He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he stood outside the door of your apartment. He knew you were most likely alone with your mom. He had traded a few ration cards to get you a gift for your birthday, which happens to be the exact same day as Sarah's birthday by coincidence, but despite that, it made his heart hurt just a bit more.

He sighed, thinking it was stupid to be doing this for you but knocked on the door regardless. He debated between staying there and giving you your gift of just leaving. His thoughts were soon interrupted when the door opened. And instead of seeing you and your pretty face opening up the door, your mom opened it.

"Joel, do you need something?" Your mom said as she saw the small present in his rough and calloused hands. She raised a brow as she looked at him. Your mother wasn't a big fan of Joel, especially since you liked him and liked hanging out with him and all that. She was protective over you and didn't want to see you grow up even though you're old enough already.

"I brought something for (your name) birthday." He said, spotting you behind your mom since you wanted to see who was at the door, to your surprise, you saw Joel and couldn't help but get a little excited to see him.