You're Not in This Alone

I opened the closet door in the unfamiliar bedroom Nadia had teleported me to. After reading the note they’d left, I knew Gerard was in the room across the hall, waiting for me. I was so grateful for this gift that Nadia, Ethan, Sarah, and Skyler had given us. It was just what I wanted; something more important than material thing. It was time alone with Gerard.

I gasped when I saw what was in the closet. The first things that caught my eye were the dresses. They were my favorites out of the ones I’d tried on earlier in the day, second only to the one I’d chosen for my party.

The first was a short strapless dress made of silky red material. The top was simple and straight, and the bottom was ruffled. The second dress was a knee-length purple dress with black netting over it. It had random spurts of sequins sewn on it and black spaghetti straps.

However, this was not what had made me gasp. It was what lay beneath the dresses and next to the shoes. I prayed that if there was a God, Sarah had left me the lacey, skimpy underwear without letting Nadia or Ethan see. Although Sarah and Skyler were younger, they’d seen and heard much more in their lifetimes than Ethan and Nadia.

Blushing, I put on the underwear and the red dress. After slipping on the silver shoes, I quickly fixed my hair and my makeup with the supplied left on the dresser. At last, I took a deep breath, fixed my smile, and stepped out into the narrow hallway. It had been a long time since I could worry about simple things like how I looked for “date.”

I knocked on the door I knew Gerard was waiting behind. It only took him a few seconds to open it. He was dressed in a very nice suit. Before he saw me, his mouth was a tight line, but after he really looked at me, he gave me a pleasant half smile.

“You look beautiful, as always,” he mumbled, but he barely even looked at my dress. He was staring into my eyes.

I felt my stomach give a nervous jolt. Why did I feel this way? Gerard had told me I was beautiful a thousand times. Maybe it was because he was stepping closer to me.

I closed my eyes as his hand touched my face, enjoying his touch. “We have to thank them when we get back,” I whispered. “This is perfect.”

He laughed. “Nothing’s happened yet,” he reminded me.

I shook my head and opened my eyes. “No, but knowing we’re alone already makes me feel less… responsible.”

“I know what you mean,” he replied, taking my hand. “Let’s go. Dinner is waiting.”

We walked down the hall to the spiral staircase. This house seemed to be old but sturdy. When we emerged into the dining room, my eyes were drawn to the window.

There hadn’t been a window in the bedroom, so I didn’t know what part of Italy we were in. Now I saw that we were in Venice. The houses squeezed in next to our and across the street were not lined along a road, but along a river or canal. Although I had always wanted to see this, it bothered me that the waters were deathly calm for it being so early in the evening.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed.

Gerard squeezed my hand. “It is. So is the dinner.”

In my excitement, I’d forgotten about the table. The fancy plates and silverware were set on a small table with a candle centerpiece. The food looked like fresh steak, mashed potatoes, and rice. Nadia must’ve teleported it there while we were changing. It was still steaming.

I laughed when I saw the two glasses next to each of our plates, one full of water and the other an empty wine glass. A bottle of wine sat on the table. “Those terrible kids,” I giggled. “They gave us wine!”

Gerard grinned and said, “Well, if they insist, we should drink it.”

I shrugged. “We may as well,” I replied.

We sat down at the table and began to eat. We didn’t have much to say to each other, and the silence was a little eerie. I didn’t like it. I knew there was so much going unsaid. At last when we were finished eating, Gerard spoke.

“The other night, Nadia helped me go get your birthday gift,” he said.

I cocked my head to the side and asked, “When?” I didn’t remember a time he hadn’t been with me.

He looked a little ashamed when he answered, “We went in the middle of the night so that no one else, not even Skyler, would know.”

“It had to be that secret?” I said skeptically. “You left me in the middle of the night?”

His eyebrows lifted in concern. “I didn’t want to leave you, trust me,” he uttered honestly, “but I promise you, it’s worth it.”

I smiled. “If it’s so important, why are you teasing me with it now? My birthday isn’t for two days.”

“You’ll have plenty of gifts to open then. I think now is the best time to –” He was interrupted when a piece of paper appeared on the table in front of us.

I snatched it and read out loud, “‘Ebony and Gerard, climb the stairs and go to the roof when you finish eating.’ Come on, let’s do what they say.”

Gerard looked like he was about to protest, but then he relaxed and said, “Alright.” He followed me up the stairs, carrying the wine bottle and our glasses with him.

The evening air was cool and refreshing. I tried not to remember the last time I’d been on a building’s flat roof. This time was different though. The pretty, historic city of Venice surrounded us, providing a very nice view.

Gerard led me to a comfortable-looking loveseat with a coffee table placed in front of it. He set the wine down next to a glass vase full of roses on the coffee table.

He sat next to me, and we looked out at the sparkling water all around the city. Silence weighted down our thoughts for a few minutes before I remembered where our dinner conversation had left off. “Gerard,” I asked quietly, “what were you saying about my birthday gift?”