Chapter 12: Happy Birthday Cheesecake
Sunday came and Ulquiorra was nervous. He made lasagna. He had an artful salad with microgreens and different vinaigrettes. He even had a bottle of red wine out. He paced the area between the kitchen and the front door, trying to calm the nerves.
He was so pathetic, he even dressed up for her, wearing a tie and everything.
She had spent Saturday scraping together what she could to give him a birthday gift to repay all the kindness he had shown her over the past several months. Comped coffee and food and flowers and hugs and company were beyond her means, so she had to improvise. She worked on a special project for him and then let it dry before she went shopping. She picked up a bottle of wine; it was cheaper than booze. She got a card. She even got a cheerful mylar balloon.
On Sunday she got ready to go over to his place. She didn't want to seem like she was trying too hard. She wore a white skirt and a pink, slightly oversized sweater that kind of fell off one shoulder slightly. She wore gray boots. It was cute and birthday-ish, she thought. She got her little basket of goodies wrapped up and ready to go and arrived at Coffee & Sadness exactly at five o'clock.
The entrance to the apartments buzzed as Ulquiorra unlocked it from his apartment. He liked having high tech stuff like the security system that was installed. He watched as Orihime pulled open the door and walked inside. All he had to do was wait for her. So he did.
Orihime looked down and checked her clothes and smoothed out her hair before knocking on the door. She was nervous. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
He gave a sigh before opening the door and looking out. "Hi," he said. Ulquiorra could have rolled his eyes at himself. That was a lame greeting.
It was just fine to her. She grinned. He looked cute. She pulled the balloon out from behind her back and put it between them. "Happy birthday, Ulquiorra!" she cheered, holding it out to him. There was also a single daisy in the hand that held the string.
His face broke out into a smile and he took the balloon and the flower. "I've never had a woman give me flowers before. Thank you." Ulquiorra blushed and moved so that Orihime could come inside. "You can put your coat and things on the couch."
"Are you a shoes or no shoes house? You never know," she said, still standing near the door.
"The floors are heated concrete, so if you want to run around barefoot or in socks, it's fine. Esme waxes the floors once a month, so… Your comfort is important." He looked down at his own socked feet.
She smiled and leaned over to unzip her boots, holding the hand with the basket out to the side for balance as she did. She wasn't especially graceful as she wobbled unsteadily, but eventually got the job done. When she stepped out of them she walked into the living room and took a deep breath as she took her coat off. "Wow, it smells amazing in here. What did you make?"
He shrugged. "I made lasagna and salad. Cheesecake and a sampling of delights for next month."
She grinned. "Do you want to do presents now or later?" She was excited.
"After cake."
A nod. "Okay, fine," she said, only mildly disappointed. She set the basket down and smiled back in his direction. She wasn't sure what to do now.
"I spent hours slaving over a stove. I want to see your face when you taste the food," he said and took her hand, leading her around the massive bookcase that separated the living area from the kitchen and dining area. Ulquiorra had set the table for two. The dark wood table held their plates, the salad bowl, wine glasses, and the dish that housed the pasta. There was still steam rising from it. "Pick a seat. I'll get the wine and I'll make a compromise. After we eat this, I'll open your present, okay?"
Her eyes squinted shut and she blushed. He must have noticed her anxiousness. "You're the birthday boy. We'll do what you want. Also, hnngh ," she whined, looking down at the table and trying not to drool. "You'd think it was my birthday. I can't promise you I'll be ladylike for this."
"Should I grab extra napkins or paper towels?" he asked, smiling at her for a second.
She looked at him with a dead serious expression for a moment and nodded. "I think it's in both of our best interests."
He walked over to the kitchen area and grabbed the opened wine bottle and the roll of paper towels. Ulquiorra set both on the table and pulled a chair out. "Sit, please."
"Yessir," she said, taking the seat and grabbing the cloth napkin he had set out and unrolling it, setting it in her lap.
He passed her the salad bowl first before he cut the lasagna. "You're not on a diet or anything? I made a lot."
Orihime shook her head. "Nope. Although apparently I should be. At least according to certain banshees."
A scoff left him. It was probably Grimmjow's mother who said something. She was a heartless bitch. "You're gorgeous the way you are. Hand me your plate and I'll give you some of this," he said.
She did, trying not to blush too hard at the compliment. She watched in silence as he dished up the lasagna and passed her plate back, then dished up his own.
After he sat down he unrolled his own napkin. "Go ahead and enjoy," Ulquiorra gestured.
She smiled and tucked her fork into the lasagna and blew on it before taking a bite. Oh. Dear. God. It was perfect. Just enough cheese. The perfect amount of garlic and pepper. She leaned back into her chair and moaned with a closed, full mouth, as her eyes fluttered shut. When she finished chewing, she opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "Holy shit," was all she said.
Ulquiorra stared at her with wide eyes. He had to reach down to adjust himself because hearing her moan, although it was over food was… it did things to his brain. Hearing that sound melted it. "Yeah," he said in agreement. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Orihime ate about half of what she was given in relative silence, expressing her appreciation with little noises here and there, until she was a little less frenzied, and decided to pepper the eating with conversation. "So, where did you learn to cook like this?" she asked.
"They offered classes in prison. I took them," he said after he took a bite of salad. "I already knew how to cook because Aizen made sure I did something with my time that was productive. I found I liked baking and cooking, coming up with different flavor combinations. Some weren't so good but others… are a hit."
"I have yet to try a stinker from you," she said, then her eyes sparked. "What was your worst kitchen disaster?"
"Dark chocolate and matcha mousse. It was horrible."
It didn't sound so bad to her. "Greatest accomplishment?"
"Still striving for it," he answered with a smile before taking a bite of pasta.
She smiled back at him and took a bite of the salad. "Wow. This is good, too."
He shook his head and took a sip of wine. "It's just salad. Nothing fancy. What about you? Do you cook?"
"Not really," she admitted. "I can make banana bread and like, easy stuff, but I never really learned how to cook. I mostly eat take-out or instant stuff, or sometimes I just get sucked into my work and forget altogether," she said. "But my coffee habit makes up for any lost calories."
A small smile graced his face as he studied her. "Do I need to put real food on my menu?"
She chuckled. "Do you want me to get really fat? Because if you put real food on your menu, unless it's like, super healthy, I'm sure that's what will happen."
"I rarely eat junk food. I mean I do eat like, burgers and fried chicken. Pizza… I like pizza. Burritos..." Ulquiorra trailed off and took another bite. He could feel his face getting hot. Why was he telling her this?
"I would love to see you tear down on a burrito," she said with a small smirk. The idea seemed comical to her. He was usually so self-contained. "Like, just throwing back a cold one and noshing on some beans and rice. It would put you in a new light," she said with a giggle.
Ulquiorra shook his head. "I've made reservations for the eleventh at the restaurant. Seven p.m.," he said. "We're still doing that, aren't we?"
"Yes, fancy-ish, right?"
He nodded. "It's a place where you wear a suit and pay out the nose for a tiny creme brulee."
"Wow, I hope I have something nice enough to wear," she said, not particularly worried.
"You'll look stunning."
They finished the meal and Ulquiorra sipped on his wine as Orihime got up and went to get the basket she had put down earlier. He watched her move and sighed. He was truly pathetic. He got up and cleared the table of their dishes and got the cheesecakes he had made from the refrigerator. They were personal ones, made in tiny springform pans. He released the sweets from their metal prisons and plated them before adding a small dollop of whipped cream and a white chocolate drizzle. He let them sit on the island before he went to join Orihime in the living room.
Orihime looked at him with an anxious inhale. "Well, I don't have a lot of money to throw around, so I just got some stuff that I like that reminds me of you, so, happy birthday," she said, blushing and holding the basket out to him.
"You didn't have to get me anything, Woman, but thank you. Your presence is enough of a gift," he said, taking it from her. He then sat down on the big couch and motioned for her to sit down beside him as he pulled out an envelope.
The card was a humorous one, paying homage to the fact that both of them generally preferred quiet and saying something to the effect that he should party it up, and by that it meant have a nice meal and then go home and watch TV and go to bed early. Inside she simply wrote, "Happy Birthday, Ulquiorra. Thanks for sharing it with me! Love, Orihime"
He looked at her loopy handwriting, eyes following each line of the word love. She didn't love him. It was just a friendly gesture. He glanced at her and smiled. "It's funny," he commented. "What's next?"
He pulled out a rather flat package and carefully tore the tissue paper it was wrapped in. His lips twitched as he saw the cover of the DVD. "Batman?"
She smiled. "Yeah, you kind of have a Bruce Wayne vibe," she said. "And I think I mentioned I liked Michael Keaton as Batman, so…" she trailed off.
He grinned. "I'm nowhere near as rich as Bruce Wayne. I'm a simple coffee shop owner," Ulquiorra stated. He put the DVD case to the side and pulled out a narrow bag. "Is this wine?"
"Yes… I've never tried that one, but I think you'll understand the play on words and why it reminded me of you," she said, blushing. "Also there were some decent reviews online."
As Ulquiorra revealed the bottle and its label and his eyebrows shot up. He had to swallow hard as he read it. Four play. Fore play. All he could think about was that now. Dammit. "You know before the shop was named Coffee & Sadness, it was named Espresso IV. People would call it espresso ivy, not espresso four like I intended. After I gained my freedom again, I decided to rebrand my shop. You got this because of my tattoo."
"Ah, so that's the reason for the name change. And yes, when I saw it I thought of that," she said, referring to his tattoo and letting her eyes flicker to the spot on his chest where it resided.
The next gift was larger than the rest of them. He put it in his lap and ripped one side of the package and then slid the item out. It was the print he had been admiring in her home. The one of the deer/horse hybrid but this time a bat also accompanied the creature. "I think I may have the perfect place for this," he said. "There's a blank spot in my bedroom. I was going to put a mirror there but this… This would be better."
She blushed and batted her lashes a bit, flustered by the indirect compliment. "Really? You like it? I mean, I saw you look at it so I hoped so, but you'll hang it up?"
"Right across from my bed. It'll be the first thing I see in the morning."
She blushed harder. She didn't know what to say, so she deflected. "The last thing in there is nothing new, but…" she was not really selling it, so she just shut up.
Ulquiorra grabbed the item and knew it had to be a CD. He still bought and listened to the things when he wanted to. He opened it and then laughed. "The Cure. Nice. Robert Smith is a genius when it comes to relating issues." He put the CD down with the other presents and then turned to Orihime. He looked at her before he reached up and put one hand on her neck and the other on her jaw. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. It was much more than the kiss in his office. Their lips touched full on as his heart beat wildly in his chest.
Her eyes closed. She wanted more of this. She wanted more of this. She couldn't… She inhaled sharply and pulled away. "Ulquiorra…" she said quietly.
"I apologize. I just… Thank you."
She couldn't let him feel guilty or ashamed. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him again, murmuring, "Happy birthday," in his ear.
"Don't," he said to her. "You'll turn me on if you do that. Thank you, Orihime." Ulquiorra pulled back from her and then stood, leaving the gifts on the couch. "Come, let's eat our cheesecakes."
She nodded and stood. She wasn't surprised at his words. She felt it too. She stayed a respectable distance away from him before making her way back to her seat at the kitchen table. "Ahem," she cleared her throat and then smiled, trying to force a more lighthearted mood. "I can barely carry a tune, but I intend to sing for you. If you don't have candles… I know you have a lighter."
He brought the cakes over. "I have a candle and a lighter." He put the tealight on the table and laughed. "I'll get clean forks."
"Really Ulquiorra? A tealight?" she teased. "At least let me light your candle for you."
"You already light my candle," he said. He grinned at her as he came back. He dug into his pocket and gave her the plain zippo lighter.
"I bet you say that to all the coffee girls," she replied and lit the candle. She waited until he turned around before using a slightly embarrassed singing voice, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ulquiorra, happy birthday to you. And many more," she added the coda with an exaggerated vibrato. She smiled through her self-inflicted humiliation and then said, "Make a wish."
Ulquiorra's green eyes turned to Orihime as he blew out the candle. He straightened his body and gave her a small smirk. "Shall we?"
Grimmjow came into Coffee & Sadness the following morning wearing a haughty look. He wasn't going to let his friend get away with this. He confirmed Ulquiorra's appointment by calling Oceanique and asking what time the reservation was for. He shook his head. The guy was having a late dinner with his girlfriend.
He was going to make sure Orihime had other plans that night.
The moment she closed the deal and Ulquiorra signed off on his logo, the sooner Orihime would never see the green-eyed man again, if Grimmjow had anything to say about it.
The pictures that Nnoitra had sent him still made his blood boil.
That asshole.
That fucking asshole.
This always happened. The moment he caught feelings or said the L word… Bitches cheated on him. Instead of Nnoitra, this time it was with Ulquiorra.
Prick.
"Did ya have your fun with her?" Grimmjow asked as he got up to the counter to order his coffee.
"I beg your pardon?" Ulquiorra asked in a bored tone.
"Did you have fun with my girlfriend? You know… practically fucking her at Starrk's, going up to her apartment and not leaving hours later… Inviting her over for your birthday? Any of these ring a bell, Cifer?"
Ulquiorra's gaze became darker as Grimmjow talked. How did the man know about all of that? "You're under the assumption that I would disrespect Orihime. That is not the case. I happen to hold her in the highest regard and would not do anything to jeopardize my friendship with her, Grimmjow."
"Bullshit. Nnoi's told me everything-" Grimmjow growled. "Actually I've seen photos of you two. Nnoitra sent me them from the other night."
"Consider the source. I've not done anything to Orihime. I walked her home that night. I bought her dinner because all the woman eats is-"
"Yeah, yeah, she can't cook worth a damn. I know. Why'd you invite her over to your place for your birthday? That bitch waitress at Starrk's told me you were trying to charm your way into her pants," he asked.
Ulquiorra sighed, not wanting to make a scene. "You're hurting her, Grimmjow. She is completely loyal to you. She's my friend and she wouldn't use me like everyone else has."
There was a scoff. "You think you're a knight in shining armor. You think you're so superior to everyone. Fuck your flowers. I'm the king. I'm the one who makes the damn rules. You think you can take her? Orihime is just like everyone else, Ulq."
"Grimmjow, I suggest you shut up and leave. Your girlfriend loves you," Ulquiorra said.
The blue-eyed man scowled and his lip curled. "One of these days, Ulq. One of these days… I'm going to show you who the better man is."
"I look forward to it."
Grimmjow left the coffee shop and went to work, spending most of the day browsing websites for a gift. He had royally screwed up when it came to Thanksgiving with Orihime. He needed to show her that he cared.
By the time Orihime was due in the office, Grimmjow had left a somewhat large box sitting on her desk, wrapped in silver wrapping paper. He knew how many art supplies she lugged around with her. He had gotten her something to streamline the process.
By the time she got to the office on Wednesday afternoon, Orihime was a mess. Her brain was, anyway. Ulquiorra… Grimmjow… Ulquiorra… Grimmjow… Jesus. She needed to knock it off. Ulquiorra was her friend. Her friend . She had drawn the line. He had pushed it, but didn't cross it. It was fine.
Except that it wasn't.
She couldn't stop thinking what if .
What if things with Grimmjow weren't getting any better? What if they had already hit their high note? What if he had gotten what he wanted from her and it was all downhill from here? What if he'd been taking her for a ride this whole time and she really was just another in a line of women that the blue-haired man wooed and left behind?
She almost didn't notice the box on her desk. She lifted her purse to set it on the surface and then took a surprised step backward. A gift? On her desk? Her eyes moved around the room. No one seemed to notice that there was anything out of the ordinary going on.
"Um, Karen, is this…" Orihime asked as the older woman passed her row of cubicles.
"Oh, that? Grimmjow left that for you. Check to see if he wants you to drop it off somewhere, I guess," she said, then added, "Oh, if you're going across the street later, get me one of those hot chocolates, okay?"
Orihime raised her brows and nodded before walking to Grimmjow's office and knocking on the doorframe.
He glanced up at her before he waved her into the room. He was on the phone with a hotel for the convention he would be going to next week. Grimmjow held up a finger to the young woman before he finished the call and hung up. "Hey Princess. I'm sorry I've not really contacted you after the thing on Thanksgiving. You looked really shaken up about it and I figured I'd let you sort things out. I'm an asshole for not checking in on you."
He wasn't wrong about that, she thought, and didn't even notice that she nodded in agreement. That wasn't what she was here for at the moment, though. "Um, yeah. Anyway, um, Karen said you wanted me to deliver the box on my desk somewhere?"
"You could think of it like that. It's a gift from me to you for screwing up Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be a fun day with memories and all of that. I fucked up with you and taking you to meet my mom," he said in a flat voice. Grimmjow stood up and walked over to Orihime, taking her hands into his.
She tilted her head in confusion. "Um, I thought…" She swallowed her words. She honestly didn't know what she thought. "You got me a gift?"
His blue head nodded. "Do you not accept 'I'm sorry I'm a complete asshole, let me make it up to you' gifts from boyfriends who are stupid?"
"I don't know, I've never been offered one before," she said, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I suppose it depends what it is." Her eyes met his and she stared, trying to figure out his intentions. The thing at his mom's was nearly five days ago already and he hadn't given her so much as a text asking how she was doing. She had been wondering if he had blamed her for it or something. But here he was apologizing… "I guess I better go see what it is, then?"
Grimmjow nodded again. "You could bring it in here but I kind of want everyone else to see what you got," he said before pulling her close and hugging her. "I'm sorry, Hime. I love you."
There they were. The magic words. The ones she'd been waiting to hear since he left her on the street in front of her apartment on Thursday. Her lips pressed together and her nostrils flared as she tried to remain unemotional. She nodded and turned to go back to her desk, but before she took a step, she whispered, "I love you, too." She sniffed and straightened her shoulders before striding out of the office to her desk.
It was a decent-sized box. She slipped a fingertip between a fold in the silver paper and pulled, ripping the wrapping to reveal a well-known logo of an apple with a bite out of it. Her eyes widened in shock. "You got me an iPad Pro!?" she asked in an understated squeal. She never thought she would ever be able to afford something like this, and had only ever touched one in the store.
Grimmjow was leaning against the door of his office with his arms crossed over his chest. He had a smirk on his face. He had already one-upped Cifer. "I knew I was a huge asshole, Princess," he replied as he pushed off the door and walked over to her desk. "It's more efficient than lugging around all those art supplies when you just want to sketch something. I know you need the supplies for school but this will help when you don't feel like carrying them."
"Oh my god, Grimmjow, thank you so much!" she squeaked, not caring at the moment that everyone in the office was staring at them as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "This is the nicest- I just- Thank you," she finally said, releasing him and trying to regain a semblance of professionalism.
"You're welcome Orihime. Now get to work," her boyfriend replied in a joking manner. "Show me what you can do with it."
Ulquiorra sighed loudly in the quiet afternoon. The lunch rush just come through; Coffee & Sadness was empty… ish… Rangiku was talking a mile a minute to one of the other employees and he could hear her. He kept his eyes on the building across the street.
Apparently he didn't see what he was looking for, though, because it wasn't until an unpleasant cackle disturbed the relative quiet inside that shop that he noticed his nemeses, Karen and Susan, waltz through the door.
It was Karen who spoke first, shaking out her short brown bob. "Can you believe it? I mean, really. She's so frumpy and short. At least Brynlee had legs. Dumb as a box of rocks, though."
Susan snorted. "I don't know. I mean, Orihime seems fine. She can take the culture. She just isn't…. She's a Honda Civic, isn't she?"
Karen tipped her head back and laughed. "Well, apparently she's a Ferrari in bed. I cannot believe he did that, in front of everyone, too."
"I KNOW," Susan responded emphatically. "She was going to cry. I know it. I mean, it's not diamonds or anything, but iPad Pros are pricey."
They had arrived at the counter and were still chattering on, not paying any attention to the man behind the counter.
The two were loud enough that Ulquiorra caught every word the women said. His bored mood shifted to something more unpleasant. Grimmjow had bought Orihime an expensive gift? "Can I help you?" he asked as he looked at the women. "Did you say Orihime?"
It was Susan who heard him, and her head whipped in his direction. "Yes, I did. We'll have the seasonal hot chocolate."
Ulquiorra glared at the woman before he tapped the screen in front of him. He stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not to say anything else but just gave the total. It wasn't his business what happened with Orihime and Grimmjow. "Names?"
"Karen and Susan," the brunette responded. "You know Orihime?" she asked with a suspicious, rising inflection.
Ulquiorra nodded as he wrote on the cups. "Yeah, she's one of my best friends. I know her boyfriend too."
Susan's eyebrows raised at his response and Karen seemed to deflate. This was a lot less interesting than she had suspected. "Best friend? Huh. She seems so… So…"
"Mousey," Karen provided.
"Yes, Mousey. Seems like you are a bit more on the ratty side? Either way. Just hard to imagine. Grimmjow, though," and here Susan laughed unkindly. "He seems to lack any sense of judgment anyway, so you never can tell with him, right?"
"He's never been the brightest one," Ulquiorra muttered. He turned his back to the duo and went to get their hazelnut hot chocolate. What did the woman mean that he looked ratty? He looked professional. He looked put together. Orihime wasn't mousey. Grimmjow was just an idiot. He scoffed as put the lids onto the cups. "You're right though. You two probably lack common sense though."
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Karen asked with a lilt, unable to imagine that someone as lowly as a barista would dare to diss her.
A rare smirk crossed Ulquiorra's face. "Your stupid coffee orders, gossiping about your colleagues in front of their friend… stuff like that."
Karen could only stare at the young man in shock.
Susan was slightly amused. "You sound like you have a bit of a protective streak. So tell us, was it always you and Orihime until Grimmjow swooped in with his dumb coffee orders and nice car and ugly blue hair? Honestly I just do not get the appeal, Karen," she said the last bit to her co-worker.
"Basic bitches," Ulquiorra said and straightened his spine. It was never him and Orihime although that's what he wanted. He wasn't going to let these two assholes shit on his friend. They could bag on Grimmjow all they wanted. "That's what you two are. A latte without coffee is just milk, you idiot. A non-milk chai latte is just tea. A grilled cheese sandwich has dairy in it. Get the hell out of my shop."
"Well, then. I have to wonder about her," Susan muttered, grabbing the drinks and passing one to Karen. "Maybe we should send her to that shit-inducing crap factory from now on instead of here. We wouldn't want to spoil her perfectly obedient track record by exposing her to stuck up baristas, would we? She might pick up your attitude, Mr. Cifer." Susan knew exactly who she was talking to and who he was; she was a snoop. She looked into the Coffee & Sadness account at Rotten. She also knew her job wasn't on the line. "Toodles."
"Pumpkin spice isn't exotic either dipshit," Ulquiorra called out as the women left.
It was then Rangiku stuck her head out of the workroom door. "What the hell, Ulquiorra? Did you just lay into some customers?"
Another loud sigh. "They had it coming, Rangiku," Ulquiorra stated. He put his palms flat against the counter and let his head drop so that he was looking at the marbled surface. It was a rare moment that he was showing how vulnerable and weak he was at times.
"This is about the redhead, isn't it?"
Ulquiorra nodded.
"Have you told her?"
He nodded again.
"Ulquiorra, you're not supposed to get mixed up with customers," the blonde woman said softly. "That's what you always tell me."
The man seemed defeated. "I know," he replied. "Grimm said I couldn't have her. I didn't expect to catch feelings for her."
"You're an idiot," Rangiku said.
What should she do? What do you *want* her to do? Let us know, and thanks for reading!
