- Chapter 14 -
Gemma could hear Damian greeting Mira and Gavin downstairs as she put on her freshwater pearl chandelier earrings. She had gotten back from the salon a little late because the stylist had felt “suddenly inspired.” He ended up blowing out her hair and resetting it into classic Hollywood waves that skimmed her collarbones. They glittered with the beading of her dress. The cream-colored pearls of the earrings were set in white gold, matching the silver and ivory of the whole ensemble. On her feet was a pair of four-inch silver satin Manolo Blahniks with floral jeweled straps.
When she had everything together, she looked at the mirror hanging next to the empty dress form.
“Huh,” she breathed, cocking an eyebrow. She looked like Gemma Hunter, but she was easily as stunning and mysterious as Queen Bee. And for once, everything about her felt right. Aunt Mira’s a genius.
She waltzed down the stairs and spotted Damian’s tall frame immediately. Even with his back turned to her, she could tell he was wearing his tux exceptionally well. The perks of dating a basketball player, Gemma grinned.
“There she is,” Gavin announced to the room.
“Oh, oh!” Mira clapped excitedly before snapping pictures on her iPhone. “Such a beauty!”
Damian turned, fiddling with a beautiful corsage made of five perfect, miniature lavender roses. He looked dashing in his sharp tuxedo over a black dress shirt and ivory tie. When he looked up, he simply gazed at her, mouth agape.
“I think you took his breath away,” Mira teased. Gemma giggled and leaned in to give Damian a peck on the lips. He responded with a shy smile, as if meeting her for the first time.
“Close your mouth, man, you’re shameless.” Gavin said.
Damian laughed. That low, sexy laugh. “You look…” He shook his head and laughing at his own speechlessness. “I don’t even know what to say. Words won’t get it right.”
“Oh God,” Gavin rolled his eyes as he headed for the front door. “Let’s go get Leah. I can’t be near just you two right now.”
~
“Oh. My. Effin' God. You bitch!” Leah screeched as she ran down the driveway in black platform stilettos. “Where did you get that dress?”
She looked sexy and older than her age in an elegant one-shoulder gown that fell to her ankles. The golden hue of the satin matched her radiant tan. Gemma declared it a conservative choice for her until she spotted the thigh-high slit that showed off a bare, slim leg. Her raven-black hair was pulled into a low chignon and her smiling face was bronzed and glowing.
“You look pretty good too, Leah,” Gemma laughed.
“Shut up. I totally hate you. You know I wanted one of those so badly.”
“My aunt had connections,” Gemma shrugged.
“Can we maybe swap dresses halfway through the night? It might be funny,” Leah suggested almost too genuinely. She forced a laugh. “Just kidding. Kind of.”
Gemma’s nerves quickly calmed around Leah, and she now felt giddy with excitement.
“Leah, you look gorgeous,” Gavin grinned as he held out an arm to hug her. Leah suddenly straightened her posture and posed seductively around him. She blushed and hugged him back.
Pre-prom was being held in Madison’s backyard. Understanding that Gemma might not want to revisit the place, Damian suggested they do their own little photo shoot by their spot at the basketball court. The limo driver dropped off Gavin and Leah at Madison’s while Gemma and Damian stuck around inside.
“Sir, your name?” Damian asked the driver.
“Joe,” the driver replied.
“Joe, could you take this road straight down and I’ll direct you from there? And oh, how are you with a camera?”
~
Senior prom was held in an open glass hall on the Hudson River. Their limo arrived right in time to watch the sky fade into the royal purple of early sunset. Gemma looked through the photos from the basketball courts in attempts to avoid eye contact with Madison. To her surprise, Jillian had the guts to betray Madison and talk to her – about her Queen Bee Balenciaga dress, of course. Or as she called it, her “replica.”
“It’s incredible,” Jillian murmured as she ran her fingers through the draping silk. Madison rolled her eyes as she snuggled into Lucas.
“Back off, perv,” Leah scoffed. “Let us all admire it.”
“It seriously looks so much like the actual gown. Except of course not like the full, whole thing ‘cause that thing was like, whoa!” Kate rambled. “It was huge. I think it must’ve weighed like, fifty pounds. But this one is totally like the original Balenciaga’s really cute younger sister.”
“Can I take a picture of it?” Lucas asked. The limo fell to an uncomfortable silence. Madison shot Lucas a cutting glare. He either ignored it or didn’t see. “Elisa really loved that dress. She hasn’t stopped Googling it since the concert.”
The silence continued for another quick moment before Leah cooed loudly. “Oh, that’s so presh! Elisa is so cute, I just want to babysit her and bake her cupcakes.”
“She’s thirteen, Leah. Not three.”
Everyone broke into laughter, quick to break the thick tension in the car. Even Madison cracked a smile. Gemma let out a silent breath of relief, all the more grateful for Leah. She smiled as she caught Gavin still grinning quietly at Leah’s remark.
At the banquet hall, Gemma and Damian observed as the beginnings of Gavin and Leah’s mutual flirtation unfolded. They giggled as they watched, sitting in a quiet corner where girls continuously approached Gemma to compliment her dress. There were more Queen Bee fans in the senior class than she would have thought. Several classmates still insisted on whispering and side-eyeing when they saw her, but Gemma shrugged it off. They can’t all be my fans.
Both she and Damian avoided the dance floor all night, but not because Madison and Lucas were there. They both had a quiet knowledge that their days together were winding down and all they wanted was to be close and private. Gemma could tell Damian had decided on which university he would be attending. Beauford High had been waiting eagerly for his announcement. Journalists from local papers had been hounding him. Gemma, on the other hand, dreaded it.
The sun had completely set at this point. The light coming from the windows came solely from the reflection of the city skyline on the dark river. Gemma could feel the night drift towards a close. She leaned her face into Damian’s shoulders, feeling his strong arms wrap around her.
“One last romantic song for the couples,” the deejay announced over the loudspeaker. Soft chords of a piano began to echo through the room. “This song here’s the ultimate love song, guys and girls, inspired by the two biggest music stars out there. In case you don’t know it – though I know most of you know it because y’all requested it – this is Tyler Chase’s ode to the lovely Queen Bee. Fellas, don’t be afraid to get on the floor – this man knows how to croon, and I’ll bet he’s saying things you wish you could say to a certain special someone. School’s almost over and most of y’all are headin’ to college. Make a move now and get on the dance floor, folks!”
Amidst the drama with Madison, Gemma hadn’t remembered there’d be a vote for the class song or even paid attention to which had won. She felt awkward when she realized what ballad the seniors had chosen, but the feelings quickly dissipated upon looking up at Damian. He extended his hand towards her, looking every bit the Prince Charming. She placed her hand atop his and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.
She leaned her head into his chest as they danced to Tyler’s soft voice. I caught a glimpse of those moonlit eyes, I knew you were all you’d be. Your gilded silhouette can smile, you know your secret’s safe with me. Gemma smiled to herself. It was the first time she heard the recorded single.
“Have you ever been to L.A.?” Damian asked.
“Yes, once,” she replied, laughing at the appropriateness of his timing.
“Did you like it there?” His eyes were serious. Gemma suspected she knew where the conversation was headed.
“It was sunny and spread out. Nothing like New York. My parents hate it, but I don’t see why,” she shrugged. “I had a great time there. I wish I had more time, really.” Damian nodded solemnly, looking off into the distance as he held her tighter. Tyler’s song continued in the background. Who knows when our paths will cross again? Who knows what will happen when? Gemma shuddered at the lyrics. She felt a lump in her throat.
“I’m going to UCLA,” Damian whispered.
Gemma nodded, her lips pursing into a forced smile. She held back her tears as she pulled him in and kissed him softly. She knew it was a hard decision for him. He was close to his family and had never left the east coast. But she knew it was even harder because they were in love with each other, but they had yet to find a chance to say it with all the drama surrounding them.
“I’m happy for you,” Gemma murmured.
They held each other close, swaying to the soft ballad, kissing like they were the only two left in the room.
~
Gemma and Damian’s room in the shore house faced a back alley of an ice cream shop while Kate, Leah, Gavin and everyone else had rooms upstairs. The two had missed out on the lottery that determined each couple’s room. It had happened at some point on the dance floor during prom. When they arrived at the location, everyone ran to their respective rooms, leaving Gemma and Damian in the common space, confused. Madison and Lucas, along with Jillian and her boyfriend, decided to celebrate in the city. Madison had gotten a suite in a boutique hotel that a family friend owned and decided it would be a “senior girls only” situation. No one questioned her decision. They knew why she did it.
And it was a relief to Gemma. There would be no relaxation in her weekend if it meant being in close quarters with Madison.
However, upon seeing their ground-floor, nautical-themed bedroom with a window facing a restaurant dumpster, there was a fleeting thought of the luxury that Madison was likely indulging in at that moment. Gemma turned to Damian who tried to shrug it off, though his crinkled nose indicated that he was holding in his thoughts about the undesirable accommodations.
“I mean, if you’re okay with it babe, then it’s okay with me,” he said, laughing at his own words. Gemma shook her head.
“Do all the rooms suck this much?” she wondered as Damian took her hand and led her back into the common space.
“I’m willing to make a bet that the upstairs room facing the beach is bangin’,” Damian said, leaping up the stairs two at a time with his long legs. “And I’m willing to bet that your brother somehow got that room.”
“Ugh, God,” Gemma laughed. “Make sure to knock before you go in there.”
Damian and Gemma reached the door to Gavin and Leah’s room. The door was open and the room was empty. Gemma’s mouth dropped in awe as she walked around. The sun-drenched corner room was breathtaking with picture windows lining two walls. Rays of sunlight peeked through the drapes of the white, canopied bed. Out the window, all Gemma could see was a long stretch of the powdery tan sand and the blue of the Atlantic Ocean.
“And now I see why Gavin’s always talking about this place,” Damian murmured. Through the open window, they could hear two voices giggling. Damian turned to Gemma with a knowing smile and the two ran to look out the window and onto the porch. There they saw Gavin and Leah, setting up the grill.
“Geez,” Gemma laughed. She couldn’t believe Gavin’s strange behavior – he was quieter and suddenly observant, allowing Leah to be the loud and crazy one. Leah, on the other hand, had obviously relaxed enough around him to be herself. Her hair was a mess and she wore a white tee shirt with 7 For All Mankind drawstring shorts. She bumbled about the grill, her outfit dusted with the black coal as Gavin tried to teach her how to set it up.
“Look at that,” Damian said quietly. “It only took like three years for him to notice her.”
Suddenly, Gavin and Leah looked up, shielding their eyes from the sun. Damian’s raspy whispers had drawn attention to the open window.
“Nuh-uh!” Leah exclaimed. “Is someone in our room without our permission?”
“You guys must be hungry,” Gemma yelled down. “Your suitcases aren’t even unpacked.”
“What’s there to unpack? We’re only here for a weekend. Now get out of our room!” Gavin yelled back. Gemma laughed, flashing back to the territorial fights they had growing up in their Manhattan apartment.
“Nice job tricking your sister and me into taking the crap room, Hunter!” Damian said. “Real classy.”
“Yeah, yeah, cry me a river.”
“Nah, I won’t do that,” Damian turned and grabbed Gavin’s backpack and Leah’s giant leather weekender before running out of the room.
“Oh he better not be…” Gavin sprinted from the porch back into the house.
Gemma ran out to the hallway to see Damian bounding back upstairs with their luggage.
“No! Get back here!” Gavin tore through the front door and bolted up the stairs after Damian, who laughed and panted for air. With one arm holding their bags, he used the other to impressively grab Gemma by the waist and hoist her over his shoulders. He ran to the corner bedroom and locked the door behind him, tossing Gemma onto the bed and jumping in after her. Gemma blushed as he lay beside her, his lips grazing her bare shoulders.
“Hey!” Gavin pounded at the door. Damian and Gemma shot back up to their feet. “Asshole, get out of there!” Gavin yelled.
“Can’t believe you guys stuck us with the dumpster room,” Damian said.
“Well someone had to take it,” Gavin reasoned through the door.
“You’ve been to post-prom four years in a row, shouldn’t you be a good guy and let me and your sister have the nice room?” Damian asked. There was silence on the other side of the door.
“Ew,” Gavin finally said. “Now I definitely don’t want you to have the room.” Gemma burst out in laughter.
“What’s going on?” Leah wailed from out the window. Damian and Gemma laughed uncontrollably, falling into each other as they stood in the middle of the room, equidistant from Gavin at the door and Leah at the window.
“Game of one-on-one, winner gets the nice room,” Gavin proposed. “Gotta get ready to play against each other at some point, right?” Gemma looked to Damian. His nose wrinkled into a curious expression. He opened the door and extended his hand to shake Gavin’s.
“You’re on, man,” he said. Gemma watched as the two boys exchanged a sad smile. She had noticed in the past few days that Gavin grew quiet at the topic of leaving for college. Just the previous week, he had chosen to attend Syracuse. His friends, like Damian, had all chosen different schools. Gavin knew it was a matter of time before he would be playing against his former teammates.
~
Gemma lounged on the porch with Leah, drinking the white peach sangria that they had made after the boys left. The girls decided to let the boys have their bonding time rather than play courtside cheerleader. The rest of the house had gone off to compete in a hot-wing-eating contest at a nearby restaurant.
“I don’t really care about the room,” Leah shrugged. “I’d be fine spending my weekend in that ice cream store dumpster, as long as I was with Gavin.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Ew, Gem.”
Gemma snorted, nearly choking on her sangria. “With me and Damian, sicko. I just want every minute with him before he leaves,” she sighed.
Leah nodded, combing her long hair with her fingers. “Do you know what you guys are going to do after he leaves for school?” she asked cautiously.
Gemma pursed her lips. She had been asking herself the same question for weeks but had hoped to put off the thought of it until the absolute last minute. She shook her head as she sipped at her sangria. “We haven’t talked about it at all,” she said as she watched the sky fade into a familiar deep purple. Leah wriggled her toes, examining her pedicure.
“Do you think Gavin’s the type to start a relationship before he goes off to college?” Her lips already formed a pout in anticipation of Gemma’s answer. She picked at the fruit at the bottom of her wine glass.
“I don’t know, Leah,” Gemma said. “But I’ve never seen him act this way before. So I guess we’ll all see?”
“It would be my luck that he notices me a week before he graduates and leaves,” Leah sighed. She held her arms out dramatically. “I am the unluckiest girl in the world.”
“Well, at least he’s just going to be in the next state over,” Gemma said as she looked out at the vast sparkle of the Atlantic, the salty breeze lifting her hair gently from her shoulders. “Damian is switching oceans.”
In the distance, Gemma heard voices laughing and squinted to see Damian and Gavin making their way back. Leah clapped her hands together, shrugging her shoulders in excitement. Gavin bounded up the porch, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“Boo,” Gemma pouted. “Does that mean dumpster room for us?”
“Leah, how about a nice long walk on the beach?” Gavin asked. “To put off having to go back to that gross back room.”
Gemma jumped to her feet with excitement. “So my guy’s the winner, huh?” She kissed Damian long and hard on the lips. She felt a slight sway in her step as she steadied herself against his strong torso.
“I couldn’t let my girl spend her weekend in those conditions,” Damian winked.
“What can I say?” Gavin shrugged. “He’s disgustingly good. UCLA is a lucky school.” He turned to Leah, pulling her in closer. “I’ll make it up to you.” He grabbed Damian’s towel from the porch and flung it over his shoulder.
“That’s mine,” Damian said.
“Yeah,” Gavin smiled. “I need to borrow it. In case, you know, Leah and I get tired and need to lie down on something.” Leah’s eyebrow arched and the two exchanged a less-than-subtle glance.
“Okay then. You know what, man – the towel’s yours. My congratulations gift for Syracuse and all that.” He held his hands in front of him as if to push Gavin away. Leah giggled as she skipped off the porch with Gavin and ran towards the water. Damian winced. “We’re doing a favor for everyone at the house by putting them in the downstairs room. No one needs to share a wall with that couple.”
In their beautiful corner room, the two rummaged through their luggage in search of their swimsuits. Gemma had brought a rose-colored, retro bikini. The top was a longline halter with a ruched bust. The bottom matched in color, also with a ruching in the back. When she looked up from her suitcase, Damian had already stripped his clothes off and put on his pale blue board shorts. He smiled mischievously at her.
“Did you see anything?” he grinned. Gemma blushed and shook her head, clutching her bikini to her stomach. Damian laughed knelt beside her, tilting her chin up towards his face and biting his lip. “Your turn.”
Gemma laughed nervously. “My turn?” she repeated.
“Yeah, get changed! I want to get in the water before it’s dark out,” Damian said. “Meet me downstairs.” He kissed her on the lips, stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. She exhaled in relief and then immediately scolded herself for being relieved of anything. What are you scared of, you baby? She felt a heat in her cheeks. Her body tingled. She steadied herself on the wooden post of the bed as she undid her shorts and let them fall down her smooth legs. A part of her wished that she had caught a glimpse of Damian changing. All she ever saw of the male body were backup dancers changing between sets. There was absolutely nothing sensual about that. Everything about Damian though, was sensual. His full lips, his deep brown eyes, his perfect body. She partly wished he had stayed in the room as she was getting undressed.
She kicked off her underwear and pulled on the bikini top as she gazed out the window. Damian was walking along the shoreline. The remnants of daylight outlined his lean silhouette as he kicked at the water.
Gemma rushed out of the house and sprinted towards him. He turned to see her looking innocently sexy, as if she were running straight out of a 1960s pinup poster. The breeze blew her chestnut waves back. Her lithe legs flitted across the sand. He smiled at the perfect image as he held his arms out. Gemma jumped into his them, wrapping her legs around his waist. They kissed passionately, allowing the waves of the ocean to lull them into the water. They kissed with a hint of knowledge that very soon, they would do more than just that.
~
Around 2am, they noticed Gavin and Leah, wrapped in Damian’s towel and making their way back to the house. They had spent hours on the beach, watching from a distance as the other occupants of the shore house came and went.
“We better beat them to the showers,” Damian said. Gemma giggled as he picked her up and carried her into the house. Covered in salt water and sand, their wet footsteps tiptoed past the drunk athletes in the common room. Gemma laughed under her breath as Kate woke up for a brief moment to wave at Gemma before passing out fully clothed on top of Paul again.
“Do you want to go first?” Gemma asked as they approached the bathroom door. Damian opened his mouth but said nothing. They stood awkwardly for a second. “I mean, I can go first or…” Gemma bit her lip. She wanted him to join her but she felt too shy to suggest it herself. She was no Leah, who was not only experienced but unabashed about her desires. She tried but couldn’t channel Queen Bee, despite reminding herself that she had made the first move on Tyler Chase.
“Um, well… I’ll go. I’m a guy, we’re quick with these things, right?” Damian shrugged with an easygoing smile that she knew he put on for her sake. He stepped into the bathroom and shut the door quickly. The awkward tension between the two of them had been growing to a breaking point, but Gemma wasn’t sure if either of them would ever step up and make a move. She was painfully shy in the department and he was far too much of a gentleman.
When Gemma finished showering, she slipped into the lavender cashmere nightgown she had bought just for the occasion of post-prom. The straps were made of a fine lace that braided into the soft fabric of the fitted gown. It stopped mid-thigh with matching lace trimming the hem. She fluffed her hair, spraying Burberry perfume into the air and twirling underneath the misty cloud of it. She exhaled, shaking off her nerves as she opened the door and stepped into the cool air of the corridor. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she peeked into the room.
Damian’s long limbs were stretched out across the crisp white linen sheets of the bed. In his Bruins t-shirt and black boxers, he looked effortlessly sexy. Gemma bit her lip as she stepped into the bedroom. Damian turned to her, smiling for a split second before his jaw dropped.
“I… you…” he stuttered as he laughed at himself. Gemma climbed into bed and draped her body over his, kissing him. She was so nervous her lips trembled as she pressed them against his. He tried to calm her, stroking the small of her back with his fingertips. He propped himself up on his elbows and ran his lips along her collarbone.
She reached a hand up his tee shirt, feeling the smooth skin and muscular ridges of his abs. Her laugh was soft and nervous as Damian sat up and took his tee shirt off for her. He tossed it aside, landing it on the bedside lamp. Gemma reached over, switching the lamp off.
The moonlight beamed in through the picture window beside the bed. In the darkness, she recalled the confidence of Queen Bee in that dark room with Tyler Chase in Los Angeles. With steadier hands, she pulled Damian’s face in and kissed him with a greater poise. She felt his hands run up her legs and underneath her nightgown. Gemma raised her arms over her head as Damian pushed the cashmere up over her head, tossing the gown to the floor. She sat in front of him, straddling his hips in only her black lace underwear.
“Your turn,” Gemma whispered. They laughed together as she slipped down onto the bed and stretched her body alongside his. He rolled on top of her, kissing her softly as he pulled the lace off her thighs and down to her ankles. She kicked them off the end of the bed as she slid her fingertips under the elastic of his boxers and pushed them down past the V of his hipbones. Their breath picked up the adrenaline coursing through their bodies and Gemma’s nerves returned. She began to tremble once again. Damian threw his boxers off the bed and turned back to her. He ran his hands down the soft skin of her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.
“Are you okay?” he asked, softly.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I think so.”
“Do you want to do this?”
Gemma bit her lip, peering past Damian’s arms at the Bruins tee shirt wrapped around the lamp. “I do.” She lowered her eyes, unsure if she should let go of the words on the tip of her tongue. They escaped anyway. “But I don’t know if I can handle getting this close to you when you’re moving across the country in two weeks.” She quickly peered up at him, looking to detect signs of anger before he could mask them. There were none, but it didn’t help her distress. “I’m sorry.”
Damian nodded, lowering himself beside Gemma and pulling her in close. She could feel his warmth in their embrace with nothing between their bare skin. She tucked her head under his chin and sighed.
“Don’t apologize,” Damian said as he un-tucked Gemma’s face from the crook of his neck. He kissed her softly. “I love you.” Gemma felt a lump in her throat as she kissed him back.
“I love you too.”
She couldn’t think of a better person to be her first love. She remembered wishing for a boy as she sipped on cava in Spain. Even then, she hadn’t fantasized something as perfect as what she had in that moment with Damian. She wished she could have recognized earlier how wonderful he was. Better to have loved and lost, she thought with a sigh. Even if you lost far too early.
They were silent as they rested beside each other. Gemma took in his scent, touched his soft skin and hard muscles, listened to his breath. She wanted every sense to remember the moment.
“Where does this leave us?” Damian asked, his deep voice laced with melancholy. He stroked her hair gently, planting soft kisses on the apples of her cheeks and the tip of her nose.
“I won’t even have the summer with you,” Gemma whispered. Upon announcing his decision to attend UCLA, Damian’s family scheduled a trip to California right after graduation. They reasoned that after visiting relatives in Burbank, he could settle down in L.A to familiarize himself with the city before the fall semester.
Damian smiled sadly. “And you’re positive you can’t skip senior year and just move with me?” he asked. Gemma giggled, almost to remind herself that she shouldn’t actually consider the idea. “I mean, you don’t even have to skip senior year, you can just continue high school somewhere near campus! You liked it there, right?”
“Stop it, Damian,” Gemma playfully pushed his shoulder. “Can’t you just be mean and awful?”
He laughed, his eyes crinkling. “Why?”
“So I’ll hate you and it’ll be easier to let you go.”
“I could never be mean or awful to you,” he said. “I don’t ever want to see your heart broken.”
“You’re too good to me,” Gemma murmured.
Damian pulled her into him tighter. “You deserve all the good you get. And more.”
“Promise not to forget about me when you’re a famous NBA star,” Gemma teased.
“If that ever happens,” Damian laughed. “After I pay off my parents’ mortgage and take my mom on a shopping spree, you will be the first person I take out for a night of luxury.”
“What do you think your girlfriend then will think about that?” Gemma asked.
“Well, ideally you’d be my girlfriend then and you wouldn’t be jealous of yourself,” Damian laughed. “But if it’s some other girl, then I’ll warn her on our first date that this is a promise I made a long time ago, and if she can’t deal, we’re just going to have to end it now.” Gemma burst out laughing and nestled closer against him. They held each other close, watching the sun glitter across the ocean as the day began to break.