Twenty-Seven

I had this chapter planned for months and I'm so happy that I finally got to finish it and post it!🥳  Again, thank you for reading and always voting and commenting, you really keep me motivated to keep on writing💚💚

WARNING: there's some smut ahead (oral sex) so read at your own discretion._______________________

I closed the front door behind me as quietly as I could, struggling not to drop the huge cardboard box under my arm as my other hand was busy with another box of freshly baked donuts. I placed the food on the kitchen counter and tiptoed my way to my room with the other box, hoping I hadn't woken up Sam.

I carefully set it on the floor, looking inside to check if everything was alright.

- Stay there – I begged, glancing at it one last time before I walked out of my room.

I shut the door as silently as I could behind me, going back to Sam's bedroom. We had slept the previous night there, and thankfully, he was still sleeping. I couldn't help but smirk, kicking my shoes off, and climbed up his bed, cautiously crawling up his figure. The morning light coming from his window let me admire his peaceful face, making my heart swell at the sight of the beautiful man in front of me.

I leaned down to place a set of soft kisses all over his right cheek and jaw, turning to do the same with his left ones as he started to stir in his sleep. Just as I lowered my lips to his warm neck, he brought one of his hands up to rub his eyes, slowly starting to wake up.

- Hey – he croaked out, making me lift my head up to look at him. He still looked pretty sleepy, blinking his eyes really slowly after yawning.

- Good morning – I smiled back, moving to peck his lips gently. My kisses then went back to his neck again, slowly making their way down his bare chest and shoulders.

- I'm not complaining, but what is this about? – he asked in his husky morning voice which I loved so much, looking down at me with a slightly drowsy but amused face.

I didn't answer him, just looked up at him with a teasing stare before I lowered my lips back to his torso, trailing a path of wet, open-mouthed kisses down his sternum. I nibbled the skin around one of his nipples tentatively, taking the bud carefully between my teeth and making him groan. I repeated the action with the other one before taking my lips and tongue down his abdomen, kissing my way down.

His muscles were already tensing up when I reached the thin trail of hair that started below his navel and got lost underneath the hem of his sweatpants, his heavy breathing growing more noticeable. Placing one last kiss to his hipbone, I looked up at him, seeing the smug look on his face that mirrored mine, and tugged from his pants to free his prominent erection.

- In my defence, I was already semi-hard when I woke up – Sam chuckled as I took hold of his dense hardness, wrapping my hands around it as I smirked at him.

I moved my hand up his length slowly, stroking him a couple of times before I tucked my hair behind my ears with my free hand and borught him closer to my face. Keeping eye contact, I placed the tiniest of kisses to the tip, feeling his thighs clenching on my sides, and darted my tongue out afterwards, twirling it around in circles in a teasing way. He hissed, making me chuckle to myself before I licked a stripe from his underside up to his slit again, wrapping my lips around him and finally taking his cock into my mouth.

Giving Sam head was one of my favourite activities when it came to the bedroom, and it had actually amused him the first time I had told him about it. I considered him to be above average when it came to oral sex, both with his skilled fingers and tongue, which I actually enjoyed a lot. But being on the receiving end was just as pleasurable as being on the giving one. Having his enjoyment as my sole purpose was something I liked, just focusing on satisfying him and trying to make him feel as good as he always made me feel. And even though him being so vulnerable in my hands and hearing him moan as I sucked him off did turn me on, just getting him to release was more than enough for me.

His hands had already grabbed my hair, keeping it off my face as I continued to work on him, delighting in the little whimpers and grunts that were coming from his mouth. I alternated the bobbing of my head with some teasing movements of my tongue, licking and peppering kisses up his shaft and playfully sucking his tip just before taking him into my mouth again.

- Fuck it, baby – Sam groaned, tightening his grip on my hair as I took him particularly deep, already tasting his precum at the back of my tongue.

I hummed around him, knowing the vibrations of my throat added to the feeling. I knew that he also enjoyed it when I softly dragged nails down his abdomen, so I brought one of my hands up to meticulously rake his torso with my fingernails, running them down slowly and making his body shiver.

My hand reached his pulsing shaft again, wrapping around its base and pumping what I wasn't taking into my mouth as I used the other one to gently cup his balls. I fondled and lightly squeezed the warm sack in my palm, trying to keep my focus on my swirling tongue around him. I didn't know it was possible, but I could feel him swelling even more in my mouth. Looking into his eyes, I knew he was close, and that he was fighting hard not to take over the movements of my head. But I was willing to give in.

Supporting myself on both of his thighs, I inhaled deeply before bobbing my head down to deep-throat him. It always drove him crazy when I did it, and even though I sometimes spilled a tear here and there, I had learned to control my gag reflex enough to do it. As I had expected, he moaned, tightening his grip around the makeshift ponytail he had created with my hair, and pushed my head down slightly. He let me come up for air right away but didn't repeat the motion, always being too gentle with me to actually try to fuck my mouth, no matter how badly he wanted it.

- I'm going to come if you keep on doing that – he groaned as I took him as further as I could again. Even though he wasn't thrusting himself into my mouth nor pushing my head down forcefully, he was still guiding my movements, keeping a pace he knew I was still comfortable with as I carried on blowing him.

I realised he was really close, so I twirled my tongue around his slit in an agonizing motion as I looked into his hooded eyes, sucking gently before I bobbed my head down one last time, feeling the tip of his length hitting the back of my throat.

- Fuck, Gwen, I'm coming, baby – he grunted as he pushed my head down his cock again, just before his seed shot deep into my mouth.

All of his muscles were tense as I pumped his base with my hand, swallowing his load that kept on spurting onto my tongue. His fingers buried deep into my hair, caressing my scalp gently and breathing deeply while I sucked him clean.

My mouth released his cock with a pop, and I wiped my chin with the back of my hand before I tucked him back into his sweatpants.

- Happy birthday – I smiled after crawling up his body, pecking his lips softly as his arms wrapped around me.

- Happy birthday to me, indeed – Sam chuckled, bringing me down by the back of my neck to peck my lips again – You know, I wouldn't mind waking up like this every day – he joked once I had pulled away, running one of his hands through my hair.

- Keep on dreaming – I laughed, burying my head into his neck and breathing in his scent as I hugged him.

- Hey, it's not my fault that my girlfriend gives amazing blowjobs – he kept on teasing, earning himself a smack on the arm. He laughed against my head, placing a kiss to the top of my hair, and hummed in content.

Remembering I had his present waiting in my room, I lifted my head from the crook of his neck, finding his loving eyes already staring back at me. He tilted his head up to kiss my lips once more, making me smile as I pulled away.

- I've got your birthday present back in my room, but I need you to cover your eyes – I said, shooting him a mischievous look which spiked his interest.

- Alright, I'll cheat if I cover them with my hands so bring a scarf or something – he smiled, watching me as I got up from his bed and walked towards his drawers.

I grabbed his plaid yellow scarf from one of them and made my way back to him, wrapping it tightly around his head.

- Be right back – I announced once I had made sure he couldn't see, turning around and hurrying back to my room.

I checked the insides of the box once more as I picked it up, already getting excited for his reaction to my gift. I placed it down next to his bed once I was back in his room, carefully picking up the small puppy from it and cradling her against my chest. I took a seat next to Sam, praying the little dog wouldn't bark yet as I made sure his hands were still on his sides.

- I'm about to lift this up and peek – he announced referring to the scarf, probably sensing I was back on his side.

- God, you're so impatient – I rolled my eyes with a chuckle, shaking my head to myself – I need you to stay still, alright?

He nodded, and I cautiously brought the puppy close to his face, letting her tiny tongue lick all over his chin and nose excitedly. Sam was frowning beneath the woollen piece of cloth covering his eyes, and I had to fight really hard not to laugh at his confused face.

- Baby, you know I'm up for trying out some stuff with you, and I'm okay with the blindfold thing, but this feels kind of weird – he said in a hesitant tone, motioning with his hands to refer to the dog-like licking.

At the sound of his voice, the puppy in my hands made the cutest of sounds in an attempt to bark. Sam sat up on his spot as soon as he heard it, pushing the scarf away of his face immediately.

- Happy birthday, Sammy – I smiled as the puppy barked again, licking my face once before she jumped from my arms into his lap, pawing at his chest energetically.

His eyes had widened in shock as soon as he had seen her, and the hugest of grins broke out on his face as he picked the dog up, letting her lick all over his face as he laughed. He was completely hypnotized by her, kissing her brown fur a couple of times before he scooped her against his bare chest, speaking to her in a cooing voice.

He then looked up at me, his eyes shining with happiness as his smile widened even more. He brought his free hand up to the back of my head, pulling my face closer to his to strongly press his lips against mine. Love and gratefulness were pouring from his lips as they moved against mine, resulting in a really heart-warming kiss.

He let go of me and looked back down at the puppy in his arms, letting another incredulous laugh out as he caressed her back.

- Where did you get her? – he asked, staring back up at me lovingly.

- At that shelter you took me some months ago – I smiled, shifting closer to him so that I could pet the dog too – They found her some days ago; they think she's just a month old.

- Does she have a name?

- No – I smiled again, looking up at him. He was staring at the puppy with fascination in his eyes, hugging her tiny body gently to his.

We stayed like that, with him lost in the little dog in his arms as I let my head fall on his shoulder, nuzzling my face into the warmth of his bare skin. She licked his fingers whenever he brought his hands close to her face and closed her eyes whenever we scratched her tummy; she was literally the cutest puppy ever.

- Lou – Sam finally said, looking up from the dog to me – Our sweet baby Lou.

- I like it – I smiled, leaning closer to peck his lips softly. I tried to pull away but he pressed his mouth against mine again, letting one of his hands cup my cheek as he deepened the kiss.

- Thank you – he whispered against my lips with the sincerest smile I had ever seen. I pecked him one last time in response, but his hand still remained holding the side of my head as I pulled away, his loving eyes fixing on mine – I love you.

- I love you too – I replied as he brushed his nose against mine. The puppy attempted to bark again, making me laugh as I looked down – Someone's dying for your attention – I teased.

- She's already a daddy's girl – he chuckled, lifting her up to his face and letting her lick his cheek again.

- Okay, daddy, we still need to buy her stuff– I laughed, standing up to pick the forgotten scarf from the floor – I didn't want to get anything else without you; I knew you would have fun spoiling her.

- You know me well – he smiled, letting Lou free on his bed and watching her play with his sheets.

- Alright, take a shower while I prepare breakfast and then we can go – I smiled as he helped her untangle one of her paws that had got stuck in his blanket – I still have classes in the afternoon, but I was hoping we could go out for lunch.

- Sounds like a plan to me – he smiled back. I chuckled as the puppy jumped back onto his lap before I turned around, walking out of his bedroom and into the kitchen to grab donuts I had bought earlier.

The rest of the morning went by in the blink of an eye, as we bought Lou a rounded cushioned bed she liked and a cute little blanket, along with some toys for her to play with and her food. She had already been checked when I had picked her up, and she had been given all her shots after being rescued, so we didn't need to take her to the vet.

Once we had left everything in the apartment, we decided to buy food and bring it back in instead of going out. Lou was too small to go for a walk outside and we didn't want to leave her alone for so long on her first day with us. We ate happily with her sitting between us on the couch, looking like new parents with their first child as we picked up on everything she did.

It was Friday, so luckily, I didn't have to work at the store, but there was no way I could skip my classes. Especially now that I had been given the opportunity of being part of the gallery's exposition. I would have time to finish organising the surprise party once I came back though, knowing the twins and Danny were going to help me keep Sam out of the apartment.

- Hey, I'm going back to Frankenmuth in the afternoon – my boyfriend said as he walked into the kitchen, throwing away some trash into the bin. I already knew that, as it was me who had requested his brothers to invite him over – I was hoping you could come, too. Mom is dying to see you again – he chuckled, unaware of my anxiety increasing as I struggled to come up with some story.

- Um, yeah, about that, I'm pretty busy in the afternoon – I partly lied, shutting my eyes in awkwardness as I put the strawberries we hadn't eaten away in the fridge – I mean, I would love to, but they are making me stay after class to arrange some stuff for the exposition. I know it is your birthday, but I can't really skip it.

- It's alright, don't worry – he smiled, wrapping his arms around me from behind and kissing my shoulder lightly – I've planned something for us later, anyways.

- Oh, really? – I asked rather shakily. This hadn't been part of my plans.

- Yeah, I've booked a dinner for two at this restaurant in Detroit – he smiled against my neck as I closed the fridge's door. I wanted to disappear right then and there – Got us a table at the rooftop and everything. Guess we'll have to leave Lou with Danny now, though – he chuckled, swaying us in our hug a little bit – What do you say?

I tried to find any suitable excuse in my brain but I couldn't find any, blurting the first thing I could think of without even going over it first.

- I've already got plans for tonight – I said, regretting those words as soon as they had come out of my mouth. Sam stayed silent for some seconds, but didn't let go of my body yet.

- What? – he asked after a while, clearing his throat right away.

- Um, yes, I'm already going out for dinner – I repeated, wanting to kill him for planning this dinner without telling me earlier and to kill myself for the stupid excuse I had come up with.

- With whom?

I needed to find the right answer for that question, because he would make me skip it if it were Brooke or one of my classmates. Going out with my parents wouldn't be believable, and it would be something I would have told him about in advance. Carter had come over the previous day, so it wouldn't make sense either.

- With my boss – I blurted, dreading my poor choice of an excuse again. His arms immediately fell from my waist, and I turned around to look at him.

- On my birthday? – he asked with a defeated face, disappointment evident in his voice.

- Yes, I couldn't really say no – I said, trying to look anywhere but his heart-broken eyes.

- You could have told him you were busy and set it for tomorrow.

- He's my boss Sam, it doesn't work like that – I sighed, dreading the idea of a fight with him because of this.

- Since when do you need to have dinner with him, anyways? – he went on, getting more frustrated as he spoke – I mean, I can't imagine what he wants to talk about with you that he can't tell you on any of your shifts at the shop.

- I don't know – I replied, rubbing my face with my palms. This was a disaster, but I couldn't back out now. And I couldn't let him go to that dinner either; we would miss the whole thing if we went there and I couldn't just simply postpone it till later or uninvite the guests.

- How long have you known about it for? – he spat, walking to the counter and leaning his weight on his palms over it – You could have told me before I made a fucking reservation for dinner.

- You could have told me about it too! – I retaliated, letting a little bit of my frustration show in my voice.

- Forget it – he shook his head, walking out of the kitchen and going back into his room. He started to look for a pair of socks and shoes, getting dressed up as I stood at his doorway, not knowing what to say.

- Don't get mad – I pleaded in a weak voice, hating to see him angry at me.

- Right, I'm sorry for being upset about my girlfriend ditching me on my birthday. Didn't know it was such a bad thing wanting to spend my day with her – he muttered, picking up Lou, who had followed us, from the floor – I'll be out. Don't wait up at night, I'll probably find somebody else to go to the dinner with – he finished before he stormed out of the room. I was right at his heels as he headed towards the front door.

- Sam, wait – I begged, trying to grab his arm to stop him.

- Gwen, I don't want to say something I'll regret later, so let me go – he simply responded, shaking my hand off and grabbing the car keys before he walked out of the apartment.

No matter how badly I wanted to chase him down the hallway and make things right, I let him go. There was no way of fixing things without ruining the surprise, and I couldn't call the party off just because of this inconvenient.

I grabbed my stuff and left for my classes, which seemed to take longer than ever. My mind kept going back to Sam every minute, my heart aching at the mere thought of him being upset with me. I texted Jake, telling him everything that had happened and begging him to stop Sam from going to that dinner. He told me Sam had called the restaurant and cancelled the reservation before he even made it to Frankenmuth as, in his words, he had only wanted to go with me. Feeling bad, I asked him to get the name of the place for me, and ten minutes later, I had booked a rooftop table for two the following day. At least it was something.

Once I was out of class I went to buy the last missing things for the party, and Brooke actually came with her car to help me with all the bottles and snacks. I had bought all of the ingredients to make his favourite chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache icing too, and it took me over an hour to pull it all together. I decorated the apartment in record time, moving some of the furniture around to create more space and hanging balloons everywhere. I checked on my phone from time to time, hoping to get some news from Sam, but there were none.

Danny had managed to get me some huge speakers that could be connected to his record player, and he dropped them off before heading to Frankenmuth himself, being in charge of keeping Sam there until last minute. I set the food in place and arranged the liquor bottles over our chest of drawers, praying nobody would get too drunk to puke in here before we even made it to the bar afterwards. I just needed to get changed, and then it would be all done.

Guests started to arrive once the time neared, ranging from some of Sam's classmates to many of his friends from Frankenmuth. Brooke and Matt were here on record time, and Carter showed up too, even though I had invited him last minute. The Kiszka twins arrived some time later, hugging me tightly.

- They left the Wagner's place twenty minutes ago, so they will be here soon – Josh said, referring to Danny and Sam. Danny had convinced his best friend of stopping by to grab some stuff at his parent's house before they came back, allowing Jake and Josh  to get here without him noticing it.

I nodded, suddenly feeling nervous about it all. What if he didn't like the whole surprise party thing? Or if he was still mad at me? I bit my lip, trying to clear my head and avoid those thoughts. Straightening my outfit, even though it was alright, I looked around to check that everything was perfect in my nervousness.

Jake had put on a record after he had arrived, so soft music filled the room. Both him and Josh were now animatedly talking with Brooke near the window, making me fear for the well-being of the poor people around them. The rest of the guests were mingling around our living room and kitchen, all having a good time with a glass in their hands.

- It will be alright – Mackenzie told me, nudging me with her elbow. I shot her a timid smile back, not feeling relieved at all by her words.

- They are here! – Brooke screamed, looking from the window to us.

Everyone gathered around the living room, looking expectantly at the front door as we waited for it to open. I could feel my palms sweating, feeling anxious about the whole thing. As far as Sam knew, the apartment was empty, as I was supposed to be having dinner with my boss. He was just coming home to have some beers with Danny.

The doorknob suddenly turned, and the door opened, revealing both Sam and Danny standing behind it. I captured his stunned face with my Polaroid camera as everybody screamed "surprise", streamers poppers going off everywhere and the twins even popping champagnes open, both corks flying across the living room and the bubbling liquid pouring all over my beloved wooden floor. Danny stood there with a knowing smile on his face, Lou in his arms, as he patted his best friend's shoulder, driving the shock out of him and pushing him into the apartment.

Sam's face had lit up at as soon as the door had opened; he definitely hadn't expected it. Some of his friends standing closer to the door started hugging him, giving me time to put my camera away safely in a drawer and to breathe in deeply.

He was laughing, the smile permanent on his face as he took everything in. Just as one of his high school friends released him from his hug, Sam's eyes met mine for the first time that night, not being able to look away. I couldn't look away either, seeing him greet the few people around him briefly with his eyes fixed on mine and excusing himself to make his way over to me.

His arms wrapped around my body as soon as I was within his reach, and pulled me desperately towards his body. His lips met mine in a tender kiss, not caring about the people surrounding us and the looks we could be getting. One of his hands reached up to my head, tangling his fingers with my hair as he slipped his tongue into my mouth in need of my taste, in need of us. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer to me as I kissed him back, basking in the feeling of knowing everything would be alright.

He pulled away after some seconds, letting his forehead fall against mine and brought his hand on my head down, readjusting his grip on my waist. We just simply stood there, not saying anything, But before we could even attempt to do so, Josh and Jake showed up next to us. Soon enough, two of his childhood best friends started walking over to us too, making me loosen my arms around his neck as our intimate moment came to an end.

- We'll talk later – I promised as I looked into his eyes, mirroring the shy smile that was playing on his lips – Now, have fun – he kissed my forehead gently but didn't let go of my waist as he greeted his friends and brothers, letting me rest my head on his shoulder as he chatted with them.

The night went on smoothly, and Sam even introduced me to his friends I didn't know, making me feel less out of place in this social world of his I had been a stranger to till that night. The party was very Sam-like, with his favourite music playing in the background, delicious food and a great variety of drinks. Even though Josh had jokingly complained about it being too jazzy, everybody was having a good time.

I was talking in the kitchen with Matt and Carter some time later, after having failed to find Danny. I couldn't remember where we had put the candles for the cake and it was making me nervous, as we needed to eat it before we left for the bar. I was still looking around, hoping to spot him somewhere, when my eyes fell on Sam, who was leaning against the back of the couch on his own. He looked at ease, enjoying the Herbie Hancock record that was playing softly and smiling to the people who walked by him, sipping from his drink quietly.

I excused myself from the conversation with my friend and brother and slowly made my way to his side. He spotted me when I was still a couple of feet away from him and extended his hand for me to take, which I happily did. He pulled me closer, guiding me to stand between his legs as he intertwined our fingers.

- I've heard this was all your idea – he smiled, taking another sip of his gin and tonic filled glass.

- Your brothers and Danny helped me organise it too – I replied, taking the drink from his hand and giving it a taste myself.

- I know you did most of it; they've already told me – he chuckled, grabbing his glass back and placing it on the nearest stable surface. He laced my free fingers with his, so that we were holding both of our hands, and pulled me as close as he could to him – You didn't have to stay in class extra hours today, didn't you?

- No – I admitted, remembering all the lies from earlier in the day.

- And there was no dinner with your boss either, I assume.

- There wasn't – I sighed, looking up at him. There was a smug look on his face, a small smile tugging from his lips which made my heart flutter.

- I wasn't going to go to that dinner with anyone else, you know – he commented after some seconds, referring to the reservation he had made while he rubbed both of his thumbs over my knuckles tenderly.

- Oh, I know – I chuckled, letting the side of my head fall against his chest, leaning my body onto his with our held hands still on our sides – I called the restaurant earlier and got us a table for tomorrow night.

- You didn't have to – I felt him look down at me, making me tilt my head back to meet his eyes.

- But I wanted to – I shrugged, placing a gentle kiss to the underside of his chin.

- Thank you – he replied, squeezing my hands – For everything.

- It's nothing – I smiled, letting him brush his nose against the side of my face softly – I hated fighting with you today – I added, leaning my head against his.

- Me too, I'm sorry I walked out like that – he replied pulling away a bit to look at me – But I can be quite mean when I'm angry.

- You tell me about it – I chuckled, remembering the few fights we had ever had – But it's alright.

He kissed the tip of my nose cutely before his hands let go of mine, landing on my hips firmly.

- Layla came to pick up our baby girl as soon as we arrived – Sam went on, referring to Lou. I already knew that, as I had been the one to ask Brooke's sister to take care of her until the party was over. Anyways, the fact that he had referred to the puppy as "our baby girl" made me blush – I already miss her – he pouted, making me chuckle.

- Don't whine, I told Lay to take her. There's loud music, alcohol and people everywhere; I didn't want to overwhelm her – I replied, rubbing my his arms with my hands soothingly.

- Yeah, wonder what happened to the "no parties" rule you had set before I moved in – he teased, placing one playful kiss to my neck.

- Oh, shut up – I laughed, pushing his face away – Next time I won't do anything.

- I'm kidding, Gwen – he chuckled – I love it. I love you.

I rolled my eyes playfully, but gave in into the sweet, short kiss he placed on my lips.

- C'mon, that ganache cake won't get eaten on its own – I smiled when I pulled away, as Danny walked into the living room with the chocolate heaven in his hands. He had clearly known where the candles were, as they all stood perfectly on top of it.

- Did you really bake it? – Sam chuckled as he let go of my hips, grabbing one of my hands instead and leading us to the dining table where the cake had been placed.

- Of course, it's your favourite – I replied, following him.

- My second favourite – he corrected as we rounded the table. More people were gathering around it as Josh pulled out a lighter for the candles – My favourite dessert will always be you, Gwenny – he added in a low flirty tone so that just I could hear him, goofily wiggling his eyebrows.

I snorted at his stupid pick up line, swatting his arm as we both laughed. He winked at me, squeezing my hand tightly before he let it go. He stood in front of the cake, just as his eldest brother finished lighting all the candles and the crowd around us started chanting "happy birthday".

I hurried to grab my camera again, resuming my spot so that I could snap a picture of the moment. Looking through the lens, I focused on Sam's smiling face, lit up by the firelight dazzling below him as he looked down. Just when the song was over his eyes shot up, fixing on mine on the other side of the camera as his grin widened. My smile widened too, and he leaned down to finally blow the green coloured candles, my finger pressing right then on the shutter to capture his beaming face.

I didn't know what his three wishes had been, but I really hoped that whatever his dreams were, no matter how crazy or impossible they could seem, I could be there for him and witness them coming true.