Chapter 550

“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.”