Attempting to wake up without waking up his spouse was one of the most challenging feats that Paul Jones could ever manage. It was a requirement for the task he set out for himself on the morning of May fifth but the execution had taken nearly as much time as the planning to succeed.
Going to bed before Noah only worked if he could manage to wake up before the other man did without actually alerting his spouse of his early rousing.
Going to bed after Noah would only arouse suspicion, especially if the ginger demanded his presence in the bedroom. He thought about fudging the truth and claiming he had a late night job but lying wasn't something he was very good at when it came to his significant other, not to mention Noah had a tendency to stay up and awake until he got home from “work”.
So, he went with his best option: waiting it out. He'd napped during the afternoon prior, biding his time until Noah came through the front door, briefcase in hand. It was more difficult than he'd cared to admit, trying to act casual but he was pretty sure that Noah didn't suspect a thing.
Pretty sure.
As soon as his exhausted spouse dozed off close to three in the morning, he slipped his way out of the bed and made his way down the stairs, mindful to close the door on his way out and dodge the particularly creaky steps. For a man of Paul’s size it was a fairly difficult feat, but he managed…somehow.
The first order of business involved sneaking out past the glass back door, sliding the frame behind him as he stepped out onto the deck. The backyard flood lights had already turned off per their automatic timer, leaving the man to wander through the backyard by the aid of his phone's flashlight.
It took longer than he had hoped to fill the pool up but he still managed to both fill and shock it. By the afternoon it should prove swimmable - a success in his book, as he planned on distracting the morning away for his birthday boy.
The second thing on his task list of to-dos was to set out the presents. The rose bush, still in its infancy, had been hidden away in the backyard shed for the past day and a half. A red ribbon had been wrapped around the pot, a little lopsided but with the best of intentions in its design. It was placed out on the deck, right in the perfect view of anyone who passed by the glass door of the sunroom.
Inside, a bouquet of lilies were pulled from their hiding spot in the laundry room and placed on the kitchen table, along with a simple envelope underneath the vase. He knew Noah's mother had favored lilies and the enjoyment had been passed down from mother to son - an easy choice for Paul to make when visiting the florist.
The tickets to the symphony had been a suggestion from Itchuchu, a last minute decision he'd tucked away in hopes of appealing to his lover’s cultured side. He wouldn't give a rat’s a** either way if Noah decided to go or stay - their tuxes hung newly cleaned and pressed in the closet, just in case.
Once the set-up had been prepared, it was already growing close to six. If he were a patient husband, he'd let his spouse sleep in until he was good and ready to wake up… but Paul was most definitely not the patient spouse.
He turned the coffee pot on and waited until approximately seven-twelve, pacing lines into the living room carpet, until he was bounding up the stairs….still mindful to avoid the especially creaky steps, of course.
After all, who didn't love a good surprise first thing in the morning?
Nuxaz
I'd say I'm sorry but we both know I'm not
