They got back to the penthouse. “Are we still role playing? I’m not sure how to actually do this. The rich playboy, sure, but the Dark Knight himself? I dunno…”

“You may be rich, but you’re no playboy. Well, not all the time. There’s more to you than that. Is what we did earlier what you would have done if you could’ve talked that whole time?”

“Probably not, and there’s no way you’d agree to come home with me then; you barely asked me to walk you home, making sure I knew you weren’t that kinda girl. You are, once you let her out. She is a FREAK…”

“Well, tonight I’m definitely letting my freak flag fly. Tonight, you get to handcuff a cop, maybe even put me in the swing.”

“Hot DAMN, you’re all kinds of freaky tonight,” he laughed. “You liked the choices in songs though? I did ok?”

“You’re Justin fucking Timberlake, you knocked it out of the motherfucking  park.”

“Glad to hear it. I had been practicing in LA, so is have them down and not seem like some amateur.”

“So THAT’S what you were doing in LA…”

“And working on the album. All lead up to tomorrow.  I still can’t believe it’s been a year…”

“I can’t believe I’m having to beg you to fuck me…”

“Oh baby, that was all part of the plan.”

…

“Wow,” Justin gasped. “You are incredible, insatiable, did I say incredible?”

“You did.”

“Well, you are. It’s after midnight, so I can officially say happy anniversary.”  He kissed her quickly. 

“Happy anniversary, baby,” she answered. “A whole year. How far we’ve come.”

“More so you than me.  Finishing school, breaking free of Paul…”

“You finished a tour, doing a movie, got an honorary doctorate… We’ve both come a long way. “

“And we did most of it together.  I can’t wait to do more with you.  But first, we sleep. Baby sexed me so good I’m ready to just crash.”

“I’m right behind ya,” Deana yawned. 

…

Justin woke up first, taking a quick shower before starting the day. He started the tea kettle, waiting for a knock at the door. He soon heard the knock, the tea kettle starting to whistle. 

The tea kettle gently woke up Deana, the rest of the apartment quiet. She put on a robe and walked down the hall.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Justin said, finishing making her tea.  There was food on the table, waiting for them to tuck in. 

“Did you make all this?” Deana asked, surprised. 

“Heh. I wish. No, I had it delivered. I made the tea, though.”

Deana took a sip as she sat. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

“Did you sleep ok?”

“Like a log. Is this gonna be my birthday all over again?” 

“You’ll see.  Let’s eat, then you get your first present.”

“I get more than one? I feel bad, I only got you one thing, now I worry it’s not good enough.”

“I’m sure it’s plenty good enough.  It’s the thought that went into it.”

They ate in relative silence, enjoying the meal before them.  Justin picked up the dishes, putting them in the sink.  “Stay there, I’ll be right back.”  He went down the hall and quickly came back.  It was a large, flat box.  She opened it slowly.

“It’s a jean jacket…” she said, seeing the front.  

“Turn it to the back…”

“Justin and Deana forever, and a picture of us…”

“I figured I could try and recreate the sweatshirt your friend made you for your birthday all those years ago.”

Deana smiled, putting it on.  “Good fit, too.  Not sure I’ll wear it much out in public, might as well advertise on billboards that I’m your girlfriend.”

“I can definitely arrange that…” Justin laughed.

“Do you want yours now?” Deana asked.

“No, save it for dinner.”

“So what is next on the agenda?”

“Well, I figured that would be a surprise, but something hopefully you haven’t done before, or not for a long time.  Casual though, for sure.”

“Like, your flannel and a black tank casual?”

“Sounds good to me, I like when you wear my stuff.”

“I’ll go get dressed.”

“Wait, do you have anything on under that robe?  Have I been that oblivious?”

“No, and yes.”

“Wait, I have to think about what I just said.  Damn, I missed an opportunity, didn't I?” Justin laughed.

“Not like it’s your only one today, I’m sure.  You can watch me change if you want.  I could watch you.”

Justin nodded, raising his eyebrows.  “I think I could get behind that.”

They walked to the bedroom, getting their clothes out.  Deana changed first, untying her robe and putting it gently on the bed.  Justin watched as she put on a black lacy bra and matching cheeky panties.  She pulled on a pair of boot cut jeans, a black tank top, and his black and red flannel.  She pulled her hair into a side braid.  

Justin changed out of his joggers into a pair of ripped jeans, and his Beatles tee, knowing it was one of her favorites.  He grabbed a baseball hat and sunglasses.  “You ready to go?”  Deana nodded and they headed down to the lobby. 

They got into a small private car, their usual driver opening the door for them. They headed uptown, before stopping at the edge of a park. 

“Hang on,” Deana realized. “We’re at Central Park.  Is this where we’re going?” she asked excitedly. 

“I thought we could, yeah.”

“I haven’t been in a long time, since I was a kid. As an adult it sounds like this big tourist place, but I know there’s so much great stuff in there.   We’re really going?”

“We’re really going. I haven’t been either, so I thought it would be fun to experience together.  How about starting off at the zoo?”

“That sounds great. I haven’t been since we did a school field trip when I was little.”

They walked around, looking at the different animals. Things felt so normal, being somewhere public, Justin not caring who saw them. Most people kept their distance, either not noticing them or not caring. Some stopped him for pictures, but they were mostly left alone. 

They walked further into the park, Deana seeing the carousel. “You wanna go on? I’ll take pictures,” Justin offered. Deana smiled and nodded. 

“I feel like a kid again,” Deana laughed lightly, getting on a horse. Justin grabbed a pole, taking pictures of Deana as they went around. He smiled as he watched her.  When the carousel stopped, they headed back towards the zoo. 

“We can take the car to the next part, it’s on the other end of the park,” Justin said. 

“Whatever you have planned,” Deana replied. They got into the car, following 5th Avenue down the edge of the park. It pulled over, letting them out again. 

Justin took her hand, leading her to three next destination. “I thought you’d enjoy being in a beautiful garden,” he smiled. 

“This is perfect, thank you.”

They stayed longer at the garden, enjoying the views, the sense of calm being around nature had on Deana. “I’ve never been here,” she admitted, “so it’s great to be here and experience it with you.”

“That’s my plan, not to wow you with stuff, though I’m sure that’s already happened, but it to be a day of just us doing things together.”

“A whole year together, who’d have thought way back then?”

“I knew you were something special, but yeah, even I had no idea then. I’m just glad we both took a chance.  It’s been pretty great so far.  You ready for our next stop?”

She nodded, fully satisfied with the day they’d had. They walked to the butterfly garden, enjoying more nature and quiet. 

“I’d love to do a carriage ride, but I know in broad daylight you’d attract too much attention.”

“Another time,” Justin said softly, taking her hand in his. “For now, let’s grab some lunch. We’ll take the car, draw less attention that way.”

The car drove around the park, Deana looking out the window as if she hadn’t grown up around the area. They stopped in front of their stop. 

Deana gasped lightly. “Tavern on the Green… really? Babe this is so romantic.”

“Isn’t that what anniversaries are for?” 

“You’ve got your work cut out for you to beat this anniversary,” she laughed. 

They were seated at a table outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun despite the cooler temperature. They ordered food and drinks, watching the people around them. 

“This has been such a great day, this is enough of a gift,” Deana said. 

“Well, I definitely have more planned. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself so far.”

“I am,” she smiled. 

After lunch, they headed back to their penthouse, Deana sitting on the couch, waiting for her next gift. 

Justin brought out a lamp.  “Oh, that’s kinda cool,” Deana replied. 

“Just wait. Plug it in, and wait a minute.”

She plugged it in, the lamp turning a bright blue. She watched him walk down the hall. Suddenly, the light turned red. “Babe, it’s going something,” she called down the hall. It turned blue again before Justin reappeared. 

“Did it turn red?” he asked. Deana nodded. “The lamp changes color when I’m near the other one. I heard about these and thought they were cool. I can bring it to the LA house for when I’m there without you. Anytime I miss you, I can walk over to it and it’ll turn red. Any time you miss me, you can walk near this one. It’s like we’re together even when we’re not.”

“That’s a super cute idea, I love it.  All these thoughtful gifts.  Mine is definitely feeling subpar now.”

“Don’t even worry about it.  Really, you being with me all this time, being with me for the rest of our lives, that is gift enough.”

Tears welled up in Deana’s eyes.  “You’re so sweet, it’s no wonder I fell for you.”

“I’m just glad you did.”

They sat together for a while, cuddled on the couch, occasionally kissing, with no urgency. “For dinner, wear the dress I bought in Florence, it’s beautiful on you.”

“I’m gonna go take a bath, if that’s ok,” Deana said. 

“Fine by me.  I have a few things I need to take care of while you do that.”

She walked down the hall, drawing her bath. Justin checked in on her, seeing if she needed anything. Once he knew she was in the bath, he went into his studio.

“Hey J, it’s Justin,” he said on the phone. 

“Hey. Perfect timing, I’m on my lunch at the office.”

“Did everything get to you ok?”

“Yeah, it came in on Monday.”

“Have you looked at it yet?”

“I can, if you want.”

“Yeah, just to be safe.”

Jonathan opened the box, smaller box sitting inside. He opened it up. “It’s just like you showed me. She’s gonna love it.”

“I hope so.  Now I just gotta figure out how to propose.”