After they finally left the zoo, after hours of admiring different animals, Gem was starving and suggested going for a pizza.
"That's a great idea! I am as hungry as a horse, and pizza is always a good choice." John said.
From his enthusiastic response, it was clear to Gem that he loved eating pizza as much as she did, and that was saying a lot.
Once they arrived at the pizza place, they settled down and ordered a large pizza since they both felt quite starved.
Sitting in the comfortable chairs with the smell of fresh pizza in the air, felt like home to Gem. It was clear that even John preferred the familiarity of the pizza place, and was less clumsy than he was during their formal romantic dinner.
Gem guessed that both had their charms, and it felt so nice to experience different things with John.
Although she had been to the zoo before the experience was different when she did it with John. Everything seemed better with him by her side and that scared her.
"I spend a lot of time here. My friends and I spend more time devouring pizza than I would like to admit ." John said.
"Oh, you spend a lot of time with your friends? I thought they didn't truly understand you?" Gem asked, confused.
"I do, and they don't get me, but they are fun to be around. It's difficult not to spend time with someone, so I hang out with them. However, we never actually talk, we mostly just goof around," he admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, I see, I guess it is a bit better for me because I can talk with my friends about many things, but at the end of the day, I don't think they can truly understand me.
"They do try to, and I love that about them, but they always fail." Gem said.
"Sounds nice," John replied.
Once the pizza arrived, they were too preoccupied wolfing down their food to talk, and neither of them minded the comfortable silence.
Suddenly, the front door opened, and John turned his head in that direction in a reflex.
"I am sorry," he barely managed to say before four guys sauntered over to their table.
"Johnny boy, where have you been, we missed you at the game. We won even without you, but still, you shouldn't have blown us off. Is it this chick's fault?" one of the guys asked.
"Jack!" John said, warning obvious in his voice.
However, John's friends didn't seem to care about the warning in John's eyes. They just added a few more chairs, and sat down at their table without asking for permission or even introducing themselves.
"So who is the chick?" the guy with long black hair asked.
It was obvious that John was embarrassed by his friends, but he was also unable to say anything in her defense. He was caught between two worlds, and he was so confused that he didn't have any time to react.
Gem, however, as unsure as she was about other things, was sure she would not allow some neanderthals to ruin her good mood.
"'The chick' is just leaving, so you don't have to worry about who she is," she said, as she gathered her things, and headed for the door.
"Wait! Gem! Come back!" John said as he went after her.
"Look! I am sorry, but I don't want those idiots to ruin my mood! If I wanted to hang out with people like that, I would have hung out with my friend's macho friends," she said with disgust.
"Aren't you overreacting a bit? 'Chick' is not an insult, you know?" John said, unsure of what he should say or do.
"Maybe I am, but honestly, when I get this uncomfortable as I feel now, it's better for all the parties involved, for me to just leave. If I don't, I will only make the situation worse," she said, honestly.
"Okay, but can I see you tomorrow?" John asked, fear obvious in his voice.
Did his crazy friends manage to scare her off?
"I don't know. I honestly, don't know. Right now, I am not able to think clearly, since I have a problem with these kinds of situations. My fight or flight reflexes kick in, and I think flight is a better option in this case. I don't want to ruin your relationship with your friends," she said and walked away before he had a chance to say anything.
"Well, that didn't go the way I hoped," John whispered as he went back inside to scream at his friends.
Gem was angry. She knew that was not a normal reaction to the behavior that was very common, but that didn't stop her from being furious.
In her mind, spending time with John was her safe place, and now that real-life entered it, she wasn't sure they would be able to go on, and that made her even angrier.
It was the best and the worst day of Gem's life. Well, maybe not the worst, but still a very bad one. She didn't like the fact that they burst her little bubble. The world where there was only John and herself was shattered to pieces by his intrusive friends.
She knew how ridiculous it sounded, but she couldn't shake the feeling that nothing would be the same with them. Especially now that she saw the other side of him, the guy he pretended to be with his friends. She couldn't help but wonder if he was pretending with them or with her. It was difficult for her to tell.
How well can you ever know another person? Deep in her heart, she had a feeling that she was the one who knew the real John, but fear was still there.
What if he was only acting to get another girl, to get another notch on his belt. There was no way to know for sure. To find out, she would have to take a risk. Was she ready to do so? She wasn't sure.
There was a battle raging in her heart. The two warring sides were both so strong that she had no idea which one would prevail. Would it be her need for love or her fear of getting hurt again?
People didn't understand how much it hurt, how much losing her father had broken her. They kept insisting that she should be 'normal', but wasn't being normal what brought her the pain in the first place?
The thing that no one seemed to be able to understand was that her father wasn't just that. He was also her adviser, her rock. When she lost him, it felt like she had lost everything.
After all, he was the one who always told her that everything would be okay, that he would always be there, but he wasn't.
We never know when the person who means a lot to us would be gone. So Gem wasn't sure she wanted to risk her heart for the guy who was unable to stay true to who he was.
On the other side, no one knew the real Gem either. There were many things that she didn't tell anyone, knowing they wouldn't understand, that they wouldn't even try. She was different, and that was always a problem.
It was like everyone saw the world in one light, and she saw something completely different. They saw the world in black and white, but she saw all the colors of the rainbow. Therefore, she couldn't very well judge John, but she also had no idea what to do about him.
When she arrived home, she found a small note in her pocket, that she was pretty sure wasn't there before she went out.
Gem carefully unfolded the note, and read it. At first, her eyes shone with curiosity, but then something changed, some deeper emotion clouded her eyes as she read the note.
"Dear Gem,
I am writing this to tell you how amazing you are since you seem embarrassed when I tell you in person.
From the first moment I saw your gentle eyes, I knew that you were special, that you were different from others.
I remember how caring and kind you were to me, a stranger, and that makes me appreciate you even more.
And now I feel like the luckiest man on the planet that you decided to give me a shot, that you allowed me to show you that love is worth fighting for.
Your smile can brighten up my day, and I love how passionate you can get about the things you truly love.
I find adorable the small sounds of pleasure you make while eating chocolate cake.
It's so powerful watching you stand strong while the wind tosses your hair around, like a goddess ready for everything that might come her way.
My life has changed for the better since the moment I met you, and I can't tell you how grateful I am to you. I hope that we will always be there for each other, to make each other better.
There is a lot more that I want to tell you, but I am afraid you might find it a bit too much. So, just remember, you are awesome just the way you are.
John"
Gem read the last lines with tears in her eyes and decided then and there that she had to fight for John.
Comments (1)
See all