I flew to my girlfriend’s home country to surprise her, since we hadn’t seen each other in three months—ever since she visited Germany. The moment I landed, I texted one of her friends to ask where she was, hoping to catch her off guard. Turns out, they were at a restaurant.

On my way there, I passed by a flower shop and couldn’t resist picking up a bouquet for her. When I finally reached the restaurant, I spotted her right away, laughing and chatting with her friends. She hadn’t noticed me yet, too wrapped up in the conversation. I stood there for a moment, feeling a little awkward with the flowers in hand, while her friends spotted me from behind and exchanged glances but kept quiet.

I walked up to her and gently rested my head on her shoulder, cutting into her conversation as I tilted her chin up toward my lips. “Shut up for a bit, darling..” I whispered softly, before leaning in to kiss her.