For Steven, his birthday every year was a blur. He knows he has one, obviously, but he can never quite remember it.

He has a tough time remembering a lot of things, but this feels the most difficult for him to accept. Usually he’s forgiving of his own forgetfulness, deciding that it’s just a side effect of his insomnia that he has to live with.

Missing birthdays are hard, though. He’s not too fond of that.

You helped make things go a little smoother, though, reminding him of little things—he’s forgotten his keys, the post needs to be checked, he has a shift Monday morning.

Small things. Never birthdays.

At least, he thought.

Which is why it’s a total surprise to him when he comes home to balloons, a tacky, decorative party hat on your head, and a small cake—vegan chocolate, his favorite.