Sanctuary

It’s Alex’s birthday and I have big plans for him with some assistance from Jack; he is his best friend after all. Of course though, the day will start out with me giving him a proper breakfast. I woke up before him to start making breakfast which consisted of omelettes with steak and blueberry muffins. I heard the sound of him calling for me and I took that as my cue to head to the bedroom.

“Good morning, Alex.” I said as he sat up in bed.

“Good morning.” he said smiling.

“Did you sleep good?”

“I slept great.”

“Good to hear. You’re in for a big day, today.”

“What’s for breakfast?”

I sat it in front of him and took a seat on the bed.

“Steak omelette, toast and orange juice. There’s also something sweet waiting for you in the kitchen.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a surprise.”

He dug into his food and had a look of pleasure on his face.

“You are the best.”

I smiled.

“I was thinking about making the usual western omelette, but since this is your birthday, I figured I’d make something different.”

“It’s absolutely delicious. Thank you.”

I really wanted to kiss him right now. There’ll be plenty of those today, though.

“My pleasure. Cooking’s what I do for a living, after all.”

“I can tell it’s made with a lot of love.”

I was speechless.

“Would you like a bite?”

I did.

“Are you sure?”

I was echoing the same words he asked on my birthday.

“Of course.”

“Then, yes.”

He put a piece in my mouth and I licked my lips after I chewed.

“Fuck. I am amazing. Oh, that came out conceited, I apologize.”

He laughed.

“If that was said to just about anyone else, it would.”

“Guess you’re right.”

“So, what are the plans for today?”

“I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is that there’s gonna be cake.”

He sighed.

“Really?”

“Yes. Really. Just eat your breakfast, sweetie." I said, pinching his cheek.

He shooed away my hand and I laughed.

"Am I in for a great day?"

"That is one of the dumbest questions I've ever heard."

Five minutes later, he gave me the tray, so I could take it to the kitchen. When I came back and was standing in the doorway, he was nowhere to be seen and assuming Alex was in the bathroom, I just walked in. I was ambushed by him and had his arms around me, therefore scaring the shit out of me.

"You scared me, you ass." I said, smacking his thigh.

I tried to make it sound like I was mad, but I couldn't keep a straight look on my face as I turned to face him.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled into my neck.

"Apology accepted. You're lucky that you're so damn cute."

I kissed him and he returned the favor. I fully turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck and legs around his waist, continuing to kiss him while he tried to direct us to our bed because I knew that's where we both wanted to be. When he stumbled, we fell onto the bed and laughed; it didn't last long as he reconnected our lips and a hand strayed to my ass, giving it a nice squeeze.

“A little to the left, birthday boy.” I asked, pulling apart.

He smirked and did so. When he was above my pussy, I spoke again.

“And downward.”

I took hold of his hand and he got the picture and he traveled then began to rub me in circles. I moaned into his neck as he started to take my pants off.

“Help me please.” he whispered into my ear.

I proceeded to press down on his crotch before I did anything.

“Abby.” he gasped.

I smirked before I got up to take them off while he took off his own. We both went further and removed the rest of our clothes.

“How do you wanna do this? It is your birthday after all.”

“My choice?”

“Your. Choice.”

“Something new. Just like we tried another way for oral sex a couple weeks ago.”

He explained how I needed to be in position and I loved it. I propped up on my elbow and had my legs slightly bent while he kneeled in between and I had my left leg positioned, so he could enter me. We rarely are in a sideways position, so I was eager to try this.

“Ready?” he asked, keeping hold of my left knee.

“Yes.”

The second he penetrated me, I was in heaven and cried out in pleasure.

“Alex.”

I kept grasping at the sheets with him going in and out. I did start with my hand on his knee, but it was hard to keep it there. I looked up at him and saw a similar look on his face and that turned me on even more, intensifying the experience.

“Oh my God.”

I threw my head back as I came close to orgasm. I placed a lot of pressure on his leg before I came.

“Please add that to the list of favorite sex positions.”

He laughed.

“I’ll gladly do that.”

We untangled and sat down on the bed and faced each other.

“Happy Birthday, Alex.” I said, leaning in to kiss him.

“Thank you, Abby.”

Around four o’clock, I was in the bathroom about to shower, but was also on the phone. Why would I talk to someone on the phone in here, you ask? I was talking to Jack about a surprise I had for Alex.

“Are you on your way to pick them up?” I asked him.

I arranged for Alex’s parents to come visit and surprise him at the party Jack and I set up for him. He has absolutely no idea what we have in store for him. There’s no small get together and drinks afterward, but a huge gathering with all his close friends and family. I cannot wait to see the look on his face when he sees everybody.

“About to leave the house, actually. You are an amazing person for doing this. You know that?”

He’s so sweet.

“I know it’s something he’s gonna love.”

“Has he suspected anything?”

“Not a thing. He asked me this morning what today’s plans were. I just told him that the only thing I could tell him is that there was gonna be cake.”

“Did he pout? He had to.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll see you guys at six-thirty. Ok?”

“Ok. See ya then.”

“See ya.”

I hung up, undressed and hopped into the shower. I walked into the bedroom to see him laying out his clothes.

“Hey.” I said.

“Hey. Looking good.”

I was in only a towel.

“Thanks, perv.”

He laughed.

“I wish you could go like that.”

I don’t think your parents would appreciate that.

“You’re ridiculous.” I said shaking my head.

He smiled.

“Are you excited?”

“Extremely, even though I don’t know where we’re going to.”

“So am I. I’m gonna go ahead and say this will be your best birthday yet.”

“That’s a bold statement.”

“But I feel confident about it.”

“I’m going to take your word for it because your words are as good as gold.”

I stood on my tippy toes and kissed him. After he showered and dressed, he must’ve focused on his hair for fifteen minutes. The man always has to have his hair perfect and I enjoyed every second of it.

“You look amazing.” I said as he finished his hair.

I was looking in the mirror and kissed him on the cheek.

“I do?”

He always been somewhat insecure.

“No doubting yourself. If I say you look amazing, it’s true.”

He nodded.

“You look pretty damn amazing yourself.”

Within fifteen minutes, we were in my car and on our way to the party. When we pulled in the parking lot, it wasn't one of a restaurant, so to say he's confused is an understatement.

"Why are we at a hotel, Abby?"

"Just follow me." I said, grabbing his hand.

We walked into the lobby and had to give them my name in order to enter the doors to the right. I couldn't contain my happiness as I opened the doors to a room full of people.

"Surprise!" I heard echo throughout the room.

He was certainly taken by surprise which was my goal. When he saw his mom and dad, he smiled and hugged me.

“I love you.” he said.

“I love you, too.”

We walked further in and toward where his mom and dad were.

“Did you do all this?”

“With a little help from Jack. He picked your parents up at the airport.”

“I have to remember to thank him.”

I smiled. The smile on his face grew even more as he went to greet them; you could truly tell how close he and parents were. I patiently waited till I could say my hellos.

“Abby! It’s great to see you!” his mom said.

“It’s great to see you. The both of you, actually.”

“Thanks for inviting us.” his dad said.

“I don’t know how I couldn’t. He’s done so much for me that I had something like this for him.”

He was blushing which was adorable.

“When did you start planning this?” Alex asked.

“A couple weeks ago. I started talking to Jack about this and he was 100% behind it.”

He kissed my cheek.

“You’re the best, Abby Shaw.”

I blushed.

“You have a great fiancée here, Alexander.” Isobel said smiling.

“I second that.” Peter said.

After another few minutes of conversation, we went to greet the other party planner and his girlfriend. I hugged her first while Alex hugged Jack.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“I love this. It totally came out of the blue.”

“How are your mom and dad? You looked pretty damn happy to see him.”

“They’re fantastic. They couldn’t be happier to be here.”

“I’m happy for you, man.”

“Thank you.”

His friendship with Jack reminded me a lot of Miranda and I’s friendship.

“You did so good, hun. Fiancée of the year if you ask me.”

“My future inlaws seem to think that.”

“Yeah?”

“They told Alex that he had a great fiancée like five minutes or so ago.”

“You tell them about you reconciling with your mom?”

“I did.”

“What did they think?”

“They were relieved and can’t wait to meet her, especially Isobel.”

“Well, I have no doubts they’re gonna love her.”

“Me either.”

I looked over to see him walk toward me.

“I’m gonna go talk to the guys. I’ll be back.” he said before kissing me.

"Ok." I said, kissing him back.

I smiled and watched him walk away. Ten minutes later, I let everybody know that they could head to the buffet to eat. I sat for a few minutes while people filled their plates; I felt hand on my shoulder slightly startling me.

“Hey.” I said.

“Hey.”

Alex.

“How are the guys?”

“Great. They’re huge fans of you right now, well even more so.”

He sat beside me and pulled me close as he kissed my cheek.

“That means a lot coming from then. They’re awesome.”

I love them.

“Are you ready to eat? I can make a plate for you.” I offered.

“You’ve done so much for me already. I’ll get mine. Can I get you yours?”

I smiled.

“No. I’ll get my own, but thank you.”

When I came back with my food, I saw Alex, Isobel and Peter in deep conversation. I didn’t wanna disturb them, so I just sat down and began eating. I heard his dad mention his brother’s name and I instantly looked at Alex’s face since I knew how badly it could possibly affect him. He seemed fine as he continued to smile, but I knew part of him clearly wasn’t. When it came to his birthday, Tom’s birthday or Christmas, those days were particularly difficult for him even if he didn’t let it show.

“Everything delicious?” I asked with a smile.

“It’s a wonderful feast.” his mom said.

“Absolutely.” his dad said.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Amazing, babe.” Alex said.

He put his fork down and squeezed my hand that was still below the table. He wasn’t okay. I kissed his cheek and squeezed back to let him know that I understood how he was truly feeling.

“I’ll be back soon. I need some air.” he said directly to me.

It was shortly before we were gonna sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and serve cake.

“Ok.” I said, nodding.

He was on the verge of breaking down and my heart broke for him. I never lost anyone, so I couldn’t even imagine the pain that he was going through. Sure, I’ve had my share of pain considering how I was raped seven months ago and had the loss of my innocence, but he had a whole other kind of loss.

“Where’s Alex?” Jack asked.

Ten minutes had passed and he still hadn’t come back. I was worried.

“I’ll go find him.” I said.

I walked out the front doors and saw him sitting on a curb in the parking lot with his head in his hands. I could see his chest moving rapidly and my heart broke even more. He was having an anxiety attack.

“Alex.” I whispered.

I didn’t want to startle him; he didn’t move or say anything. I quietly approached him and sat down beside him. I placed my hand on his thigh in hopes he would respond to my touch. He put his hand on top of mine and intertwined our fingers.

“I miss him.”

His voice was cracking.

“I know, baby.”

“It’s so hard celebrating a day like this and not having him here. I hate it. He should be here. It’s not fair that I can be this happy and he can’t.”

He looked up and this was the first time I saw his face; his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were tearstained. He laid his head on my shoulder and I laid mine on top of his.

“I can’t say I understand what happened and the type of pain you’re going through, but I do know he would want you to be happy right now. I want you to be happy right now. You’re an amazing person, Alex.”

I lifted my head to see his reaction. He faintly smiled.

“I love you.” he said.

“I love you, too.”

“I don’t think I can go back in here, not like this.” he sighed.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll let them know you weren’t feeling well and had to go home.”

“But there’s cake.”

I started to laugh which caused him to do the same.

“That’s quite a dilemma.” I said.

“It is.”

He turned to me and kissed me. I kissed him back deepening the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck while I felt his arms around my waist. We stayed like this until I felt my phone vibrate.

“Damnit.”

“Who is it?”

I looked at phone to see a text from Jack.

“Jack. He’s wondering if everything’s okay. He asked where you were right before I came out here.”

“We should go in, then.”

“You sure? We can stay if you’d like.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

He took my hand in his and we got up and made our way back to the party.

“How do I look?” he said wiping his eyes.

We were about to open the party doors.

“Great.”

He nodded.

We walked in and saw everybody pretty much the same way prior to when Alex excused himself. When we started walking toward our table, his mom got up and went to hug him; it's like she knew what had happened; to say he was taken by surprise, would be an understatement.

"I'm okay, Mom."

"Are you? Is he?" she asked.

"I am. Trust me."

"He's okay. I made sure of it."

"She made sure of it." he said echoing me.

"Alright. I believe you, Alex."

When she let him go and he walked toward the table, she hugged me.

"Thank you, Abby."

"For what?"

"For taking care of him. Knowing it's his birthday and Tom's not here, it's a difficult thing for him to deal with." she asked, pulling apart.

"He does so much for me and is there for me when I have panic attacks. What kind of person would I be if I didn't?"

"Well, you're a saint and I can't wait for you to be my daughter in-law."

I looked to the floor and smiled; I couldn't wait for her to be my mother-in-law.

"You're amazing." I said as I didn't know what else to say.

The conversation ended and we happily ended back at our table.

"What'd you and my mom talk about?" Alex asked as I sat down.

"I'll talk to you about it later, but I will say it's the best conversation she and I ever had."

He smiled and kissed my cheek.

"This is a stupid question, but are you ready for terrible singing and cake?"

He laughed.

"Yes."

We huddled around the table and sung while I stood right beside him. The aura around him was beautiful and I was in awe. He blew out the candles and pulled me close.

“What did you wish for?” I asked as we started to cut cake.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“It was worth a try.”

As I handed him cake, I caught a vision of us cutting our wedding cake together and feeding a slice to one another.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I had a vision of us and our wedding cake.”

He kissed the top of my head. I smiled up toward him and kissed him; he smiled back at me. After serving up cake to everyone, we sat down and ate.

“Are you okay? I was worried when you were gone for ten minutes and didn’t come back.” Jack asked.

“Absolutely. Abby knew how I was feeling when I decided to get some air, so she made sure I was alright before we came back.”

“That’s such a relief.”

The rest of the party went well and when it was time to go home, I couldn’t have been happier.

“What did you think of today?” I asked lying on the bed beside Alex.

“Aside from my breakdown, it was amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I could feel the emotion coming from him; it was that strong. I looked up and kissed him.

“Happy Birthday, Alex.”

I buried my head into chest and got comfortable with me drifting off in seconds.

Notes