Our Hearts' Desire (The Monkees Family Vol. 2)

Chapter 4

The girls all arrived with reinforcements of food, booze and friends to celebrate the Monkees' triumph.  Wendy did her signature ice dancing move of leaping into her long, tall Texan's arms and wrapping her legs around his waist while smothering him with kisses.  Peter and Dawn linked arms around each other's waists and he planted a kiss on the top of her head, his most sincere gesture of endearment.  Even though Lynda wasn't Davy's girlfriend anymore, they were still very close friends, Lynda having stuck by Davy as he braved the specter of being drafted and sweated out his attempt to starve his way out of conscription.  They embraced and she petted his hair like a child or the younger brother he had become to her, someone she had looked after in tough times and whom she always would continue to stand by as long as he showed her and himself proper respect, which had been her terms of engagement when they broke up. 

Micky and Gabby were less certain about how to express their emotions.  They had always been a very physical couple, but that had changed so radically lately.  Still, just that day, they had made an important breakthrough and they wanted to maintain it, but they both knew that it was important not to get carried away by the heaviness of the moment and go too far.  So they held each other and Micky was very direct, as he usually was, and asked "How do you want to celebrate this moment, Gabby?  Tell me what you want and that's what you'll have."

Gabby responded "I ought to be asking you that, but I take your meaning.  Thank you for your usual consideration.  You're showing me once again why I'm so lucky to have you in my life and why I love you so much.  I'd like to count to three and then just react however we both want to react, without thinking.  Is that okay?  No reservations, no thinking it through, no overthinking.  Just instinct and see where it takes us.  Okay?"

Micky nodded.  "Okay.  One.  Two.  Three."

They clutched each other around the middle and Micky dipped Gabby into a heart-stopping, romantic, Rhett Butler-worthy kiss that went on and on.  Gabby murmured "Mmmm, that's nice.  Sock it to me, Micky!"  She was back in cheerleader mode, like she used to be when Micky would do something that turned her on — participant, partner, encourager, temptress, empowered woman.  They grinned at each other and he said "How about later?"  She lifted an eyebrow seductively and responded "Rendezvous at the Nooky Nook?  We haven't been there since the day you gave me that magnificent display of self-love."  Gabby was referring to a secluded cove the guys used to bring their gals to for some alfresco lovin'.  Micky's eyes misted up as he remembered back to a time when physical and emotional relations between them were on even footing, but in his heart he knew that at this moment they had a much closer emotional bond despite their temporary physical separation.  "Sounds good.  Let's wait until everyone's good and wasted and the sun's gone down and then we'll go over there.  Hopefully it won't already be occupied by another Monkee and life partner."  Gabby giggled at his use of the term Mike had chosen to refer to Wendy, as opposed to girlfriend, a surprisingly enlightened and feminist choice for a traditional southern gentleman that had ended up setting the tone for how all the Monkees and their girlfriends operated as a family unit.

Wendy passed by and told Micky she needed to borrow Gabby, hooking her by the elbow and dragging her away.  "Gabby, I need your help with a delicate mission!"  Wendy had that look of mischief that Gabby knew always had the possibility for incendiary trouble, but that sometimes, occasionally, could mean good things were in the offing.  She hoped that for once, the latter was the case.

"What's up, Wendileh?"

"I invited a whole bunch of my coworkers from Wallichs over to the party and there's a girl here who spotted Davy and wants to meet him.  But I know he's been freaking out about dating lately and I don't want to hand her over to him if he's not in the right frame of mind to take her on.  What should I tell her?"