He thought you were mad at him.

For the past week, you’d been acting strange—cutting calls short, dodging his questions, glued to your phone like you were hiding something. Lando swore he did something wrong.

By the time his birthday rolled around, he convinced himself you’d forgotten.

So when he came home that night, he was nervous. He carried a bouquet of flowers, the kind he knew you liked, hoping they would smooth over whatever invisible fight you two were in. His key turned in the lock, his heart heavy.

But the second the door opened—light exploded. “SURPRISE!”

Max was grinning with a cake full of candles, Pietra juggling a mess of orange balloons, a couple of the boys from sim racing already halfway into the snack table. And you—standing right in the middle of it all, cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling like you’d been waiting all week for this moment.

Lando froze, bouquet dangling in his hand. “Wait… you didn’t forget?”

You smirked, stepping forward to pluck the flowers from his grip. “Why would I forget your birthday, idiot? I was planning this.”

Everyone laughed, but the look on his face wasn’t just surprise—it was relief. He bent down, pressing his forehead to yours, whispering low enough so only you could hear. “You’re actually insane, you know that? I thought you hated me this week.”

“Mm, maybe I just like keeping you on your toes.”

The night spiraled into laughter and noise—Max accidentally dropping frosting on the carpet, Pietra shoving a party hat onto Lando’s head, everyone singing terribly off-key. But Lando’s eyes kept finding you across the room, like none of it mattered unless you were smiling too.

Halfway through the night, when the cake was cut and everyone was distracted, he tugged you into the kitchen, away from the chaos. He pinned you gently against the counter, his hand still sticky with frosting, grinning like an idiot. “Forget the party. This is my actual present.”

You rolled your eyes, trying not to laugh. “You’re literally surrounded by friends right now, and you sneak away just for this?”

“Obviously,” he murmured, brushing a kiss over your cheek before you could argue. “Because the best part of today is you.”

And maybe that was the moment you realized—he didn’t need balloons or confetti or surprise parties. His only wish had already come true.