Diamonds Are Forever (33 page)

“How is this happening?” she asked.  “How could we possibly both think to…”  He brushed back her hair, leaving his hand just under her jaw as he cupped her face.

“I wanted to be by myself for New Year’s Eve.  I didn’t feel like going out with the guys or drinking.  There’s nothing special about that these days and I wanted something special,” Damian frowned, as if he were disappointed with himself.  He lowered his gaze to her lips, brushing them gently with his thumb.  “But I also wanted to be somewhere where I had good memories… so I didn’t feel completely alone.  Even if I was physically alone.”

“Is it okay that I’m here?” Gemma asked.  Damian nodded.

“Why did you come?” he whispered.

“I wanted to be away from everything too.  It felt like it was the right thing for me to be alone tonight.”

“So,” Damian laughed.  “We basically just ruined each other’s plans.”

“No,” Gemma protested, her lips turning up.  She looked up at him.  “At least that’s not the case with me.”

“Yeah.”  He gazed down at her, seeming unable to help himself as he held her chin, touching the corner of Gemma’s little smile with his thumb.  “It’s not the case with me, either.”

Savoring the tenderness in his touch, Gemma closed her eyes.  She felt Damian pull her closer and tilt her face up, tracing her smile with his fingertip before pressing a gentle kiss against it.  Sighing against his lips, Gemma felt him gently pushing her back toward the bed.

And then somehow, she found herself under the covers.  They were kissing but Gemma wasn’t even sure when that had started, nor was she sure how their jackets and boots had gotten unzipped and untied, left in piles on the floor.  With Damian’s warm body on hers, Gemma recognized the chill in the air.  She hadn’t realized how cold it was without something to compare it to.

But she didn’t care how cold it was, not even when her clothes started to come off.  She delighted in the chill that danced across her skin as Damian pulled off her sweater, exposing her to the icy air.  It wasn’t long before they were completely naked, lazing in each other’s arms, as they had been so long ago.

This time though, it didn’t stop there.

Gemma closed her eyes, feeling Damian’s body slide over hers as he kissed her.  She felt warm and safe under the strength of his weight, running a hand up his muscled back.  Damian moaned softly into her neck, his body tensing as Gemma wrapped her legs around his body, encouraging him to come even closer.

Suddenly, everything outside their bedroom ceased to exist.  It was just them, like it always should’ve been.  Gemma exhaled, feeling as though they were sinking into the sheets, away from the rest of the world when she finally felt him inside her.  She could barely breathe, inhaling sharply with every thrust of his hips.  Gemma leaned her head back against the pillows as she tried to catch her breath, her arms around Damian’s neck as he moved his open mouth across her bare skin, every last inch bursting with sensation.  The heavy sound of their breathing echoed between her ears.  Little gasps of pleasure escaped their lips between kisses.

With her naked chest pressed against his, she could feel their heartbeats fluttering, racing together until they became a single hum between them.  She grasped the back of his neck, holding his lips to hers as she felt the steady motion of him rocking inside of her.  Opening her heavy eyes, Gemma reached to brush a hand against Damian’s cheek.  His eyes fluttered open, looking down at her.  She watched as his gaze traveled slowly across her face and to her lips.  He smiled, lowering himself to kiss her once again.

And as she kissed him back, Gemma returned his smile.  She closed her eyes again and suddenly, the world that had melted away returned to her vision.  The snow outside was gone and the ocean water was still warm from the sun.  Once again, it was that summer night so many years ago, when they had been in that bed after a night of dancing, Gemma in her famous, white feather dress and Damian handsome in a tux.  Suddenly, it didn’t matter that he wanted to forget all those years between them, between post-prom and now.

Because, miraculously, they had returned to that night.  They had been given a second chance and they were finally getting it right.

~

Gemma awoke to the sunlight of the new day.  The new year.  She didn’t have to turn to know that she was alone in bed and it dawned on her then that it was possible she had dreamed everything the night before after all.  But when she sat up and looked out the window, the view was not that of the Hudson River as it was in her Chelsea apartment.  Nor was it into Lucas’s old house, as it was in Beauford.  Instead, she found herself face to face with the Atlantic Ocean as the icy waves lapped at the snow-covered beach.

She was naked under the covers and tucked in tight.  Her clothes were folded neatly and placed on the nightstand next to her.  Damian’s clothes were nowhere to be found.  Gemma got dressed quickly, gathering her coat and shoes into her arms as she hurried down the stairs.  She darted into each room, checking for Damian despite knowing deep in her heart that he had already gone.

Gemma got into the Yukon, sitting in the driver’s seat as she warmed up the car.  The new car that had been parked down the block was gone.  She dialed Damian’s number and put the phone to her ears, waiting to hear his voice.  But instead, she heard a robotic, pre-recorded greeting:
This number is no longer in service.

Her hands shook as she looked down at the number she dialed. 
Did I get it right?
It
had
been awhile since she called him.  But indeed, Damian’s number and her favorite picture of him was flashed on the screen.  It was the right number.  She dialed it again.

This number is no longer in service.

Gemma screamed in frustration, pounding her fist down on the steering wheel as she leaned back in her seat. 
Why would he do this?

Hot tears streamed down her face as she swiped open her phone again.  She ignored her preset contact, typing in his phone number manually.  Gemma knew it by heart.  She held the phone up to her ear, almost believing that it would be different time.  But the infuriating, heartbreaking message came once again.

This number is no longer in service.

Heart pounding, Gemma pulled up the internet browser on her phone.  The Knicks’ schedule had been left permanently open.  They were set to play an away game in San Antonio the next day but Gemma wasn’t sure when they’d be flying in.  Perhaps he just had to get back to his team and fit in a quick practice before their flight – but even so, he could have said bye.  He could have left a note.  He could have given her a call or a text or
anything
, but instead he just left without a word.  As if everything they did the night before meant nothing to him.

Not only did he do that, he had left her no means to contact him.  He hadn’t changed his number in years – even when he went from high school to college to the NBA, he had kept the same number.  Why now?

Gemma looked back up at the shore house, the outside looking shiny and new when it had been charmingly dilapidated back in the day.  She leaned against her steering wheel, resting her head on her arms as she stared at it.  The last time they were in there, the last time they had gotten in that bed together, she had been afraid to sleep with him because she didn’t want to get so close just to lose him.  She realized now she hadn’t really lost him then – her sixteen-year-old self just thought it had because he was physically so far away.  Now, Gemma had a feeling she knew what it
actually
felt like to lose Damian.  Because despite being in the same city for the first time in years, despite having just been as physically close as two people could possibly be, Gemma realized the Damian she knew was actually, truly gone now.  And she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get him back.

WHO CARES WHAT HE’S DOING OFF-COURT?

The Post-Up

January 28
^th

While there has been a lot of talk about Damian Evans’ off-court behavior, I still fail to see how that adds to the conversation of what Evans has brought to the team since he arrived.  Yes, there’s no doubt that he’s been doing as any young professional athlete does when he lands in New York.  Yes, he’s said to have missed a couple of practices here or there.

But what does it matter when he’s still completely
killing it
on court? I mean look at the stats.  Thus far, the man is averaging a near double-double: 21.4 points per game and 7.6 assists.

Maybe I’m being naïve or maybe I’m just too blinded by the beauty of our team doing some good for once, but can we just lay off all this Damian Evans gossip? The man’s not only talented, but he’s done what every great point guard does which is
bring a team together
.  So let’s not talk about him like the teenybopper trash he reportedly consorts with – he’s above this gossipy drama bullshit.

The monotonous motion of measurements and last minute fittings was exactly what Gemma needed to keep her mind focused on work.  The production had somehow found and hired her three assistants to do that type of work, but Gemma wasn’t really used to it, nor did she want to give the task to anyone else.  Not when it was almost serving as a form of meditation for her.

A week in Los Angeles’s famously beautiful weather, Gemma had succeeded in at least getting herself out of the cloudy mindset that her last encounter with Damian had left her.  New York’s winter was notoriously harsh and it didn’t help to be set against the grey of the city.  If nothing else between her and Damian could be considered even “good” in recent days, at least the timing of what happened was perfect.  Production for
Waterway
had started up just days after New Year’s, with their first scheduled shoot in L.A. happening a week in and the rest of their production wrapping up in Hawaii.  Though she wasn’t happy about being in a city that had not one but two NBA teams, she knew it would be long before she could work in a state with no major sports team at all.  There, she could wipe Damian clean from her mind.

Gemma realized she was running a little behind schedule.  The leading actors had already arrived for their fittings and she was still measuring a couple girls who were in supporting roles.  She decided to let go of the stubborn need to do everything herself and waved over her assistants to help her finish her work.

“Gemma Hunter, right?” Gemma looked up from her station to see one of the leads making his way to her.  Callum Shen was tall and lean, looking just as he did in the Thierry Marc ads that made him famous.  He and the lead actress, April Mara, were both models turned actors, but up until
Waterway,
hadn’t booked anything that anyone would take seriously. 
That makes Tyler the most legit actor here,
Gemma thought with an amused but proud smirk.

“Yes, nice to meet you,” Gemma said, holding her hand up to shake Callum’s.

“I was at your show for Fashion Week, back in New York,” he said, a hint of an English accent in his words.

“Really?” she said, pleasantly surprised.

“It was the only one I went to that I didn’t walk,” Callum smiled.  “And I enjoyed myself quite a bit.  You’re so incredibly talented and I’m quite happy to know that we’ll be working together.”  Gemma brushed her hair back from her face, suddenly conscious of what a mess she looked like.  She had opted for a comfortable outfit, a pair of leggings and an old raglan with the sleeves pushed up, and hadn’t bothered with doing her makeup or hair.  As Callum’s eyes quickly scanned over her, she wished for a moment that she had tried to look halfway decent that morning, not that she even really cared.  But her assistants, who had been chatting and gossiping just moments before, fell silent as they watched him.

“I’m looking forward to working with all of you too,” Gemma replied.  “This is the first time I’m creating things for a film so I’m really excited.”  Saying the words aloud made her realize that she
had
been excited to finally be working.  She just hadn’t had the time to think about it until now.  Gemma took Callum’s jacket for him, hanging it aside as she took her measuring tape out to do his fitting.

“You used to model, right?” Callum asked.

“I guess you could say that,” Gemma answered.  “But I wasn’t an
actual
model.”

“I see that now,” Callum replied.  Gemma looked up in shock, prompting Callum to shake his head quickly.  “No, no – I didn’t mean it like that at all.  I meant, because you obviously do work outside of modeling, you probably don’t model fulltime.  Not that you’re not
capable
of being a model because you did a great job.  I saw your ads for Thierry, that’s how I knew your face before I saw your show.”

“Alright,” Gemma said, smiling to put Callum at ease.  She wrapped the measuring tape around his waist.

“Though I guess you’re not quite tall enough either,” Callum said, looking down at her.

“Excuse me,” she laughed.  “You just got out of the doghouse and now you’re crawling back in?”

“Being tall is overrated,” Callum said, laughing with her.  “You’re the perfect height.  At least for me.”  Gemma looked up to see him blush quickly before looking away.

“Oh yeah?” she replied.  Gemma realized Callum was attempting to flirt with her, but wasn’t doing that great of a job.  She wasn’t sure how to reply, not really wanting to encourage him.  Not that it was bothering her, either.