Page 63 of Stoker's Serenity

“Fish tacos for the lady and the surf-and-turf special for my dude, sub salad for onion rings – got it.”

“Thanks, Rory.”

“You bet,” he said, using a knuckle to punch in our order into the system.

I turned back to my little orchid watching me.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said lightly. “I just like looking at you.”

I gave a slow grin and almost felt like I was the one blushing. Her words were nice to hear. Dudes just didn’t get complimented like that very often. It didn’t surprise me that she would. She was the most fearless, afraid person I’d ever met. Contradictory, in all these fascinating little ways that I couldn’t get enough of.

We had a nice lunch, talking and laughing over random things. The conversation was a light sparring match in places. I was struck by just how much I loved the way her mind worked, and at how she made mymind work overtime to keep up. She was beautiful, alluring, intelligent, and we were so in tune with one another.

The woman was quickly becoming my best friend, and it felt good. Like I was a puzzle that’d been missing a piece, she just fit, so nicely, like she’d been cut specifically to fit that missing space, and the picture on top spelled out ‘Love.’

I was falling in love with this woman and the realization had me grinning like a fool in the middle of the packed bar and grill my bandmate worked at. The thunder was muffled in here by the din of conversation around us, but it’d started to pour out there and the occasional strobe of lightning through the windows would leave a lull in those conversations. It was one of those flashes and lulls that gave me away.

When we were out like this, she kept her head down, her gaze fixed nowhere in particular, but studiously away from anyone else’s, including mine. It was like, she tried so hard not to draw attention to herself that it made her glaringly obvious, and I didn’t know how to tell her or work with her on it to help her.

I digress, though.

Because, when the lightning flashed and the crowd at the tables out on the floor sucked in a collective breath, she looked up, and locked eyes with me. Her expression changed to surprise before softening to something else, something that said ‘secretly pleased’ and she asked, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing,” I said lightly, turning her own words back on her. “I just like looking at you.”

She laughed and shook her head gently, and dropped her eyes back to her plate, her cheeks painted in a faint blush of pleasure.

By the time we were finished eating, the thundershower had mostly petered out. It was still a steady drip from the sky, but the atmosphere had lightened, and while it would be a damp walk home, it wouldn’t be a soaker, or completely miserable. It would, to my delight, be just enough for us both to want out of our clothes, and I was totally okay with that.

I paid Rory, up at the bar, for our food, clasped hands and tapped shoulders, and my little orchid and I were out. We went to walk back to my place but, secure with me, hand in hand, she surprised me and asked to have a gander through some of the shops along the boulevard.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but at the same time, I wasn’t about to deny her heart’s desire anything. If she wanted to window-shop, I was down. If anything, it would give me a better understanding of the things she liked so I could be sneaky and gift some things to her later. If I was lucky, and she was down for it, I had birthdays, and Christmases, and a lifetime of ‘Just because I felt like it’ ahead of us.

“Oh, wow,” she murmured, stopping outside the town’s jewelry place,Hidden Treasures. One of their bigger claims to fame was a bevy of reclaimed sunken treasure that’d been fashioned into jewelry, old pirate and Spanish coins made into pendants or hanging earrings. It also boasted a bunch of fresh- and saltwater pearls in just about every color they came in. It was super expensive shit. She had good taste, but she was also just looking.

It was way above my paygrade in a lot of ways, but definitely something I’d be willing to shell out for if this were going to be the forever kind of thing. So, I watched her carefully for that spark of desire over that one thing that was so strong I could say to myself,That’s it, that’s the piece I’m buying for her.

She didn’t spot it at first, but I did. It was a necklace in one of the cases off to the right as you came in the door. The chain was fine white gold, the pendant looked like hand-hammered white gold, too – at least the petals of the orchid –the center bits were a regular gold setting holding a precious stone that I couldn’t identify, but was a light blue in color, like a drop of dew or whatever.

The piece was striking, gorgeous, and screamed out at me that it was the one for her. Her sharp intake of breath when she spotted it all but sealed the deal.

“That’s so beautiful,” she remarked and I nodded.

“Was just about to point it out to you,” I lied.

“You like to see it?” the girl behind the counter asked.

“Oh, no, probably far too rich for my blood,” Serenity said with a light, but uncomfortable laugh.

“No, come on, let’s get a closer look,” I said. “If you don’t mind?” I addressed the shop girl with the last.

“Not at all,” she said brightly.

She pulled the necklace and I helped Serenity into it. The shop girl held up a mirror for her and Serenity traced just below the pendant, which lived beautifully in the hollow of her throat. I mouthed over her head at the girl,I’ll be back for it, and she nodded.

“Thank you for letting me try it on,” Serenity said and went to take it off with a reluctant sigh.

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