Rose Red

Horror

A couple minutes into an episode of bones I speak up with a topic I've been dreading.

"In the morning I need to go drop a couple things off. It shouldn't take long so I'll be back in record time." When I finish I don't hear anything, not even him chewing so I look back. Mistake.

"What? No. I can go with you." I shake my head. "Auggie I promise it won't take long. It's just a couple things."

The look on his face makes me not want to go anywhere. "Bella. Why do you want to go alone?" My mouth slightly hangs open while I try to come up with something.

"Am I not good while you're usually doing things?" I shake my head and scoot closer to him.

"No! You're very good while I am running errands!"

"So why can't I go tomorrow?" I inwardly groan. I should've just done it before he woke up. But if I know him then I know he'd wake up while I was trying to be quiet.

"I was planning on dropping it off before you woke up but I didn't want you to wake up and realize I was gone and start panicking." That sounded alright but judging by his face he doesn't believe me.

"But that doesn't answer why I can't go...." I should just tell him. I should but I want everything to be a surprise. I need it to be.

"Auggie please. It's not that you can't go. It's just that I figured you didn't want to go to sunshine. It's stuff for Mr. Green and a couple of patients." I really hate lying to him.

"If you really want to be there at six in the morning tomorrow then you can go." Please don't. He shakes his head. "No. You were right. I don't want to be there. Especially not at six." I give him a soft smile while leaning on his knee.

"Like I said. I'll be back before you know it." He rolls his eyes and begins muttering. "No you won't. Now I know you'll be gone and it'll feel like hours. And you'll probably have to have long conversations with your patients."

I sit there with a smile listening to him throw a mini tantrum. "Auggie." He glances at me with a questioning look. "What are you doing honey? Are you really pouting because I'll be gone?"

He gives me a shocked look. "I don't pout." I nod in a I believe you manner and he scoffs before pointing at my food. "Eat." I let out a small laugh before going back to my extremely delicious food.

An episode later he's calling my name and asking for a bite of my food.

"Why do you want some? You wanna eat something I've already bitten off of? Why?" His face goes blank. "You wanna an indirect kiss or something? Ew gross, do you like me or something? Ewwwww!" He blinks at me a couple times.

"Ew ew ew! Or is that you love me?! Is that it! You lo-"

He cuts me off with a big sloppy wet kiss on the lips before leaning back with a single hand still squeezing my cheeks together. "Yes. I love you." I grin at him as best I can before holding my fork up with a bite of coconut shrimp curry on it.

When he's done chewing I kiss him again before quietly saying I love you too.
-
The next morning at five thirty Auggie is watching me get ready to "drop papers off" and I gotta say. This is nerve wracking.

I pull on black thermal leggings, one of Auggie's hoodies, and a red flannel on top. I also grab some fuzzy socks, pull them on and then my platform converse before grabbing my work purse and kissing him goodbye.

"I'll be back augs!" He watches me walk out of the bedroom with a blank face.

I'm almost positive he knows.
-
When i get back to the house I sigh. It took thirty minutes and my anxiety is on twelve. I take a deep breath before unlocking the door and walking in.

"Hi babies." Luci and Perry come running towards me like usual. Every time we come back they come running to greet us like dogs.

"I see you knocked another ornament off Perry." He looks up upon hearing his name and I shake my head before going to the table and grabbing the little ball. I put it back on the tree before going upstairs to get back into bed.

When I get to the room I watch him lay there with a smile on my face. He's not asleep. I know that and he knows that I know that yet he's still just laying there. Like a sad puppy.

I inhale before changing back into my t-shirt and softly crawling onto his back. I start massaging his shoulders before slowly going down to his back. He lets out a soft sigh before saying hi to me.

"Hi honey." I kiss his left shoulder before leaning back and continuing his massage. "Happy birthday." He turns his head to kiss my hand before laying it back down on his crossed arms.

And that's pretty much how the morning went. Soft touches and even softer sweet nothings.
-
"Just tell me what you have planned. I know you have something planned." He's been trying for about ten minutes to get me to spill but I refuse.

"Absolutely not Auggie. It's a surprise."

"You're not going to tell me." I shake my head and he sighs. "Fine. I didn't want to know anyways." My jaw drops and I let out a chuckle in disbelief.

Unbelievable.

I hand him his bowl of cucumber salad because that's what he wanted. And I quote 'I love the way you make it. And if I can't have anything too big then I want that.'

That's the conversation that got him started on asking what my plans were. I told him that dinner was going to be big so we can't go all out on lunch like we usually do.

Ever since I was little I've been a firm believer in lunch. Lunch should be big. I think it was my mom's fault. She used to watch a lot of old movies and they always had big extravagant lunches and I adored that. Thats most likely the reason we are rarely hungry by dinner time.

It's only just now noon and his birthday plans don't start until about seven. I genuinely have no idea what we're going to do until then.

"What did you wanna do till dinner time?" He glances at me before bringing his chopstick back up to his mouth.

"I don't know. I mean- I can think of a couple things but I'll wait until tonight." I cock my head at him before it's hitting me.

Ah. He wants to....with me. Yea. Alright. I mean we knew it would end up happening tonight. Even if it wasn't planned, it's his birthday and he's already said how much he enjoys it and how often he would do it.

Not to say that I don't enjoy it as well because I do but it would end up being a "birthday present" for him.

"So then we watch movies?" As i mutter it my face gets increasingly warm but at this point I was just waiting on it. I knew it would happen eventually.

When he sits down I softly but quickly cuddle myself halfway on him and halfway on the couch. Basically modeling myself into his side.

"Can we watch another one of my favorite movies?" He gives me a skeptical look before muttering, "I'm not too sure about that. Your last favorite movie was...." He doesn't say anything but it still brings a grin to my face and has me holding me laugh in.

"But this one is different! In some ways its better!" He reluctantly hands me the remote and I quickly find it before putting it down his lap.

"The wretched?" His tome shows shock so I glance at him but I quickly do a double take before laughter is erupting passed my lips. "What's wrong with this one?!" He shakes his head.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised that all of your favorite movies are either cartoons or straight up horror." Confusion takes over as my brows furrow. "I just didn't think you had it in you to like horror. More so that you could watch it and be fine later."

I pout as he basically calls me soft. "We're watching horror movies from now on." A chuckle is all that is heard from him and my pout grows deeper.