Episode Eighty-six: A shave and A haircut

Back: Episode 85

Next: Episode 87

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Episode Eighty-Six: A Shave and a Haircut

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Edward's alarm clock song. 

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I woke up with a jolt in the middle of the night, and I knew that I was alone. Rubbing my face, I took a deep breath before I looked around. I expected to have to go find Edward in his office again, but I saw him right away in the bathroom. It was only lit by the vanity lights. He was staring at his face in the mirror.  

Slowly, I sat up to watch him. After only a few seconds, he turned to look in my direction. It was just a glance, but he quickly realized I was looking back at him.  

“I’m sorry. Let me turn this off. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

I quickly shook my head. “No. It’s okay. What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to smoke. I thought I’d shave, but…” he trailed off. Edward looked back into the mirror anxiously. 

“Would you like some help?” I offered. He nodded slowly and smiled at me. 

I crawled out of bed and started to gather the supplies that I would need to help him. When I had everything ready, I picked up the clippers in one hand. With the other, I ran my fingers over his chin lovingly. “I’m going to miss it. It feels so good when you kiss me.”

“I’m going to miss it, too,” Edward admitted. “It makes me look older.”

"Why would you want to look older?" I asked, shaking my head. "It is very dashing, I have to admit. Especially with how well-groomed you've kept it. You're already a mature man, though. Most of the time," I teased. “You don’t need to look older.”   

“I just want to be what you need.”

Glancing back, I looked at our shared reflection in the glass. “Mm, you don’t need a sexy beard for that, sweetheart. But don’t worry. Hair grows back.” I tugged on his chin gently then leaned down and kissed his lips deeply for a moment. “Ready?” 

He put both hands on my waist, looking up at me with a little smile. “Yup.”  

I started at his jaw, exposing the soft white skin underneath. Of course, I had to see what he looked like with a goatee. 

I took a picture with Jasper and titled it, ‘evil Edward.’ 

And then I carefully did a mustache. I shook my head and scrunched up my nose with a laugh. “Oh, no. That’s like a seventies porn stash. That’s terrible.”

Jasper definitely got a picture of that as well. Edward was having fun taking stupid selfies with me in the mirror at three in the morning. He sent the text, “hahaha your mustache is stupid.” 

“Bella agrees,” he answered back with a laugh before he put the phone down. 

Once the mustache was gone, I lathered his face with shaving cream. 

“I like how you take care of me like this,” he declared in a little voice as I began to shave him with the kit that I had bought for his birthday. It was finally going to get some real use. 

“I like it, too,” I admitted. “But it’s only fair. You take such wonderful care of me.”

He smiled a little bashfully at my words. "So, tomorrow, you'll come to watch me make a fool of myself?" 

“You’re not going to make a fool of yourself! Stop it. You are going to make me laugh though because you are a funny actor and I enjoy watching you work. And I am really excited to see you do your craft in a new way.” 
 
Sighed heavily, he looked up at me almost timidly for a moment. "You always know just what to say to make me feel better. I'm so glad you woke up," he breathed out softly. 

Eddie of the night before was gone, and my sweet apprehensive Edward was looking up at me worriedly. I wanted to take it all away.  

“Whenever you feel anxious, wake me. I am here for you. If you need me, I’m always here. No matter when. I will do whatever I can to make you feel better,” I swore as I dragged the razor delicately over his skin. 

“Thank you.”

I played with his hair for a moment with my other hand. “Don’t. You don’t have to. It’s what you do for someone you love.” I smoothed a piece away from his forehead. It was long and floppy because they were going to cut and style it in a few hours. 

When I finished shaving his face, we got into the shower together so he could wash all the stray hairs away. Once we got out, I smoothed my nice skin creams all over his fresh face. Moisturizer, my favorite rosewater spray, a serum for brightening his skin. They were all very lightly and naturally scented and were perfect for him. 

His eyes rolled up into the back of his head as I smoothed it over his cheeks. “Would it be terrible if I started using this stuff every day? That feels lovely.”

“No. We should just buy bigger ones. They’re kind of expensive, though. I splurged since, you know, people want to take my picture now for some reason,” I explained jokingly.  

He chuckled. “I don’t think the cost will be a problem. Next time you pick some up, use the card. All your beauty stuff is a work expense now. Your wardrobe, too.”

I thought about arguing with him, but he was right. It was a work expense. He was the smart one when it came to these things, so it was probably just best to listen to him until I knew well enough. "Okay," I answered. I rubbed my thumb over his temple. "It does make your skin really soft." 

Out of nowhere, he scooped me up into a passionate kiss and held me tight to his body. His skin was warm and supple under my lips. When I finally needed air, I pulled away from his mouth to peck along his jaw. 

“Does it still feel good when I kiss you without the beard?”

“God, yes,” I whimpered as his lips moved down my neck. “Edward, make love to me. Please?”

And that’s what he did until the sun started coming up as his alarm went off. The phone sang to us as we finished with soft touches and kisses. For a long moment, we laid there with our foreheads touching as we listened to it. “You know I talk too much. Honey, come put your lips on mine and shut me up…” 

“Today is going to be a great day,” I promised vehemently. “You’re going to own it. And tomorrow will be even better.”

"Every day with you is better than the last," he replied, slowly pulling away from me. "But you're right. It's going to be a fantastic day, and I am going to fucking own it," Eddie said confidently. And like that, he was back, but just for a moment.  

“Yes, you are. Now, would you like a breakfast burrito before you go to work?”

“Aw, yeah. That sounds perfect. Thank you,” he smiled at me innocently. 

I packed him a couple of extra and some fruit salad in a little Tupperware, giving him a large travel mug of coffee on his way out to the driver that was waiting for him. The studio was doing it for all of its stars in the movie. They wanted to make sure everyone showed up right on time, safely. 

“The very best part of today is going to be coming home to you tonight,” he vowed with a kiss.  

I leaned my forehead against his chest for a minute, smiling to myself as we stood in the kitchen before he left. “I’m going to make soup for dinner. So, it’ll be ready whenever you get here. Would you like me to make you something for dessert?” I grinned up at him sweetly, enjoying feeling like the doting wife for the moment. 

“Mm, cookies? But I’d love whatever you make me,” he replied as he kissed my forehead lightly. 

“How about some shortbread?” 

“Mm, yes. I’d love that.” He smiled, swatting my ass playfully with another kiss on the cheek before finally going out to the car. 

That morning I went to the grocery store to pick up things we would need for the week before coming home to start dinner and chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies. While they baked, I worked on pictures and updated my store with new photos. A lot of them were from Australia or La Push. Most of them were abstract, but those seemed to be doing the best. My nature photos were a close second.  

It was just after two in the afternoon when I got a call from Jasper. It was very much unexpected. The last I had texted him was the silly pictures in the night. He should have just been getting to work. This was not to tell me that I was something out of his dreams, though. 

“Hey,” I said quickly, already feeling anxious. I knew something was wrong. 

“Hi,” he sort of sniffled. “I’m sorry to bother you-” 

“You will never be bothering me. What’s wrong?” 

He cleared his throat, the sound thick and unpleasant. “They- The station canceled my time off. Uh, someone quit and-” 

"No!" I whined. "Fuck them! Jasper! Just… just fuck them! Come here. They're screwing you. You work your ass off for them, and they treat you like garbage." 

Jasper coughed, and I could hear him suck in another breath. “No. It’s- It’s probably better because I need the money-”

“Why?” I demanded.

There was a slight pause. “I need to pay off some loans before I go to LA. I’ve only got a couple more payments.”

“What were they for?”

“Bella-”

I didn’t like not knowing. “Please, tell me. This is a subject that bothers you, and I want to know why. Why did you need the loans? Let me help.”

He sighed, taking another needed pause to decide if he was going to actually tell me. “I needed it to bail out my dad. He’s,” he laughed humorlessly, “a real piece of shit. I’ve been better about not giving him anything, but, fuck! It’s put me in a real hole for a long time. Everything I make goes to these fucking bills because I just want to be done. And I hate it. I fucking hate him for it. I have nothing saved up. I’m just constantly almost drowning.”

I knew exactly how he felt. After Aiden died, I saw the debt he put us in with credit cards, and until I finally paid them off, I felt like I was drowning too. It wasn't until I met Edward that I had any sense of security.  

“How much more do you owe?” I asked quietly. 

“Three thousand.”

Well, it could have been a lot more. It was bad enough, but I could still help him with no problems. I didn’t even need to look at my money. “Damn. Okay. Well… let me take care of the last payments-”

"Absolutely fucking not!" 

“Why?”

“He will not get your money.”

"No, you will. And you'll pay me back whenever you can. Not that you'll need to," I countered. I didn't care if I got it back. It would be worth it.  

"No. No, no," he kind of whimpered, and I knew he was crying. "Fuck. I don't want another cent of Tony's money or yours to go to him. He's already gotten too much as it is. No. This is the smart thing. I'll get a fat check at the end. And that will help me-" 

I cut him off. "Oh, god. Literally, money means nothing to our boyfriend. You know that, right? It's just paper to him now. He could wipe his ass with twenties if he wanted to." He laughed softly. "Seriously, though." 

“Dating him and taking his money is so much worse.”

Suddenly, I felt as if I was going to cry, too. It had been building, but I held it back. “Don’t let your pride keep you away from us. I know you’re scared about how everything is going to work out, but don’t use this as an excuse. Let us help you because we care for you.”

Jasper clicked his tongue. “We’ve barely dated a month… I mean, Bella, it’s amazing, but I would never take your money.”

My eyes stung. “I trust you.”

“I know you do.”

“Don’t you trust me?” I asked in return. 

“Oh, dove. Yes. Yes, I do. I probably trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone before. Even Tony.” His answer was so quick that I knew it was the truth. 

I held back my tears, my throat was tight as I swallowed. “Then trust me now and let me help you. Let me do these things for you because… now I can. And I want to. If it helps you get here sooner, it’s worth every single penny. If you can’t take Tony’s, take mine. Please.”

“Damn,” he cried. “It just helps to know you exist, you know that? Thank you. But no.”

“Consider it, please,” I pleaded. “Edward misses you. I miss you.” 

There was a pause, the phone moving away from his face for just a moment as he wiped it. I could hear the muffled rumblings of a tissue. “I miss you, too.” He swallowed. “Okay. I’ll consider it, but it makes me feel like rubbish.”

“It should make you feel wanted. It’s because you’re worth it, and we want you here with us.”

He sniffled again. “Do you really?”

“Both of us, with all of our hearts. Trust me,” I breathed. 

Jasper cleared his throat once more, trying to get control of his emotions, “I do. I’m sorry. I know it probably seems like I don’t, but… Thank you for listening to me. Tony is right, you do have the wonderful ability to take away one's anxiety.”

"Maybe I should have been a therapist," I said teasingly. He chuckled a bit weakly. "I want to be there for you, just like I am with Edward. Tell me when you're feeling stressed, whenever or whatever. Never apologize for needing to vent to me. Let me help because I want to. I want you to be happy, and I know you're not. I can feel it in my soul." 

“You make me very happy. Both of you make me very happy." He sighed heavily, and I could hear him scrubbing his hand over his face roughly. "Alright, I have to get back in there. Fuck. I'm having a fit in the jeep on my cigarette break." He took several deep breaths. “I’ll talk to you later.”   

I nodded to myself, wiping a stray tear away from my cheek. “Alright. Call me, okay? When you get off.”

When I hung up the phone, I asked Edward what Jasper's favorite cookies were in a text. I could maybe make some for both of my men. I would overnight them to Jasper, possibly. He answered quickly with a list of them. Then he asked me ‘why’, wondering if I had a video idea.   

"They canceled his time off, and I think we need to send him something nice to make him feel better.” I also needed a distraction. 

"Fuck. Yeah. Okay. I'm actually just sitting around in the makeup chair right now. I'll do a little research and send him something good from a bakery in Sydney. It’ll be quicker. I’ll have them delivered to the station. Cheer him up. I assume you already tried to talk him into coming and it didn't work?”

I wiped my nose with the back of my hand. It was runny. “No, it didn’t. Fuck his father, btw,” I answered back. “Fuck him so hard.”

“Agreed. I’m sending him some cookies now. Damn.” Then he sent a whole bunch of sad face emojis. 

"It'll be okay. It's only a couple of months. And I'll work on him until then.”

“Well, if anyone’s charms could persuade him, it would be yours,” he replied quickly. 

I bit my lip, trying to ignore my feelings. “I just need to send him a tin of my chocolate chip cookies with your naked picture inside.” 

“I’ll pose for those later,” he promised with several winks and a couple of devil faces. I laughed a little to myself despite my sorrow. “Gotta go act for a minute.”

“Break a leg. You’ve got this.”

Edward sent another wink and a kissing face in return. I giggled at it, but my heart ached. I couldn’t imagine how heartbroken he was. He had to pretend for work, though. At least he was better at keeping up his mask than I was. 

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Next: Episode 87

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