By the time Bea and I had left the Empire State Building and I was walking her up to our door after our date, we had decided on going to the Rainbow Room again next Saturday at 9.
"Hey, look, I've got another tour starting in November," I said, and she nodded, unlocking the door to her apartment.
"I'm not at all surprised. How long?" she asked, giving me a look with half-closed eyes, as if she knew the answer and was bracing herself for it.
"Five months. Please come with me," I murmured. "I can't...I don't want to be away from you for five months. Calling isn't enough."
"I'll see what I can work out with my job," she said, giving me a sad smile.
There was a pause as we stood there on her doorstep, still holding each other's hand, before she let out a sigh.
"I'll see you Saturday," she said, kissing me on the cheek before walking inside, her hand slipping from mine, leaving my palm empty.
The door shut and I was left standing there alone on the stoop, staring at the faded paint on her front door. It was chipped in some places, the handle well-worn and the apartment numbers in desperate need of a polish. It wasn't at all the nicest place, and I longed to just invite her to live with me, in the kind of home she deserved.
"Should stop spending all your salary on your wardrobe," I teased to myself, before walking down the steps to the waiting cab outside.
Saturday rolled around and I found myself walking up the steps to Bea's apartment, raising an hand and knocking. It took all of two seconds for the door to be pulled open and I felt my heart begin to hammer against my ribs.
The neckline of her deep blue satin dress was scandalously low, plunging toward her midriff, coupled with a slit in the skirt up to her hip, showcasing her leg as well as the pair of high stilettos she was wearing. The sleeves on her dress were skin-tight, ending just past the shoulders, revealing her flawless décolletage. Her hair was parted just above her left ear, showing off the diamond earring she was wearing there, the rest of her curls swept over her right shoulder.
"Eyes up top, Simmons," she teased, slipping an arm around my neck and tilting my head down into a kiss. "You can look all you want later, but for right now you owe me a nice dinner."
"You look beautiful," I said, before remembering my gift, grabbing the box from my jacket pocket and pulling out the corsage.
It was made of Bleu Magenta roses, Paul's favorite flower. I didn't really have any solid reason for ordering a corsage with those flowers, it just felt like they would suit Bea. And they did, standing out gorgeously against her tanned skin, complimenting her dress as if she had picked the outfit to match the flowers.
"These flowers are so beautiful," she murmured, before giving me a smile. "How did you know I loved these roses?"
"Lucky guess," I said, slipping the corsage onto her wrist. "Shall we?"
With the same delightful giggle as always, she hooked her arm through mine, cheeks growing a rosy pink. We walked down the steps to the cab and I was impressed to see she didn't even wobble in her stilettos.
"You wear heels often?" I asked, opening the cab door for her. "You're walking like you're barefoot, I'm impressed."
"Oh, I wear heels bigger than this all the time," she said with a shrug. "Part of keeping up with the fashion trends, you know? Besides, gives my calves a good workout."
"Trust me, I am well aware how wearing heels treats your calves," I said with a wink, joining her in the backseat, and she laughed.
"Right, right, I forgot you're Mr. Makeup and Heels," she said, elbowing me in the ribs.
"When you put it like that you make me sound like a drag queen," I grumbled, and she tossed her head back and laughed.
"You in drag would look a lot like a football player in a tutu. Good thing you went for the look you did rather than trying to copy the Dolls," she teased, and I rolled my eyes.
"We've been quite successful with our brand of makeup and heels, thank you very much," I grumbled.
"Oh come on don't get so offended," she said, resting her head on my shoulder. "Lighten up and learn to laugh at yourself!"
I kissed her on the lips, relishing the faint taste of strawberry that always seemed to linger even after our kiss had ended. "I'm more than happy to laugh at myself if it makes you laugh too," I said, and she smiled, eyes softening.
"You know, I really didn't think you'd be such a sweetheart. Your reputation...is quite different than how you've acted," she said in a warm voice.
"I know. I can't believe you've done this to me," I teased, and she snorted with laughter.
"You idiot," she said fondly, and I chuckled.
"Your idiot though, right?"
"Naturally," she said, swapping a kiss with me.
We finally reached the Rainbow Room and I walked into the restaurant arm in arm with her. I could feel the eyes of plenty of patrons turning to us, gazing admirably at my Beatrice, and I felt my heart swell with the knowledge that someone as beautiful as her was mine. I gently pushed her chair closer to the table, sitting across from her and chatting as we looked at the menu, holding her hand atop of the table.
A waitress walked over, setting a bottle of wine on the table and starting to pour two glasses. "Courtesy of the table across the room," she said, and I lifted my head to find Ace and Jeanette sitting at their own table in the restaurant. Ace caught my eye, giving me a smile and a small wave, and I waved back.
"Oh, a friend of yours?" Bea asked, sipping on the red wine, and I smiled.
"Mhm. That's Ace and his wife Jeanette, he's a bandmate of mine," I said, pushing the glass the waitress had poured me aside, knowing I wasn't going to touch it.
She smirked over the rim of her wine glass, lips as dark red as the drink. "And here I was thinking you knew two people named Ace," she said, and I shook my head with a smile.
"You are insufferable," I said, squeezing her hand, and she chuckled.
"And yet you love me."
"Of course I do. You're perfect," I murmured, and the smile she gave me was more than enough of a response.
