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It was Dr Charlotte's day off; something that in her profession was often unheard of. Proudly saving the sick, injured and unstable people of New York didn't allow her to put her feet up very often.
However, for the first time in months she could sigh happily as the mid-day summer heat bronzed her skin sweetly; she didn't need to get up at 5am to drive to the hospital. Her solitude could be in the form of fluffing up her own pillows not worrying about the clinical blue ones covered in crinkling paper.
She could relax.
Or well try too, part of her brain wouldn't switch off. It was as if she had forgotten something; the haunting thought was plaguing her.
In concentration, trying to think, she gnawed on her thumbnail (a habit that her beloved girlfriend was trying to get her to stop with little success).
After moments of pondering and querying and worrying, the doctor was about to give up. It was probably nothing important if she forgot it.
Suddenly, she regretted thinking that; a sudden notification came from her phone. It blasted the tune of a cheesy pop song. She quirked an eyebrow at the familiar jingle, and picked up the gadget. The pillows sprung up and the bed bounced as it was relieved of Charlotte's person.
'Oh shit.' The doctor thought.
Oh how wrong she had been when she thought It wasn't important.
Her phone screen exposed a picture of her girlfriend (Cordelia) with the little note at the bottom 'Delia's birthday'.
How could she forget? She never forgets. They have been together 7 years and each birthday she -without fail- remembered her birthday buying her lavish gifts to spoil her darling girlfriend.
She supposes it's because over recent months the hospital has been getting busier and busier and more tiring. That through her tired haze and becoming irritated smiles it past her mind.
Should she start digging her grave now? Truly, it was ironic; she saves peoples lives everyday and she can't save her own.
Charlotte chewed at her nails again "Fuck what should I do?" The doctor allowed her voice to reverberate through the bedroom. No other sound coming from the other rooms apart from her voice echoing off the photo frames lovingly decorated with hearts stickers and sharpie smiley faces. Their pink accent wall was the same colour as Charlotte's flushed cheeks as she tried to come up with a solution.
She rubbed under her eyes a large yawn falling from her lips.
Coffee.
Coffee should help her think; that's been her logic since her first year of university.
Quickly, she rushed to the kitchen and switched on the kettle.
It was then when she spotted the post-it-note with neat sunshiney writing against the neon yellow and punctuated with a pink stain of lipstick in the concern "Gone to work! Didn't want to wake you enjoy your day off baby Love ya"
Cordelia and Trina recently had started a business together selling sweets of all sorts. They had a considerable amount of customer attraction, their stock selling like hot-cakes ("as it should" Charlotte had mentioned when Cordelia had excitedly told her days prior).
Charlotte put the note back down; it was ironic once again; Delia having to work on her birthday as her typically a work-a-holic girlfriend got to rest, well panic, at home.
The fact made Charlotte's nose crinkle before the kettle finished and she finished making her coffee and adding a little bit more (okay a lot more) sugar then she would typically recommend to her patients. She took a sip and rubbed her temples as an attempt to try and get her to think clearly.
What could she get her? What should she get the women she loves most in the world?
Charlotte paced, taking sips of her coffee through rhythm turns. Dark brown eyes looked around their 'chaotically organised but by all means functional kitchen'. It took a moment, but the brown eyes latched onto a book on the shelf with many colourful post-it-notes (Cordelia swears she isnt obsessed; all her friends and family beg to differ). The idea sprung almost immediately after.
Charlotte placed her coffee down and grabbed the book (it was a book full of cake recipes; fun designs for parties from children's birthdays-there were clearly several choices Cordelia wanted to do for Jason's 15th birthday coming up- to formal events). She observed every page as she flicked through the text trying to find something that she, a very amateur baker, could make but still make her glorious partner happy.
It had been five minutes since she opened the book and she was becoming hopeless until her eyes landed on a particular cake that Cordelia had mentioned before ("wouldn't it be amazing to get given this as a surprise for your birthday?" Cordelia had squealed as she looked through the recipe guide for the first time adding a small sticky note to the corner)
It was perfect. It had to be this cake.
She scanned over the ingredients then flung open the cupboard and the fridge: flour (check), vanilla extract and paste (check,) icing sugar (check), butter (check), eggs (check) and the list goes on and on until the last ingredient.
The doctor guiltily looked towards the empty sugar jar and her cup of highly sweet (probably could cause a child to have no-less than 7 sugar rushes and similarly caffeine induced crashes). She let out a groan and looked at the clock; Cordelia gets home at 4pm, right now it is 1pm
She would have time to go to the grocery store however knowing New York traffic and similarly the queues at the grocery store she would have to wait longer for the New-Yorkians then the actual cake to bake. She pitched her temples and then heard the door knock.
Sharply, her head turned to the methodical sound and went to it. A slight grumble of 'I really don't have time for this' coming from her tired eyes and anxious fingers.
That attitude quickly changed as she saw her friend, Mr 3/4 leg, Whizzer.
"Charlotte!" Whizzer greeted leaning against the doorframe a bright smile on his face, he always greets people with bright smiles the doctor had learnt over the years (well apart from Marvin, he often greets his boyfriend with a pleasant peck against his cheek and a love-sick smile because they are deeply in love and everyone around them has to deal with that) "you wouldn't have any spare wrapping paper would you? We just ran out"
"Whizzer! What a lovely surprise! Haha! And yes I most likely do!" Charlotte said her voice jumped up an octave higher than usual; her words clunkily spitting from her lips as if she were a mechanical device, however robots can't smile and Charlotte clearly had a strained smile plastered against her cheeks.
Whizzer right away noticed the tension.
"You alright?" The man quizzed, looking his friend up and down; ('its gone past noon' Whizzer thinks 'since when does Charlotte wear her pyjamas past then?' It was usually Marvin who did that, maybe Mendel on occasion. But not Charlotte, never Charlotte.)
"I'm fine" Charlotte wavered, teeth hurting from the strain. Slowly, under the weight of Whizzer's quirked eyebrow, a poke saying 'don't lie to me, Hun. I know you are terrible at it' it sank.
"Is everything okay?" Whizzer asked again, hoping for a truthful answer.
Charlotte heavily sighed massaging her forehead, in a fit of frustration her hands flew down.
"No, everything isn't fine" she deeply spoke, she bit the inside of her cheek. Whizzer only gestured allowing his friend the space to elaborate if she needed. Charlotte liked that part of Whizzer she had also decided; he knew how to listen and when to contribute.
"I know, this probably sounds terrible" Charlotte began to explain. Whizzer had invited himself in, shuffling past the doctor and entering the small hallway space that split off to the living room and the kitchen. As he navigated, he gave a hum showing he was listening. "But i-"
It was embarrassing to admit out-loud.
"I forgot- oh fuck dont make me say it out loud!" She huffed concisely, her half-confession spilling into the room.
"You forgot your girlfriend's birthday?" Whizzer finished her sentence both eyebrows raised, visibly stunned with a laugh on the edge of his tongue.
This wasn't like Charlotte in the slightest;she even remembered Marvin and his cat's(whose name is Clem)birthday
Charlotte visibly groaned at her friend's reaction: "don't give me that face you are making me feel worse than I already do!"
Instantly, Whizzer put his hands up in surrender pouting his bottom lip out "okay okay!" He uttered before gesturing to the ingredients on the kitchen table. "What are they for?"
"I was going to make her a cake"
"Since when could you bake?" Whizzer bluntly asked, eyebrows raised once again before an amused smile tickled his features. Charlotte had her mouth agape similar to a cod-fish as she tried and failed to answer the good-natured tease. He crossed his arms across his chest.
Charlotte rolled her eyes batting off the comment with a good-meant swat.
"the problem is that we've run out of sugar"
Whizzer observed the sugar jar from afar and before Charlotte could say another word he raised his index finger to her haulting her pouring words in their tracks.
"One sec" the man then fled from the hallway but clearly Charlotte could hear the passing conversation between two lovers
“Marv! Do we have any spare sugar, love?"
"Huh? I think so, why?" Marvin answered followed by the tearing of tape
"Lottie." Came the simple reply which was punctuated by a click and a small 'ah' of acknowledgement.
"Why are you getting out that apron?" Charlotte could thickly hear the other's confusion
"Because, love, I think you look rather attractive in it and if I must do a good deed today I want to at least some sort of reward" Whizzer had shrugged pulling his boyfriend who was covered in sticky-tape through the door apron, extra bag of sugar, and Marvin's confused rejections and questioning in toe.
Marvin didn't even have a choice, he realised; it was good that he had somewhat paid attention to watching both his mother and Trina bake from time to time.
Charlotte as Whizzer returned with a blinking Marvin, who was peeling tape from his fingers and shoving the scraps into his pocket by his side, raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
Whizzer rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, his hand was placed over his chest.
"We are going to help you Dummy! Del is a dear friend of mine and I want to make sure her future wife has something presentable to give her"
Charlotte's cheeks blared hot at the implied marriage comment but snapped out of her fluster as soon as an apron came flying at her (it was bright and pink and looked as if it came from a barbie play set). Whizzer gestured to put it on by the means of a clap and his fingers lovingly tying a bow at the back of his boyfriend's apron. ('I could have done that myself you know' 'I'm feeling in a generous mood today' came the vague answer.)
Moments later, Whizzer tied his own apron putting down the sugar bag on the table; he had seen baking shows many times he could do this.
"Right, let's get started!" He spoke with a smile, dragging the shit at the baking pair over to him.
--
Maybe a shit at baking trio would be more accurate.
Whizzer had forgotten to measure the ingredients; Marvin had decided that a just wing chucking it all in strategy for the icing would be the best thing. And Charlotte, poor Charlotte, had fallen to the floor with powdered sugar on her nose and batter between her nails; she had set the timer to 20 minutes more than it should be.
The cake now looked as if it had been heavily toasted over an open flame. The product barely looked edible and it clearly tasted inedible too- despite the buttercream unfortunately being something all of their sweet-tooths could bathe in.
Not to mention, the kitchen, the innocent kitchen which took no part in its even messier destruction, looked like it had been ransacked by a selection of 3 year olds that had got their stubby fingers on beige paint and sprinkles for the first time.
Charlotte's head fell into her hands giving out a groan. Maybe she should have gone to the grocery store, got a shop-bought cake and a bunch of flowers instead.
She wanted this birthday to be at least decent; not for her methodical and clinical mind, but for her sweet and bubbly and caring girlfriend who she would walk to the ends of the earth for.
"I mean it could be worse '' Marvin began trying to put a positive spin on the matter as Whizzer attempted to salvage some of the cake. Sharply, his boyfriend looked up hazel eyes boring into the weatherman's soul. In surrender, Marvin put his hands up concluding his point "At least the kitchen's not on fire!"
Whizzer shrugged in agreement. However, it was clear that along with Charlotte he was disappointed.
Marvin dipped his thumb in the cream again and licked it off "maybe you could propose to her?" He absentmindedly suggested, not hearing the jangle of unused keys.
Charlotte's eyes immediately widened at the suggestion.
Okay, yes she had thought about it as a possibility, and she had looked at rings, many rings, and maybe with a vague suggestion of help from Whizzer she had purchased one.
But, not now. She can't right now, could she?
"Yeh, because Of course! She would accept me proposing to her whilst I look like I've been in a flour tornado in my pyjamas and may I add in a kitchen that is a complete mess!! She would never!" The doctor ranted, springing up from the floor and counting the points on her fingers as she paced back and forth in the small space. "Ah, I can imagine it now! I'm sorry, darling, I forgot your birthday and I trashed the kitchen with our lovebird friends but please marry me!"
Marvin blinked and Whizzer tried to calm her down; his attempts did not work especially since he heard, they all heard, a little gasp followed by a giggle.
"Well I wouldn't say yes if you were proposing to a bag of flour, baby" the blonde snorted looking towards her girlfriend; the brunette instantly turned looking as if she were a deer stuck in headlights.
Cordelia placed a bag down, where there wasn't a batter avalanche, a bright smile on her lips as she dished out several pastries she had got from work. She greeted Whizzer and Marvin (who equally looked shocked) with one. They both politely declined, Delia shrugged 'suit yourself, more for me'
"But, if you did ask me to my face, '' the blonde hummed, swaying over to her girlfriend, pulling the bow of her apron loose and offering a tender kiss to the edge of Charlotte's lips.
If she wasn't so shocked Charlotte would have chased it; chased her girlfriend's smile to the ends of the earth if she must just to steal a kiss from it.
Snuggly, Delia's arms sat against her girlfriend's hips; surprisingly to the trio still disregarding the state of the kitchen and the brick cake ('for the best' the failed bakers think)
"I would say yes in a heartbeat even if you did look like how you are now" she finished, bright eyes sparkling under the kitchen lights, in the destruction of their typically chaotically organised kitchen to the soundtrack of shuffling footsteps and quickened heartbeats.
Whizzer and Marvin had moved from the kitchen to give the lesbians from next door privacy. Before he left, Whizzer clearly mouthed good luck to the blonde and winked. A small giggle fell from Delia's lips as Charlotte blinked clearly registering what her partner said
"Marry me?" Charlotte then uttered into the curls of Cordelia's hair. Her hands almost fit snugly around her partner's figure. She pulled her into it. The sweet smell of sugar and vanilla flooded Delia's nose.
"Yes," she replied, tearing up and pressing her lips to every inch of her lover's face taking in the powdered sweet taste of flour and borrowed sugar before pressing her lips deeply against Charlotte's.
Did she care that the latter forgot her birthday? Not anymore. Charlotte had given her the best present despite it all.
(Also Cordelia did try the cake; she nearly chipped a tooth then choked laughing)