My Boyfriend Pretended He Forgot My Birthday & Then Proposed To Me

My long-term boyfriend had always planned the most amazing birthdays for me, which is why I found it weird when he forgot all about my special day last year. Turns out, he totally remembered I was turning a year older—he just had something much bigger and better planned.

1. For the first time in our relationship, I was out of town for my birthday. We’ve been together for four years and we’ve spent all of our birthdays together except this one. Unfortunately, I was out of town for a work conference and I was really bummed about it. I knew we couldn’t go out and do anything together that day, but I still figured we could find a way to celebrate from afar.
2. He didn’t even text to wish me a happy birthday. Just after the clock struck midnight making it officially my birthday, my phone rang and I ran to pick it up, assuming it would be my boyfriend. Instead, it was my dad, followed by my mom, sister, and friends. I heard nothing from my boyfriend. I was really upset and ended up crying myself to sleep.
3. When he eventually did call, he didn’t mention what day it was. He called me in the morning when I was getting ready for a brunch with a client. I was mad at him, yeah, but also really relieved to hear from him. However, instead of wishing me a happy birthday, he let me know he was just calling to ask if I knew where his soccer t-shirt was. Seriously? Screw him! I said that I was running late and hung up on him.
4. I went about my workday feeling like crap because my boyfriend forgot my birthday. I went to conferences with my colleagues, met new clients, and discussed strategies and business deals—all things I would have had to do anyway, but having my boyfriend forget my birthday made my day that much harder to get through. Even my colleagues didn’t mention it! I know it’s just a birthday, but it’s a big deal to me and knowing it didn’t matter to anyone else really upset me.
5. I started to have second thoughts about our relationship. As the day progressed, I started feeling gloomier. I was mad at him and felt really hurt by him but I also wished I could talk to him to tell him how I was feeling. I wished I was at home so that we could just be us again, but I was simultaneously paranoid that he was either up to something shady or something terrible had happened to make him forget my birthday.
6. That evening, things got even weirder. After a hectic day with clients, my colleagues and I got back to the hotel and went to our respective rooms. It was around 7 p.m. when I received a call from the reception telling me that there was an emergency and I needed to come downstairs. Without a second thought, I rushed downstairs, only to find out the best surprise of my life.
7. A huge orchestra band and people were singing… for me! The moment I stepped out of the elevator, a huge orchestra started playing and people started singing “Happy Birthday” to me. I couldn’t believe it was happening and I felt super overwhelmed. Just a few minutes earlier, I was totally depressed and now suddenly I was on top of the world! It felt amazing.
8. Suddenly, my boyfriend appeared with an even bigger surprise. He had a wide smile on his face and a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hand. He came over, wished me a happy birthday, and we kissed. Then he got down on one knee and took a gorgeous diamond ring out of his pocket. I was completely shocked and hadn’t seen a proposal coming at all. I said yes, of course!
9. He gave me my best birthday ever and made my wildest dream come true. My boyfriend and I have a pretty chill relationship. We love each other but we’ve never believed in all the mushy, overly romantic grand gestures… or so I thought. Somewhere deep down, he must have known part of me had always dreamed of an elaborate proposal and he worked hard to make that dream come true.