Max heard the phone ring, but he ignored it. He was busy, couldn't they wait? Unless it was Preston...
He went to check it, but it went to voicemail. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Nikki. He walked back to the helium tank and grabbed a blue balloon.
The phone rang once more and he groaned. He snatched it up to see it was Nikki again. Rolling his eyes, he answered it. "Yo."
"Max! Good, you're not dead!"
"Why would I be dead? And why are you calling me, aren't you at school?"
"That's why I'm calling, because you're not at school. You haven't skipped in a while, what's the occasion?"
"Nikki, what's today's date?"
"February thirteenth- Oh!" She gasped on the other line. "It's Preston's birthday, isn't it?"
Max put the phone on speaker and set it down, trying to tie the balloon. "Yes, that's why I'm not there. I'm setting up the house for him when he gets home."
"Aw!" She cooed, causing the teen to flinch. He turned down the volume some. "That's so sweet!"
"Shut up," he growled, watching the balloon float to the ceiling. He grabbed another and started filling it with helium. "I'm not missing too much, am I?"
"Well, there was a fight-"
"No way, between who?"
The two friends talked for some time while Max inflated the balloons. Soon enough, the ceiling was littered with blue and yellow balloons.
"Well Nik, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later," the senior murmured. He didn't even wait for her to say bye, just hung up on her. He lifted the helium tank and shoved it in the closet. On his way, he checked the time. 12:43.
"Ok, I still have time," he thought, heading towards the kitchen. He grabbed the cake mix and a few other things needed for the cake.
His phone went off and he sighed, obviously irritated. The feeling vanished when he saw who it was.
FuckingAdorable: Hey, babe.
HethinksI'mcute: hey hot stuff
FuckingAdorable: I swear, if you turn me on at work...
HethinksI'mcute: don't give me any ideas ;)
FuckingAdorable: God dammit.
HethinksI'mcute: jk. how's your day been?
FuckingAdorable: Alright, yours?
HethinksI'mcute: pretty good. can't wait to see my birthday boy, though
FuckingAdorable: Yeah, yeah. I managed to get off work today, too.
HethinksI'mcute: oh shit really
FuckingAdorable: Yep! So I'll be home around 2, so I can wait for you.
"Shit!" Max hissed, ripping open the cake mix. He had less time than he thought to prepare. He quickly sent a reply and cracked open an egg. "Thank god this is store bought," he thought to himself, stirring the soon-to-be batter.
Around one p.m, the teen shoved the pan in the oven and set a timer. He took the frosting out of the fridge and went up to their bedroom. He grabbed Preston's gift- an adorable phone case the theatre geek had been eyeing on RedBubble. He pulled out some wrapping paper and started wrapping it.
Rascal trotted up to him and started chewing on the paper and scratching at it. "Dammit-" he swatted at the kitten and it swatted back. "I'm kinda busy here, bud. I'll let you play with it when I'm done, ok?"
The orange kitten meowed and sat down. It caught sight of its tail and started chasing it. Max rolled his eyes and went back to wrapping.
He finished and sent Preston a quick text.
HethinksI'mcute: hey babe, what do you want for dinner?
FuckingAdorable: Oh, I dunno...
FuckingAdorable: How about pizza?
HethinksI'mcute: Domino's?
FuckingAdorable: You know me so well.
Smiling at the text, he put his phone down and walked over to the closet. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out the silver suit. "Here goes nothing..." the jaded boy murmured before slipping on the suit.
Soon enough, two o'clock rolled around and Max stood by the door, holding the present behind his back and waiting for his love to come home. Rascal rubbed against his leg, purring. He glanced down at the cat and smirked. Leaning down, he ruffled the pet's fur. "I know, I can't wait for him to get home, either."
He heard the sound of a car door slam and stood up. Rascal hopped onto the back of the couch and sat down, staring at the door impatiently.
His breath caught in his throat as the door clicked open. Preston walked in, looking exhausted. The twenty-year-old froze and gasped quietly, taking in the decorations. "W... What's all this?" he asked, closing the door behind him.
Max shrugged. "Figured I'd surprise you. It is your birthday, after all..." He walked up to his boyfriend with a smile. "So... Surprise?" He pulled the gift out from behind his back and held it out to the other.
The taller cautiously took the gift and set it down nearby. He grabbed Max's face in his hands and smashed their lips together. The highschooler melted into in and his hands found Preston's waist.
The actor pulled back and smiled down at him. "You are too sweet. And too good for me."
"Bullshit," the younger mumbled. "You're too good for me."
He rolled his eyes. "How 'bout this: We're perfect for each other."
Max chuckled and leaned up to kiss him again. "Ok, I can agree with that."
Preston had to admit, it was one of the best birthdays he'd ever had. When he realized how much work Max had put into preparing this for him, he swore his heart melted.
"He's so sweet..." He thought, watching his boyfriend bite into a slice of pizza. "Sometimes, I feel like I don't deserve him."
The black haired male caught him staring and sighed. "I know that look. Don't give me it." He set down the pizza and shuffled closer to the other male. "It's your birthday, I'm going to spoil you."
"But-" Preston huffed. "I feel like I owe you something in return."
"You don't-"
"Just, something small?" he pleaded. Max stared at the balloon covered ceiling and stifled a frustrated growl. He looked back at his lover. "Fine. Kissing me senseless would be nice."
"Fair enough." the college student crawled onto his lap and straddled him. His boyfriend's face flushed red and, soon enough, they locked lips and kissed like they were running out of time.
All in all, it was a good night for them both.
•~•
A/N: Whoops I made this chapter over 1,000 words long-
~FB667
YOU ARE READING
Now We're Home (MaxPres) | ✔️
Fanfiction(Sequel to "Here We Are") (You don't have to read the first book, but it'd make a bit more sense if you did) ~ The years have flown by, and soon enough Max is in his senior year of high school. It's tough not...
