John's apology

It was 4 a.m. when John woke up an hour earlier than usual. He began by taking a hot shower, then started searching for a nice dress and jacket, knowing it would be cold in the early morning. Once dressed, he checked his watch—it was exactly 5 a.m. He recorded a voice message and placed it in the hall, then headed outside. He took his bicycle, so as not to make too much noise, and rode happily to the shop. After making his purchase, he returned home, wrapped everything with gift paper, and smiled as he admired the gifts, feeling like a child on Christmas morning.

John then went outside for breakfast. While eating, he noticed Sarah walking towards the dress shop near the café. He quickly stuffed the remaining cream-filled bread into his mouth, grabbed his coffee, but forgot to pay the bill. The man at the counter called out, "Mr. John, you forgot to pay! Wait!" But John's attention was fully on Sarah. He followed her from behind as she entered the gift shop.

Sarah was thinking about what to buy for John, wondering if he would like a teddy bear, a business guide, or perhaps a chain. "Yes, a chain, or maybe a bracelet," she mused, picking out the closest one, though unaware it was for couples. She paid for the gift, had it wrapped, and felt happy that she had bought John a present for his birthday.

John, who had been watching her, mistakenly thought she was buying a gift for someone else. He waited in front of the shop for Sarah to come out and planned to give her his apology gift. As she exited, he called her name. "Sarah!"

She looked up, surprised. "Oh, hi, John!"

"Sarah, can you come with me for a moment?" he asked.

"Ugh... um, okay," she responded, walking toward him.

John led her to his car but suddenly remembered that he had arrived on his bicycle. A bit embarrassed, he asked, "Um, Sarah, is it okay if you sit behind me?"

Sarah laughed. "Sure!"

He rode her to the beach, near the ocean, where he stopped and said, "Sarah, I'm so sorry for the way I treated you. I know my apology isn't enough, so I bought you a gift. I hope you like it."

Sarah opened the gift to reveal a small teddy bear and a keychain. She picked up the teddy bear and pressed it to her cheeks, smiling. "It's so cute! I love it," she said. Then, she picked up the keychain, which had his name on it, and smiled again. "Are you falling for me?" she teased.

John didn't deny it. "Yes, I am falling... but I already fell for you. I just didn't realize it."

Sarah smiled warmly. "I really love your gifts, but are you sure you're over Rose? I'm not saying I don't believe you, it's just that I want to get to know you as a friend, and I want you to be completely over Rose. I want to be sure that, when I'm around, you won't always turn to her instead of me."

John nodded, understanding. "I understand what you're saying, but I promise, you will be the one who's important to me. But you have to promise me that you won't fall for anyone else either."

"Sure, I can do that," she replied with a smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot—happy 17th birthday!" Sarah added.

John grinned. "You remembered my birthday?"

"Yeah, how could I forget?" Sarah replied.

John then asked a favor, "Can I kiss you on the cheek for my birthday gift?"

"Mm, okay," Sarah agreed.

"So, how are you going to celebrate your birthday today?" she asked.

"With our friends, of course," John replied. "Oh, and I bought you a dress."

"Wow, it's pretty!" Sarah exclaimed as she looked at the dress. She also noticed the cosmetics and asked, "Where did you buy these?"

"Oh, my mom owns a cosmetic company, R.GRAND," John said.

"Yeah, I've heard of it," Sarah replied.

John smiled and teased, "You mean I'll be dressing you up?"

Sarah blushed. "No, I didn't mean that. I'm talking about your mom's cosmetic company."

"Of course, I can help with that," John said.

John's birthday went off without a hitch. Sam, Rose, Sarah, and his parents' friends all attended, although John's mom didn't initially like Rose. John explained everything to his mom after dropping Sarah off. As he finished his conversation with his parents, he realized that it was Sarah and only Sarah who mattered to him. His mother was finally happy, knowing that Sarah would be their daughter-in-law soon.

"Okay, girls and boys, gather around! Say cheese!" John's father called out, and they all posed for a picture.

The day ended better than John could have ever imagined. It turned out to be the best birthday he had ever had.