Birthday Love

"That's recent."

He then exhaled from his nose and ran a hand through his hair. "But this was great," he entwined fingers with me, "You don't always take control but when you do, you're incredible."

"And we didn't even undress properly," I laughed, "Have you checked your phone? How many calls have you got yet?"

"I don't know. I turned off my phone."

"Huh?! Why?"

"I was sleeping, and now I'm with you. I'll reply to the messages later on."

"I'm sure your fans are having a pizza party on Twitter."

He laughed quietly, without replying. He looked like he wanted to go back to sleep. Oh dear, instead of a party, I could have allowed him to sleep all day. Poor thing, he never got the proper amount of sleep. But he loved to party as well. Ever since we started living together, he was always careful about keeping his drinking under control when he went out with the lads so that he didn't return home drunk. The few times I had put him out of the bedroom had served him a lesson.

"I don't know what happened to me," I pushed myself into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard, "It seemed so hard to climax..."

"You hadn't done it in a while," he soothed, sitting up, "Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

I put my arms around him and hid my face in the crook of his neck. "I loved it," I smiled and inhaled his scent.

"That reminds me: you have an MRI in two days. I'll take the day off, okay?"

"You don't have to. Just drop me home and go off."

"Kitten, you'll be sedated and drowsy. I need to be around. Please."

"You make me sound so incapable." I dragged myself down the bed and put my knickers back on. He laughed.

"You're capable and strong," he moved forward to the edge of the bed and held my hands in his, "But I like taking care of you. Allow me to do it please. You anyway do everything without any kind of help."

"You do so much for me," I said, feeling the tears rising in my throat, "One night, I was wondering: what would happen if you weren't there? Who'd look after me? Who'd help me heal?"

"Hey, come here," he tugged me by the hand and made me sit beside him on the bed. "It's okay, I'm always there," he put his arms around me, "Even when I'm not around physically, I'll always make sure you're alright. That's the promise I made when I met you for the first time."

"Then allow me to bake for you today," I sniffed back the tears, "Let me do something for you in return."

"I didn't stop you from baking. I just said I'm going to assist you. And anyway, your love and unconditional support mean more to me than any physical birthday gift. It would be difficult to be a popstar and be in a committed relationship at the same time if not for your support and understanding. How many people would stand by their partners this way, you tell me?"

"So you don't care about going to the Ascot, right?" I teased and saw his shoulders droop.

"God, kitten, and you say I'm in the mood to fight." He reached out and grabbed the tickets. "When did you buy these, really? These are sell-out races. Must have been some two months back?"

"Two and a half, actually."

His eyes widened slightly. "So you've been planning for my birthday even when you were so seriously ill?"

"What's being ill got to do with thinking?" I shrugged, "I booked these online and fetched them sometime later."

I got up and pulled on my skirt. "You freshen up," I tousled his hair, "I'll fix us breakfast."

"Breakfast is good," I sensed his smirk from over my shoulders, "But I'd like to keep your essence with me."

My body tingled when I heard that, but I chose to ignore it and headed for the kitchen. Sunlight streamed in through the closed windows and open curtains and the living room smelled of flowers. About ten minutes later, while I was beating the eggs into a bowl and toasting the bread, I heard him shuffle out of the room. Finally.

"Have you got today's pa─"

His voice caught in his throat and I laughed jubilantly. Poking my head out of the kitchen, I saw him standing speechless at the door of the bedroom, surveying the living room. From the stunned look in his eyes, I knew he liked what he saw.

Unknowingly, I found my eyes welling up. It hadn't been easy decking up the room single-handedly, but I had to do it. Thankfully, the headache I had got after staying up till late and blowing balloons was gone this morning. And I had got my reward too.

"You... you did this?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off the walls and the windows. There were balloons, streamers and flowers in all corners of the room, making a pretty sight. "When?"

"Last night," I answered, "After you left."

"As lovely as this is," he smiled and shook his head, "You shouldn't have been doing this when you're meant to be sleeping. You need rest, love."

"Just one day," I slowly walked up to him, "Your birthday doesn't come every day."

He sighed, before pulling me close and gently easing his lips onto mine. I melted into his arms, feeling his heart beating excitedly in his chest.

"Thank you," he murmured into the kiss, as he cradled my face between his palms, "It's amazing how you never forget to make others feel special no matter what you might be going through." His eyes watered and he pursed his lips to hold the tears back. "I don't have the words to describe how much this means to me... even though you always make me feel special, this... that you sacrificed sleep to make arrangements for my birthday... that you took the time and made the effort... it means a lot to me..."

"Lucky you didn't switch on the lights when you came in," I giggled.

"You knew I'd head straight for bed and wouldn't leave until now, didn't you?"

"Of course, I did. I'm glad you had the gig last night."

"And I'm glad you're here with me," he rested his forehead against mine, "This is all I can ask for... After I saw you battling for life just a few months ago, I―"

"Uh-huh," I pressed a finger on his lips, "Not today. It's your birthday."

He sighed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"And I've got to give you something in return," he laughed, "I mean, you did so much despite being unwell." His arms coiled around my waist. "What do you want?"

"That vacation, after we're done in LA," I was quick with my request. "I know of a lovely little place where we can sneak off."

I sank deeper into his arms, feeling his mouth caressing my face and neck. How I wished I could be with him like that all day... every day.

"And I can think of the perfect present to be the cherry on top of the sundae."

My eyes shot open at his words, and a couple of butterflies took a test flight around my stomach. What did he mean by that?

"Present?" I murmured, "Cherry? Sundae? What're you talking about?"

I looked up at him to find a quiet half-smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The devil that he was, I knew he wouldn't give anything away. And I was right.

"Two weeks, kitten," he smiled enigmatically. The naughty glint in his eyes meant there was a surprise in store for me, very soon.