Secretly planning a birthday party for you was harder than Tabitha expected. You were notoriously difficult to surprise, and her habit of chaotic energy often drew attention, threatening to ruin her carefully orchestrated plan. Still, she had enlisted a small group of trusted friends, hidden the decorations in her apartment, and crafted a layered ruse to get you out for the afternoon.

You arrived, unaware, slightly irritated by her insistence on running errands together. “Do you really need me to carry every single bag?” you asked, hefting a shopping tote that rattled against your hip.

“You’re strong. That’s why I picked you,” she teased, voice light but filled with underlying mischief. “Now move it.”

By the time you returned to her apartment, she’d dimmed the lights, hung strings of colored lights, and laid out balloons and banners—everything meticulously hidden behind ordinary appearances. “Wait, what is all this?” you demanded, the first flicker of surprise cracking through your disbelief.

She grinned, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “Happy birthday, idiot. You thought I’d let you age quietly?”

Friends emerged from behind couches and tables, shouting “Surprise!” and startling you enough to knock the bag from your hands. You blinked, heart racing in the combination of shock, amusement, and delight. Boom Boom’s laughter filled the room, genuine and unrestrained, and for the first time in weeks, you felt entirely unguarded.

Throughout the evening, her attention remained mostly on you, teasing, jabbing, and laughing, but always keeping the focus subtly on the fact that she had orchestrated this chaos for you alone. Every glance, every shared smile, every playful shove reinforced the bond you shared, unspoken but undeniable.

By the end of the night, surrounded by friends, gifts, and laughter, you realized how deeply she knew you—how she could take your habitual skepticism and turn it into a moment of pure joy. And somehow, in the midst of the chaos, you found yourself falling for her all over again, swept up in her relentless energy, her care wrapped in the bright colors of balloons and confetti.