Friday, May 6, 2011

CBWR? Chapter 74

Author’s notes:
Get out your Kleenex.
“Bath?”
_________________________________________
Chapter 74:
Sunday is my favorite day.
On Sundays, I get a bath.  Mommy picks me up and carries me into the bathroom and runs the water, and then she uses the little blue washcloth to wash me.  I have two cups I can use in the tub to pour water back and forth, and I like watching the water stream from one to the other.  When I dump a cup over my head, she uses her hand to push the water off of my face and away from my eyes.
I pull open the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink and get the cups and washcloth before I go into the living room where Mommy is on the couch.  I go to her and hold out the items in my hand.
“Bath?” I ask.  She hums, but doesn’t look away from the television.  I ask again, and she stabs her cigarette into the little glass tray on the coffee table.  It’s already full, and some of the stinky leftovers have fallen out.  She turns to me.
“What?”
“Bath!” I say again with a smile.  She told me once I had a pretty smile.  I hold the cups and the washcloth out again.
“Not now,” she says as she turns back to the television.
I sit down on the floor next to the coffee table and tilt the cups back and forth, pretending there is water in them to pour.  When the show is over, Mommy gets up and goes to the kitchen.  I follow.
“Bath?” I ask again.  She glances at me, but says nothing.  She pulls a loaf of bread off the counter and gets the jar of peanut butter from the cabinet.  She makes two sandwiches and hands one of them to me, and then she goes back to sitting on the couch.
I climb onto the chair in the kitchen and eat my sandwich.  It’s dry and sticky, but I am hungry so I don’t mind.  When I’m done, I go back to Mommy again.
“Bath?”
“Geez, Edward!” she snaps.  “Can’t I get a minute to myself?”
I look down at the ground for a minute and then back to her, but she’s watching another show.  I sit back down next to the table and push the washcloth into one of the cups.  I try to pour it, but it doesn’t work, not even when I shake it.
“That’s where you were fucking sitting when I left.”
Daddy’s voice startles me as much as the door to the trailer slamming against the wall.  He goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle.  As he takes a swig, his eyes narrow at Mommy.
“I swear to God, Esme, you are so fucking useless.”
“Oh yeah,” Mommy says without looking up.  “And Carlisle Cullen is a great catch, that’s what you are.”
He laughs, but it doesn’t sound friendly.  I don’t like it when they talk like this, and I think if Mommy gave me my bath now, maybe they wouldn’t talk so loud anymore.  I stand up and hold out the cups again.
“Bath?”
“For God’s sakes, Edward!” Mommy yells, and I take a step backwards.  “Will you shut up for two minutes?”
She stands and grabs me by my arms, hauling me up.  At first, I’m happy, thinking she will give me my bath now, but she walks over to the open door and drops me down outside on the patio.  The door shuts as she goes back in, and I can hear them yelling again.
***
I woke up groggy, disoriented, and feeling a little…off.  My muscles were all tense, and I didn’t know why.  I shifted in the bed a little, and felt Bella’s hand against my neck.  I took a deep breath and relaxed back into the mattress a little.  It felt good just lying next to her, and even though I had to pee really badly, I didn’t want to get up.  I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would take me again, but it didn’t.  I finally gave up and wiggled my way out from around her and went to the bathroom.
When I came back out, I just looked at her for a minute. 
Her long hair was all over the pillows, and her arms and legs were splayed out all over the bed.  I smiled a little, realizing if I tried to get back in bed now, there wasn’t going to be much room for me.  I glanced at the clock and saw it was just a little past two in the morning.  It wasn’t really a great time to start the day.
Today.
Bella’s birthday.
I had to make this day a good one, and I had no fucking idea how.
A new panic seized me when I realized I still had no fucking plan what-so-ever.  I didn’t know what to do, and though I might be able to ask the hotel staff to help me with preparations, I didn’t know what to ask them for, and I didn’t want to leave Bella alone very long while I got anything accomplished.
I needed help.
Advice.
I didn’t have anyone to turn to.
I thought about Alice or Rosalie, and quickly crossed them off the list.  It had to be a woman, but not either one of them.  If they knew what we were planning…well, I wouldn’t make it to this evening to execute any of it.  Execute being the optimum word.  I didn’t know any other women except those I dated.
Fuck.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my phone, and quietly walked out into the hallway.  I didn’t go too far down, so I could still see the door to the room.  I pulled up my contact list and took about five hundred more deep breaths.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
I was out of choices.
I listened to the phone ring a few times, and I was just about convinced she wouldn’t answer when there was a soft click.
“This ought to be interesting,” the dry voice on the other side of the Atlantic said.
“Ummm…yeah,” I stammered.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anyone else to turn to, and I really, really need your help, Kate.”
She would at least give me some ideas, right?
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Chapter end notes:
You have to give Doofus a little credit – at least he asks for help.  He might even ask for directions with a little prodding.
This is probably it for updates today.  This weekend is also completely insane, and I may be out of town during most of it.  No guarantees on any kind of update until Sunday night.  If you’re luck, or I find a place with wifi, I should have a bunch written at least.

CBWR? Chapter 73

Author’s notes:
This early morning post is brought to you courtesy of my work, who woke me up at 4:00am and I couldn’t get back to sleep, and She Viking, who wanted to finally get a chance to get to a new chapter before the Americans. ;)

Well, at least it didn’t seem to be totally stupid.

Chapter 73:
Bella’s hand finally unclenched my shoulder and ran down my arm.  She wrapped me up in a hug, which I returned wholeheartedly.  We kissed softly a few times – no tongues or anything, just gentle and slow. 
“That was really incredible,” Bella said.  I looked away from her for a minute, trying to keep my smirk to a bare minimum, but I couldn’t pretend hearing her say that didn’t make me want to go stand on the top of that monstrous tower and scream “Bella Swan came all over my hand!!!”
She probably wouldn’t appreciate the gesture.
“Anytime you like,” I responded instead.  I kissed her forehead and squirmed a little when her fingertips brushed lightly over my sides.  Her hand moved to rub across my stomach before she started heading down again.  I grabbed her wrist and brought her hand back to my hip, placing it there firmly.  I shook my head at her.
“Don’t do that,” I said.
“Shouldn’t I…return the favor?” Bella said quietly.
“No,” I said.  I shook my head again.  “It’s your early birthday present, not mine.
How was I supposed to explain that I already owed her one?  She’d had my cock in her mouth and let me come down her throat the very first night I met her.  It seemed like so fucking long ago, and I really didn’t consider that experience to be anything like what I felt with her now – orgasm or not.  Now that I knew what she had gone through, I wished to God the first night had never happened.  The last thing I wanted to do was remind her of it, though.
“That’s not really…fair…is it?” Bella inquired.
I swallowed hard.  I didn’t think this was something I could explain to her.  You can’t exactly come out with your best Andrew Dice Clay impersonation and say “Yo, bitch – it’s payback for the blowjob.”  At the very least, I didn’t want to bring the shit up at all, because what was happening right at this moment was pretty good, and I didn’t want to fuck it up.  There were probably a dozen completely unknown to me ways of fucking it up, and since I didn’t know what they were, I might still do them.  This one though – I knew this would fuck it up.  This would fuck it up royally. 
Besides, women didn’t seem to find Andrew Dice Clay impersonations very funny.  I was never sure exactly why.
I had to think of something to say to her though, or she was going to push the issue.  I could see the look in her eyes – the one that usually led to her laying it on the line for me and me giving into whatever she wanted, no matter how stupid an idea it was.  I didn’t think I could go with something quite as lame as “it’s bedtime,” though.  Then I actually had what might have been a brilliant thought. 
Well, at least it didn’t seem to be totally stupid.
“I’m saving myself for our wedding night,” I said with a smile.
Bella laughed and shook her head.
“Okay,” she agreed with a shrug and a furrowed brow.  “Are you sure there’s nothing you want?”
I kept my eyes on hers as I slowly reached out and took her chin in my fingers.  I kissed her one more time, and then my hand traveled slowly over her shoulder, down her arm, and to her hand, where I could wrap her fingers in mine.  I pulled her hand up in front of my body, held it against my chest for a moment, and then brought it up to kiss the backs of her knuckles.
With one more look into her eyes, I placed the palm of her hand against my cheek and released it.  I then snuggled my head into that cozy little spot between her neck and shoulder.  I didn’t seem to need to say anything else – Bella just immediately pushed all my hair back off my forehead and away from my ear with her fingertips before her hand starting caressing me from my temple to my chin and back again.
It felt like heaven.
If I was good – sometimes I could have what I wanted, right?

Chapter End notes:
Does anyone remember Andrew Dice Clay?  Does anyone who remembers him wish they didn’t?
Next chapter…maybe later today/tonight.  Probably.  We’ll see.  I may have to go replenish my martini fixings first.
HAPPY FRIDAY!