Dragon's Call & Other Stories of Magic and Mystery

It's Fine

He took her to their favorite restaurant for dinner Friday night. At least, Sienna thought it was their favorite, but all she knew for certain was that she loved it.

Like so many things about Anthony, his culinary preferences were hard to pin down. It's not that her boyfriend kept any secrets from her. She knew where he grew up, the names of his friends from childhood, and the life stories of every pet he ever had. She knew where he went to school and what he had studied in college. She had visited his childhood home and met his parents and sisters. Anthony's life was an open book.

What she didn't know, was what Anthony thought about any of those things. Any time Sienna tried to dig deeper, to find out who his "best" friends were, for instance, he claimed not to have a preference. When asked why he chose his career, he just said it made sense. When they ate out, saw a movie, or chose an event, he was content to let Sienna choose. After every activity they shared, when she asked him if he had enjoyed the experience, he always said the same thing - it was fine.

They had been dating for over a year and the one question Sienna was most afraid to ask was, "how do you feel about me?" She suspected that his answer would be the same lackluster response. That would break her, because she was deeply in love with this taciturn man. She was sure that he loved her just as deeply, but didn't have the words to tell her. She felt that he showed his love in his generosity and support, but still, she worried and often lay awake, fretting. Women need words, she wanted to shout at him, but didn't quite dare.

That night, the maitre d' showed them to their favorite table, and Anthony held her chair. It didn't take them long to make their choices. Sienna asked for the chef's special without even asking what it was and Anthony chose his usual, chicken Parmesan.

After the waiter had left with their order, Anthony passed a small box to Sienna and, she took it, eyes widening. Was he going to propose? Here? Without ever telling her that he loved her?

Heart fluttering, she lifted the lid and had to fight to hide her disappointment when she saw that the box contained a necklace, not a ring.

"It's lovely, Anthony, thank you! What is this?" Sienna asked, fingering the unusual pendant. It was made from a twisted, white metal, and she couldn't put a name to the shape.

"I'm not sure," Anthony said, taking a sip of water. "I found it in an antique shop and thought of you.

Sienna lifted the necklace from the box and examined it closely then smiled at him. "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. The workmanship is exquisite and this symbol is so intricate." She traced it with her fingertip. She handed the chain to him and turned so that he could fasten it around her neck.

"Thank you for this. It's so pretty and it's not even a special event." She turned back and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He nodded and turned the conversation to other topics. They talked about their work and Sienna told him about an argument she had gotten into with her boss earlier in the day. She got quite worked up but Anthony merely nodded at the appropriate points and asked for clarification. The calmer he acted, the more upset she got, remembering the disagreement and her boss' unreasonable demands. She clenched her fingers around her new pendant as it swayed between her collarbones. Why couldn't Anthony get mad for her? Why couldn't he, just once, show some emotion?

Breaking off her litany of complaints, she stopped and stared at the strong, silent man across from her and it was suddenly just too much.

She gripped the pendant in white-knuckled fury and burst out, "I wish I knew how you felt about what I'm telling you. No, more than that, I wish I knew how you felt, period!"