Andy nervously sat down on the couch as Senna was still helping his parents in the kitchen with food preparations; she’d been in there the four hours they’d already been there. Chance and Val were outside setting up all of the lights on the porch once again and making sure that everything was fine. Andy was in charge of the door and presents. He looked over at the tree to see all of the presents lying around there; sure he got her a present but the one he’d been keeping in his pocket all week was more special.
Hearing her laugh at something; probably an embarrassing story about him, sent him shivering. He loved her voice and hearing her sing like she did was amazing as well; he’d have to talk to Jon about getting them to tour with Black Veil Brides.
Well that was the plan anyways because if he lost this bet he had no intention of staying away from her. As corny as it sounded she was his soul mate. Yes, he used to think that about Scout, Juliet, and several other girlfriends but he knew this time. He’s never felt this way with anyone else and doubted that he would ever feel such a way with someone other than Senna.
A knock on the door sounded and Andy loudly announced that he would go and get it. Getting up he opened it to find a half-frozen Jinxx and Sammi who was snuggled up under his arm. “Hey guys.” He said with a smile.
“Hey Andy.” Sammi said while giving him a hug.
“Hey there man.” Jinxx added with his own hug.
They both stepped in with their own presents and deposited them by the poor tree slowly drowning in presents. Andy shut the door and then walked into the front room to sit down on the couch once more; would she like the present? What if she didn’t; what then?
“Andy what’s wrong?” Jinxx asked.
“Huh? Nothing’s wrong.”
“Bullshit. You always bite at your lip ring when you’re worried about something and on top of that you’re spacing worse than Ashley when he sees a blonde hooker with a big chest.”
“Jinxx it’s about Senna.” Sammi put in quietly.
“How did you know that?”
“Andy I’m sorry but you’re easier to read than a book for three year olds. It’s obvious that you care about here and I can see that she’s starting to care about you. How many days do you have left?”
Andy began to count down on his fingers and then stopped, “I believe that I only have a single day left before I lose.”
“Oh… well what are you planning?”
“In truth the song on our newest album is all I have planned besides camping out on the terrace.”
“Aww that’s so romantic!”
“Ew Sammi, you’re being all girly.”
“Shut up Biersack; I am a girl. Tell him Jinxx.”
Jinxx chuckled and kissed his wife, “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world to me.”
“You’re wonderful.” Sammi smiled and kissed him gently.
Andy watched them with envy; he wanted that. More importantly he wanted that with Senna. He wanted to be the one she went to bed with every night and woke up to every day. He wanted to be there at her worst and share her at her best. God forbid if he ever met Taylor York he would kill the man; or at least make it painful to eat for the next week.
Just as his fist began to curl he felt something smack into his hair and stick there. Turning around he looked and found no one there. Taking the object out of his hair he realized that it was a grape. Showing the object to Jinxx and Sammi he then popped it into his mouth. Chewing on it he ran through what he was going to do later on.
Opening his mouth to ask a question he felt another projectile hit the back of his head. Taking the grape out of his hair he once again popped it into his mouth and began to chew it. Sammi and Jinxx were both looking at him amused as he sat there and continued to pick the grapes out of his hair and eat them.
The doorbell rang and he got up to shuffle over to the door. Opening it he gave a bro hug to Ashley who looked like he just rolled out of bed; which he probably did. Letting him in he was about to shut the door when CC rolled up. Letting him in as well they both walked over into the living room and once again Andy sat down; Sammi was gone into the kitchen most likely.
They had started up a pleasant chatter when the grapes began to get thrown into his hair once more. For a bit it was nice but then having to constantly pick them out of his hair was annoying him. “Hey Senna!” He called out.
It was a few moments, “Yes?”
“Could you aim the grapes to land in my lap? Having to pick them out of my hair constantly is annoying.”
“… Okay!”
Immediately a grape was in his lap and he chuckled, “Thanks!”
Another grape, “No problem!”
Turning on the gaming systems they all began to play Rock Band and soon enough the entire band was in there jamming on the toy instruments.
***
Working back and forth between manning the pies that were cooking and the birthday cake was a bit of a challenge but I was having fun with it. Making sure that nothing was burning I picked up a grape and then winked at Sammi and Jinxx before tossing it into Andy’s fluffy hair. Ducking behind the counter I hand to hold in my laughter as I figured he was looking for who threw that.
Crawling on my knees over to the oven I got back up and then took out the cake. Putting the layers together I sat it on the counter to cool so that I could ice it later. A few minutes later the timer for the pies went off and I was quickly taking those out. Setting those to cool I went back to the cake to ice it.
The cake layers were huge and I had about four containers of frosting; time to get to work. Taking the top layer off I opened the first container of vanilla frosting and dumped it all out onto the top of the bottom layer. Spreading it all over I used half of the second container to finish it up. Putting second layer on I had to have Chris help me lift all of it and set it correctly. Thanking him I got to work on icing the rest of it.
It was a bit of a stretch but I got all of it iced perfectly and then got the decoration icing ready. Getting the tip on that I wanted I set to decorating the sides first in curly black designs. Putting the BVB logo on the front of the cake I then switched to a red icing and a different icing tip. Underneath the logo in large Victorian letters I wrote ,
Happy Birthday Andy!
Finishing that I set to put many designs on the cake and over all just making it look amazing. Once I was done I stepped back to look at my work; it looked good. Smiling I went over to the sink and wiped off the small bits of icing that were still on my hands.
“Wow this is amazing! Did you do this?” Chris asked as he looked over it.
“Hahaha, yeah I did. I used to have to decorate my sister’s cakes all the time when I lived in Florida. She always wanted very sophisticated cakes that had a bunch of details.”
“Oh Senna honey this is amazing!” Amy gasped as she came over.
Smiling at them both I picked up the bowl of grapes and proceeded to throw them in Andy’s hair. He really was fun to throw things at. Chris chuckled and then tossed one as well. The doorbell rang and Andy got up to get it.
Pouting at the loss of my target I put down the bowl of grapes and then began working on setting the table. Putting down the tablecloth I walked back in and got all of the plates. Just as I was going to get the silverware it was suddenly set down on the table in front of me. I looked up and saw Sammi smiling at me.
“Hey Sammi.” I said while giving her a hug.
“Hey there Senna. How are you?” She asked while returning my affections.
“I’m good. How are you doing?”
“Pretty good but how are you and Andy?” She began to take silverware to help me set the table.
I shrugged, “Well there’s really nothing to talk about; we’re still not together.”
“You know you’re driving him crazy right?”
I set down a fork and then a knife, “I know I am but I just… I’ll admit it I’m pure chicken shit to put myself out there again.”
“Sweety after everything I’ve heard about what happened to you I don’t blame you. However Andy is a good guy and he really likes you. From what I’ve heard he even loves you.”
“I’ve heard he ‘falls in love’ a lot.”
“No, I can already tell that this is different. Just the way he looks and acts around you is different from any girl he’s ever liked.” She left for a moment and began to return with wine glasses.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Completely; you should have seen what he’s like when you’re not around.”
“And how is that?”
“He’s spacy, nervous, and always wondering about you.”
We finished the table and went walking into the kitchen once more. Seeing that Andy was sitting on the couch again I picked up a grape and then began to toss them into his hair again; I could make this a sport.
After a bit of this I was needed so I had Sammi take over. She waved to Jinxx and motioned for him to be quiet about her throwing them at Andy. He smiled a little and nodded; I smiled at them. Most of me wanted to be like them; in complete and utter love with one another. However there was still that miniscule bit of me that was still afraid to take the leap and be with Andy.
“Hey Senna!”
Sammi looked back at me with wide eyes while I tried hard not to laugh out loud, “Yes?”
“Could you aim the grapes to land in my lap? Having to pick them out of my hair constantly is annoying.”
“… Okay!” I nodded to Sammi and she tossed one higher than she had been.
There was a small pause, “Thanks!”
Nodding to her she then tossed another grape, “No problem!” I called out.
Eventually all of the guys and Ella were over. Sammi and I weren’t needed anymore so we went back out into the living room where the guys were playing Rock Band. Smiling I sat down on the couch and ignored the glares from Ella. She was sitting on the love seat while Sammi sat beside her and began to distract her for me.
The guys finished up the song and then realized that we were in the room they dispersed, leaving Ash and CC looking around wondering what the hell happened to their friends. I chuckled slightly at that; poor them.
As soon as Andy sat down next to me he began to tickle me. Screeching in surprise I attempted to get away from him but he caught me and began to tickle me again, “Ashley help me! CC! Someone!” I cried out through my forced laughs. Ashley and CC both came over with big grins on their faces; something told me that they weren’t on my side.
They began to tickle me as well and soon enough tears were beginning to fall from my eyes; I hoped my makeup was waterproof. Sammi and Jinxx must have taken pity on me because they both picked up pillows and threw them at the guys which allowed me to scramble over and behind the loveseat they were on. “You guys are nice; I officially like you more than them.” I pointed over to the three single band members who were grinning innocently.
The married couple laughed at my words before pillows were suddenly thrown at them and one of the stray shots hit me in the face. “It’s so on!” I yelled while Sammi, Jinxx, and I gathered behind the loveseat; which was not easy.
Before long pillows were flying and we were yelling at one another. Chance and Val were sitting in the corner with Jake and Ella laughing at our antics. I was behind a lamp which no one dared throw anything at and Jinxx and Sammi were still behind the loveseat. CC, Ashley, and Andy were all behind the couch but they had run out of pillows. Looking over at Jinxx I smirked and picked up a pillow before nodding at him.
He and Sammi grabbed one and we began to sneak our way over to where the three stooges were currently residing. Sammi took out CC while Jinxx got Ashley which left Andy to me. Sneaking behind him I smacked my pillow to his face while winding my arm around his neck and dragging him out into the hallway away from the living room. He was kicking and swinging his arms around when I finally let go of him
.
Taking a deep breath he turned around and glared at me before tackling me down. I was about to squeak out when he knocked the breath out of my lungs by jumping on me. He grinned and picked up the pillow; oh no he wasn’t about to- I got a pillow to the face… He must’ve had one hand holding it down because when one hand began to tickle me again I tried to kick and throw the pillow off but it didn’t work.
Eventually I was able to toss the pillow off and glare at him but he was already off me and sitting on the floor looking innocently. Getting up I walked up to his room and went into his bathroom; that was the only room I really knew in the house. Looking in the mirror I saw that my makeup and hair was still in fairly good condition; nice to know everything was damn hard to mess up.
Just as I finished doing some touch ups I turned to walk out when I bumped into Andy. “Dude, in the doorway!” I laughed as he smiled and wove his arms around me. Walking me back I hit the wall and he was pressed up against me with his hands now on my waist. He was staring intensely down at me and I felt at that moment that time stopped.
“You know in that dress… I find myself having a hard time keeping my hands off of you as well.” He murmured into my ear with that low voice I loved so much. Loved? Yeah, I’ll admit it I love his voice and I’m beginning to fall for this guy.
His lips brushed against my ear and then he moved to kiss right in front of my ear. He swallowed and slid my hands up onto his shoulders. He began to trail kisses toward my lips and my hands soon began to move through his fluffed up hair. However I had to laugh and he pulled away confused. Wiping my eyes I pulled back my hand to reveal a grape. He had a toothy grin upon his face and we both began to laugh harder.
“You were a damn good shot!”
“I-it was Sammi those last couple of times!” I was laughing so hard I could hardly speak.
“I’ve got t-to rememb-ber that for next t-time!” He wheezed.
We both fell to the floor clutching our stomachs and laughing up a storm and we were apparently so raucous that everyone came to investigate. They looked at us with a confused eye and I held up the grape and pointed to Andy’s hair.
Sammi got it right away and was cracking up with me. Everyone turned to look at her and soon enough Jinxx seemed to get it as well and joined all of us. As for everyone else they had no idea and then slowly backed away out of his room.
It took a bit but eventually we got ahold of ourselves and were giggling. Getting up off of the floor Andy had me help him up and then we were both checking our hair and makeup in the mirror. Sammi who was in Jinxx’s arms smiled in the mirror at us, “What’s up with that look Sammi?” I asked.
“You two really are alike.”
“No we aren’t.”
“Oh right, of course not, you both aren’t just checking your hair and makeup at the same time and all…”
“DINNER!” Chris’ voice boomed through the house.
There was a mad dash down to the dining room and seats were all taken. I looked at the table with wide eyes; there was so much food. All sorts of meats were on the table and rolls galore. Every type of jelly you could think of was there and I was pretty sure that I saw a lot of mashed potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and peas as well.
For a few minutes everyone was passing around and putting food on their plates as well as pouring various wines that they wanted in their glasses. I, myself, took a light wine. Finally when everything was passed around, the wines were poured, and everything was right we dug in.
Dinner was really enjoyable because everyone was civil and we were all joking around with one another as we ate. Once the main course was finished I helped Amy and Chris take in plates and various dishes while they prepared to take the cake out. I was there holding it as well since they all but demanded that I help bring it out for making it.
The table was clear in the center and we put the cake down in the middle of the table. Andy looked excited but also a bit sad. I could tell that he was a bit sad that we were lumping his birthday and Christmas together but unfortunately CC came in with the news that Jon had scheduled a tour for the day after tomorrow and today was the only day that everyone had off.
We angled the cake so that it was right in front of him and everyone sang a horribly done version of ‘happy birthday’ to him. It was so bad that he had tears in his eyes from laughing by the end of it. Once we finished there was a chorus of “Make a wish!” and then he blew it out. And so we cut the cake!
Dishing it out after the numerous pictures taken I sat back down next to Andy and smiled as he shoved a huge bite of cake into his mouth; good thing he still had room for it. Smiling down at the dish I began to take manageable bites of mine; hard to believe that I’d spent all day cooking this feast.
“Alright the cake is done; time for presents!” Ashley yelled as he and the guys raced into the front room. Smiling, Sammi, Ella, Andy’s parents, and I got up to walk into the front room. Getting there I saw all of the guys already dividing stuff up into piles. Grinning I went over to help them. Sitting down on my calves I began to hand Sammi the presents on my side as far back as I could reach.
Once everything was distributed we then began to open things up. I, myself, got a new pair of expensive headphones from Jinxx, makeup from Sammi, nothing from Ella, Hot Topic shirts from CC, a lingerie set from Ash (that gained him a smack from more than just me), a couple of musical accessories from Jake, and then from Andy I got their latest album. His parents then gave me their present which was small but I didn’t care; they didn’t even have to really get me anything.
Opening it I gasped at the beautiful hair piece nestled in the silky box lining. It was a sterling silver and had swirling designs on it that curled outward and on the ends of the curls had dark gems inset on it. It was a medium size and I smiled before graciously thanking them.
Feeling a tap on my shoulder I turned around to see Ella standing there with my presents; a guilty look on her face. “Hey uhm… I’m really sorry for everything that I said and did before… I just… well I was famous before Jake even looked at me and you just came in here like… well…”
“Ella it’s alright. I accept your apology and I hope that now we can actually become friends.”
She smiled and hugged me, “I’d like that I think.”
I smiled back, “Me too.”
Laughing we began to talk on what we got the guys and she giggled when Andy tackled me in a hug yelling about how he had been wanting a Batman bathrobe since he was thirteen. I hugged him back and then eventually pushed him off of me.
Chance and CC were the next to hug me tightly while babbling about their presents while Ashley grinned as he held up the Hello Kitty plushie I got him and mouthed a thank you. Smiling to him I saw Jake looking at me happily while he showed Ella my presents to him. Sammi squealed as she held the new camera in her hands and Jinxx had to hold her back from absolutely tackling me down as well. Laughing I looked at everyone happy and having fun.
Hearing my phone go off I went over to my purse and saw that it was Tessa calling. Accepting the call I stepped out into the hallway where it was a bit quieter. “Hey there Tessa! Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas to you too dear sister~!”
“Hahaha, so did you get my present? I sent it on the fastest mail option I could get.”
“Yeah I got it and oh my god thank you! I love the new CD from your band; I can’t believe that you’re now a singer!”
“Well sort of. We still have to get a manager and then build our fan base. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I’m looking forward to it. Plus I have a few modeling shoots that I’ll be attending in the next few days. I’ll be in the Kohl’s magazine.”
“Awesome.”
“So what about you? What have you been up to?”
“Nothing much to tell you the truth. I miss you so much though; can I move in with you guys?”
“Tessie you’re not eighteen yet. Unless mom and dad miraculously agree to it there’s not a thing I can do.”
“Oh…”
“Of course you could get them to disown you like they did me.”
“Hey when are you going to be in Florida?”
“Well I was thinking of flying back down in about a week or two.”
“Really?”
I grinned at her eager voice, “Of course; I miss my baby sister! But I would have to stay in a hotel or something for obvious reasons.”
“Oh my god I can’t wait to see you!”
“Yeah I can’t wait to see you either and I might bring a surprise with me.”
“Ooh do tell.”
“Can’t… it’s a surprise for a reason!”
“Tease!”
“Hahaha, well Tessa you still have my Christmas present. Now, I need to go before they all think I’ve died. Talk to you later?”
“You’d better call me!”
“Of course I will, love ya.”
“Love ya too. Bye Sen!”
“Bye Tess!”
Hanging up my phone I smiled sadly; I really did want my baby sister with me but it was true what I said, she wasn’t eighteen yet. Sending out a few Merry Christmas texts I slipped my phone back into my purse and then joined everyone as they began to get their stuff and put it into a bag.
After that we put on a Christmas movie marathon and drank hot chocolate as well. Smiling I noticed that most everyone had fallen asleep while Andy’s parents went to bed earlier. Feeling someone staring at me I looked over to see Andy staring at me. “Andy?”
“I’m glad you’re still awake… I wanna show you something. Bring your CD from me as well.”
“Okay.”
He took my hand and then pulled me up to my feet as I got the CD. We walked out of the living room and went upstairs. I thought that we were going to his room when he went that way but he bypassed that room all together and continued on down the hall. Getting to a pair of doors he opened it up and I found myself outside on a terrace. “Oh wow.” I said. He let go of my hand as I stepped forward.
It was located on the back side of the house and it had a mesh and plastic covering over it which kept out most of the snow. Lights were strung around which gave everything a nice soft glow. Plants were all around; especially flowers. The table in there was scooted against the wall and there on the ground was a small kind of sleeping bag/ tent set up. Pillows were thrown in there and I smiled as Andy nervously was watching me.
Holding out my hand I waited for a few seconds as he took it. We walked over to the lovely set up and I noticed that the blanket was an electric one and that there was a CD player with headphones already plugged in. Crawling under the already warm covers we took my CD and put it into the player. He smiled at me and then clicked it to track three. “This is a bit different from some of the songs I wrote but I just had to do it.” He said.
Is there a place inside your heart
I could fill up like a sturdy shopping cart
and race across the pavement to my car
I’ll put petal to the metal til I’m where you are
I got my windshield wipers on
perfect timing to the rhythm of the song
which reminds me that I am just to scared to let you go
you’re too much of who I am
you’re too much of what I know
And I, I wanna see you inside out
and I, I wanna make your world go round
behind your eyes is the source of my fears
and like a thousand words I’ve been dying to hear
so come on
it hurts to breathe when you’re gone
I’ve gotta get you out of here
I hear paradise is nice this time of year
please just put your secrets in my ears
I won’t tell anyone because no one needs to hear
And I, I wanna see you inside out
and I, I wanna make your world go round
behind your eyes is the source of my fears
and like a thousand words I’ve been dying to hear
so come on
Can’t wait to get you all alone
show me a side of you that you have almost never shown
I’ve been dying for a taste of the tip of your lips
about to slide these hands down the side of your hips
And I, I wanna see you inside out
and I, I wanna make your world go round
your world go round
And I, I wanna see you inside out
and I, I wanna make your world go round
behind your eyes is the source of my fears
and like a thousand words I’ve been dying to hear
so come on
now
this is where you belong
this is where you belong
this is where you belong…
The song faded out and I looked at Andy who was nervously chewing on his lip ring again. Smiling I hugged him tightly as he paused the CD player. “That was an amazing song and you’re right; it was different from what you usually sing. Who was that about?”
He chuckled slightly, “You really don’t know do you?”
“Uh…. No.”
“It was about you.”
“Oh. It sounded great.” It was quiet for a few moments.
“So what are you and your band going to do?”
“I was talking with them earlier and apparently Carter handed out a lot of our CD’s that we already recorded and he had a friend who is the daughter of the producer of Epitaph Records. She showed the CD to her dad and he said that he wanted to meet us to talk about signing us.”
Andy looked at me amazing, “You’re kidding!”
“Nope and we will put a few singles out there and generally build up our fan base.”
“I’ll help by telling them about you guys and seeing if we can get you guys to open for us some time.”
“Andy you don’t have to.”
“I want to; you mean a lot to me and I want to help you guys get out there in the music world.”
Looking up at him I smiled and then remembered what I was going to do. Holding up a finger to tell him to wait as I checked my phone; 11:55, perfect. Smiling I told him that I would be right back as I got up and ran out of the door.
Making it to the kitchen I opened the fridge and pulled out a Cupcake with a candle in it and ‘Happy B-day Andy!’ on it. Getting a lighter and a couple of forks I walked up to the second floor and out to the terrace. Opening the doors with one hand I saw him looking at me funny; trying to wonder what was going on. Sitting down I lit the candle and smiled at him,
“Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Andy,
Happy birthday to you.”
Singing quietly I smiled and looked to see the time 12:01. “Make a wish.” I added quietly.
He took a moment and then blew it out. He then grinned and picked up both of the forks; yay! Digging into the cupcake we both began to laugh about some of the things we got for Christmas and then I began to talk about what all we were going to do with my band.
Finishing the cupcake I set it aside and noticed that he was a bit sad; what the hell? No one should be sad on their birthday; especially with everything that happened as of late. “Andy what’s wrong?”
“I know my wish won’t come true…”
“What was it?”
He just looked at me, “Yesterday was the last day of our deal…” He then looked up at the ceiling.
“Andy?”
“Hm?”
“Look at me would you?”
He turned over his head and looked at me. Leaning over I placed my lips onto his in a gentle kiss. He was so surprise that his body went stiff for a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around me and began to really kiss back. It was mind blowing the amount of emotion she was able to put into that kiss; he thought she didn’t believe in love anymore.
“Wha-”
"Technically we started the deal at about noonish or so. Sooooo... I guess you won."
Andy looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing however instead he pulled me to him and kissed me again. I giggled at him; he was a dork and all but I loved him. Love... that was a word I never thought that I would use again. However being with Andy made me feel like I'd never really felt. In my heart I truly believed that he was the one for me. I wanted to be with him like Jinxx was with Sammi, Jake was with Ella, and Chance was with Val. Looking at Andy I knew that with him I would have a relationship like that.
"Happy birthday Andrew. I love you."