Gawong Short Stories

Playful Banter and Weddings - Part 6

"So yeah, I drifted away from it. Until Wendy asked me to do hers and I just knew I had to, you know? It's weird but I feel like if Ate were here, she would want me to." Jema said as she exited the car.

"Thank you for sharing that with me." Deanna said with a sincere smile to Jema as she looked over the hood of her car. Jema of course, responded with a weak smile.

The two had received their pizza and headed back to the shed. Jema remarked once again about how prepared Deanna was. Deanna had brought a blanket big enough to cover the sofa which dried while they were away. Deanna set up her portable projector and laptop and unveiled the massive cloth hidden behind the canvas on the wall opposite the sofa.

"You really went all out huh?" Jema asked jokingly.

"What can I say? First impressions, last. So, I got to make up for that. Haha." Deanna said as she walked back to the sofa where Jema sat.

"Deanna, your first impression was not terrible at all. Haha. If it makes you feel better, if you had kissed me in the taxi I would've kissed back." Jema said as Deanna sat down beside her.

It didn't help Deanna that Jema was so confident. So, Deanna could barely get it together when Jema winked at her after indicating that the feeling was very much mutual. The two decided to do watch something unromantic. The two had ghosts in their romantic past and as much as they were drawn to each other, they wanted to keep today light. Yes, there was tension, but it was a good kind. They just weren't ready to talk about their romantic pasts yet. The movie of choice was Hidden Figures, under Deanna's suggestion. Jema was a confident and professional woman and Deanna was a big science nerd, so it was the perfect movie for the two of them. Deanna dimmed the lights and played the movie.

The two started off a reasonable distance apart. The two were confident when they banter but the silence always caught them off guard so there was a slight tension between them. The only sounds in the shed were the movie and them eating the pizza. Thirty minutes in, Jema's neck just had to hurt. She silently cursed her job for making her look at a computer the entire day. She knew she needed to catch up on her exercises. She began stretching her neck slightly, so Deanna wouldn't notice. But she did.

"Hey..." Deanna said as she tapped Jema's shoulder.

She smiled at Jema with slight nervousness and tapped her shoulder for Jema to rest on. Jema smiled back and mouthed thank you.

It got into the part of the movie were the minimal romance began to show. A few minutes just before their hands made their way towards each other and Deanna's left hand was caressing Jema's right and tension was barely noticeable. Jema's head also wandered down to Deanna's chest and they were simply cuddling now. They were comfortable with the silence. The contact made up for the lack of interaction they both wanted and now they were just contented.

It wasn't because they were bitter that they spaced out while the romance on the screen ensued. It was because their attention was more so directed at their own romance. Jema peeked at Deanna's face but more so her eyes. Deanna's eyes were directed at their hands and Jema could just see Deanna's restrained smile. Deanna's facial muscles were just slightly tense which confirmed Jema's suspicions that Deanna was holding back a massive smile.

'This. This feels nice.' Jema's thoughts were more on the lines of I haven't been romantically involved with anyone recently, but I think I just found the person I might be willing to risk that streak for.

Jema chuckled at the idea and snuggled closer to Deanna. This didn't go unnoticed by Deanna. Jema's chuckle and slight smile melted Deanna's heart and she finally let that smile go. She was all smiles now and, in an effort, to hide this she kissed Jema's hair.