Chapter 30 Rory
RORY
Rory felt her stomach drop and looked across at Gemma. She was pale and unable to meet Rory’s gaze.
“Um, dating?” She hoped to misdirect her grandmother by sounding confused. She could never outright lie to her granny, but a bit of misdirection wouldn’t go amiss.
Gemma looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up, and Mary’s head was swivelling between the three of them.
“Yes, dating, Aurora. The process whereby two people explore an exclusive romantic relationship.” Her grandmother looked between the two of them as Rory scrambled through her jumbled thoughts to find something to say.
She had been expecting a cross-examination of how she looked or how she dressed.
But in the end both grandmothers had been enormously supportive and understanding and she had thought she was free from interrogation.
Until the grandmothers ganged up and blindsided them with this line of questioning.
“Oh my gosh!” Phyllis clutched Mary’s arm dramatically and put a hand to her chest. Rory suspected that if she had a set of pearls, she would have clutched them.
“Please tell me you are exclusive, that you are only dating each other? That you’re not part of some odd poly-whatsit group thing?
” Phyllis gasped again and looked ready to faint.
Just as Rory was about to surge forward and support her, Mary piped up.
“Are you seeing other women Rory? As well as my granddaughter? She deserves better than that, you know.” Mary poked a finger into Rory's chest. “She deserves to be loved and looked after, not to become part of your harem!”
“Of course I’m not dating anyone else!” Rory snapped, flabbergasted that they would think that of her.
“I would never do that to Gemma. I promise she is the only woman I’m dating, and I am 100% faithful to her!
” Her voice raised, and she could feel angry splotches on her cheeks. How could they think this of her?
She turned to reassure Gemma and then saw the sly smiles crossing the grandmothers’ faces. Her heart sank, and she closed her eyes in disbelief. How had she fallen for the oldest trick in the book? She groaned.
“I told you they were dating.” Phyllis crowed and held her hand out to Mary. “Pay up.”
“What?” Rory and Gemma spoke at the same time, and Rory could only look on incredulously as Mary pulled her purse from her handbag and took out a crisp twenty-pound note.
Phyllis made a show of inspecting it before squirrelling it away in her handbag.
“We knew it was only a matter of time after you were all over each other at the last opera trip.” She looked her granddaughter square in the eyes.
“I had twenty on before Christmas, Mary had twenty on after Christmas.” She smirked at her friend. “I told you so.”
Mary shrugged. “You can crow all you like Phyllis, but if I hadn’t asked them back to see Die Fledermaus tonight, we would still be in the dark.”
Rory stood open-mouthed at the audacity of the pair. Not only had they bet on their granddaughters’ dating lives, but they also contrived an evening out just to check up on them!
“Close your mouth, Aurora!”
Rory snapped her mouth shut and stared at the retreating forms of their grandmothers. Shit, what were they going to do now?
Rory fiddled with her bow tie and looked at herself in the mirror.
She loved the image looking back at her, and a broad smile crossed her face.
When she had put her suit on last time for a trip to the opera, she hadn’t realised how monumental that evening would be.
Then, she was still mourning the loss of her relationship with Darcy and didn’t know who she was.
Now, as she looked at herself in her tux, she realised she hadn't been sad about the loss of Darcy the person, but of a relationship where she felt valued, loved and respected.
She had all that with Gemma. It was still early days, but she knew that she and Gemma had something special.
She pulled her cuffs forward so that a few centimetres of white shirt poked out from the black jacket.
As well as doing her measurements and making sure the suit fitted, Charles had spent a lot of time with Rory explaining how she should wear it.
She smoothed her shirt and turned to see if Gemma wanted any help.
Crossing the room in two large strides, she helped Gemma slide the zip of her black dress into place.
She dropped a kiss on Gemma's shoulder as she had seen in countless films and couldn't believe this was her life now.
Unlike last time when they had enjoyed a picnic in the gardens, this time they were going to have dinner in the restaurant attached to the theatre.
Rory hoped that there would be time for them to go into the garden.
She could hopefully steer Gemma towards the sculptures again so that she could declare her love.
It may be soon, but Rory knew it would burst out of her sooner rather than later, and she wanted it to be a special moment between them.
“You look stunning.” Rory’s heart swelled at the sight in front of her, not only because Gemma was the most beautiful woman Rory had ever seen, but because she was hers.
They were each other’s, and Rory hoped they would be together for a very long time.
She just hoped that she wasn't jumping the gun by telling Gemma how she felt.
“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Gemma pulled Rory towards her and feathered a light kiss on her lips.
“Okay, you look stunningly, devastatingly hot and handsome.” Gemma fanned herself, and Rory felt a light explode in her chest. Everything in her life had slotted into place, and she couldn’t be happier.
“But,” Gemma placed a finger to her chest. “If you do anything to mess up my makeup, there will be hell to pay.” She narrowed her eyes in warning, and Rory chuckled.
“Do you think the grandmas will keep our secret?” Gemma looked at Rory with concern in her eyes.
“I should hope so.” Rory responded honestly. “They both love us, and I think we explained our reasoning well.”
Rory thought back to the time they had shared at the spa with Phyllis and Mary.
They had explained their reasons for wanting to keep their fledgling relationship a secret, and both grandmothers had agreed it was a sensible move.
Mary especially had agreed that Gemma's parents would be insufferable if they found out they were dating.
“They will be annoyed you've kept a secret,” Phyllis had warned, “but I think the joy that you are finally together will mitigate that.” Rory had agreed with her on that point and pressed another glass of Bucks Fizz into her grandmother’s hand.
“I think they like the idea of being part of the secret,” Gemma remarked as she picked up her small evening bag.
Rory hummed her approval before clearing her throat. “I, um, got you something.” Rory gulped and wet her lips.
“What? You didn't need to do that.” Gemma cocked her head. “But you know I love presents, so...” She grinned, and Rory felt her chest lift with that smile.
“I wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” Rory pulled a small square box from under her pillow, where she had hidden it from Gemma’s prying eyes. She held it out to Gemma, who took it with trembling hands.
“It will never, ever be enough to thank you for your love and support. Your acceptance, your patience when I stormed out of the shops that first time.” Rory stopped before she was in danger of rambling too much.
“Oh Rory!” Gemma opened the small box and gazed at the earrings Rory had bought her.
“I know you like wearing your other grandma’s necklace.” Rory indicated the silver and ruby necklace Gemma's mum’s mum had left her. “And I thought these would go with it.”
“Oh, babe, they're lovely.” Gemma flapped a hand at Rory. “Oh, get me a tissue or I’ll ruin my mascara.”
Rory laughed as she ducked into the bathroom to get a tissue for Gemma.
Gemma dabbed her eyes and then replaced her simple silver earrings with the new ones from Rory.
“Do I even want to know how much these cost you?”
Rory eyed the platinum and ruby earrings and agreed that Gemma probably wouldn't want to know.
“Gemma. You saw me when I couldn't even see myself, and I can’t express how much that has meant to me.”
Rory pulled Gemma into a tight hug and buried her face in Gemma's neck. Her familiar perfume drifted up her nose, soothing and exciting her. “Hmm, you smell good.” Rory trailed light kisses across her collarbone and over her shoulder.
“So do you.” Gemma gasped as a wandering hand cupped her breast. “Every time I smell your perfume I remember that night at Michelle's.”
“We need to work on making some new memories.” Rory grumbled.
“We have time.” Gemma raked her nails over the short hair at the back of Rory's neck.
“Gemma.” Rory drew the word out as a warning as a bolt of desire shot to her clit.
“Just giving you something to think about.” Gemma picked up her evening bag again and double-checked her appearance in the mirror before heading for the door.
Rory drank in the sight of her girlfriend.
She was again wearing the black dress that had short-circuited her brain the first time she had seen it, but this time Rory knew every inch of skin the fabric was caressing.
Her hair was twisted up into an elegant chignon, and Rory itched to pull every single pin out and have that silky hair running through her fingers.
“I promise you, I think about you every second of the day as it is.” Rory grabbed the room keycard and followed Gemma out. As they waited by the lift, Gemma turned to her.
“I’m glad to hear it, Ms Davies, because I won’t be able to wrap myself around you tonight to ward off every woman who set’s their eye on you. I want you to remember who you’re coming home to.” Gemma paused and cocked her head. “Is Ms Davies still okay for you?”
Rory resisted the temptation to say that Mrs had a much nicer ring to it. Wow, she was falling hard and fast for this woman. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded in agreement.
As they entered the lift, Rory jabbed the button for the foyer and endeavoured to turn the conversation back into the light, flirty one they’d been having.
“Don’t worry, I will only have eyes for the most beautiful woman there.
And I may not be able to say to the world yet, ‘Gemma Armstrong is my girlfriend,’ but it is carved on my heart.
” Rory pulled Gemma to her and spoke into her ear, relishing the shiver that ran through her as her breath caressed Gemma's neck. “I am yours Gemma, only yours.”
The lift pinged to announce its arrival at the foyer, and they reluctantly stepped apart from each other to face the families.
Rory stood at the theatre bar with her parents, trying to look interested in the conversation about their golf round earlier today.
The grandmas, along with Gemma and her mum, had disappeared into the theatre gift shop, and George had run off to use the loo.
It was the first time Rory had been alone with her parents since the debacle of the previous night, and she knew that, inevitably, questions about her appearance would be forthcoming soon.
“So,” her father turned to her with all the subtlety of a brick and wafted his hand up and down, indicating her suit and masculine appearance. “Does this mean that my daughter is now my son?”
Rory sighed and gave the only answer she could. “No Father, it means that your daughter is now happy.”
He digested that answer for a moment. “Were you really unhappy, my darling?” He took her hand and, with a calm patience she’d forgotten he possessed, forced her to meet his gaze.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I didn't realise just how unhappy I was. With Darcy, with how I looked, with how the world saw me. The more she forced me to be feminine, the harder it was.”
Rory thought back to the arguments with Darcy, the shame she felt at wanting to express herself.
“I guess we won’t be having a big wedding for a while then?” Her mother joined in, and Rory groaned. Her mother was similar to Darcy in some ways, always looking to the party, to the big show.
“I can still have a big wedding, Mum.” Rory shot a smile to her mother. “I just won’t be wearing a dress for it.”
“So, you’re still a woman but like wearing men’s things. Is that it?”
“For now.” Rory took both her parents’ hands. “I am settled. I’m happy. I have good people around me. I am accepted at work, at my gym. Life is brighter somehow.”
Rory knew that a large part of that was Gemma. Having Gemma in her life was incredible.
“Well, I don’t completely understand it, my darling, but if you are happy, then we are happy, aren’t we Amanda?”
Rory’s mother wrapped her arms around her.
“Of course. I’m sorry for how I behaved last night.
I guess I was used to my daughter being my beautiful daughter, and I used to love your long hair.
But if you want to be my handsome daughter instead, that’s fine.
” She held Rory at arm’s length. “And this suit really fits you far better than the one you were wearing last time we were here.” She cocked her head.
“And I don’t fully understand everything you are going through, but I hate that you have been going through it alone.
I will not always understand what you are facing or feeling.
But I will always love you, my darling. You may need to give us time to adjust, but we are here for you. ”
Rory felt tears welling in her eyes. She tried to swallow through the lump in her throat.
“Thank you.” She managed to get out, embarrassed at how wobbly and squeaky her voice was.
“But I wasn't alone. I had Gemma with me. She has supported me through everything.” Rory wanted nothing more than to shout her love to everyone at that moment, but she had promised Gemma they would keep it a secret. Whilst her parents would be supportive of their relationship, Rory knew that Gemma’s parents would make a big deal, try to control it and ultimately kill it dead before it even started.
“She’s a good friend.” Amanda pulled a tissue from her handbag and dabbed her eyes with it.
“Yes.” Her father agreed. “Find a girl like that to marry, Rory.”
Rory fought hard to keep her grin from showing. If she had her way, then she would.