Chapter 21: This is for Joe, because he makes me keep writing so that he has something to read when he's bored -__-
“So?? How was your date?” Mark asked excitedly as soon as Gema came back to the gallery later that day. She scowled at him as she took off her cardigan.
“It wasn’t a date, we just had lunch.”
“Exactly, you had lunch, alone, just the two of you. It was a date, Gema, don’t play these games with me.” Mark demanded, swiveling in his chair to answer the now ringing phone.
“Oh how was your date?!” Katie asked from a ladder as she took down the display art in the window to rotate in a new piece. Gema steadied the ladder for her, looking out the window as she thought.
“It wasn’t a date.” Gema said again, but Jamie’s words at the table kept playing in her head. He liked her, he said. He insisted over and over, that he really liked her. What was to like about her?
“What’s not to like?” Katie said, and Gema didn’t realize she’d spoken outloud. “You’re intelligent, cultured, you have a body to kill for, and you’re not a shallow bitch.” Katie shrugged. “Sounds like a perfect girl to me.”
“Katie, there’s really only room for one queer in this office, and I just couldn’t handle it if you started hitting on Gema.” Mark said from the desk.
“Oh shut up Mark!” Gema and Katie yelled in unison, and were answered by Mark’s roaring laughter.
“Seriously though Gem.” Katie said as she climbed off the ladder and looked at Gema. “You’re not going to be 25 forever, okay? Sooner of later you’re going to have to get off of this dating hiatus, and start looking for a proper father figure for Kai, and a good man for yourself.” Katie bumped her hip into Gema’s gently as she walked passed.
“What she really means,” Mark said as Gema leaned her elbows on the front desk and looked at him. “Is that you need to get laid.”
“Mark! That is not what I meant!” Katie exclaimed from the loft, but he just rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Gema, we all know you haven’t been dating anyone since before we met you, which means you haven’t been getting it from anywhere but the top shelf of your dresser drawer.” Gema blushed crimson, but Mark carried on, paying her no mind. “You seriously need to get some, and Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Bangable seems like the perfect candidate.”
“Really, Mark, just because your world revolves around sex, doesn’t mean everyone else’s has to-”
“My world?! Don’t even start with me, Katie, you’re the one listening to fertility music-”
“I am TRYING to get INSPIRED-!”
“Yeah, inspired to get LAID-!”
Gema rolled her eyes and ignored them as they yelled at each other across the gallery, glancing at her watch and deciding to head out early and pick up Kai. Maybe they were both right, she mused as she collected her things and threw her cardigan over her shoulders. She hadn’t dated anyone since Vistos, having sworn all guys off, but maybe it was time to raise that ban. If not for her sake, at least for Kai’s. He really needed a stable male figure in his life, and let’s face it, Mark is hardly stable, and barely male. Perhaps she’d give Jamie a chance. He was a really nice guy, and God was he cute.
Two days later, Jamie showed up at the gallery again during lunch time, and again Gema let him take her out to lunch. They talked and laughed about anything and everything, which had Gema soon realizing he wasn’t as ignorant to art as he would have her believe.
YOU ARE READING
An Unexpected Romance
General Fiction“Mio dio, I love the way you say my name” His voice was a husky whisper, and Gema took a step back, caught off guard. He stared at her intently, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What do you want” he snapped at her, and Gema hesitated. “Well I…...
