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12/16/2020

Perfect Snapshots: Episode sixty-two: The Day

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Episode sixty-two:
The Day

I was almost too nervous to sleep the day before Christmas. I felt as if I was vibrating with excitement. It was the day. The day. I was going to confess my feelings to Bella. I was going to tell her I loved her at the place that was our real first date, the LA Zoo. They were doing a light display, and I bought tickets for it early. All I had to do was pick them up at the box office at the front.

When I was in the loo, I sent a message to Jasper that I was going to have a heart attack before the end of the day.

He called me a dumbass and told me I needed to calm down. He wasn’t wrong about either thing.

When I slipped into bed, I kissed her awake with gentle kisses. It was early, but I had reservations for a bougie restaurant. Grinning, she stretched her arms above her head. She was nude except for the soft brace.

“May I take you out for breakfast, Ms. Swan?” I asked as I hovered over her. Nodding, she bit her bottom lip. “I’ve got a table at a place doing a special Christmas meal. And I’ve got a surprise for you tonight.”

“Oh, a surprise, huh?” She lifted to kiss my lips. “Don’t you think you’ve got enough surprises coming up with the trip and everything?”

I still hadn’t told her where we were going, and it was eating her up. It was fun to see her try to guess, but she had been nowhere close.

“Nope,” I chuckled. “This is just… date stuff, though. It’s different. You’ll see,” I waved her off. “Why don’t we get cleaned up, and we can take an Uber?”

“Sounds good.” I helped her to stand. “You should at least tell me how to pack.”

“There will be mountains of snow. Take from that what you will,” I replied.

She nodded. “Okay. Fair.”

I scooped her up and took her into the warm shower and placed her on the seat. For the third day in a row, she did her makeup. I really was beginning to love watching her do this simple task. It was extra special when it was for me. It made something swirl in the pit of my stomach, especially when she painted her lipstick across her full mouth.

Bella put on a little red skirt that went above her knees and long thigh high socks to keep the brace from rubbing her skin. They were white and from my birthday shopping trip. Her thin green sweater made it extra Christmas-y. It was so cute. Once again, she did her hair straight.

“Wait, before we go… Come take some pictures with me by the tree,” I asked with a big smile.

“Oh! I should get my camera. I should bring it anyway.”

“I’ll get it,” I said excitedly, rushing off to the office where it was sitting on the sofa. I had made sure I charged her batteries for our evening romp.

I passed the bag to her. “I want to take some with my phone, too.”

She grinned. “K. Yours first.”

Looking around, I pursed my lips. “How should we pose?”

“Sit on the couch… there,” she pointed. “I’ll sit on your lap. Angle a little that way,” she instructed. I did what she said, and she crawled carefully into place. With my arm stretched out, I moved around until I found the best perspective.

First, we smiled with the glimmering tree in the background, the stunning clouds filling the blue sky beyond the mountains. Then she leaned in to kiss my cheek. With her fingers curled under my chin, she turned my mouth towards hers while we were both grinning. She didn’t kiss me, though. Bella just pecked my lips so as not to mess up her lipstick. It still left prints on my skin.

I loved them.

Taking her camera, I snapped more photos of us. She promised to send all of them once she edited them. They were going to be beautiful, and we looked so happy in them.

In the car, she relaxed against me. We were both looking at the Christmas displays as we made our way through the fancy neighborhood. They had gone all out.

“Oh, we should drop by a store. We’re almost out of coffee and sugar. We might want that tomorrow,” she blurted out as the idea popped into her head.

Nodding, I rubbed my hand over her stomach. I was more interested in her body than anything else. It was rather distracting. “Whatever you want, love.” My fingers moved down her skirt to her knee, pushing the fabric up some. It was just enough to expose her bare thigh. Instead of telling me to stop, she nibbled on my ear for a moment before pulling on it with her teeth. She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder.

“A bottle of champagne and a carafe of orange juice, please,” I said to the server as soon as we sat, pointing to the one I wanted on the menu. Just like the last time, I needed it for my nerves.

But unlike last time, we sat very close together and flirted and kissed the entire meal. We shared two bottles, making her very tipsy. She was cute and giggly, laughing her way through the grocery store while I pinched her ass and played with her skirt.

When we got home, I pulled her onto the couch, where we stayed for most of the afternoon. The television was on, but we weren’t paying attention to it. It was just some nice, old fashioned making out.

Dinner was a grand affair of porterhouses topped with mushrooms, baked sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar, and grilled zucchini. It was all incredible. She acted as if it was nothing, and it was easy. But skills have a sneaky way of making arduous tasks seem simple. The cherry pie I knew took two days to make from scratch, and it was one of the best I had ever stuffed into my face. I was nervously shoving food into my mouth, but when it tasted so good, it made it easier. She watched me the entire time with a smile.

“So, um… I’ll put everything away. Why don’t you get ready to go? We’re going to be outside, so you may want to put jeans on. I don’t want you to get cold.”

“Okay,” she nodded, standing. “No hints?”

Grinning, I shook my head. “You’ll see.”

My heart was beating so fast. I couldn’t drink because I was driving, but I needed one. Or twelve. But I didn’t want to botch this. It had been a perfect day so far. She was happy, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Stick to the romance, I repeated Jasper’s words in my brain.

Hurriedly, I cleaned up the small mess we left behind. She had tidied up as she went, and Bella was much neater than I was.

On my Instagram and Twitter, I had posted pictures of our morning. In the message, I wished everyone a happy holiday season. They received thousands of likes. It made me smile. So many commented about how joyful I appeared, including my sisters and grandparents.

We held hands on the ride there while listening to Christmas music on the radio. As we got closer, she sat up and looked around. Her grin grew. She shifted to peer at me with excitement. “Are we going to the zoo?”

“Yeah,” I smiled, nodding as I glanced at her. Quickly, I turned my eyes back to the busy parking lot, but I squeezed her leg.

After picking up our tickets, we strolled inside. She gasped softly as the lights came into view. “How beautiful!”

In front of the flamingos, I grabbed her by the waist and took her camera so I could snap a picture of us kissing. She kept giggling, having fun with my flirting.

“You are so beautiful,” I sighed in her ear as I took one, making her flush. The warmth spread over her cheeks. After, she pulled me into a deep kiss.

“You make me feel that way,” she admitted.

I looked at the results. “Because you are. Promise you’ll send these to me too?” She nodded, grinning as she glanced away. I pecked her cheek. “Thank you.”

As we moved further in, I became more and more nervous. I searched for my opportunity, but then she gave me the perfect opening.

“Is it okay if we sit for a few minutes?” She asked as she leaned against her cane. “This is a lot of walking on the hard concrete.”

“Oh, yeah! Sure, sure.” I bobbed my head nervously. We were coming to the small outdoor area encircled with lights where they were serving treats. Surprisingly, it didn’t have a very long line. “Why don’t you get a seat, and I’ll get us something to drink?”

“Oh, yes, please. May I have a hot chocolate with a lot of whipped cream?”

“Coming right up, beautiful.”

She found a bench away from everyone between two tall palms draped in white fairy lights. I watched her while I waited in line. She looked so lovely wrapped in the glow. When she noticed, she grinned at me.

When I brought her the drink, I sat beside her and took her free hand. I was trying to calm my frantic heart, but I wasn’t doing an outstanding job. She noticed my trembling.

“Are you okay? You can’t be cold.”

“No… I mean, I’m fine,” I babbled. Pausing, I attempted to gather myself. I had a speech, and I was prepared. “The last time we were here, we weren’t together yet. I knew that I had feelings for you. I tried to talk to you the night before, and I guess I wasn’t coming on strong enough, but I didn’t want to scare you off by being too aggressive either. But I wanted to tell you the very same thing then that I want to tell you now.”

Tenderly, she brushed her thumb over my knuckles as she leaned in. “And what’s that?”

“That I’m in love with you. That I fell in love with you the very first second that I saw you. Before I opened the door. Before we even spoke to one another, I was in love with you. I didn’t know that I could feel this way about anyone or that love at first sight truly existed. But it does. And I do. Every day since then, I have just fallen more and more in love with you. Isabella, I love you.”

Her jaw dropped, and a strangled noise came out. She gaped like a fish. Blinking, she stared at me in surprise. “I don’t know what to say.”

Fuck.

Fuck- FUCK, fuCK, FUCKity.

“Damn, is it too soon? I’m sorry. I should have-” I thought- I- Dammit… My brain went into the alarm bell noises from Kill Bill.

She quickly turned to me. “No. No, Eddie. No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I should have started with, I love you, too. You just leave me speechless sometimes. I’m not as good with my words as you are.”

“Really?” I spun to look at her fully. “Do you mean it?”

She giggled. “Why wouldn’t I mean it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. It was what I was hoping for, but you threw me off at the beginning, and I think my heart is having a moment.” I laughed hysterically as I tried to keep my chest from cracking open. What a rollercoaster. “Oh, sweet Jesus. My heart hurts, Bella. I love you so much. I’ve been bursting at the seams to tell you this entire time. I was kind of worried I was losing my mind at first,” I rambled in relief.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I literally just met this perfect, perfect stranger, whom I had fully thought was a man until the moment before I peeked out the window, and had a mild panic attack because I realized I hadn’t showered before I was meeting the love of my life for the first time,” I chuckled. “And then I had to try to play it cool and not fuck up my chance with you, which I was absolutely sure I didn’t have any at all.”

She shook her head as I spoke, her eyes rolling. “You’re so dramatic. Well... you played it off very well. I didn’t realize a thing. I just thought you were immensely charming. And I remember how good you smelled that first night, so don’t worry,” she admitted before biting her lip for a second. “When you leaned in to order that first time. You were so close. You had that sexy unshaven thing going on that I seem to like on you now. I don’t know why you thought you didn’t have a chance, though. Silly boy,” she teased as she moved her fingertips over my jaw. I was butter in her hands.

“I’m in no way good enough for you. For your generosity. For your kindness.”

“Try hard,” she complained. She would have none of my self-depreciation. “What are you talking about, anyway? I’m not going to have this argument with you again. First, don’t compare my nonprofit work to your own. At your age, I hadn’t done a tenth of what you have. Second, I’m a cranky bitch. I like maybe five people. You just happen to be one of them.”

I wouldn’t take hers either. “I can name a dozen people off the top of my head that love you and think you’re awesome. Seth, Tyler, and Lauren being three of them. You’re more personable than you feel.”

She looked away as she sighed. “And I like them, too. I really do. It’s kind of an act with everyone else, though. But I realize I am preaching to the choir with that. We’re both mainly introverts pretending to be extroverts.”

Huh.

“Oh, no. You’re exactly right. That’s why we get along so well, I think,” I laughed softly.

“Probably. And we’re both creative, but in different ways, so it’s always inspiring to be around you,” she continued.

The words struck me, making my heart speed up again for a different reason. “I didn’t realize you felt that way as well, too. I’ve been so vocal about it, I know.”

“Well, I probably am the quieter one in the relationship,” she countered playfully. She wasn’t wrong at all.

Resting my head against hers, I pressed a kiss along her jaw lightly. “Yes, I think I would agree with that. Well, most of the time.” Later, when we got home, I was going to make her scream. That was a guarantee.

She bit her bottom lip for a moment before peeking at me from underneath her thick eyelashes. “Was it really love at first sight? I don’t think that’s even possible.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Lust at first sight, maybe,” she teased in a mischievous voice.

“It can be both.” I stooped in so I could whisper in her ear. “You really can’t have one without the other, I think. Romantic love without at least some lust. I certainly can’t deny being thirsty for you from the beginning. I’ve wanted you more than I thought was possible. But can you really blame me? Our sex has been universe-altering for me.”

Bella had a naughty smirk. “You needed to have better sex.”

“You are not wrong,” I snorted. “I wish I were more experienced for you. I don’t know if I know what I’m doing.”

She made a face before turning to talk in my ear. “You have a massive cock and an oral fetish. And I’ll take determination over experience any day. I’m just glad I found you before you realized your gifts.”

My mind screamed fuck, but for a whole different reason.

“See? And then you say things like that, and my brain just shuts the fuck down. But, really, though? It’s okay for you?” I questioned seriously.

“If your other girlfriends were having more orgasms than me, then they were faking it because I don’t think that’s humanly possible otherwise,” she retorted bitingly.

“No. They weren’t. I mean, I don’t think they were faking it... at least most of the time? I don’t know. My ex was more of a one and don’t touch me type.”

“It’s different for everyone. I’ve never faked a thing with you. I do have to fake it with Al all the time. It does nothing for me at all,” she continued in the driest, funniest tone. I didn’t know how she didn’t laugh. “All the magic is gone after all these years.”

I couldn’t help it, though. “You’re mean.”

“No. It’s true. You’ll see for yourself one day whenever that threesome eventually happens. There is just no spice left.”

If I ended up having sex with those two women, my heart might not be able to take it. But if she could be funny, so could I.

“I know you’re fucking with me, but I’m not sure how much exactly.”

“Oh, you know this, do you?” She gazed at me, holding my stare, then took a comically long sip. “How sure are you that I am, in fact, fucking with you?”

I tried so hard to keep it together, but I couldn’t. Laughing loudly, I looked away before I peered back at her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she replied right away with a radiant smile.

Finally. It was music to my ears.

“Oh, that’s so nice. Can you say it again?” I begged as I moved in to kiss her mouth once more.

Bella beamed as her cheeks turned pink. She leaned in so we were almost touching, but not quite. “I love you.”

“Again, please.”

“I love you,” she stated seriously before taking my face in her hands and pulling me in the rest of the way. It was deep and passionate, her fingers in my hair. We were both panting when we drew apart.

“Shall we continue on now?” I questioned with a grin, nodding towards the trail.

“Yeah, just… Give me another kiss first.” I instantly obliged, and her arms went around my neck. “I love you, Edward,” she whispered when she pulled away, only a breath apart. “So much.”

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This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

Click to read episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

Click to download an epub of this episode!

Click to download a pdf of this episode!

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸
will post on
January 6th!
💛See y'all then!💛

12/9/2020

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty-one: Show off

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Episode Sixty-one:
Show Off

I was woken up in the morning by my girlfriend’s kisses. She spread them all over my neck and cheek, covering my right side in them. My face lolled towards her, pecking blindly back. It made her giggle. Bella pushed herself up so she could hover over me, taking my mouth as her fingers slid into my hair.

My arms curled around her waist, pulling her on top of me. Sighing softly, she laid her head on my shoulder. Her weight was so nice. It made me want to fall back asleep just as we were.

“What do you need to do today?” Bella asked in my ear, her fingertips tracing over it lightly.

“We don’t have to do anything,” I mumbled, barely able to open my eyes.

“Well, I need to at least prepare a few things for Christmas. And it’s stuff that would be good to film,” she offered in a light voice. “It’s recipes I can do in my sleep.”

Finally, I opened them. “Is that something you’re interested in doing? You don’t mind me filming you while you work?”

She shook her head. “No, I love making videos with you. They’re so much fun.” She moved her finger over my cheekbone to my lips, pecking them lightly.

Slowly, I smiled. It had been ages since I had filmed anything at home. I hadn’t been in the mood when I wasn’t too busy. “What do you need to make?”

She sat up while still on me with her injured foot held out at a funny angle so she wouldn’t sit on it. Bella pushed her hair behind her ear as she thought, her chin tipping back. “So, I wanted to make cranberry sauce for our meal tomorrow and blackberry jam to go with our dinner tonight. I got some nice chicken. You can film me making that too.” She bit her lip. “The cookie dough, too. It needs to sit overnight, at least, and I’m going to bake them and the pies tomorrow. Oh, I need to make the dough for that today too- the crusts. Everything is pretty quick and easy. And we can make more tomorrow, too. Finish the chocolate chip cookies, and I was going to make vegan sweet potato pie for Lauren and a fruit one for us.”

“Oo,” I drew out. “That’s a lot.”

“Nah,” she waved me off. This was where my little girl was the cockiest. “Like I said, it’s all really simple. And fun. These are some of my favorite dishes to make.” She bit her lip for a moment, then grinned at me.

“Oh, well, in that case…” I dragged out playfully as I sat up on my elbows. She leaned down to kiss me, hunching over to do so. “I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I’ve been excited to film stuff like this with you.”

Smiling widely, she brushed her nose against mine. “Me too. Why don’t we get a shower? I’ll make the blackberry jam first, and we can have it on toast with some coffee for breakfast.”

“Perfect.”

When she stripped, Bella took off her brace, too. Her tiny toes were just as swollen as they could be. She frowned at them, wiggling them a little. She could, but it wasn’t comfortable. Wordlessly, I ran into the kitchen to get the aspirin and a bottle of cold water for her. She seemed confused until I passed them to her when I returned.

Flushing, she popped the tablets into her mouth. “Oh, thank you.”

“Do you think you’ll be up for our trip?” I questioned gently. Everything I had planned with the help of Jasper could be enjoyed while sitting down. But if she was in pain, nothing would be fun. As much as I wanted to go, I wouldn’t have hated hiding from the world with her at home. As long as I was with my girlfriend.

“Of course!” She promised swiftly. “I’m fine. It’s just a bit achy now, and the medicine will help. It’s better than it was yesterday.”

I picked her up off the bed. “Well, I’ll try to keep you off your feet as much as possible.” She was grinning as I sat her on the bench in the shower. When I twisted to shut the door, she pinched my ass. She beamed at me innocently when I turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Oi, cheeky girl.”

“This is a splendid view,” she teased, winking up at me.

While she got dressed, I made coffee and hurriedly picked up the mess I made the day before. I hadn’t let her out of the bedroom hardly and was just leaving our rubbish everywhere. I shoved the takeout boxes into a sack and put it into the garage for later. The entire time, I could hear the hairdryer going. She had a lot of hair to work with, so it took her a while. Bella’s beauty was worth the wait.

I even swept. I wasn’t sure when the last time that happened was. It was why I had a maid service. It was probably when I lived in the flat with Jasper, but I wasn’t very good at it, so it wasn’t something that happened often. My best friend was more of a neat freak than I was, but the final year I hired a cleaning service because I couldn’t be arsed to do my merger part. He didn’t hate it. I had offered to continue it once I left. It wasn’t much, but he refused. He was moving into a much smaller apartment and always worked, so it wasn’t messy, anyway.

When the coffee was ready, I brought her a mug. She was working on her face, painting it up with a fat, fluffy brush along her cheeks. Bella didn’t have to do that to be beautiful, but she made herself look like a masterpiece every time she did.

“I love your hair straight like that. Your curls are stunning, but it’s so shiny- like ebony. And it’s so long,” I complimented her before I took a sip. It made her blush, her eyes going to the vanity top, focusing on her tools. “So, what else do you need me to do?”

“I just need to finish getting ready, and then I’ll prep the kitchen.”

I nodded in understanding. “Alright. I reckon I’ll start setting up the cameras. Call me if you need me.” I kissed the top of her head. Her grin was so pleased.

When she came hobbling out with her cane, she was dressed in shorts and a red blouse that looked lovely against her olive skin. Right away, she went to cleaning dishes and wiping the counters before bringing out the supplies she would need for the beginning videos. I enjoyed watching her work. This confidence in her was alluring. I wanted her to tell me what to do. Boss Bella was hot.

“You really should make a list of stuff you want to learn to cook,” she commented suddenly, looking over her shoulder at me as she washed the berries. “Add it to our file. Like twenty things. Don’t go crazy. We should start small. I mean, I know what I’d like to teach you, but it will be easier to learn if you’re doing stuff you want to do.”

It was cute she thought I would learn anything other than I was terrible at cooking, but I would do whatever she wanted. I could be the clown to her straight-man act.

“What would I put on it? ‘All of your cooking.’” I made finger quotes as I spoke.

She giggled. “That’s a bit much. Um, I don’t know. Fried chicken, maybe. Desserts you like. Your favorite snacks. Is there something from a restaurant you’d want to learn to cook?”

“Oh,” I drew out slowly. She had obviously thought about this while I was busy staring at her ass. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“That could be a fun video. Eddie learns to cook his top five favorite foods.”

Every time she planned our future together, it made me happy. Even if it was technically for work. I was already having more fun than I did when I was alone, though. If the videos weren’t a hit, I still wanted to make them with her. But something told me they would be amazing. My girl had been a natural at everything else...

“We could make it a whole series,” I replied. I smiled as I glanced at her. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Me too.”

After washing my hands, I came to the island to stand beside her in front of the camera. Just as I turned it on, I pecked her cheek. “You start us off, beautiful. Okay?”

She grinned, her bright, mismatched eyes gazing into mine. I felt stuck in them, held in place by her command. Finally, she shook her head as if she was in a trance, too. “Got it.”

When I winked at her, it made her blush and look away like an excited teenager. I knew the feeling completely.

“Three, two, one...” I began right before I goosed her bum. She squeaked and laughed, her head thrown back for a second. Bella hadn’t been expecting it.

She took a deep breath and forced a perfect smile for the camera. “Hi! Today we’re going to do something a little different. Eddie is going to actually cook the food he has to eat. Hopefully. Maybe. It’s the goal, at least,” she teased.

“Hopefully, this video won’t be titled ‘Eddie blows up his kitchen.’ Lucky for me, and probably for the LA fire department, I’m joined by the crazy talented Bella Swan, former professional chef and current master of my kitchen.”

She quickly shook her head. “I cooked in a professional kitchen. I wouldn’t say I was a professional chef. But I can make sure nobody is going to blow up this kitchen today. I can’t promise you that you won’t burn yourself, though.”

My girlfriend was trying so hard to be serious. “Well, there are no guarantees in life,” I spoke in a too big voice, putting my hands on my hips dramatically. She snorted, just like I wanted, and glanced away for a moment. “What are we making, master?”

Her entire face twisted up as she tried to control it. She broke and stuck her tongue out at me.

“Mistress,” she replied challengingly before roughly coughing in a signal for me to behave. That wouldn’t happen. This was too much fun, and there was no one to stop me from having as much playtime with my girl as I could. She was going to try, though. “Blackberry jam. It’s super easy to make, better than store-bought, and is amazing on ice cream, in cakes, on toast, or with roasted chicken. And the recipe is really versatile because you can switch out the blackberries for raspberries or cranberries. Strawberries or blueberries, too. It just depends on what’s in season or on sale. It’s really quick, too. So, let’s get started.”

I was correct. I could tell right away that Bella was made for this. She controlled the shoot perfectly, though I doubted she understood what she was doing. From the best shots to what to say, she showed me her director skills. All she needed was a clipboard with her notes. Between takes, I took them on my phone for later. Though she might have been in control, she was willing and able to follow any of my instructions, too. I couldn’t understand how she didn’t make it on the stage. She was captivating. This wasn’t my bias. She was already exceeding my expectations in ways I couldn’t have imagined before.

Nothing was hurried, and it was obvious she was having fun. She made fruit spreads for me to keep well after she was gone, ensuring I would have her cooking for ages. When the chicken for our dinner was done, she started making the sides- a quick salad and steamed vegetables with French bread.

“I’m going to leave the cameras up for tomorrow, but I’m going to back up the footage real quick,” I told her after I gave her a kiss on the forehead. She was still on her stool at the island, slicing the loaf. “Pick out some wine for us, yeah?”

Grinning, she pulled me down for another peck on the lips. “Yeah. No rush. The chicken needs to sit for at least another ten minutes. Oh, after dinner, I’ll write down the recipes for the videos.”

“Ah, perfect. Thanks.”

I hurried into the office, sliding the first SD card into place. It would take a few moments to copy everything over. We had over four hours of roll. It made me excited to edit. I would make sure at least one video a week with her was posted so she could have a steady income for the next few months. I hated how worried she was about money, and this would make her feel better. This was her baby, and she deserved the cash for it.

There were dozens of files to upload. When the first was done, I grabbed my headphones and watched it. It started with the kiss on the cheek and ass pinch. Her face was so funny. I wouldn’t put those in the final product, but it made me happy to have that recorded forever. The joy was clear in her eyes and the way she carried herself. She loved what she was doing.

I sent the first unedited file to Jasper with a bunch of heart-eye emojis.

The next morning, I woke up to a message from him. “Are you really sure she’s never done this before?”

“She keeps just getting better and better,” I replied. “She’s going to make me so much bread. Both literally and figuratively.”

“And this is what she wants to do?”

I smiled at his question. “It was her idea. We filmed all day, and we are today too. She’s going to make truffles and salted caramel. She keeps spoiling me with snacks. And she’s making stuff and preserving it so I can have some later. You should see my kitchen. It is just filled to the brim with wonderful food.”

“Oi, stop rubbing it in. I’m jealous enough as it is. I’m eating take away chips with chicken salt straight from the greasy sack.”

“Oh, I do miss chicken salt,” I actually sighed when I typed it.

“Want me to send you some?” He asked right away.

I sent several heart emojis. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

“I got you, darling. Oh, and I got that poster you sent. Thank you. It’s lovely.”

Smiling to myself, I was happy he liked it. He seemed to be in a better mood, but it was hard to tell over text. I hoped he was.

When our breakfast was finished, I took a picture of the plate. It was scrambled eggs, toast with each fruit spread, sliced avocado, and kiwis. I sent it to Jasper.

“You’re just bragging now,” he complained.

I chuckled. “I am. Sorry. She’d happily share with you if you were here,” I promised.

Back

This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

Click to read episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

Click to download the epub of this Episode!!

Click to download the pdf of this Episode!!

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸 posts on
December 16th!
💛See y'all then!💛

12/2/2020

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty: Sensitive

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Episode Sixty:
Sensitive

Bella whimpered in her sleep, especially whenever her foot moved. She had done a lot the past few days, and it was finally too much. I decided to keep her off her feet as much as possible the following day. We both needed a proper break. I didn’t want her to do any more damage and be in pain for our trip.

She also moaned my name, grinning and giggling as she did. It made me beam. I kissed her forehead, and she sighed in pleasure. “Mm, Eddie…”

“Pretty girl,” I whispered against her skin. “My love.”

She pulled me into a kiss, still fully asleep. It wasn’t gentle either. It was needy, her hand in my hair as she took it forcefully. I let her do whatever she wanted happily. Then she rolled over, so we were spooning, with a soft whine.

I adjusted the covers around her to make sure she was comfortable before drifting off back to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, we were in the same position.

Crawling out of bed, I went to the loo before washing up. It was just after seven. I was too awake to relax anymore. So I wouldn’t bother Bella while she slept, I took the joints and went into the kitchen. I wasn’t really ready to be up for the day, and I hoped they would put my ass back to sleep. Smoking as I searched through the cabinets to see what goodies she had gotten us, I grabbed a banana and a granola bar with a cup of milk before going outside to sit in the sunshine.

Jasper sent me a message in the middle of the night, letting me know his Christmas gifts had arrived and that he loved everything I had gotten him. Art supplies, new video games, and a couple of nice controllers- one for each system he had, both professional ones used in E-sports.

“I’m glad! Just promise to draw me a picture.”

My phone rang, making me smile. It was around midnight there. It didn’t surprise me he was awake. “What should I draw you, darling?”

“Oo,” I drew out, taking a drag. “That’s tough. Whatever you want. I trust your taste. Maybe something to put on my office wall.”

“I can do that.”

Then an idea popped into my head. “Oi! Or you could draw Bella. You’ve got plenty of pictures to choose from.”

He hummed. “That might be easier after I see her in person.”

“That’s true,” I smiled. “Soon, though! Just a couple of months, and we’ll be able to spend time together.”

“You’re going to be too busy with your family and your girl for me.”

“Shut up,” I snapped. “We’re not going over this again. You are family. We might not be related, but you mean everything to me. I would give my life to protect you- to make it even a little better. You know how much I care about you, don’t you?” There was a moment of silence. “Oh, come on! You do. You have to.”

He sighed. “I do, Tony. I just hate being alone at Christmas.”

“I’d offer to buy you a ticket here right now if I didn’t think it would make you mad.”
“I know you would. And that means more to me than you know, but I wouldn’t want to impose, anyway. You’re a totally different man than you were a week ago. Happy and-”

“And being around my best friend would make me even happier! Are you kidding me? What are you talking about?”

“You’ve just got enough on your plate without me in the picture. It’s okay.”

I huffed loudly. “You don’t add to my ‘plate.’ Jasper, you are not a burden. To me, or anyone else. What’s with this fucking pity party? You’re not alone. I know I’m not there, but you have people who care about you. Hell, go to my sisters! They love you, too. They’re your family. If you don’t wish to be alone, please call them. Or the lads or the twins. Lu.” I sighed. “We all love you.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he sniffled with a slight laugh. “I get it. I do. Pity is the right word for it. I’m being a bit of a tosser right now because I need a fucking holiday. Sorry, I didn’t mean to pour this out on you like that.”

“Don’t apologize for needing to talk. You can call me at any time. Please do. I don’t want you to feel like this. You’re not a tosser or…” I trailed off, rubbing my hand over my mouth.

“And see, I’ve ruined your good mood.”

“No, you didn’t,” I argued. “You couldn’t if you tried. I’m just sad that you’re upset and need a shoulder, and I’m not there for you. But all you have to do is say the word and-”

He laughed again. “I know. The big man with all the money will take care of me.”

“It’s not-”

“I know,” he repeated. “This isn’t what I wanted when I called. I am so sorry. I really just wanted to thank you for the gifts and talk to you. They are so thoughtful, and they’re way too much, but I love them. Thank you for caring about me, too.”

I sighed again. “Oh, mate… Of course.”

“So,” he cleared his throat. “Where’s your girl? I hope she’s not listening to this.”

“Asleep still. It’s early here.” I lit the smoke again and inhaled deeply. “We did this extreme, high calorie-burning workout yesterday, and I’m in so much fucking pain right now. My calves are on fire.”

“Ouch.”

Snorting, I tapped the ash out. “Worst still, the bugger, the trainer, made rude comments about Bella to me. Bonehead didn’t realize I was her boyfriend. I’m starting to hate men. Are there no gentlemen in this world? It’s no wonder women are so scared of us. They should be.”

“They can’t all be you, Tony,” he teased. “Not all of us are raised around four of the strongest women I’ve ever met. You were either going to come out a perfect gentleman or totally frightened of girls.”

“Nah, I’m still petrified of them.” He laughed genuinely. “You know I am. If I wasn’t, I would have just gone after Bella that first week like a real man.”

“Eh, it worked out,” he paused. “Anyway, it’s late. I’m going to bed. I have work tomorrow. Have a good day, hm?”

Nodding to myself, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “Yeah, lovey. Call me later if you get a chance. Maybe on your break.”

When I crawled back into bed with Bella, she rolled over to snuggle with me with her head on my chest. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open, and she grinned. She licked the corner of her mouth before yawning. “Mm… hey, baby. What do you need to do today?”

I shook my head. “Not a damn thing. I just want to relax with you. I want to order some breakfast,” I mumbled as I kissed her cheek, then her nose. “I want to watch a movie. Or whatever,” I drew out before pecking her chin. She tilted her head back, giving me better access. “How does that sound?”

“Is that all you want to do?” She questioned with a cocky smile as her hand trailed down the back of my shorts then gripped my ass tightly.

Of course, my cock reacted right away. I could never deny her.

I kept her as comfortable as possible all day long, propping her foot up and fetching her whatever she needed. We fooled around more than once. After, with her head on my chest, we watched stuff on my laptop.

When it was getting later in the night, I started a bath for her in the big tub with lots of Epsom salts to help her injured ankle. I could see it was swelling, and there were still loads of deep bruises. She got undressed in the bedroom, taking off her brace and limping towards it. I helped her get in before I went back to relax on the bed.

For the first time since November, I was in the mood to write. I had attempted several times while we were apart, but it went nowhere. I had no imagination left once my depression ran through me.

Bella was quiet for a long time while I typed away. She had one foot hanging out of the tub, the unharmed one. It wiggled and flexed as she relaxed her head back against the lip. She appeared so comfortable.

“What shall we do tomorrow?” She questioned after maybe twenty minutes, finally breaking the silence.

I was in the middle of a sentence, so I continued typing. “You mean you don’t want to stay in bed and continue to be treated like the queen that you are?”

“Do you need to work on anything?”

I shook my head. “Only what I’m doing now. And I’ll be working on it every day for a while.” It wasn’t due until February, so it wasn’t a rush, but it was a priority.

“I’m sorry that I’m keeping you from working,” she said in a soft, almost sad voice.

I glanced over. “You’re not. It’s just something I need to stay on top of. It’s script stuff for a television project. I work it out in my head, then write until I’ve got it all down. And then I have to take a break and daydream all over again until I work out the next scene in my mind’s eye,” I paused my rambling. “That sounds convoluted. Does that make sense?”

Grinning, she nodded. “Yeah, it does. Let me know if there is ever anything you need help on. I’m a pretty good proofreader. I’ve been doing it for Alice for years. She writes a lot.”

Her words made me smile. I honestly would love her opinion, but I wasn’t to that stage yet. “You’re sweet. I might take you up on that offer when I get to that part. You’ll have to be brutally honest and tell me if it’s funny or not, though.”

“I’m not qualified for that last part. Just at finding typos.”

Oh, how wrong she was. “You’re funnier than me. If I had your sense of timing and were half as witty, this would be so much easier.”

“You only think I’m funny because you get to see my tits,” she replied in the driest tone as she shook her head.

“Wait- no. I-” I sputtered before I realized she was just fucking with me. “I don’t know. Let me see them again and check,” I clapped back. It made her naughty grin grow.

Bella sat up and jiggled her breasts as she wiggled her shoulders, biting her lip. Her gaze never left mine.

“Okay, maybe,” I stated wryly.

Laughing loudly, she fell back against the rim. With a playful pout, she covered her chest with her arms. There was a mild blush covering her entire body. “No more boobs for you.”

I chuckled and grinned, putting my laptop to the side. “Aw.” I reclined more comfortably on my side to watch her. This was more fun. “But, boobies. I like them so much.”

“Nope. Too bad, too. They’re warm and soft and all wet. And probably well seasoned at this point because I’ve been marinating in this salty water for a while now,” she joked with a playful smile.

My hands slid over my eyes as I tried not to snort stupidly. Clearing my throat, I peeked at her. “Shall I get you out then?”

“Hm, maybe.” She sat up, then pushed herself upwards after pulling the plug. I rushed towards her. She seemed fine, though. She pointed to the wall. “Pass me the towel.”

I snatched it from the warmer. Carefully, I dried her off. She grinned every time I pressed light kisses on her delicious skin. When the water was fully drained, and I had gotten most of the droplets, I lifted her from the bathtub.

Her arms automatically went around my neck as she laid her slightly damp hair against my shoulder. “Seriously, can’t tell you how much I like this. You’re the only guy I’ve ever dated that could do this on the regular.”

“But you’re so tiny!” I laughed softly, shaking my head. Some of my nieces were heavier. “There are ten years olds who weigh more than you. Are you even a hundred pounds?” She didn’t like my teasing, so she pouted. I knew I was right, so I went to my scale. She loudly laughed again. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’d say... ninety-five?”

She pretended to be offended. “I was one hundred and five last time I went. Last week or the week before. Whenever that was.”

In truth, I was worried about how tiny she was. I wanted to make sure she was well-fed and happy.

I laid her down on the mattress then went to get the lotion she used every morning- any excuse to keep touching her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head with pleasure before fluttering closed at the sensation. She stretched until her arms were above her head, arching her back a little.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?”

She didn’t open her eyes. “Do you need to go Christmas shopping? Or get anything for the trip? I finished while you were working on Monday and Tuesday.”

“No, I’m good. I had a lot of downtime on set to shop online. I might have gone overboard. I did quite a bit of shopping on your page as well. Made that part easier.” I smiled to myself as I thought about it.

“Really?” She said in a small voice. “You could have told me, and I would have given it to you at my cost. I have a code. I gave a bunch to Esther for their Hanukkah silent action for their youth programs at her temple.”

“Well, maybe next time then.”

She looked up at me. “What did you get?”

“Oh, loads of things, actually. I sent a big canvas to a lot of my professional connections. Some of the directors and such that I’ve been working with lately. I sent some to my sisters, too. Because they really liked that one I sent of the beach scene with the sunset and the clouds, you know? I got some more with the cool clouds. And I got some posters of the cute animals for my nieces. The smaller ones. They’re their stocking stuffers from me. The ones that are old enough, anyway. I was thinking about getting some of the postcards so I could start to write to them regularly. They do so love getting things in the post from their uncle,” I babbled as I rubbed her calves with the cream.

“Eddie, that’s so much stuff. How many canvases did you get?”

Slowly, I realized I was getting myself in trouble. “Um... thirty or so? Give or take around that. I don’t remember. More of the posters, though. I got them a few each, and I have six to buy for. The youngest is too little for posters. As I said, I might have gone nuts. I like to spoil my girls.”

Bella flew upwards, the towel still wrapped tightly around her chest. “What? Which size canvas?”

“The biggest. Whatever that is. I don’t remember the exact numbers.”

“When?” She demanded, turning red.

Unable to meet her gaze, I rubbed my hands together because I had so much lotion still on them. And touching time was certainly over. “Um, last Tuesday. Why?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Why did you do that, Edward?” She whimpered.

“Are you mad?”

Her mouth opened and closed, looking down at her lap, then at me. “I- Yeah?”

“Why?”

“They’re two hundred apiece! Thirty, Edward. Thirty,” she raised her voice at me the first time.

“Yeah, and I get to write them off my taxes in a month because they’re for work reasons. It’s networking. That’s how that works. I have no doubt it’ll be worth the investment.” When I picked up the bottle again, she snatched it away from me. “I’d rather give you that money than a stranger.”

“How much did you spend?”

I bit my lip for a moment as I looked at her. “There isn’t a number where you’re not going to freak out, Bella. How much do you get from your sales? I know it’s a print as they order type thing.”

“Usually, around seventy-five percent after printing costs. It increases the more I sell, though,” she almost whispered. Her eyes were darting back and forth in thought. Then, suddenly, she balled up her tiny fist and popped me in the chest. “Why’d you do that? I don’t want your damn money.”

She wasn’t trying to hurt me. She was just annoyed. “Ow.” It made me laugh, the spot stinging with pain. I may have loved her, but she was acting crazy. “Because they made for good gifts. They’re so pretty. I don’t think that deserves a smack.”

“I don’t want your money,” Bella repeated, her brows furrowed with her lips pouted out.

“Next Christmas, you can give me the code then,” I said with a slight smile as I shrugged.

She kept shaking her head as I spoke. “I’m going to give it back right now.”

“No, you’re not.” Like hell. I would never accept it. “You can use it to plan our next little trip.”

“Edward, I’m doing fine right now. Really,” she continued with a quivering bottom lip. “You don’t have to give me money. Everything is different from two months ago.”

I wasn’t giving her anything. I was buying products she was creating. She was an artist, and I was purchasing her art.

“I am very pleased to hear that you’re doing better.”

She huffed. “Edward!”

Bella had all the ferocity of a freshly bathed kitten. She didn’t have to prove to me she wasn’t a gold digger. I believed her. “Stop saying my name like it’s going to change my mind. It’s your money now. And hey, two months exactly today!” I realized as I was speaking. It made me grin. She looked away, but her nose wrinkled because she thought I was cute. “That’s nice. I should have taken you out to celebrate.”

Flopping back, she covered her face with a pillow. “You ass. I need to look at my bank app. I don’t think I can. Oh, god. My chest hurts.”

She was going to give herself a panic attack. “You need to talk to your therapist about your money feelings.” I grabbed her mobile for her.

“She needs to up my anxiety medication dosage next time I see her. Christ.”

“Agreed.”

She peeked at me. “Can you check for me?”

I laughed. “What is that going to do?” She ignored me and put in the information, then handed it back to me so I could see the numbers. “It would probably be helpful to know how much you had last time you checked.”

“The bill’s checking and my savings automatically get the same amount every month unless I do something to them, so I know how much is in those. It’s the other one. It was like twenty-something thousand on Saturday when I bought my tickets. It should be the top one.”

Ah, shit. Nope. I was not walking into this one.

“Hm. Oh. Well. I’d like to give you a number that would not trigger your money feels in a bad way, but you can check this yourself to see. So, I don’t know what you want from me? Please don’t shoot the messenger,” I rambled.

“What does it say?”

“Forty-five. Thousand.”

She sucked in a deep, shocked breath as her eyes got huge. “No.”

I exited the app and put it to the side. “I didn’t spend that much, I swear. That’s not all me. I spent thousands, not tens of thousands.”

A wild hysterical laugh ripped through her throat, but she looked as if she was going to cry. She brought the pillow over her face. “I could take the whole damn year off.”

I yanked it away and tossed it to the floor so I could have her attention. “I realize you’re not being serious, but... Do it. Move here and make videos with me. You can still do your store. You could be the photographer for the channel and help me expand the content,” I blurted out, but the more I spoke, the more right it felt. “We’ll go to a ton of amazing places, and you’ll have more pictures than you know what to do with. And you can help me pick those places. You’re so good at helping me come up with ideas. I swear I’ll make sure it’s the best decision you ever make.”

“It’s too soon,” she whispered.

“Says who?”

“Me.”

“When will it not be too soon? Because I hate this, Bella,” I admitted, feeling the emotions suddenly overwhelm me. “I hate not being able to kiss you goodnight. I hate not waking up to you in the morning. Either I need to move to New York, or you need to move here because this is torture. Even if we don’t live together, it would be better than this.”

She was gazing at me with such a sad expression. “We’re going to see each other a lot for a while. And then I figured we could make a quick trip early for our Valentine’s. And then we’re going to Australia for a full month. Isn’t that a good start?” She didn’t want to hurt me by saying no. She needed more time.

“It’ll never be enough,” I breathed.

“You’re going to be busy in January, anyway.”

It was almost spooky how much she was like Jasper. I just wished it wasn’t in this way. “So? Why does it matter? I’d rather be worked to the bone with you here than have a vacation without you.”

“You’re so sweet.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m very selfish. I want you all the time. Alright, look…” I swallowed, hoping she would agree to my next thoughts. “We’ll have been together for almost five months when we get back from Australia. If you can still withstand me after and don’t hate my family-“

Bella put her hand on my shoulder. “I won’t hate them. I couldn’t. They love you.”

Her words made me grin. I hoped that was true. “If it’s not too soon, then... Move in with me after? We’re going on a practice run in Australia, anyway.”

“I’m pretty sure me being here right now is a practice run. That’s all we’ve been practicing.”

“Right. Exactly,” I hastily agreed. “We already know how well we do together. We’re very good at being roommates.” Laying down, I pecked her knee, then rested my head in her lap. I was suddenly exhausted and ready to go to bed.

She sighed softly as she petted my hair. “What if I end up breaking your heart with my craziness before then?”

Lightly, I kissed the inside of her thigh before looking up at her. “It’s yours to break. Whatever you decide, I understand. I just know how much I’m going to miss you when you’re gone.”

“Can I think about it?” She hopefully asked. Nodding, I smiled slightly. She leaned down to kiss my mouth. “It’s not no. It’s just a lot to consider- moving across the country away from my friends and home. But I want you to know that I love it here with you.”

Back

This episode goes with Episode thirty-six of Imperfect Pictures!

Click to read episode thirty-six of Imperfect Pictures!

Thanks to Gina for proofreading!

Click to download the epub of this Episode!!

Click to download the pdf of this Episode!!

Perfect Snapshots

A sexy serial Soap Opera

Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)

Perfect Snapshots: Episode sixty-two: The Day

Episode sixty-two:
The Day

Thanks to Gina for proofreading!

This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸
will post on
January 6th!
💛See y'all then!💛

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty-one: Show off

Episode Sixty-one:
Show Off

This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸 posts on
December 16th!
💛See y'all then!💛

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty: Sensitive

Episode Sixty:
Sensitive

This episode goes with Episode thirty-six of Imperfect Pictures!

Thanks to Gina for proofreading!

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸
will post on
December 9th!
💛See y'all then!💛

Archives

Perfect Snapshots

A sexy serial Soap Opera

Intended for a mature audience only. (18+)

Perfect Snapshots: Episode sixty-two: The Day

Episode sixty-two: ​The Day

Thanks to Gina for proofreading!

This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

✨The next episode of✨📸Perfect Snapshots📸will post onJanuary 6th!💛See y'all then!💛

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty-one: Show off

Episode Sixty-one: ​Show Off

This episode goes with episode thirty-seven of Imperfect Pictures!

✨The next episode of✨📸Perfect Snapshots📸 posts on December 16th!💛See y'all then!💛

Perfect Snapshots: Episode Sixty: Sensitive

Episode Sixty: ​Sensitive

This episode goes with Episode thirty-six of Imperfect Pictures!

Thanks to Gina for proofreading!

✨The next episode of✨ 📸Perfect Snapshots📸 will post onDecember 9th!💛See y'all then!💛

Archives

Episode sixty-two:
The Day

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸
will post on
January 6th!
💛See y'all then!💛

Episode Sixty-one:
Show Off

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸 posts on
December 16th!
💛See y'all then!💛

Episode Sixty:
Sensitive

✨The next episode of✨
📸Perfect Snapshots📸
will post on
December 9th!
💛See y'all then!💛