this is me trying
chapter twenty-six: birthday
seth
I feel lips pressing against mine, making me believe that I'm still dreaming. The lips move, peppering my face with kisses. My eyes slowly blink open, hoping that I am not dreaming this. When my eyes are open, my head is curtained by long curly blonde hair. That's when I feel that Tatum is straddling me.
I let out an involuntary moan. I'm sure that Tatum can feel my morning wood no doubt. "What did I do to deserve this?" I whisper. My voice is thick from having just woken up from my sleep.
Tatum pulls her lips from my face and her grin comes into my view. "Happy birthday, baby." She says happily before kissing my lips again. Hmm. What a birthday present this is. Waking up to Tatum and her kisses. I don't think there is anything better. "I made breakfast." She mutters against my lips before sitting up.
"You didn't have to do that." I murmur, rubbing my eyes hoping to get the sleep out of them.
Tatum giggles. "I know I didn't have to. But I wanted to spoil my boyfriend." She shifts in my lap. By the look on her face, she clearly feels my boner. Tatum climbs off of me. "I will meet you in the kitchen." She says with a wink.
When the bedroom door closes behind her, I let out a sign. "This girl is going to kill me." I say before moving out of my bed too. I opt for a cold shower, hoping to get back to Tatum faster. Surely enough, ten minutes later, I walk into the kitchen where Tatum is flipping pancakes dressed in a t-shirt of mine.
I snake my arms around her waist and pull into my body. "I like you dressed in my shirts." I say before pressing a kiss into the side of her head. "The food smells amazing. Can I help you with anything?"
Tatum moves out of my arms to grab plates from the cabinet. "If you want to get the orange juice out of the fridge, that would be awesome." Tatum says as she begins plating the food.
I follow her instructions. I bring the orange juice to the table and Tatum follows behind me with two plates of food. I fill both of our glasses up with juice as Tatum brings a few more things to the table. "This looks incredible, T." I say as I look down to the full plate. My stomach growls in cue.
Tatum smiles. "Happy birthday, Seth." I pull on her chair, bringing her closer to me. Tatum laughs before cuddling into my side. We chat as we eat, talking about random things. When the conversation moves to what the plans for today are, Tatum's lips were sealed. She told me that she wants them to remain a surprise.
After we finish eating, Tatum forces me into the living room and tells me to pick out a movie while she cleans up. I feel horrible that she wouldn't let me help her, but I follow her instructions and pick a movie for us.
By the time Tatum is done cleaning up, I have picked out a movie for us. Tatum curls up beside me as I start the movie, resting her feet in my lap. I grab a blanket and throw it over us. Several minutes into the movie, Tatum is completely asleep with her mouth open and soft snores sounding out.
I press a kiss to her temple before resting my head against hers. I too eventually drift off to sleep.
The front door of the apartment swings up, causing me to jolt away. I blink my eyes as I listen to the sounds that follow. "Hey, man." Colin says in passing when he notices me and Tatum on the couch.
I glance down to see Tatum is still passed out. I nod my head in greeting, not wanting to wake up my girlfriend. She looks so peaceful right now.
I look at the TV and notice that it is still playing the movie, though it looks like it's the end. Colin moves his way into his bedroom, allowing me and Tatum our own space.
I gently brush my fingers down the side of Tatum's face as I watch her sleep. I am amazed that Tatum is my imprint. She is so perfect. Strong, independent, beautiful. Mine, the wolf inside reminded me. Who would have thought an innocent childhood crush would have led me to this?
I am so in love with her. I know that it is not just the imprint that brought me to her.
I was always meant to be with her.
Tatum grabs my hand, stopping my tracing motions. "Seth." She whispers sleepily with a grouchy face. I can't help but smile as I lean down to press a kiss to her lips. "Mmm, I wasn't supposed to fall asleep." Her words vibrate against my lips.
"It's okay." I say, brushing my lips against hers. "I fell asleep for a little bit too." My lips press back into hers, immediately parting them to slip my tongue in.
Tatum lets out a sigh as our tongues connect. Her hands settle at the back of my head, keeping my head from pulling away. Her fingers pull at my hair. I pull her up, positioning her so that she is in my lap straddling me without breaking the connection between our lips.
Tatum rolls her hips, making my cold shower from early this morning completely worthless. My lips break from hers, trailing down to reach the column of her neck. I press my lips along her neck before settling at the base, where I suckle on the sensitive skin there.
"Seth." Tatum gasps, breathlessly. Her head is tilted back to allow more access. It doesn't take long for Tatum to reach down and grab the bottom edge of my shirt that she is wearing. I follow her cue and help her peel the shirt off of her.
My eyes couldn't help but train on her exposed bra. This was definitely further than we ever had gotten before.
"Is this too far?" Tatum whispers, worried that I had suddenly stopped what I was doing.
"I was just admiring how beautiful you are." I press a quick kiss to her swollen lips. I brush her blonde hair behind her shoulder as I kiss the newly exposed skin. The skin I wasn't kissing, my fingers begin feeling away. Goosebumps start to rise at the new contact.
I am almost too distracted to hear the front door swing open again. It isn't until I hear Brady's voice that I realize what is happening and quickly throw the blanket around Tatum's shoulders. Tatum buries her face into my shoulders, erupting into a fit of giggles.
Brady and Laura walk into the living room and I notice Laura's eyes widen. "We are definitely interrupting something here." She says with a laugh.
Brady looks over to us in our compromising position and chuckles. "On the couch, man? Really?" He teases before Laura pulls him down the hall to give us some privacy.
Tatum pulls her head up and her face red with embarrassment and laughter. Her hair is wild from our previous make out session. "In hindsight, this might have been the best place for this." She mutters as I soothe down her unruly hair.
I chuckle. "Probably not." I say pressing a kiss to her lips. I so desperately wish that we hadn't been interrupted.
Tatum climbs out of my lap, allowing the blanket to fall off of her. I take in the site of her black lace bra one last time before she slips on her shirt. She grabs her phone off of the coffee table and sends a text before looking up at me. "I didn't even realize it had gotten so late. Ready for the next part of your birthday surprise?" She asks as she steps towards me.
Tatum already knew the answer. I sweep her off of her feet, causing her to squeal and I carry her over my shoulder into my bedroom. The two of us change into different clothes before we leave my apartment hand in hand.
Tatum drives us to the beach. We walk onto the beach together, holding hands again. "We are over here." She says as she motions to a large blanket laid out in the sand with a basket.
"What is this?" I ask in disbelief with a smirk on my lips.
Tatum looks up at me, nervous. "I thought we would have a cheesy picnic at the beach." She says with a shy smile.
"This is incredible." I say as we both settle onto the blanket. "How did you manage to pull this off?" I ask in amazement as Tatum begins rummaging through the basket, pulling out beers for the two of us.
"I had a little help from Nessie and Jake." Tatum says as she pops open our beers with a bottle opener. After handing the beer to me, she leans into me, resting part of her body against mine. I wrap my arm around her waist, taking comfort that she is so close to me. We are both quiet for a moment as we look out to the ocean. "Do you remember our first time here? After I just got back?" Tatum asks as she looks up at me.
"How could I forget?" I mutter. I had just got her back in town and I had just imprinted. It was truly something that I couldn't forget. "We had just skipped dinner with our parents."
Tatum laughs, resting her head against my shoulder. It is quiet for a moment before Tatum speaks up. "You know, the last time we were here. It was so hard for me to imagine being here without Cade." She confesses. "I was still grieving and I didn't think I would ever stop. But something changed. I still miss Cade so much. And I wish for nothing more than for him to be here." She pauses. "But that day, I started crushing on you. And eventually, I realized that even though I lost my brother, I wasn't alone like I thought I was." I kiss the top of her head, letting her know that I am here and I always will be. "So thank you." She sniffles. "I really don't know what I would have done without you."
Tatum picks her head up and turns to look at me. I press a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm so glad I have you." I answer her.
Tatum gives me a small smile before sniffling one last time. "Okay, okay. Enough of the sad. It's your birthday." She says as she wiggles out of my arms, crawling over to the basket again. She pulls out a container holding a big cupcake. "It's a birthday cupcake, made by the best." She says opening it up. "Do you want me to sing 'happy birthday'?" She teases.
The two of us share the large cupcake before Tatum brings up our intense make out session from earlier. "So about earlier… on the couch." She says, putting away the container in the basket.
"Yeah…" I say, waiting for her to continue.
"How far do you think that would have gone?" Tatum asks, looking up at me innocently. I want to pull her in my arms and make out with her all over again with that look she is giving me right now.
"I don't know." I answer truthfully. My throat is suddenly tightening up with nerves. "How far did you want it to go?"
Tatum bites on her bottom lip. "Honestly… I'm not sure." She confesses.
I shift so I'm sitting a little closer to Tatum, making sure that I'm at eyes level with her. "If it makes you uncomfortable… That's the last thing I want-"
"That's the thing." Tatum interrupts. "It doesn't." She says as a blush adorns her cheeks. "I really enjoy it… I've been thinking…" Tatum pauses looking nervous. "I really want you to be my first." She blurts out. "Like not tonight or anything but… like… it doesn't have to be soon… Or-"
"T." I interrupt her rambling with a smile on my lips. She is so precious. My love for her continues to grow. "If that's what you want… We can do that." I let her know. "We can do it when the time is right… There is no rush though."
Tatum looks relieved. She sits up on her knees, grabbing onto my arms. "I don't deserve you." She says breathlessly.
"It's me who doesn't deserve you." I argue back.
We spend the rest of our time at the beach cuddled up in each other's arms, reminiscing about our first time here together. An hour or two later, we pack up our picnic and head back to Tatum's car in the parking lot.
On the drive back to my apartment, Tatum explains that she has even more planned for my birthday surprise. "So we need to change into nicer clothes." She concludes as she pulls into my apartment parking lot.
"You are spoiling me." I teasingly accuse her. "That's my job."
Tatum playfully rolls her eyes at me. "I like spoiling you. Plus, it's your birthday so it's my job." She says as she opens the car door. We both get out of the car and head for the apartment.
"Will you give me some idea what our next stop is?" I ask as I follow her up to the apartment door.
"Nope." Tatum laughs as I unlock the door.
We make our way into my bedroom. Tatum quickly grabs her things before moving into the bathroom to change. "How nice should I be dressing?" I call out to her from the other side of the door.
"Wear those jeans that I like." Tatum responds. I chuckle, knowing exactly which jeans she is referring to. I slip into the jeans still shirtless as I try to find something to wear.
I hear the bathroom door open and Tatum walks out dressed in a yellow dress with cut outs at the waist that makes my jaw drop. "You are so gorgeous." I say in awe.
Tatum looks up from the bag that she is digging through and blushes. "You look good too, babe." She says as her eyes move to my abs before looking up. "Are you going to the-" She pauses, realizing that she almost let the next location slip. She laughs at herself. "Are you going out like that? I'm not complaining."
"I'm trying to find something to wear." I say, motioning to the closet. "Do you wanna help pick something out?"
Tatum laughs as she walks over and looks through my closet. "I like this or this." She says pulling two shirts off the rack. I grab the black t-shirt that she pulled and put it on as Tatum ventures back into the bathroom. I finish getting ready before moving to the bathroom where the door is wide open and Tatum is putting on makeup.
I lean in the doorway of the bathroom and watch quietly as my girlfriend decorates her face with makeup. "You aren't going to say 'I like you better without makeup'?" She jokes, looking at me through the mirror.
I smile. I did like her better without makeup, but if she liked wearing makeup and it made her feel confident, who was I to say something. "You are stunning either way." I say.
Tatum chuckles at my cheesiness. "I forgot something at my place." She says as she puts lipstick on. "So we need to stop by on our way."
"No problem." I say as I continue to watch her.
After Tatum finishes her makeup and fixes her hair, she puts on some heels. "Ready to go?" She asks, looking up to me. I nod my head.
I help Tatum out to her car, where she insists on driving again. I was really hoping to drive, thinking I may get some sort of insight in where we are going. Tatum begins driving to her place. When she parks, she shuts off her car.
I look at her confused. "I actually need your help with this." She says, motioning to her house. I look at her suspiciously. But as soon as I open the door and take a deep breath in, I realize what is going on. My whole pack is here, I can smell them. Tatum has thrown me a surprise party. If it wasn't for my supernatural abilities, she might have been able to surprise me. I wasn't going to ruin her fun though. I would act surprised.
Sure enough, after Tatum unlocks and opens the door, she motions for me to go first and everyone jumps out saying "surprise!" just like in the movies. A big grin takes over my face as I turn to face my girlfriend.
"I told you it would be a good surprise!" Tatum sing-songs happily.
I scan the room seeing everyone from my pack here along with my sister and her fiance. There are also past members of the pack and their significant others. The house is decorated with streamers, balloons, and banners. There is also a keg of beer in the kitchen and a big birthday cake. Tatum has really spoiled me.
"Go say hi to everyone!" She says giving me a playful shove towards my friends.
"Happy birthday, man." Embry says, giving me a slap on the back.
Quil hands over a cup full of beer. "You are already behind. Drink up." He jokes.
"Happy birthday, baby bro." Leah says as I move to say hi to her and Peter. "My future sister in law really knows how to throw a party." She says laughing as she motions to one of the younger pack members doing a keg stand.
I scan the party to look for my girlfriend and I quickly find her with Laura and Vanessa. "Yeah she does." I say, quietly.
"You did good at acting surprised." Leah compliments, knowing that I knew everyone was here the moment I walked out of the car.
"I didn't want to ruin the fun for her." I say as I watch her interact with the girls.
"She really loves you, you know?" Leah says, following my line of sight.
I swallow, still unsure especially after the way she reacted when I confessed my love to her. "She hasn't said it yet." I inform my sister. "I have, though."
"She will soon." Leah nods, confidently.
I am quickly pulled into another conversation with Jake and Nessie. I bounce from conversation to conversation with pretty much everyone at the party before I finally settle back at Tatum's side.
"What do you think?" Tatum asks, grinning.
"This is incredible." I say, so grateful for everything that she has done for me today. "I really really don't deserve you." I pull her into me. Before I can lean down to kiss her, Tatum raises up her hand that has two Jell-O shots. "Jell-O shots?"
Tatum giggles. "Well, I haven't really thrown a party since I was in college. I figured kegs and Jell-O shots were still cool to do." She says with a shrug. She hands me a Jell-O shot before popping off the lid of hers.
We take the shots together. Those end up being the first of many shots of the night.
The rest of the night consists of beer pong, alcohol, dancing with my girl, and being surrounded by all of my friends. I really don't know how I could have had a better birthday.
And to top it off, I fell asleep with my girlfriend wrapped up in my arms at the end of the night.
Sorry for the late update! But what better time to write an update for you guys than when I should be studying for a test haha! Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This is just the start of the next few fun chapters I have planned for you guys! Let me know what you guys think by favoriting and leaving a review! Xx M