Page 60 of Friendly Skies
“What do you think?” Darius asked him.
“For us?”
“Yeah, for us. You know it’s not real until you put a ring on it.” Darius leaned close. “And I want to be able to show it off. I want everyone to know I’m yours and you’re mine.”
Luis shivered at Darius’ words. “I hadn’t thought about rings,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry.” Darius nodded at the display. “What do you think?”
“I think we should try them on.”
The rings were a perfect fit, but it was the way their hands looked together while wearing them that made Luis tear up. He threw his arms around Darius’ neck. “I can’t believe we’re going to get married,” he said.
“When’s the happy day?” the guy who was helping them asked, and both Luis and Darius laughed.
“We don’t know yet,” Darius answered.
Luis wrinkled his nose. “I kind of sprung it on him this morning, so we haven’t talked about it.” He turned to Darius.“You know as soon as our mothers know, it’s going to be out of our hands, right?”
“I don’t even want to think about that.” Darius kissed him. “I want you all to myself for as long as I can.”
“Hmmmm. Same.” Luis kissed him back, and then they both turned toward the grinning cashier.
“I’m assuming you’re going to wear the rings, so you don’t want me to box them up for you.”
Silent communication passed between them as Luis looked at Darius. Did he want a more formal proposal? Did Luis? A romantic evening with flowers and candles at a great restaurant? A walk on the beach at sunset? Not really. What mattered most to Luis was that these rings would be a physical symbol of the commitment and connection he and Darius had shared from the moment they met. Their story was the romance, not any particular act.
“We’ll wear them,” Luis said and smiled when Darius nodded.
“Great. I love it when people connect so strongly with my pieces they don’t want to take them off.”
Luis was so taken with staring at Darius that he nearly missed what the cashier…no, wait, theartisthad said. “You’re the jeweler?” he asked.
“I am.”
“Your work is gorgeous. That necklace is stunning, and these…” Luis held up his left hand. “Mid-century modern is my era, and these are absolutely perfect. How did you get started? And why mid-century modern?”
Luis was fascinated as the young man—Xander—told them his story and how he’d always been drawn to the bold design and clean lines of that era. “It’s simple and yet strong.”
“That’s what I love about it, too,” Luis said. “Some day, I want to have a shop for mid-century furniture. I’d love to have work like yours in it, and clothing, housewares, everything.”
“Yeah? You have inventory?”
“A bit. I go to estate sales to find pieces, and I’ve sold to some of the shops here and do some online sales. I don’t have a lot of storage space at the moment, so I don’t have a lot of stock, but I’ve got a good eye for what kinds of things are going to sell.”
Xander nodded, then reached for one of his cards and wrote a number on the back. “That’s my personal cell,” he said as he handed it to Luis. “We should talk more. I’ve got a couple of friends who design clothing, and we’ve been talking about opening a storefront. If you’re interested, give me a call, and I’ll set something up for us all to meet and discuss the possibilities.”
It was on the tip of Luis’ tongue to thank Xander and say he wasn’t quite ready to take that leap, but Darius spoke up first. “That sounds perfect,” he said. “I’ll make sure Luis gives you a call.”
Darius reached for Luis’ hand and gave it a squeeze. The feel of a ring pressing against his hand was unfamiliar, but reminded Luis that this was a magical moment. Maybe he shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss this idea, and he promised he’d call.
Once they were outside the gallery—and sufficiently far enough away that Xander wouldn’t hear—Luis pulled Darius to him.
“Don’t deny that you want a shop,” Darius said.
“I’m not. I was going to thank you for pushing me.” Luis shook his head. “I swear, it’s like I’m living in some kind of fantasy right now. You, us…” He lifted his left hand and stared at the ring, then waved back toward the gallery. “All of this. I know we’ve both got shit to deal with—and some of it is big, scary shit—and decisions to make, but right now, it’s absolutely perfect.”
Darius gathered Luis into his arms and kissed the heck out of him until Luis thought he might pass out from lack of oxygen in his lungs, not to mention blood going to his brain. When they parted, they didn’t let go of each other.
