Lauren: Doing Nice Things

Kendra and Christian's first wedding anniversary is this weekend.  That's crazy, because it seems like they just got married.  Also, Kendra and Christian's anniversary means something really significant for me:  It means it's been a year since Alex and I had sex for the first time.  It took a few more weeks before we started sleeping together regularly, and then several more after that until our first date, but the night we had sex after the wedding seriously changed everything.

Anyway, it seems like a good reason to do something nice for him.  He's been doing such a disgustingly awesome job of responding to my boredom concerns, and I'm honestly terrible at doing things for him.  Unless, of course, you count giving him a hard time and having a lot of sex with him.  Then I do a lot of things for him.

I'm combing the internet for ideas when I suddenly realize that the Packers (my team) are playing the Broncos (his team) in Denver, on Sunday--which happens to be that anniversary I just mentioned (if you can even consider it an anniversary).  A quick trip to StubHub gets me exactly what I want: two tickets to Sunday's game.  They're decent seats, too.  I take a few seconds to be impressed with myself before I pick up my phone and text Alex: "Dinner tonight?"

He responds within minutes with, "Sure.  In or out?"  We figure out the details and I get back to work, because I don't think my boss would approve of me spending my work day finding a "happy sexiversary" gift for my boyfriend.

I'm as close as I get to giddy by the time I get out of work.  I can't remember the last time I was truly excited to give someone a gift, which is actually pretty terrible.  I hurry home to get ready, pulling my hair out of its low ponytail and running my straightener over the crease.  I touch up my makeup and I'm just going downstairs when the doorbell rings.

I fling open the door and greet Alex cheerfully, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him.  "Well, hello," he says, chuckling, once we break apart.  "You're in a good mood."

"I am," I agree, grinning at him.

We head out to the restaurant we chose earlier, and I'm practically bouncing.  I should probably do things for other people more often, because this is having an excellent affect on me.  Alex is watching me as I put my menu down.  "What?" I ask, frowning briefly.

He shakes his head and grins.  "Nothing, I just like seeing you smile so much.  Even if it is a little out of the ordinary."

"I smile all the time," I protest.  Alex cocks an eyebrow and I shrug.  "Okay, I can't help it that I have a serious case of resting bitch face."

He laughs and sets his menu aside.  "I was thinking about inviting Brody and Christian over to watch the game this weekend, what do you think?"

"No!" I yelp quickly.  Alex looks surprised, and I think fast.  "It's going to get intense, do you really want to display our football rivalry for everyone?  I'm embarrassing."

"Only when you yell at the TV, jump around, and swear really loudly," he says sarcastically.  "Oh wait, you do that through the entire game.  You're right, it's probably best if we isolate ourselves for this one."

"Good," I reply, sighing in relief.  I was going to hold off on giving him the tickets until Saturday, but now I see I should probably do it today, so he doesn't go ahead and make plans.  When I decide that, I smile again.  Alex is still watching me, and just he smiles and shakes his head.

I barely make it through dinner, and when Alex suggests stopping next door for a drink before we head back to my house, I suggest just having a drink at my house.  I have to convince him, but he finally agrees.  "What is with you tonight?" he asks when I take his arm as we walk out.

"I'm just really happy to see you," I reply.  I decide that it's good that I'm giving him the tickets tonight because otherwise he would be way too suspicious of my prolonged overly cheerful mood.

When we get to my house, Alex loops an arm around my waist and pulls me tightly against him.  "I want to see if your mood is contagious," he says, raising an eyebrow suggestively and leaning down to kiss me.

I wriggle out of his grasp and say, "Wait!  I have something for you."  Now he just looks confused, but he goes and sits down on the couch when I ask him to.  I run upstairs to get the printed off ticket confirmation page that I have stashed in my dresser drawer.  I'd like a little more time to make it more presentable, but that would be altogether too unlike me anyway.

I bounce back down the stairs, stand in front of Alex, and proudly present him with the confirmation page.  He gives me a weird look, then takes the paper out of my hand.  He reads it, looks up at me, reads it again, and says, "Wait, for real?"

"Yes, for real," I reply, beaming at him.  "We can't invite Brody and Christian over to watch the game because we're going."

"These are good seats too," he says.  He looks up at me again and smiles.  He sets the paper carefully on the end table and reaches for my hand, pulling me down into his lap.  "Thank you, Lauren. Is there a reason?"

"There are lots of reasons," I reply, shrugging nonchalantly.  "You've been so awesome lately--"

"Always," he cut me off.  "I'm so awesome always."

I snort and roll my eyes.  "Yes, you're so awesome always.  But especially lately." I shrug and look over his shoulder, because feelings are hard.  "You really listened to what I said about needing to get out of our comfort zone, and that means a lot to me."

"So you bought football tickets because I made you go camping and interrupted your work day unannounced?"  His eyes twinkle and I know he's trying to make me more comfortable by cracking a joke.

"Yes, that's exactly why."  I shake my head.  "But it's made me realize that I don't really do anything for you, so I wanted to do something for you."

He frowns and says, "You know I don't expect you to do anything, right?"  I shrug.  "Lauren, I'm happy with the way things are.  I love the challenge of coming up with new ways to torture you, and you do things for me every day just by being with me."

"Okay, now you're pushing my limits of sappiness," I say, laughing.  "Except there's also this, and this is probably the stupidest reason of them all:  Sunday is Kendra and Christian's first anniversary."

Alex gives me a strange look, but a split second later understanding dawns on his face.  The understanding is quickly replaced with a smirk that soon turns to laughter.  "You got me tickets to a football game for the anniversary of the first time we had sex?" he asks.  "That is such a bro thing to do."

I smack him in the arm and threaten, "I'll find someone else to go with me if you're going to be a dick."

"Hey!" he protests, catching my wrist in his hand and tugging me closer.  "I didn't say it was a bad thing.  It's actually probably the best thing ever.  But you have to admit that it's a total bro thing to do."

"That's how I knew you'd love it," I banter back, smirking at him.

"Did you just call me a bro?" he asks.  "It is on."  He flips me onto the couch and pins my arms above my head, then leans down and sucks hard on my neck.

"If you leave a mark I will kill you!" I yelp.  "I'm too fucking old to go to work with a hickey on my neck like a horny teenager."

"Should have thought about that before you called me a bro," he teases, but he moves his mouth elsewhere and sucks more gently.  He releases my hands and I pull his face down to mine so I can kiss him.  We kiss for several seconds, then he pulls away and looks down at me.  "Hey," he says, "I love you.  Thank you."

"For being lovable?" I ask, sassily.

"Absolutely," he says, smiling.  "And for being you.  And for the tickets."

I smile back.  "You're welcome, and I love you too.  But are you going to be able to handle being there in person to witness the Packers beating the Broncos at home?"

Alex bursts out laughing.  "Starting the trash talking early, huh?  Don't forget that you get far more worked up about football than I do."

"I get far more worked up about everything than you do," I reply, rolling my eyes.  "But I don't have anything to worry about."

"You're so sexy when you're being a cocky jerk."

I shut him up by pulling his face back down to mine.  We make out for awhile but stop before we get to the point of removing any clothes, and just lay on the couch together.  "Did you pick out a hotel in Savannah yet?" Alex asks, playing absently with a piece of my hair.

"I narrowed it down to a couple, and I thought we could make the final decision together," I tell him.

"You thought what?" Alex asks, pretending to be shocked. "You're going to...let me help?  Do you feel okay?"

"On second thought, never mind," I say, shaking my head.  "I've got two picked out:  A nice one for me and a shitty one for you."

Alex chuckles and pushes his hand into my hair, lightly scratching my scalp.  I sigh and close my eyes, trying to resist the urge to push my head at him like a cat.  "I'd love to look at what you picked out," he says.  "Do you want to look now?"

"No," I say, sighing happily.  Alex adds his other hand, now massaging my scalp with both hands.  I lean back against him and let him continue for as long as he'll do it.  He makes it nearly 10 minutes before he quits, dropping a quick kiss on the top of my head.

We end up looking at the hotels I've picked out and choosing one.  We book it and do a little Savannah research together, curled up on the couch.  When we're done, we head up to bed early and take full advantage of the extra time in bed.

I snuggle up next to him and grin when he pushes his hand back into my hair.  "I'm excited," Alex says as he drags his fingertips across my scalp.

"Still?" I ask, fighting a yawn.  "We just had sex twice."

"Do you think about anything but sex?"

"Not if I can help it," I reply.

Alex sighs and shakes his head, but I can imagine his amused smirk.  "You're worse than a bro.  I meant for the game."

"Ah," I say.  "Well I'm really glad that you're excited."

"It might be the best gift I've ever gotten."

"Okay, now you're laying it on a little thick."

"I'm not, but I'll stop before you get uncomfortable," he replies.

"Too late!" I say.

Alex chuckles and moves his fingers to my neck, which he starts gently massaging.  "I love you, Lauren."

"I love you too," I reply.  I shift and fling an arm across his torso, then fall asleep while he's still rubbing my neck.