33. Alex
33
Alex
“ T hat is the worst rendition of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ I’ve ever heard.” Gabby doubles over with laughter while I huff and puff from jumping all over the Big Piano at FAO Schwarz. After our visit with Lucia, we decided to explore the city the rest of the afternoon. It’s no easy feat since we’re scheduled to fly back tonight, but we’re trying to make the most of our time here.
“It looked so easy when Tom Hanks did it in the movie.” I thought for sure I’d be a maestro.
“That’s ’cause Tom Hanks is a legend.”
“And I’m not?” I place my hand over my heart, pretending to be offended.
“Maybe not Tom Hanks level.” She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek. “But you’ll always be a legend to me.”
“Aww, how sweet. Now it’s your turn.”
“What?” She takes a step back, letting go from our embrace .
“Come on. If I can make a fool of myself, so can you.” I playfully smack her butt, inching her closer to the keyboard on the floor.
“Oh, fine.” She steps over to the piano and tests out a few keys before jumping fully onto the instrument. Then she breaks out a perfect rendition of “Chopsticks.”
“No! Uh-uh! You can’t be serious!” I say a little too loudly. “How did you do that? It was perfect. You must’ve cheated somehow.”
“All right, you got me.” She steps off the giant keyboard, earning a few claps from the crowd surrounding us. She takes a small bow. “I have one of these I keep hidden under my bed. I’ve been practicing it every night just in case this moment ever happened.”
“You are such a smart-ass.” I give her a quick kiss.
Gabby looks up at me with a smile that reaches from ear to ear. The golden flecks in her brown eyes look brighter than ever. I’ve noticed a lightness to her ever since the day she told me about losing her family. But after meeting Lucia? It’s like she’s floating on air.
Something behind me catches her eye and she pushes on my shoulders to spin me around. “Look!” She points to a wall of stuffed dinosaurs.
“Do you see something you want to get for baby J.J.?” I scan the stuffed animals, not sure what made her so excited.
“No, well, yes, of course I’ll pick something up for him, but look to the left.” She takes my hand and points to a display of hybrid dinosaurs.
“No way!” I grab her hand and zigzag through the crowd to get closer to the shelves. I pick up a bananasaurus rex that looks similar to the one I gifted Gabby, only this one has a little tiara on it .
“Look!” Gabby squeals and holds up the tiniest tuxedo I’ve ever seen. “They sell clothes too. We have to get my bananasaurus rex a girlfriend.”
A half hour later, we leave the toy store with a stuffed bear for baby J.J. and a girl bananasaurus rex with two sets of seasonal wardrobes so the dinos can coordinate for the holidays. My girl hates receiving flowers, but give her a tiny Santa hat for a bananasaurus rex and she’ll look at you like you hung the moon.
“Where to next, milady?” We push through the doors and back out onto West 49th Street with our bags full of ridiculousness. There’s a chill in the air, but for the most part, the weather is mild for this time of year.
“I know we don’t have too much time left.” She bounces on her feet. “And I know it’s not the most glamorous thing, but I’ve always wondered what New York pizza tastes like. You know, the real stuff, not like the places back home that claim it’s authentic.”
I scoop her up and give her a little spin. “We’re in a place that has every type of food imaginable within walking distance and you want pizza. I adore you for that.” I bend to place her feet back on the ground.
“Wait! Don’t put me down just yet.” She throws her arms around my neck. “I like this height. We’re at the same level.”
“You want to know what it’s like to be as tall as me?”
“No. I want to kiss you without standing on my toes.”
I press my lips against hers, expecting something quick, but she tightens her grip around my neck and draws me in closer. We’ve kissed before, but something about this time is different. Her body vibrates with a delicate moan when she parts her lips and lets my tongue explore her mouth. She melts into me and I realize she’s finally letting herself savor being in the moment .
“I love you, Alex. I have for a while. I was just too afraid to admit it.” She reaches out and fidgets with the zipper of my jacket. “It’s like I’ve had tunnel vision and I’m finally starting to see the light. I’ve been too focused on the fear of losing you to realize I’d be even more devastated if something happened to you and I never had the chance to tell you how I feel. I understand if you’re not ready to say it back, but I needed you to know.”
“You think I’m not ready?” My smile is so wide, my face could crack. “I’ve only been holding out because I didn’t want to scare you off. You’ve been through so much and things between us have been going so well. This”—I point my finger at her then back to me—“is real and I’m living for every moment of us together. I love you too, baby girl.”
Things are finally coming together. Gabby has been through so much, and again, her strength astounds me. No question meeting her aunt has freed something within her, but there’s more. These last weeks, after returning from the chaos of my parents’ party, Gabby and I have become inseparable. We’ve even had a few more sleepovers under the stars, and that’s when we have our most intimate conversations. I’m so proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone and actually thinking about a future.
“We have a lot of things to look forward to.” I grab her hand and head in the direction the sales attendant at the store swore had the best pizza. As we make our way through the endless sea of people, I can’t help but wonder how lucky I am to have found the perfect person for me.
“Is that it up ahead?” Gabby stops to point at a tiny pizzeria wedged between a barber shop and a place to buy lottery tickets. “It looks like a little hole-in-the-wall. ”
“Yup.” I walk a few steps and open the door for her. The smell of pizza crust and tomato sauce hits us full force. “The ones that don’t look like much usually have the best stuff.”
We head to the register and place our order for pizza and some drinks. Our food is put on the counter before I finish paying.
“That’s enormous!” I exclaim when I see our dinner.
“That’s what she said.” Gabby winks and takes her slice.
“I’m a bad influence on you, aren’t I?” I follow her to a table near the window.
“I’d say more like a positive one.” Gabby sits down and takes a large bite out of her pizza. Her eyes turn into huge saucers. “Oh my God, Alex, you need to try this now!”
I happily oblige. “Wow! Now I get the hype. If we had a place like this back home, I’d be there every day.” I hold up my slice of pizza and watch the grease from the cheese drip onto my paper plate.
“This is so good. We have to plan another trip out here so we can spend more time. Maybe we can come back out around Christmas so we can see Rockefeller Center when it’s decorated.” She pauses to take a sip of her soda. “But I also want to come out when it’s warmer to see Central Park. Oh! And I’ve always wanted to see a show on Broadway and—”
“Do all the touristy things?”
“Exactly.” She takes another bite of her pizza and does a little happy dance in her seat. Excitement radiates off her and I can’t help but think how beautiful she looks right now.
“I like that you’re thinking about the future.”
“I’m not just thinking about it. I’m looking forward to it. For the first time in my life, I know who I am. Do you know what that feels like?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Because every time I’m with you, I feel free to be myself.” My phone vibrates with a reminder from the airline that we only have a few hours to check in. “We better get back to the hotel. We might be able to get an hour or two of sleep before we have to get to the airport.” Our flight is a redeye back home. The difference in prices was huge, and since we couldn’t make a longer stay out of this trip, we didn’t want to spend a ton of money on transportation. Next time, though, we’re going to take one hell of a vacation.
We make our way back to the hotel hand in hand. It’s the most natural feeling in the world, and I’m honored to have this beautiful woman walk beside me.
“I think I’m going to take a shower.” I pull off my shirt once we get inside our room. “It might help me relax enough to get some sleep.”
“Okay.” She nods and chews on her bottom lip. I find it odd since she only does that when she’s nervous, and she certainly seems content right now. She’s probably just anxious about the flight back home.
I start up the shower and grab the miniature-sized bodywash and shampoo. I lose track of time while standing under the showerhead that mimics a warm rainfall. I also make a mental note to myself to see if Jax could install one of these things in my bathroom.
“Alex!” I hear the bathroom door open and immediately go on alert, hoping all is okay. But something about her tone sounds all too familiar.
“Do not tell me I have to sing to your bashful bladder again.” I look up at the ceiling and shake my head. God, I love this woman.
“No.” The shower curtain pulls back slightly to reveal Gabby’s silky smooth bare shoulders. A white towel is wrapped around her torso. “I was thinking I could join you?”
“Always.” I grab her hand to help her into the shower. The towel around her floats to the floor. I gently bring her under the spray. When she kisses me, I realize she’s intending more. I continue to let her take that lead because the last thing I want to do is screw things up. This woman is mine. I’ve known it from day one. And she’ll be mine for now, for tomorrow, for years to come.
Forever and always.