“So, you’ve decided?” the woman asked, and Amaya nodded.
“Yeah, that one, for sure,” she replied, and as the woman got it out of the case and boxed it up, she turned to me.
“Thank you for this,” she beamed. “You’re so generous. I can’t even tell you how sweet you are for doing all this.”
“Anytime,” I replied, and I meant it. If it would assure me that smile on her face, then I would have done anything. Money was no object when her happiness was involved.
The woman rang us up, and we left the store, her hand in mine, her ring glinting in the early evening sunlight.
“What now?” I asked, and she shrugged.
“I’m pretty exhausted,” she admitted. “I could do with getting home and having something to eat. If that’s all right with you?”
“Sure, it is.” I planted a kiss on her cheek. “Come on, let’s get home.”
“I think I have a chain I could put the other ring on,” she murmured, as she looked down at her hand again. “You’re going to have to stop getting me these, you know. I’m going to run out of room.”
“A girlfriend actually asking for less jewelry?” I teased her. “Could it be true?”
“Hey, watch it, or I’ll make you go back and buy me everything in that store,” she teased, and she looped her arm through mine, the bag with Jolene’s gift swinging happily in her other hand.
We made our way back to my place, chatting about the days we’d had as we went. She told me a little about Darla on the way over, some new girl who’d started work at the library who she felt like she was already clicking with. I was glad for her. She didn’t seem to have many friends, perhaps not finding the time until now, but she deserved them.
It was a beautiful day out that evening, so we decided to head down to the patio to eat just like I had wanted to the night before. I made a simple salad while she chopped up some bread to go on the side, and I found myself enjoying the company in the kitchen. Normally, I hated nothing more than people getting up in my space when I was trying to cook, but I liked it when it was Amaya. I craved her closeness, craved her near me and around me, as though there was something inside me that stretched to breaking point when she got too far away.
We headed back down to the patio, carefully carrying our food and our water, and we settled into the seats. She tilted her head back to catch the last of the evening sunlight, and I stared at her as she did so, marveling at how perfect she was. Her ring was sparkling in the light as well, as she raked her fingers through her hair to push it over one shoulder. She wasn’t trying for me, wasn’t going out of her way to try and make herself look exceptionally beautiful. She just did. But then, I felt the same about her as when we were waking up in bed in the morning, and she had last night’s makeup and a mess of hair on her head, so maybe I was a little biased.
“What are you staring at?” she asked playfully, and I shook my head.
“Just you,” I replied, and she grinned and rolled her eyes at me.
“I thought you were supposed to be the unromantic one,” she pointed out, and she reached for the food and began serving up. “Come on, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
We tucked into the food, and I found myself relaxing, the run-in with Cleo earlier in the day far from my mind. I wondered if this was what it was going to be like now that we were together. It had taken a hell of a long time for me to get here, but now that I was here—in love and accepting it—I had to admit it was pretty incredible. Coming home from a day and knowing she was going to be there, that there was someone I could share this shit with who knew where I was coming from. I didn’t have to fill her in on who this person was or what member of my family had said that. She already knew because she had probably met them in person.
“Damn, that was good.” I leaned back from the table, satisfied. She yawned widely and sat for a second in silence, a small smile on her face.
“I should get into the shower and get to bed soon,” she remarked, a little reluctantly. “I want to be in work early tomorrow to make sure I can catch up on what I missed today.”
“I’m sorry I dragged you away from work.” I grinned, making sure she knew I didn’t regret it. She leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“I think I forgive you,” she replied with a smile. We cleared up the plates, and I washed up while she took a shower. I undressed and headed through to bed, even though it was early. I just wanted to be with her, to lie next to her. These moments at the end of a long day were the ones I kept coming back to in my head, the quiet intimacy of them.
She slipped into bed next to me after her shower, still warm and a little damp. I wrapped my arms around her and planted a kiss on her forehead, and she snuggled against me. I felt my heart swell with love for her, and I realized that now, I could actually say it. I looked down at her and found her gazing up at me, cartoon love hearts practically pumping in her eyes. I would have teased her, but I knew I looked the exact same. I’d said it already, but I needed to say it again.
“I love you,” I murmured, and I kissed her again. When I pulled back, she was smiling.
“I love you too,” she replied, and she nestled into my shoulder and closed her eyes.