Beautifully Unbroken

by D. M. Brittle

“What’s funny?” Blake asked.

  I tried to stem my amusement by remembering how painful it actually felt at the time.

  “When I came over and your sister answered the door. I thought she was cooking for you.”

  “She was cooking for me,” he answered, confused.

  “But I thought she was your girlfriend, cooking for you,” I said quietly.

  “I don’t get it,” Blake said with a frown.

  “I cried to my mum because I had never cooked for you,” I said feeling my cheeks blush with embarrassment. “Before you say anything, I know how ridiculous that has just sounded.”

  “No.” Blake shook his head as he laughed lightly. “It isn’t ridiculous; not even close. It is, however, the cutest thing you have ever told me,” he teased.

  I pushed him playfully on the chest, struggling to contain my smile. “So tonight, I will cook, and you will enjoy it.”

  He leaned in and kissed me again. “Deal.”

  “That is, of course, providing you have a fully stocked fridge and cupboard, because I am not going out there today.” I shuddered as I pointed to the front door.

  He smirked before heading back to the sink to begin loading the dishwasher. “Jasmine filled them both only yesterday; there should be plenty for you to choose from.”

  “Great,” I said as my eyes began to roam the open-plan apartment.

  “Do you know where my case is? I could do with a shower and change of clothes.”

  “About that,” Blake said, turning to face me as he leaned against the counter. “How would you feel about leaving your case here?”

  “Why would you want me to leave my case here?” I asked, confused. “I can store it back at mine; there’s plenty of room.”

  “I mean leave it here, along with your clothes,” he clarified.

  “But what if I’m not here and there’s something in there that I want?”

  Blake couldn’t hide his amusement; he laughed and walked back over to me, pulling me into him. “How is it possible for you to be that cute twice within a minute?” he teased, sweeping my hair away from my eyes with his fingers.

  “Am I missing something here?” I was so confused and obviously missing the point.

  “Move in with me.”

  “No,” I said almost immediately.

  Blake couldn’t hide his obvious disappointment. “Please.”

  “Blake,” I said, slightly frustrated. “Do you not remember everything I told you last night?”

  He nodded. “Of course I do. I also remember telling you that I am going to look after you, and protect you.” I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced quickly by Blake as he continued. “I also remember telling you time after time over recent weeks that we are forever, there is no end, we will grow old together” – he sucked in a deep breath – “so why wait?”

  After a short while, I replied. “Because if we do have forever, and there is no end … then why rush?” I lifted up onto my toes and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek “It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to, because I do. I really do, Blake. Just not yet, okay?”

  Blake sighed heavily. “I’m gonna ask you every day until you give in.”

  “And I’m going to say no until I know the time is right. It’s not what you think it is living together, Blake. Things change; we would change.”

  “We wouldn’t,” he protested.

  “We would,” I argued back, “and I can’t just up and leave Casey right now; that wouldn’t be fair on her, would it?”

  “You already left her yesterday,” he teased as his mouth lifted into a smirk. “So technically, you are currently homeless and I am offering you a place to say.”

  “I am not homeless,” I laughed, “but soon, I promise you, I will move in. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Now, tell me where you have hidden my case; I have a busy day of cooking ahead of me.”

  Blake was right; Jasmine had stocked the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer top to bottom with food. There was enough to survive on for months if the apocalypse were to hit.

  After a couple of hours of deliberation I had decided on a pot roast. I had cooked a traditional roast dinner a million times back home, so this seemed a breeze, everything just thrown in together and left to roast in the oven. Perfect.

  Blake left me to it for a couple of hours and headed to the gym that he had built at the end of his penthouse. I hadn’t been in there yet, but knowing Blake and how much he loved to look after himself, I didn’t doubt that it would have every latest model of every piece of equipment that money could buy.

  He had also told me about his mini cinema room and promised me a night at the pictures with him sometime soon. He said he would reserve us the two seats at the back; that made me smile.

  I was beginning to feel so happy and content, but every now and then a feeling of dread would come over me. There is always a price to pay for being happy. Every time these words entered my head, I would try my hardest to push them away and think of Blake’s promise to protect me and keep me safe. Surely at some point in my life, happiness could mean exactly that. Surely I could eventually have happiness without the balance of badness appearing.

  I needed a distraction, so I took my iPod out of my handbag, placed it into Blake’s docking station, and filled the apartment with my choice of music.

  I stood and chopped the onions, carrots, and garlic before browning the meat slowly on the hob. Blake’s kitchen was a dream to work in; if you didn’t need it, he didn’t have it, and vice versa. I began to feel exited that I was finally going to cook for the man I loved and our two closest friends.

  Blake appeared an hour later freshly showered, dressed in a fitted white V-neck T-shirt and grey jogging bottoms. My mouth watered at the sight of him as he strolled over and placed his arms around my waist, watching over my shoulder as I placed everything carefully into the roasting tin ready to go into the oven.

  “Are you almost done?” he asked every two minutes as I was adding the last few ingredients.

  My reply would always be “One more minute.”

  “You’re gonna need another shower, and I think it’s only right that after how hard you have worked in here, I should come and scrub your back for you.” His voice was so soft and teasing as his breath tickled my neck, sending all kinds of shivers all over my needy body. Yes, I would definitely need another shower.

  “I just need you to switch the oven on,” I said, placing the lid carefully on the pot. “I have no idea what button does what on these things and why there are so many doors; I think we must live in the Stone Age back in England. Give me a traditional stove any day of the week.”

  I heard Blake chuckle as he released me and headed to the oven.

  “Just a low heat please; this needs to cook slowly.”

  “Done,” he said a few moments later. “I’ll go start the shower for you.”

  I woke feeling disorientated. It took me a few moments to realize where I was. I turned over to see Blake deep in sleep, his mouth slightly open and his arm resting over his beautiful big eyes. He looked so young and carefree, and happy.

  I took a moment to just lie there and look at him, the man whom I felt so safe with, who I knew would keep his promise and protect me. And most of all, he would love me, the way that I loved him. My life felt perfect – maybe a little too perfect, but again I needed to bury that thought somewhere deep and lock the door firmly behind it. I was going to be happy.

  I noticed Blake’s alarm clock on his night stand. It was seven p.m.

  “Shit!” I jumped out of bed quickly and started pulling clothes from my still-packed case. “Blake! Get up! Casey and Alex will be here in an hour, and we’re not ready! Get up!” I threw a pillow at him, which startled him at first until a lazy grin spread across his face as he stretched his body like a lion out in the sunshine.

  “We have plenty of time; come back to bed,” he said, still smiling widely. His eyes were only hal
f open, but the blue shone through like a beacon on a dark night.

  I walked back to the bed, having managed only to choose my knickers and bra so far, and whipped the sheets from on top of him, leaving him lying there gloriously naked and highly amused by my outburst. “Get up!” I yelled frantically one more time. Blake was laughing as he slowly climbed out of the bed and headed into his wardrobe to pick his outfit for the evening

  “You know,” he yelled to me, “I’ve seen so many sides of you today, and I’m struggling to decide which on turns me on the most.”

  “Keep teasing me and I’m going to come in there and strangle that cock that you are so obsessed with using,” I shouted back as I shimmied into my favourite black trousers.

  “Ah, Jo, you have no idea how hard it has made me hearing you say that word so politely.” He was laughing now; I could hear him chuckling away to himself, which made me chuckle too. I loved it when he was so playful; it made me feel even more happy, and I didn’t think that was even possible.

  “Are you done?” I shouted.

  “Yep,” he said as he re-entered the bedroom looking so beautiful that I debated with myself just for a second whether or not we did have time for me to strangle his cock – in a nice way, though.

  “Are you drooling?” he observed.

  I pulled myself together and grabbed my shoes. “No,” I said firmly. “Can you go and check on the food please? I need to finish getting ready.”

  “For you, my beautiful, anything.” He placed a quick kiss on my lips before stepping around me and leaving the bedroom.

  I stood in front of the mirror, ready to do my hair and make-up. I studied my face for a short while. I was changing; I was beginning to actually look happy. I hadn’t noticed before, but my face must have shown the world all of my fears before today. There were no worry lines, no frown, nothing; just happiness seeping through the pores. Even my brown eyes glistened back at me like diamonds. I was happy. I smiled and started working on my bed hair.

  “Hmm, Jo?” I heard Blake shout. “We have a problem.” All sorts of thoughts started running through my head as I left the bedroom and headed to where Blake was standing in front of the open oven.

  “You put the food in the wrong oven,” he said, holding the roasting tin in his hands.

  “Don’t be stupid,” I laughed, but Blake’s face remained impassive. “What do you mean wrong oven?” I asked as the smile faded from my lips.

  “I turned on oven number one,” he said, nodding to the oven farthest away. “You put the tin in oven number three.” He nodded to the open one that he had removed the pan from.

  “Oven one? Oven three?” I said, placing my hands on my hips. “Exactly how many ovens do you have?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Three” was his simple answer.

  “Why the fuck do you need three ovens!” I yelled, throwing my hands in the air.

  “For occasions like this, maybe?” he answered carefully, but I could see that he was highly amused by what had happened.

  “Did you not think to tell me that there were three ovens? Did you not think to say, ‘Okay, Jo, my beautiful, I’ve switched on the oven for you, but be sure to place the pan in oven one, not two or three, as I need them for absolutely nothing.’”

  Blake started to laugh, and the more he laughed, the angrier I became. The angrier I became, the more he laughed.

  “This is not funny!” I yelled, throwing my arms about as I paced the kitchen floor.

  “Oh my God, Jo, you have no idea just how funny this is,” he laughed, placing the cold pan down on the counter before leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He placed one hand over his mouth to try to hide his amusement.

  “I’ve spent all day in this fucking kitchen trying to make everything perfect for tonight, and you,” I said, pointing to him, “you go and turn on the wrong fucking oven!”

  “You say ‘fuck’ one more time and I’m going to come over there, bend you over by oven number three, and fuck you senseless until you beg me to stop,” he teased.

  I breathed hard through my nose, trying to stem the anger but also trying to stop the smile that I could feel trying to break through. I walked slowly over to where Blake stood and leaned my face towards him before whispering softly, “Fuck you.”

  I screamed as Blake reacted immediately by reaching out for my arm, which I managed to move in time, but trying to run in heels proved a disaster as I stumbled and fell to the floor. Blake’s hard body landed on top of me, and we both lay there laughing full, belly hurting laughter.

  I flipped over onto my back, and Blake was above me, smiling down at me. We were both breathing hard. Blake took my hands and held them above my head before taking my mouth in his and kissing me deeply, our tongues fighting to get further and further in, before he slowed and placed a trail of gentle kisses around my mouth. Pulling back, he held my gaze. “I’ve never felt so happy in my life,” he said, and I could feel that it had come straight from his heart.

  “Not even the day you had three ovens installed instead of the usual one?” I said as Blake’s hands released me and went to work on opening my trousers and shirt.

  “Do you remember what I told you about your witty mouth, Miss Summers?” He dragged my trousers over my shoes. “And what did I tell you I would do if you said the word ‘fuck’ again?” he said firmly.

  “Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck,” I replied with a smirk.

  He growled and pulled his trousers off before getting back into position on top of me. “The shoes are staying on,” he said before pounding his cock into me hard and fast.

  I heard Casey and Alex arrive as I was putting the finishing touches on my make-up. Hearing Casey laugh made me feel so warm inside. What we had here, the four of us, was perfect. It was almost too good to be true. My best friend was getting married to Blake’s best friend. It was as if fate had placed us altogether.

  As I allowed myself to smile and feel happy, however, it happened again; the thought that with happiness comes pain came crashing into my head once more, kicking away all of the perfect thoughts that had been swimming around happily until that moment. I closed my eyes to push the negativity away, but a knock at the door brought me back into the here and now.

  “Can I come in?” Casey beamed as she popped her head around the door.

  I smiled. “Casey.”

  She entered, and immediately we held each other as if it hadn’t been only two days since I last saw her.

  “I’ve missed you,” she said quietly against my shoulder.

  “It’s been two days,” I laughed, choking back happy tears.

  “You know what I mean,” she said, releasing me and smiling. “You look so happy.”

  “I am,” I agreed with a slight smile.

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  We sat on the edge of the bed, holding hands. “I’m so happy, Casey; I’m the happiest I think I have ever been in my life.”

  “But?”

  “But I keep having these thoughts,” I said quietly. “Every time I get happy and content, something comes along and rips it away from me.”

  Casey sighed and gave me a sympathetic smile “I know you’ve had it real shitty, Jo, but this is it now; you and Blake were destined to be together. Look at how many times you have walked away only to be drawn back together again. And that video at the airport?” She sucked in a deep breath. “Wow.” She loosed my hands and used them to emphasize her excitement. “I mean, it was hands-down the best thing I have ever seen! It was like something straight from a romance novel it was amazing.”

  “It was embarrassing,” I giggled.

  “I know Alex loves me; I do. But if I were ever to be asked to name someone who would truly take a bullet through the heart, allow himself to be trampled on by a herd of bulls, or jump off the highest mountain for someone? Hands down, I would say Blake. He has it bad, I tell you.”

  I smiled as the warm feeling slowly returned. I knew Blake loved, me and I knew what he
would do to protect me, but hearing someone else say it, that they had observed it too, made it feel even more believable.

  “Are you two gonna spend the night hiding out in here, or are you gonna come and have some food?” Blake asked as he stood in the doorway to the bedroom.

  “We’re coming,” I said, still smiling at Casey. We both stood and followed Blake through to the lounge. As Blake sat down at the dining table, Casey pulled on my arm, causing me to stop and turn to face her. “It’s time to move on, Jo. Forget the past, enjoy the future. Okay?”

  I nodded and headed to the table to join Blake and Alex.

  “Well isn’t this nice?” Alex chimed. “The four of us, sitting down and enjoying a lovely meal together.”

  “It’s the best,” Blake said, grinning as he reached over and squeezed my knee, sending shockwaves through the whole of my body. I wondered how long that feeling would last. Every time Blake even looked at me, I wanted to rip his clothes off. I wondered if that feeling would ever go away. I desperately hoped not.

  “I’m sorry about the takeaway; this wasn’t what I had planned, but we had a bit of an oven disaster,” I explained.

  “What kind of an oven disaster?” Casey asked.

  Blake piped up. “She put the food in the wrong oven.”

  “You turned the wrong oven on,” I said.

  “Exactly how many ovens do you have?” Casey asked, laughing.

  “Three,” Blake and I said in unison.

  “Why do you need three ovens?”

  “That’s exactly what I said,” I replied as Casey and I both looked to Blake for his answer.

  “Tell them, Alex,” Blake said as he shoved a large spoonful of rice into his mouth.

  Our attention now turned to Alex.

  “For occasions like this, of course,” he said, waving his fork around the table.

  “Of course,” Blake agreed.

  “Exactly,” Alex replied.

  “Well, if you think I’m ever going to cook using all three ovens, then you are very much mistaken, mister.”

  “Well, you can’t even cook with one, judging by today, so I should say that’s a given,” he teased.