Reaching for Stardust // Josh Kiszka

Part IV

Word Count: ~3400

Warnings: none <3

Such a nostalgic part to write <3 

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Josh was spending the afternoon with his parents which worked out fine for me–I was determined to find the perfect birthday present for him, particularly considering he'd planned an entire trip on his own and was currently refusing to let me pay him back for any of it. But I also didn't feel like being entirely on my own so I called upon Bev, who always proved herself to be helpful and discerning whenever I was struggling with the holiday and birthday gifts for my sweetheart.

"So he really didn't tell you any of this?" she asked while we browsed that same boutique I had found the iconic bull pendant in. "He just laid it all on you suddenly, like, 'Surprise! Pack your bags, babe?'"

I chuckled, gazing over the counters. I hadn't been inside of the charming little boutique for quite some time but it looked the same as it had in my memory, full of sparkling jewelry, whimsical trinkets, incense, colorful fabrics and fantastical books and artwork. I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I knew I'd know when I saw the perfect thing.

"Pretty much," I told Bev, picking up a small silver box engraved with a wolf, its eyes made from tiny blue gemstones.

"That seems so unlike him. Like, being spontaneous, sure. But you not being in on it?" Bev mused with a slight shake of her head as she trailed her fingers down a purple and gold scarf hanging from a rack. "Doesn't sound like Josh. How'd he keep it to himself anyway?"

"Yeah, I don't know," I admitted. "He's always excited to tell me anything. Seems weird that he'd keep this all a big secret until like, a week before it's happening."

"Jesus," Bev remarked softly. "And you're still gonna buy him a gift? I'd be pissed."

"I'm not pissed. I'm kind of nervous though," I confessed. I looked away from her to the mass of wares the boutique offered, but nothing was jumping out at me. I wanted to find something that captured Josh as well as that bull pendant had, something that represented all of his love and light, something he could hold onto just the same.

"Why?"

"Well, I told you about how he wants to get married before we buy a house, right?" I said, meandering over to the jewelry counters, looking down through the glass at the dizzying array of rings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches. "And when I brought it up again the other day, he was like, we should keep our options open and figure out where we wanna buy one. As if he's not certain he doesn't wanna stay here."

"I mean, do you wanna stay here?" Bev inquired, peering down at the jewelry right alongside me. "Dual income, no kids. You guys could go anywhere."

"Okay, but our families are here. I like it here. Josh does, too." None of the jewelry was catching my attention either so I moved on, stepping to the back of the shop where more sculptures and trinkets were positioned on shelves. "It's news to me that he's seriously thought about moving somewhere else."

"Has he been seriously thinking about it or are you just assuming he has?"

I sighed. "Fine, maybe I'm assuming a little. But he's been so resistant to it, now I'm wondering if he really has been wanting to live somewhere else. And I don't know if I'm ready for that. Like, where would we even go?"

"Detroit?"

"Yeah, that was my thought. I haven't brought that up to him yet."

"So start with that. But this trip to Savannah," Bev said, raising her eyebrows at me. "Maybe you'll fall in love with it and want to move there."