MasukOn Saturday morning, I borrowed a surprise from the dorm for the game I had planned for the day. Before that, I went swimming while Jenny cleaned, cooked, and prepared for the afternoon. She didn’t like being disturbed while cooking.
“Are you serious, Messyhair?” Jenny asked when I showed up with a foosball table. She was finishing up in the kitchen.
“Yes, Babe,” I laughed. “This is today
The next day, we planned to spend the day at the beach. We settled into our usual spot, but this time, we weren’t expecting our friends—supposedly, no one else was coming. We exchanged waves with a few familiar faces but didn’t join anyone.I had already rented an umbrella beforehand—Jenny had taught me to be mindful of these things.Being the weekend, the beach was crowded, though there was still space for us.“Paul will be in Japan for more than a year,” Jenny mentioned later in the day, rubbing sunscreen onto my skin after our swim. She was clearly going to miss her friend.“Babe,” I asked gently, “Did you miss me that much too?”“No, Messyhair,” she said, sitting next to me, “I missed you even more. That’s why I spent all my free time in the gym—I needed to be exhausted enough not to think about you,” she admitted calmly.“You’ve n
The next morning, as usual, I woke up earlier than she did. I made an omelet, careful not to over-salt it—so I added nothing at all.“Good morning, birthday girl,” I said when she woke up and I arrived with a tray of omelet.“Good morning, Messyhair,” she smiled. “Did you make this?” She accepted the omelet.“Yes,” I said proudly. “This time, it’s definitely not salty.”“Thank you,” she said, eating without another word.“So? How is it?” I asked.“Much better than last time,” she said, giving me a soft kiss. “What’s the plan for today?”“I’m taking you somewhere you’ll love,” I replied.“What should I wear?”“Your favorite outfit,” I teased.After breakfast, she dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. I drove her to a small stadium just outside the ci
I spent the following week with Uncle Steve, seeing Jenny only at dinner each evening. On Friday, I asked the old man for a few hours off and headed to the hospital to pick up my girlfriend.“Hi,” I greeted the pretty brunette receptionist in her green-and-white coat. “Is Jane Shepherd in?”“Hey,” she smiled. “Yes, she’ll be done with Dr. Tim’s appointment soon. Is it urgent? Should I let her know?”“No need, I’ll wait,” I said. “Do you know them well?”“Who? Dr. Tim or your sister?” she asked.“My sister” I said, won’t spoil the mystery.“Dr. Tim always keeps her busy, but we chat during lunch. She talks about you sometimes, Daniel,” she said, touching my arm lightly.“I assume you’ve heard about our younger brother too,” I continued.“Of course,” she laughed. “
Daryl had a theory about the cars, but after a few rounds, his experience changed his ranking. He couldn’t decide between two of them, so he took them for extra laps.By the time he finalized his ranking, our rental time was up.Paul returned the keys, we handed back our gear, thanked the instructor, and said goodbye.“Did you like it?” I asked Daryl as we stood by Paul’s car in the parking lot.“Yeah, thank you,” he smiled, shaking hands with everyone. We weren’t the hugging type.Paul drove us to a nearby restaurant where we had reserved a table for dinner.The restaurant was in a neighboring town—elegant but not overly flashy. White walls and light brown tables filled the space, and reservations were confirmed at the counter near the entrance.We were hungry, so we ordered quickly—some got shrimp, others steak.As planned, we split the bill evenly, excluding Daryl.
After eating, we stopped by Amber’s shop and locked ourselves in our room.“Messyhair, your birthday is the day after tomorrow,” she said, snuggling into me as we rested. “But we won’t see each other that day.”“I know—it’s fine.”“There’ll be a package waiting in your room. I hope you like it.”“If it’s from you, I definitely will,” I said, stroking her shoulder.“When we’re back, I’ll call you no matter what,” she said after a few gentle kisses.“You’re leaving?” I asked, my lips still pressed against hers.“Yeah, we won’t be staying in town,” she murmured, melting into me between kisses.“Babe,” I said, pulling her tightly against me, “I love you—don’t forget that.”“I definitely won’t,” she teased.I did
She stepped out from the crowd, picked a blue balloon, and aimed for the bottom of the canvas. Her throw lacked force—she barely hit the target. But she got applause too.“What kind of paint is in these?” Jenny asked. “If I missed, how much of a mess would I have made?”“It’s a mix—not too thick, not too watery. If it gets on your skin, it’ll fade over time,” the guy explained. “If it started raining now, your artwork would probably disappear since it hasn’t dried yet.”The conversation didn’t hold much interest for the crowd, and they slowly wandered off.“I see, thanks,” my girlfriend said. “Could I get a pink and a black one?”“Of course,” the guy smiled.Jenny adjusted her grip on the two balloons, preparing to throw again. She turned toward me, but before I could react, the pink liquid splattered across my chest, dripp
The next day, Jenny and I met at Tony’s—just like we had at the start of summer. I arrived early, and Tony was already grilling two burgers by the time Jenny walked in. Her sun-kissed skin glowed against the light, flowing summer dress she wore. Her blue eyes practic
The next day, the family arrived early—and to my surprise, Jenny rang the doorbell too. Dad answered, so we didn’t speak.“Good morning,” she greeted, then quietly settled into a calm corner, just like she always did.
“She didn’t get to decide here,” Paul laughed. “And she’s not going to stay single forever. Plus, I trusted you,” he added with a grin.“Seriously?” I was surprised.“Jay,&r
After the vacation, I threw myself back into studying. On weekends, I met up with a friend or two, and I only exchanged the occasional message with Jenny. Uncle Steve studied with me every afternoon after his appointments.“Amber,” I turned







