Goodbye Dinner, A Private Moment

“What’s going on, John?” Gemma asked. As dessert had been getting polished off up and down the table, you’d stood up and moved around, whispering in Gemma’s ear asking her to follow you. You’d led her out of the restaurant and into the pretty little gardened ‘entry path’ area at the front where it was nice and quiet.

You turned to her and took her hands in yours. “I thought about making this a big speech, but Sabrina covered everything we wanted to tell you in front of the others. Especially with random people around.”

“OK?” Gemma said hesitantly. “So what do you need to say out here then that you couldn’t say back at Sabrina’s?”

“That I love you, Gemma,” you said. “Every single way we’ve ever said it, I love you.” You reached into your pocket and pulled out the jewellery box that you’d had sitting there all night after your quick stop at Sabrina’s where you’d picked it up.

Gemma saw it in your hand and her eyes went wide. “John, I’m not- This isn’t-”

“It’s not an engagement ring,” you assured her. “Or a promise ring, or anything like that.”

She let out a breath and her shoulders immediately lost the tension that had spiked in them. “OK,” she said. “Not that- I just…”

“It’s too soon, even if the idea is attractive,” you said. “And you’ve been burned before.”

She looked up at you with big eyes and then pulled you into a tight hug. “Thanks,” she said.

You hugged her back for a long moment that seemed to keep lingering. Finally, you said, “So do you want to know what is in the box?”

“It’s a dick in a box,” Gemma murmured musically, and you both snorted at the now-somewhat-dated reference. You were children of YouTube though, so even if The Lonely Island had seemingly died, its meme potential lived on in memory. Gemma pulled back from you, cradling your hands in hers. “OK,” she said. “I’m mentally prepared for a gift now.”

“This is to help keep us on your mind,” you said, opening up the little felt box. “And to know that Sabrina and I will always, always be ready to listen to you, and love you. No matter the day or time.

It was a small chain, dainty and silver, with three small silver charms on it. The first two were hearts, one with a J and another with an S engraved. The last one was a small clock face with no hands. Both ends of the chain had silver stud earrings, making it ready to fit the new piercing she’d gotten while you’d all been on your beach trip.

Gemma looked at it carefully, her lower lip firmly clamped between her teeth. The back of the J heart was studded with a tiny emerald and the back of the S with a tiny amethyst. “John,” she breathed out. “It’s gorgeous. And it’s too much!”

“Sabrina paid for the gems,” you told her. “I paid for the chain and the charms.”

She shook her head, her brow furrowing as she looked up into your eyes. “You were already going to be stuck between my ears all the time, now you want to hang onto one too?”

You chuckled and leaned down, kissing her sweetly. “I want to cling to you like a… I was going to say wombat, because that feels right, but I don’t actually know if they’re clingy or not.”

Gemma snorted and rolled her eyes. “Making Australia jokes right now is not winning you points.”

“I know,” you grinned, and kissed her again. Her lips were so sweet, a lingering sugar from the ice cream cake, but mostly because they were hers. You ran your hand along her neck, pouring what you were feeling into her. Your love, your sorrow she had to leave, your desperation for her. Your hope for when you’d be able to be together again.

“It’s still too much,” she said when your lips finally came apart.

“And yet, not as much as you deserve,” you said. “I’d crown you in rubies and gold if I could, Gemma. You’re an absolute Queen, and I feel so completely blessed to have you in my life.”

She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, then quickly reached up and took off the small chain she was already wearing. “Put it on me?” she asked.

It took a little fiddling but you figured it out, and then you took a picture for her to see it after you stashed the older chain in the jewellery box.

“Perfect,” she said, touching it as she looked at the picture on your phone. Her finger traced over the two heart charms. Then she looked up at you and in a moment she was crying. “I’m going to miss you so fucking much, John,” she sobbed softly, crashing into you as she buried her face in your chest and you hugged her again. “I’m so sorry I have to go.”

“It’s not something to apologise for, love,” you said, rubbing her back. “It’s just life. And sometimes life kicks us in the teeth a bit before it lets us get our happily ever after.”

“Yeah, well life can suck a dick,” she said, then sniffed hard and pulled away. “Shit,” she said. “I got my mascara on you.”

Your shirt was now a mess, and you didn’t give one fuck about it. You took Gemma’s hands and held them tightly. “I love you, Gemma.”

“I love you too, John,” she said quietly. She took another breath, calmer this time, and then nodded. “Let’s head in, I’ll tidy myself in the bathroom, and then meet you at the table.”

“OK,” you agreed. “They’ll be wondering where we are anyways.”

Gemma smirked. “Let’s be real, they probably think we’re fucking in a bathroom stall.”

“I… can’t even deny that,” you chuckled. “But we have a bed waiting for us, so I think we can do better than a toilet stall.”

“Good point,” Gemma said. “Come on, let’s go.”

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