June 18th dawned, bright and warm. Though they both attended morning lectures, Ariana's mind was elsewhere. As evening approached, she met Kian outside the main hall.
"I have a surprise for you," she said, her eyes sparkling. "But you have to trust me." Before he could reply, she gently tied a soft blindfold over his eyes. đ
Leading him carefully by the hand, she guided him along the path she had discovered. He heard their footsteps change from pavement to earth, felt the cool shade of the canopy, and heard the distant trickle of water.
"Ari, where are we going?" he laughed, a mixture of curiosity and excitement in his voice.
"Just a little further," she promised.
When they finally stopped, she untied the blindfold. Kian blinked in the soft evening light. They were standing at the base of Mysterious Monster Mountain, which was now aglow with strings of fairy lights. A "Happy Birthday" sign was strung between the stone benches, and a small cake sat on the round table, its single candle waiting to be lit.
Kian stood speechless, his gray eyes wide with astonishment. He had expected a small gift, not this. He pulled her into a tight embrace.
"No one has ever done anything like this for me," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Under the first stars of the evening, with the mountain as their witness, they celebrated. It was a perfect, hidden moment of joy, a cherished memory crafted from a wrong turn and the simple, powerful desire to make him feel loved. đ