He rolled back and admired his work. The room looked incredible. Soft lighting, soft enough to set a romantic mood. Candles on every surface. Rose petals for effect. The dinner he had lovingly made was sitting on the table waiting for her to get home.
He was so excited for tonight. Everything had to be perfect. He pulled the velvet lined box out of his shirt pocket for the millionth time, opening it to see the ring he worked so hard to buy her.
He heard a quick tap on the door and her voice called to him. "Artie? I'm here. Where are you?"
Quickly stowing the ring back in his pocket, he turned his chair towards the door. "I'm in the dining room."
"I had such a crazy day at work! I can't -" Her voice trailed off as she spied the dining room and the romantic setting.
"W-w-w-what's this?," she asked, absolutely dumbfounded.
"It's dinner, silly." He laughed and then added, "and what's with that stutter? Everyone knows you stopped stuttering years ago."
"I-I-I-I-I'm sorry. You took me by surprise. Old habits die hard and all that," she giggled lamely.
Pulling out her chair, he motioned for her to sit down. "I wanted to make tonight special. Celebrate our success."
Slowly, she walked to the chair he graciously held out for her and sat. "Seriously Artie. What is all this?"
"Just what I said it is. I wanted a special night for my special lady." He planted a quick kiss on her lips and wheeled himself to his position across the table.
"Corny much? I'd say you were taking lessons in love from Finn if I didn't know better." Softly, she laughed. "I really miss those guys. Being in Glee were the best times, I still can't believe they're over sometimes."
"Me too, T, me too." Quietly, he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "At least we have each other, right? And Rachel stops by every other week on her way into town to see Finn. Don't forget Kurt and Mercedes' weekly calls from New York. You can't expect more than that from fashion editors, can you?"
"I know, I know, you're right. I just miss them is all." Artie stared at Tina, lost in memories, and remembered exactly why he loved her. Not just her heart and her mind, but her love of all those in her life. Glee really effected both of them, more so her. I always had the confidence, he thought, just not the friends. She never really had either in the beginning.
Tina shook her head, clearing away the distant memories. "I'm sorry, Artie. I'm ruining tonight with nostalgia." She grabbed her glass, raising it above her head, "To the future, and all that is involved."
You have no idea, he thought nervously. "To the future."
They ate their dinner in thoughtful silence, occasionally breaking it with an attempt at conversation. But Tina was back in the choir room with all her friends and Artie was nervously going over his speech.
Finally they finished the delicious meal Artie had prepared, neither having really tasted it. Tina picked up their plates and delivered them to the kitchen. Placing them in the sink she came back to the dining room to find Artie moving towards her.
"I need you to do me a favor," he asked quietly. Looking into her eyes, he pushed his way into it, it's now or never. "Could you stand right here in front of me?"
Unsure what he was doing, Tina moved in front of Artie, exactly where he'd told her to stand.
Artie grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes.
"Tina. We've known each other since high school. We were best friends for years. By now we've figured out each other's flaws and even after countless fights and disagreements, I love you more than I could have anticipated. When I wake up in the morning, you're all I think of. While I'm at work, I can't wait for my breaks just so I can call and hear your voice. Even at night, before I go to sleep, I wouldn't survive without that goodnight call. And while this chair prevents me from doing this the right way, I'm going to try and get across exactly what I want. Which is you." Reaching in his front pocket he heard her suck in her breath. Slowly, tears fill her eyes as he brings the box out and opens it to show her the ring.
"Tina, would you do me the greatest honor and become my wife?"
She stares at him for several seconds, tears running down her face before she can form the one word that needs to say.
"Y-y-y-yes, of c-c-c-course." Through tears of joy, Tina jumps onto his lap as he places the ring on her finger. All the love she carries for him is in the hug that she gives him. Squeezing him and kissing him, the tears keep rolling down her face. Happiness shines out of her every pore and a smile so big it hurts graces her face.
"I love you, Artie Abrams. I can't wait to become Mrs. Tina Abrams."
"I had hoped you'd say that," he said as he looked into her eyes. "I love you more than I can say, Tina. I can't wait to share my life with you."
Without her noticing, he had begun wheeling her towards the bedroom. She looked over her shoulder at the door coming ever closer, "well, well now. In a bit of a rush for the honeymoon?"
"If you could see how beautiful you are right now, you would be in a rush too." He grabbed her face and kissed her, pouring every ounce of love into the kiss. Entering the room, he pulled her face away. Without a word, he began tugging her shirt up and out of her skirt, watching her body carefully, wanting to memorize every contour of it. He stared in awe at her torso, the perfection that he was inches away from.
"You're the most beautiful woman I know," he said softly as he looked into her eyes. He pulled her close, resting his head on her stomach. "How did I get so lucky?"
"How did we both get so lucky?" she asked leaning down for a tender kiss. Once again, she sat down in his lap and threw her arms around his neck. Pulling him in to make the kiss that much deeper. Closing her eyes, she let her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Slowly, she moved them down his shoulders, feeling the suspenders he's never without. She pulled away and looked into his eyes as she slowly pulled them from his shoulders, letting them hang off his body.
His eyes drank in the sight of her as her eyes moved to the buttons of his shirt, her fingers not far behind. It was excruciating how slowly she undid the buttons to his shirt. One button, kiss. Two buttons, kiss. Three buttons, kiss. She could see in his eyes the torture she was putting him through.
Finally, he took action. As she continued working the buttons on his shirt, he reached behind her and unhooked the bra, preventing him from seeing her gorgeous breasts. The bra slipped down the arms still working on his buttons, but now he could see, and touch, and torture too. Softly, he touched one breast, caressing it, using his thumb to tease the nipple to attention. He could hear her breath becoming labored, tiny gasps escaping her lips with every touch of his fingers.
She reached the last button on his shirt during his exploration and finally threw the bra to the ground and ripped his shirt out of his pants. She pushed his shirt down his shoulders, forcing his arms down and away from her chest as she pulled the shirt off.
Grinning at him she tossed his shirt over her shoulder. Reaching down, she ran her hands over his chest. Gradually her hands moved from their exploration of his chest farther and farther down his torso. Resting her hands on the button of his pants she looked up at him.
Seeing her grin like that made him shiver in anticipation and longing. The way she looked at him, the way she seemed to know exactly what he needed. She was the only one who knew how to bring him to his knees, figuratively speaking.
All of a sudden, she stood up in front of him. He watched as she danced towards the bed, yes danced. Shaking her ass and staring at him all the way towards the bed she teased him. Sitting down on the edge of the bed she locked eyes with him once more and used one finger to beckon him towards her.
He wheeled himself toward the bed and lined himself up with the side. Then using the upper arm strength he'd gained from years of being paralyzed he pulled himself up on the bed. He pulled himself all the way up the bed, propping himself up on the pillows. When he turned back to Tina she was at the edge of the bed, still dancing. Her fingers had moved towards the zipper of her skirt.
Giggling, she let the skirt fall to the floor. She was insanely sexy and didn't even realize it. He couldn't help but stare as her striptease continued until she was sans clothes and he was ready and waiting on the bed.
She crawled toward him on the bed, stopping near his waist, her hands teasing and tickling across his navel and near the top of his pants. Finally she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants pulling down his both his pants and underwear down his legs.
As she pulled them down he started to dance, attempting a torso and arm waving dance resembling a striptease. Unable to contain her laughter she snorted and threw his pants at him.
He smiled that perfect smile as she crawled back up the bed. He watched as she threw one leg over him, straddling his lap. She leaned into him for a kiss so pure and so tender he could have cried. This is what it's supposed to be like, he mused.
She reached over to the nightstand, opening the top drawer. She rifled through it until she found the item she was looking for. Holding it up so he could see she said, "Better safe than sorry right?" She laughed as she ripped it open.
She held him tight, rolling the clear plastic down the length of him, feeling him become harder with her every touch. Again, she leaned in for a kiss and felt him gasp against her lips as her body consumed every inch of him. He sat as straight as he could with her on top of him, pulling her closer as she wrapped her legs around him.
Slowly, she began to move. Rocking back and forth, up and down. Her pace became fevered, needing the release only this man could give her. Feeling his love as he kissed her face, her throat, her chest. Together they moved closer to release. She buried her face in his neck, nibbling, biting, trying to curb the scream that was sure to come. He grabbed the hair at her neck, pulling her face away, looking into the eyes of the woman he loved. She continued to move and only once she felt the shivers and shudders coming from his body did she truly let go. Staring in each other's eyes, seeing the love, the release, the trust, they both finally relaxed.
He leaned against the headboard, spent. She fell by his side, exhausted. She nestled herself in the crook of his arm as she drifted off to sleep. "I love you," she mumbled sleepily.
"I love you, too, T, I love you too." He kissed the top of her head, and let his eyes drift closed. He loved the feel of her in his arms. Knowing, for at least the next fifty years, he'd be falling asleep in her arms.