Midnight letter prompt #16: Am to toast my crush that's all😅

Hi midnight fam I just love these prompt because it happened just a day before yesterday when I decided to take the bold step and toast my crush not a cruel way just friendly banter, the kind that’s supposed to make her laugh and admire my confidence.
‎
In my head, the line was perfect. Sharp. Timed. Legendary.
‎So she said something small and harmless, and that was my cue.
I delivered the toast with full confidence, even added a little pause at the end, waiting for the reaction. In my imagination, people would laugh. She would smile. I would look effortlessly funny.
‎What actually happened was silence.
‎Not dramatic silence. The quiet, confused kind.
‎
She stared at me for a second, then laughed—not because the toast landed, but because she genuinely didn’t understand it. She asked, very politely, “Wait… what do you mean?”
‎That’s when panic knocked.
‎I tried to explain the joke. Big mistake. I added more words, more examples, even gestures. The more I explained, the worse it became. The toast slowly transformed into a lecture, and I was now the only one talking.
‎
She nodded slowly, smiling in a “this is interesting” way, while I realized something painful: the toast had toasted only one person—me.
‎Someone nearby chuckled. Not at her. At me.
‎That was my breaking point. I stopped mid-sentence and laughed. She laughed too, now fully understanding—just not the joke, but my struggle. The moment became lighter, funnier, human.
‎
I learned something that day: confidence is good, humor is powerful, but timing is everything. And sometimes, when you try too hard to be funny, life flips the joke and hands it back to you.
‎Honestly?
‎Laughing at myself felt better than landing the toast ever would have.