"Nhu, are you hungry? I have made dinner for us," Ohm said, gesturing to the side.

Fluke looked over to the side. There was a thick mattress spread on the corner of the room. The corner used to be the place where the bookshelf stood. Ohm had moved the bookshelf and decorated the place to a cozy corner.

Little fairy lights were hanging on the two adjacent walls with pillows stacked up against them. Next to the mattress was a small foldable table with food and a huge bottle of wine waiting for them.

"You made Spaghetti Carbonara?" Fluke asked excitedly. It was the best dish Ohm made and he totally loved it.

Ohm chuckled seeing the enthusiasm his boyfriend showed toward the bowl of spaghetti. "Go freshen up and come down. I will heat the food."

Fluke nodded and ran to their room, hugging the gifts he got from Ohm.

Ohm watched his boyfriend leave. He glanced back at the decorations that took him two whole days to set up. It was nothing grand or fancy. Just a simple home date for him and his Nhu.

After placing the spaghetti to reheat, he went to the projector that he had set up in front of the mattress. He planned to follow the dinner to a movie date. He had secured a copy of Fluke's favorite movie, The Ornate Lock, one of the old Indian classics, for the night.

By the time he set everything up, Fluke came back, wearing the baby blue tee that Ohm had gifted him.

"Right this way, Your Highness," Ohm gestured.

Fluke giggled as he sat opposite Ohm. It felt great to be back home. It was as if all the tiredness, all the stress he had been under in the past few months had gone away.

Ohm opened the Pinot Grigio white wine and poured both of them a glass.

Fluke gracefully picked up the wine glass as Ohm was about to make a toast. 

"To us," Ohm said raising the toast. 

"To us," Fluke echoed, clinking the glasses together and taking a sip. The smooth features crisp flavors of golden apple, citrus, and notes of pear entered his taste buds. 

The Italian wine was perfectly suited for the food. The delicate flavors of the wine complemented, rather than overpowering, the flavors of the dish.

"You did a lot of homework no?" Fluke asked showing appreciation for all the efforts that Ohm made to make the night special.

"Anything for you, Nhu," Ohm replied. He didn't feel like he had done much. If not for the fact that he knew Fluke would be tired while getting back home, he would have made this even grander.