CHAPTER EIGHT
Mark’s P.O.V.
“We have arrived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please keep your seatbelts on; we’ll be landing soon.” I looked over at Claire in the airplane seat next to me and smiled. We had been through a long flight, so it was nice to know that we were finally back in my hometown. I had realized that I missed it a lot, despite how fantastic living in California had been so far. Nothing was as safe and familiar to me as Cincinnati, and that would probably be true for a while.
Within just a few minutes, the plane had landed and Claire and I found ourselves grabbing our bags and exiting it. I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone. I sent a text to my mom, letting her know that we had arrived. Claire and I would be staying with her for the majority of the time that we’d be in town for Bob’s wedding, so she agreed to pick us up from the airport. She must have had her phone out, waiting for me to contact her, because she texted back quickly, alerting me to meet her at the Starbucks inside the airport. I laughed. She must have known Claire would want something from there.
Claire had met my mom already, and they had been around each other quite a few times. My mom absolutely loved her, and Claire had nothing but nice things to say about my mom as well. I felt really lucky that things weren’t uncomfortable between the two of them. That was the last thing I needed. I had dealt with my mom not liking girlfriends I had in the past, and it was never very fun.
“Hey you two! Welcome back to Cincinnati!” my mom greeted us when we arrived at the Starbucks. She hugged both of us, clearly happy to see us again. “Well, get yourselves some coffee and then we’ll be on our way.” We did just that, and iced coffee had never tasted so refreshing.
Claire’s P.O.V.
When we got back to his mom’s house, we set down our bags in Mark’s old bedroom, back when he lived there. It was where we’d be sleeping during our stay. At first, I was a little surprised that his mom didn’t want me to stay in his brother’s old room, but she was pretty cool about the whole thing. I mean, we did live together, and she wasn’t stupid.
Mark and I spent the first couple days in Cincinnati mostly going out. We went to dinner with his mom once, and we also went out just the two of us to some cool places downtown. Mark also went to Wade’s house to record a couple videos, and I hung out with Molly and Stephanie while they recorded. On the third day, there was the rehearsal dinner for Bob’s wedding. Mark and I both attended that, and it ended up being a really nice evening. It was at Buca Di Beppo, a delicious Italian restaurant. I had been there before, but only twice. Even so, I had been very impressed with it both times, and this time was no different.
The next day was June 28, both Mark’s birthday and Bob’s wedding day. I almost never woke up before Mark, who was more of a morning person than me, but that time, I did. I took a moment to let my eyes adjust to the light and to get my mind working. Once I was actually awake enough to function, I moved towards Mark and without saying anything, I leaned over him and kissed him. I felt him smile as I did so, and when I pulled away he opened his eyes.
“Good morning, birthday boy,” I grinned.
“Good morning. I think that’s the best wake up call I’ve ever had,” he decided, pulling me back towards him so we could kiss again.
“We should probably get up soon. Today’s a busy day,” I reminded him.
“But it’s my birthday and this is what I want!” he complained.
“It’s also Bob’s wedding day, so for now we need to focus on that, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Basically the whole day was devoted to Bob, Mandy, and their wedding. Mark and I ran around helping them with last minute things and getting ready, and we supported them as much as we could until we had to be at the ceremony. It was sweet and beautiful, and I was so happy for the newlyweds.
The reception was a ton of fun. The food was good, the decorations looked great, and the music was perfect for dancing. It was an awesome wedding, and Bob and Mandy had never looked happier. It was also a very long night, and Mark and I headed to our hotel at a late hour. Even so, we were still pretty awake, and I had to surprise Mark.
“Now what? Do you want to just go to bed?” Mark wondered once we entered our room.
“Not yet. It is still your birthday, technically, and I have a surprise for you,” I told him.
“Oh, really?” he wondered, curious.
“Yeah, just wait out here, I’ll be back,” I said. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, loosening his tie, and I disappeared into the bathroom. I pulled the Victoria’s Secret bag out of the cabinet where I had hidden it when we checked in earlier in the day. I stripped out of my wedding clothes quickly and stepped into the lingerie. Luckily, it wasn’t all that complicated to me anymore. I sprayed some perfume when I was dressed and took a quick look in the mirror. Everything seemed just about right.
Mark’s P.O.V.
I was exhausted. Bob’s wedding was a ton of fun, but I had worn myself out at the reception. Even so, I was interested to see what kind of birthday surprise Claire had in store for me. I didn’t really know what to expect, and I was starting to get a little impatient, but after a couple minutes the bathroom door opened and Claire stepped out. My jaw almost dropped down to the floor when I saw her. Her dark hair was down and curly, still beautiful from the wedding. She was wearing a black, lacy corset with matching underwear, thigh highs, and her heels from the wedding. I always thought she looked good, but she had never looked so hot.
“I picked a little something up from Victoria’s Secret,” she explained as she began to walk towards me. “I thought maybe we could celebrate your birthday a little since it’s been all about Bob and Mandy all day,” she added.
“That sounds like a great idea,” I muttered as she turned around and sat down on my lap, dancing on me. She seemed to know exactly what to do. After about a minute she turned back around to face me and wrapped her arms and legs around me. She moved her body with the rhythm of the music that was playing softly in the background and she pressed herself up against me. My pants suddenly felt tighter as she did so and I started touching and kissing her, unable to hold back anymore. She undid my tie and pulled it off, tossing it on the floor somewhere. As she unbuttoned my dress shirt I reached for her lingerie. I pulled at the tie on the back of the corset and undid it, pulling it loose.
“I want you so bad,” I admitted, pressing my lips against her bare skin.
“It’s your day, Mark. You can have whatever you want,” she whispered into my ear. I pushed her down onto the bed and she undid my pants.
“Shit. I have to go grab-”
“One of these?” Claire wondered, pulling a condom out from under a pillow. She must have hidden it there earlier.
“Exactly,” I answered, relieved.
******************************************************
Later, Claire told me she had a real present for me and she offered to go grab it so I could open it, but I told her I could wait. We would be celebrating more the next day, so I could open it then. And besides, we both were really tired and comfortable in bed already. Sleep was calling our names and putting us under its curse.
**********************************************************
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. An alarm clock went off on the bedside table and woke me up. I was confused for a second, but my eyes fluttered open and I recognized the hotel room. Funny, it was really similar to the one I had dreamt about. In the dream Claire was dressed really sexy for my birthday and quite a bit happened, but it had seemed so vivid and real. It almost couldn’t have been a dream…then I realized that Claire was next to me in bed, also just waking up. I scanned the room and saw articles of clothing still on the floor and when I turned my attention back to Claire, she was pulling the blankets up farther to cover herself more. Thankfully, it hadn’t just been a dream.
“Hey, beautiful,” I said when her eyes opened and she looked at me.
“Hi there,” she answered sweetly, smiling.
“I almost thought last night was just a dream,” I laughed as I pulled her body closer to mine.
“It definitely wasn’t,” she assured me.
“Are you sure about that? The details are fading…I might need to re-live it so I can remember them all,” I joked, kissing her soft lips.
“Nice try, babe. Wasn’t yesterday enough for you?” she asked.
“Nothing’s enough for me when you always look this good,” I confessed, tugging at the blankets that covered her.
“Why don’t you open your actual gift from me instead of doing this,” she suggested, taking the blanket back.
“You’ll have to go get it; I don’t know where it is.” Claire wrapped the blanket tightly around her and got out of bed, grabbing clothes that she slipped into before bringing a wrapped box back to bed. I got dressed before she got back and when she did, we shared the blankets again and I tore the present open. I was really amazed at what was inside - it was a brand new webcam, the one I had been looking at and wanting for a while.
“Are you serious?! You got it for me?” Claire nodded and I pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you so much. This has been a perfect birthday,” I promised.
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it, even though I knew you would,” she laughed. “Are you ready to celebrate some more with your family today?”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
The rest of the day consisted of Claire and I spending time with my brother, mom, step mom, Stephanie, and Wade. I opened a few more presents and cards and it ended up being a very enjoyable day. When it was over, we said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the airport for a late flight back to L.A. I had a really good time back in Cincinnati, but it was time to go back home.
Hey guys! Sorry that the update took so long, I've just been very busy this past week. I have more free time now, so I should be able to update a little more often. Anyways, what did you think of this wedding/birthday chapter? Let me know in the comments and if you liked it, please vote! Also, if you're enjoying the story, please take the time to share it on places like Tumblr or Twitter! That would mean a whole lot to me :) Thanks for reading!