~*~ Author's Note ~*~
Le gasp! Yes, she is still alive (and hopefully you are, too). This is browniechadowes here. After a few years of hard work and no time to update BE, I have come back (but be aware that I may not update as often as before). I finished my graduate degree, moved to England, and am now in the middle of getting my PhD. If you all want to check out some other stories I've worked on, please visit .edu/AmandaBigler/Published-Works. Cheers!
~*~ I Will Grab the Bull by the Horns~*~
EPOV:
"Cupcake for my cupcake?" I said in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"You know I hate pet names and birthdays," Bella said back glumly, apparently trying to incinerate the offending cupcake through telekinesis.
"Tough luck, pumpkin, because I am your boyfriend and as such you have to eat anything I bake for you. It's the rules."
She grumbled something, blew out the candle with more gusto than was quite necessary, and took a bite without taking the candle out from the top. I focused on her face, not wanting to chance a glance at the uneven bites taken, the way the perfect pink piping now no longer matched up.
Then she looked at me with her big, brown eyes and the lump of discomfort disappeared. My breathing became normal, and I smiled at her. She had no idea what she meant to me, how she had changed my life. Apart from a small novelty gift I had picked up for her, I had a surprise at my apartment that I hoped she would enjoy (although I would greedily enjoy it as well).
As Rosalie was bitching around the bar, I decided not to distract Bella any longer. No matter how much she protested, I was going to make sure her birthday went off without a hitch. I joined Jasper, who had been sipping on Tennessee Jack, and winked at my sister, who was bustling around the tables.
"... and so I tried this trick where I just, ya know, lightly flick it a bit, and she pretty much turned into a puddle of mush. And after that it was on like-"
I tried desperately to tune out Jasper's words, not wanting to hear whatsoever in any shape or form the sexual mushiness of Alice. Instead I turned my attention to Bella. Goddamn she was gorgeous, even with about a half-gallon of alcohol drenching her apron.
I popped an olive into my mouth just to see the crimson blush tinge her cheeks. And there it was, in a fraction of a second I had succeeded in turning her face bright red. I truly am the luckiest bastard out there.
"but then she was like, 'man, you can't go in there', so we had to stop for a bit-"
"Jasper, really, do you quite mind not filling me in on all the gory details? Family, remember?"
Normally I'd let him sputter on for the rest of the night, nicely tuning it out by counting all of the dangling glassware at the elongated bar and resisting the urge to go and put a misplaced margarita glass back where it belonged... It had been three freaking weeks and no one had noticed.
"Sorry, man, sorry. So, uh, how're things goin' with you two?" Jasper asked, nodding his head in the direction of Bella, who had spilled a tray full of shots onto herself.
"Things are great," I said, smiling as a flustered Bella made to refill the drinks.
I wasn't grinning at the fact she had made double the work for herself, or that she had to work with Rosalie. Nope, I was thinking about the past few weeks.
She had taken me as I am, and in turn I was able to fucking relax for once and not worry so much about my problem. Of course, my OCD hadn't gone away, but it had been helped by the calm state she put me in. My ticks had always been worse when stressed. Getting the tension out in other ways didn't hurt as well. God, I could still smell her body on me, could feel the soft, long hair tickling me, could imagine me inside...
And I had to stop thinking or I'd be sporting a bulge I wouldn't be able to conceal from the ever aware and indiscreet Jasper.
"It's Bella here's birthday! She deserves a shot!" I heard Alice proclaim.
I turned to look at Bella, who was surrounded by a large table of frat boys. Bella looked both embarrassed and put out.
Oh no Miss Swan, I thought, giving her a bemused look, I'm not getting you out of this one. It was, of course, her birthday and she deserved to have a damn good time and be treated. As for the douchy frat guys, Bella had explained to me after much of my own discomfort that she had worked in the bar for a while and could take care of herself.
"Rosalie'll call me a pussy again if you go up to guys, Edward," she had said to me exasperatedly.
"Well, technically you do have-"
She had silenced him with her lips, and the rest of the conversation had faded away into a sweaty romp on the living room couch.
But the guys didn't stop ordering her shots. If I couldn't talk to the guys, I could talk to the manager with the balls. And after my dismal MCAT practice results, I felt the need to do something proactive.
"Rosalie?" I asked, trying my best to put on my authoritative voice.
"What d'you want? We're working here, you know, and your missus isn't exactly helping out."
"Then let her off," I said simply.
"Fuck off."
"Rosalie. You said it yourself. In your words she 'isn't exactly helping out.' It's her birthday, you know." I had placed my hand on her shoulder and had her turn around to look me in the eye. If she was going to deny my request she'd have to at least do it to my face. With Rosalie, you had to take the bull by the horns and not take no for an answer.
"Well, alright then," she said reservedly.
"And you should probably get her a birthday drink, so we can sit down and enjoy her special day."
"Don't push it, Ed."
"C'mon. I know the whole staff had a party for you on your birthday, and you didn't have to work," I said, really just wanting to see if I could get her to be halfway human to Bella for an hour.
"Alright, alright. Now get out of my hair. I have a bar to run."
Five minutes later Bella was making her way back to me, sans spoiled apron, and was beaming from ear to ear.
"Bells, you alright?" I asked into her ear as she sat down next to me. She seemed alright, but I could tell she was feeling the affect of the shots.
"Yesssir," she had said with a hiccup.
I thought of the last time she had drank as much, the first time we had had sex. I felt disgusted with myself. How was I able to get the wonderful, if tipsy person in front of me? I certainly didn't feel worthy, and I hated that my self-doubt was creeping back in.
Bella squeezed my fingers and brought me back to reality. I took the wrapped package from my side.
"Bella, honey, happy you-know-what."
At first I tried not to look as she began to unwrap the present, but to my surprise she lifted the corners of the paper and succeeded in unwrapping it perfectly. Under her condition, I was grateful that she had thought of my feelings as well. I just hoped that she wouldn't find Pride and Prejudice and Zombie's too weird or lame. I hadn't bought a birthday present for a girlfriend in years, especially not one so special to me.
But before I knew it her soft lips were all over me. They peppered my neck, my cheeks, my chin, until they found my lips. Even though she tasted of tequila and beer, her mouth was familiar to me and our tongues began to dance.
Jasper began fake-coughing and Bella let go. I found it quite irritating for someone who had tried to give me a play-by-play of my sister's sexual preferences earlier.
"Ummm, let me just get some water from Rosalie," Bella said, her face almost purple the blush was so intense.
"Let me help you," said Jasper. "I don't think you should be in close proximity to Eddie right now, you're bordering on turning scarlet."
I watched as the two made their way up to the bar. I was left alone with a full head. It swirled with doubts and MCATS and unworthiness and the goddamned margarita glass...
And in moments of a second the entire glassware of the bar had come crashing to the ground. The margarita glass tumbled and shattered, and millions of glittering pieces were on the floor. Different shapes and sizes, all broken with no rhyme or reason.
Specks of red and glinting glass, and I was overwhelmed with chaos and... and where was Bella? And I needed to clean up the smashed bits, needed to restore order. But Bella was bleeding, and I wasn't helping. The world was upside-down and I could do nothing to stop myself from slouching down in the corner with the horrific familiarity of hyperventilation.
