Written for direwolfdragon on tumblr.
She was quick on her feet as she passed through the halls of the museum's offices, flipping through the stack of forms attached to her clipboard. Her assistant scrambled after her with a pen and notepad, furiously jotting down her instructions. People bustled about around them, focused on their own business, the hum of constant activity buzzing in their skulls.
Her instructions were firm, but not unkind. "Please have Jenny bring her forms to my office as soon as possible. We have a new exhibition for ancient art opening in June."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And I need to discuss the physical care of the collections with the collections managers. Organize a meeting with them tomorrow morning in the conference room."
"Of course, ma'am."
"And if I receive any more calls regarding insurance and loans, please forward them to the registrar instead." Ib paused in front of her office door with a sigh. "I have...a lot to do right now."
"Not a problem, ma'am!"
Blinking her weary, but gentle red eyes, the head curator of the largest museum institution in the state smiled a little. "...And there's no need for that. My name is Ib, remember?"
"Ah..." Dana, her assistant, smiled awkwardly. "Yes, ma-ah-Ib. Miss Ib." She bowed and rushed away to her front desk.
Ib sighed, her shoulders slumping as she entered her office. She made sure to close the door behind her. It was an odd habit, but fifteen years ago, it was such a necessity. No one would understand that the presence of a closed door meant life or death in that place.
Fifteen years ago. To the day. This was the anniversary of the day when it all happened.
Without even thinking, Ib glanced up at the painting hanging by her desk. She was just a child back then, but after those adventures in that strange, nightmarish gallery, she all ready knew that her life would revolve around art. She wasn't like most people, who would shy away from those hellish reminders like a plague. Any other person would've been much to afraid to even step into a museum after all of that.
Ib smiled, though, at the picture she painted herself of a little girl with yellow hair and a green dress. Being the head curator-the youngest, most successful curator of her time-seemed to bring her closer to Mary.
And Garry had been there to support her the entire time.
It was days like these when she missed them the most. She walked forward, putting her clipboard down onto her desk, before reaching up to brush her fingers across the base of the frame Mary was fixed into. It wasn't as beautiful and lifelike as Guertena's original Mary, but Ib and Garry painted this one together, lined with yellow roses. They made sure to give Mary a smile.
She had been so stressed lately. There was so much to do with the sudden bout of success her gallery had achieved. The museum was being expanded, and more exhibits and pieces were on their way. There was only so much she could take at this point. Her father hadn't been doing very well health-wise, so she didn't want to bother her parents with her own silly problems. She didn't really have any close friends aside from her work associates, and they hardly knew her at all.
Ib let her hand drop from Mary's painting and move to her red blazer's pocket. Her fingers took hold of her cellphone and she brought it up to scroll through her recent contacts. When Garry's name was highlighted, she frowned, ruby eyes downcast.
Every year, on this day, they were together and celebrated. It was the day that changed their lives, and brought them together. The day they escaped that dreaded gallery. And years after that, when she was finally old enough, the day that Garry invited her out to dinner.
But after she graduated, they both had such stressful jobs as a museum head curator and Director of Sales for a high-end designer brand. When he had to travel so often and she was constantly under pressure, his absence was beginning to take its toll on her. She didn't even know the time difference between here and France, but she didn't care. She just wanted to hear her boyfriend's voice. Ib clicked the green little button and waited on the dial tone.
After a few moments, it went to voicemail. She almost cried in disappointment. There was no overestimating how saddened she was that he didn't answer. She was just so tired and she wished with everything she had that he could've been there today.
Nonetheless, she forced herself to smile as she spoke into the receiver. "Hey, Garry. I miss you. How's Fashion Week going? Paris must be beautiful this time of year..." Ib trailed off, staring hopelessly at Mary as if she could bring her comfort. "What rotten luck. You have to be so far away, today of all days.
"...I think I'm going to have a meltdown," she chuckled wryly into the phone, turning to lean against the desk, "I could really use one of your bear hugs."
"-Hello?"
Ib blinked in surprise when the sudden response picked up from the other end. Her heart leaped in her chest and tears filled her eyes. She knew that voice anywhere. "O-Oh...Garry..."
"Hey, baby...Are you okay? How're things going there? I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly..."
"No, no, it's okay! That's a major event for you! That's very important."
She heard him click his tongue from his side. "Don't be silly, Ib. Today...what happened today is important, not some fashion show. Fashion shows are all the same, really."
"I'm just so happy to hear your voice."
"But I bet it'd be better to have a bear hug, huh?" She could hear the sorrow and yearning in his voice.
"Mm...it's all right. Give me one when you get home."
"It'll be the best hug you'll ever get, I promise."
She opened her mouth to respond, but there was static, and a sudden click. After another moment, there was the dial tone, and she sighed, staring down at her phone. They got cut off, didn't they?
Her crestfallen heart leaped back into her chest when the door swung open, and Garry strode right on in, dropping his phone and a brown paper bag onto the sofa against the wall, and swept Ib right into his long, cozy arms. She sobbed in surprise, and the emotions flooded her. The young woman threw her arms around her boyfriend's neck, burying her face into his shoulder and staining the expensive cloth of his black, button-up shirt with her tears.
There were no words to even begin to explain how relieved and happy she was at that moment. She held onto him for dear life, and he crushed her small body into his. He rubbed her back in soothing, small circles, maneuvering them so he was able to sit on her small sofa with her in his lap, next to his phone and paper bag.
They remained like that for a long time, neither saying a word.
When she finally composed herself, Ib looked up, her eyes tearful and her smile as bright as it ever could be. Overwhelmed, she allowed him to take her face between his hands and kiss her full on the mouth, deeply and earnestly. Her fingertips tangled into his shaggy, lavender locks as his long digits traveled down her cheeks and to her neck and shoulders. Their heads tilted as they explored each other, eager to make up for lost time on this very important day.
When Garry finally pulled away an eternity later, Ib leaned in again to sneak in one last tiny kiss before letting him disengage. He chuckled a little at her enthusiasm while she took in his wonderful, wonderful handsome form.
He filled out well into a dashing, handsome thirty-four-year-old. And he looked absolutely delectable, she thought with a blush, in that black button shirt with the top buttons undone, his skinny white tie hanging loosely and untied from his collar and sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His body was as slender as ever, but his features matured since they'd first met when she was just a child.
Garry leaned in and pressed his lips to her reddened cheek. "You look beautiful."
Her cheeks darkened further. She was dressed rather conservatively, she thought. A maroon blazer with black slacks and white shirt underneath. Maybe Garry had a thing for red?
But that was beside the point at the moment. Ib smiled again, reaching up to trace his lips with her fingertips. "You're here...I thought you were in Paris..."
"I was," he whispered, kissing her knuckles. "I'm not anymore. Don't worry, I got someone to cover for me. And you."
"Hm?" She blinked, shifting in his lap. "And me?" Her words were cut off, though, because Garry suddenly picked up the brown paper bag beside them. He slipped his hand inside, and pulled out a small, pink macaron from its depths and placed it to her lips. She smiled and opened her mouth, allowing him to feed her.
"Yes, and you. Like I said, today's important."
She chewed thoughtfully on her macaron, until he suddenly picked her up into his arms and stood, throwing her over his shoulder playfully. She dropped the small pastry to the ground. "G-Garry!"
"Don't worry, baby." He laughed, picking up his phone and the paper bag on the couch with his free hand. Despite her struggles, he went right outside and into the hall, smiling at the other museum employees as they laughed and applauded. "Your assistant, Dana, said that she can have you covered for the day. But for the next twenty-four hours, you're all mine!"
Ib grumbled, slumping helplessly, biting back the wide smile that threatened to spread across her face. She waved bashfully at the still-clapping audience as Garry shamelessly marched right out the door and toward the elevators.
It was evident that Garry had this day all planned out and she had no idea. It was strange to think that, though. Ib was always the observant one, and Garry was often clumsy and silly.
He certainly put effort into this day. She appreciated it more than she could explain.
First, he drove her to the park in the center of town, with a duck lake in the middle of the grounds. He pulled out a large bag of duck feed from the trunk of his car and led her out into the grassy area.
"Duck feed?" She asked, amused. "You really got duck feed?"
"I heard actual bread is bad for them!" He replied with a grin. Garry took her hand and walked with her to the edge of the murky water, the ducks all ready quacking enthusiastically and approaching their spot.
As she tossed the grains to them, she looked down into the water, and stared, spacing out. When she felt a warm, familiar hand sneak its way around her waist and draw her into a tall body, she blinked and stared up at him. "Don't fall in, now."
Well, that was familiar.
She was about to retort, but he cut her off when he captured her lips in a searing kiss, leaving her breathless.
After the last of the feed was gone, they retreated back to the car to get back on the road. She didn't ask where they were going. The fact that he was even there at all amazed her to no end.
Ib decided to just enjoy it.
Between destinations, they snacked on sodas and leftover macarons. She watched the countryside pass by with interest, realizing that they were leaving the city behind.
Soon, they were along the coast, driving down the highway that ran parallel to the beachside. By the time they reached the beachfront restaurant, it was just an hour until sunset. He pulled into the parking lot of this isolated, large building that overlooked the ocean, and led her inside.
It was incredibly fancy, this place. She blushed when the hostess grinned happily at the two. Ib was still in her work clothes. This wasn't at all appropriate date material. If she thought she looked goofy at the duck pond, then in this place...
"Table for two, reserved under Garry?"
"Of course, sir! Right this way! Ocean view as requested."
And what an ocean view it was. Absolutely breathtaking, with the sun just slowly approaching the horizon. The sky was pink and purple, reflecting off the darkening waves in the distance. The surrounding couples stared with envy at the two rather beautiful people sitting in the best booth offered by the restaurant, and Ib did feel slightly uncomfortable with that until Garry reached out to take her hand.
"It's just us here. Just us two." He brought her hand to his lips. "Don't worry about anyone else."
He knew her too well, she decided.
They talked about nothing at all over their seabass dinner. It was the normal thing for them. After ten years of being best friends, and five being together, everything was so incredibly natural. She'd forgotten that people kept glaring at the two, and only knew that she was with the man she'd loved almost all her life, in this beautiful, gorgeous place she had never even heard of.
Halfway through dinner, though, he fell silent. And Garry never fell into silence just like that. So she took his hand between hers, rubbing the back of it gently with her thumb. "Garry?"
"...Hm?
"Everything okay?"
"...Yes. Everything's fine." He smiled a little, and kissed her hand. But she wasn't convinced in the slightest. "...There's one more place I'd like to take you after this."
She nodded, and they clinked their champagne flutes as a toast to Mary.
Despite the fact that Garry flirted shamelessly with her all throughout dessert and coffee, Ib was still bothered by his sudden change in demeanor. It had to have meant something. And Ib was the type of person who was so detail oriented, that she couldn't stop thinking about it.
The drive to...wherever Garry wanted to take her for the rest of the evening was quiet. But at the very least, it was beautiful. All ready, the sun was dipping below the horizon, casting a shimmer of color splashing across the sky in pink and purple-blue streaks. Like a painting.
It was dark when they pulled up to a large pier, and the tension lifted just a little when Ib gasped with delight. There was music, midway games, carnival attractions, and rides. The lights danced in the darkness, reflecting off the sea below as the waves crashed onto the shore beneath the wooden dock. Families and couples and big groups of friends dashed from one game to the next, undaunted by the coming darkness.
She'd never been to the pier before.
Garry insisted on playing the dart game. "I am really good at it, I swear!" They laughed together, and though he failed miserably, he was able to find one game he was decent with on the entire pier. He threw the ball, scored the last basket at the end, and won Ib a large, stuffed bunny.
A roller coaster, ice cream, cotton candy, and popcorn later, Garry fell silent again. Ib reached for his hand as he stared up into the sky. She wasn't going to let his sudden mood change ruin such an amazing, wonderful, breathtaking day.
"...Garry? What it is now?"
He blinked, turned down to look at his girlfriend, and he stared for a long moment, as if considering something. She pouted and tilted her head. "Garry, what is it?"
There was an extended instant in which he reached up and took her chin between his fingers, leaning in to brush his lips just barely across hers in a feathery light touch. "Come on. There's one ride I really want to go on with you."
She followed without complaint, which was just as well, since she would always, always, always follow Garry without a thought.
They ended up standing before the ferris wheel.
Garry didn't even wait in line. He merely approached the ferris wheel attendant, and nodded. The man nodded back without another word, and helped them into the seat. Garry allowed Ib to slip in first, and then he sat beside her, putting the stuffed bunny on his side as he cuddled in close to his girlfriend.
He didn't say anything, until they reached the very top of the wheel's rotation. He stared up into the stars, gaze wandering aimlessly across the blackness, before glancing down and back to Ib.
Her breath hitched, and her lips parted with the gaze that he gave her just then. It was deep, and swimming with something she could not possibly fathom. They were serious, but soft, and absolutely adoring in every way. It was as if it was possible to worship a woman with his eyes alone. Ib blushed furiously beneath his stare.
"...Marvelous Night," he whispered.
Her cheeks still warm, she glanced away, unable to bear the heat and the intensity of his gaze without her heart leaping right from her chest. "...Mm. Marvelous Night, yes."
Suddenly, the carnival music down below, usually upbeat and circus-like, slowed to a stop, and another tune took over. It was slower, smoother, and almost romantic.
Garry began to hum along, tightening his hold over Ib's shoulders as she leaned her head on his.
It'd been a long time since she felt so comfortable. "What song is this? It's kind of a sudden change, huh?"
He smiled, pressing his lips to her forehead. "It's called, La Vie En Rose."
Sighing contentedly, she pressed her nose into his neck and nuzzled his skin. "That sounds pretty. Did you hear this song in France?"
"Yes, though this is the English version. It's pretty, isn't it? It made me think of you."
Leave it to Garry to be surprisingly sweet and sentimental. Always. "Silly. Hm...What does the title mean?"
"To see life with rose-tinted glasses."
She giggled, looking up and feeling absolutely enchanted by him and the entire evening. To think, earlier that morning, she was ready to spend this important day all on her own, with stress and work to keep her company. "I guess you would think of me, then, hm?"
It was Garry's turn to be enchanted by the look of absolute devotion and happiness she gave him then, and he swallowed down his worry and apprehension that had been building the entire week.
His lips parted as he sang along. "When you press me to your heart, I'm in a world apart." She smiled. His voice wasn't anything near professional or fantastic, but it was sweet and quiet. He brought her hand to his chest, staring earnestly into her eyes. "A world where roses bloom."
Garry swallowed, and with his free hand, he reached behind him somewhere, and pulled out a red rose, fully bloomed, and held it out for Ib to take. "And when you speak, angels sing from above." She smiled at the sincerity and the deepest, most wonderful significance that no one else would ever fathom, and took it from his fingers. "Everyday words seem to turn into love songs..."
She brought the petals up to her nose to take in its aroma, but stopped when something imbedded in the center of the blossom glittered in the moonlight.
"...Give your heart and soul to me...and life will always be..."
All at once, as Garry trailed off and allowed the song to continue without him, he waited with bated breath.
Ib's lips parted again as she pulled the simple, beautiful diamond ring from the petals-understated and tasteful, but romantic and breathtaking-and lifted her teary, quivering, blissfully happy expression to meet his. She was suddenly aware of everything. The way the ferris wheel was completely empty but for them. The fact that they'd been frozen up at the crest of the wheel and the music stopped completely. Garry had all of this planned from the very start.
Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she slipped the ring onto her left ring finger-a soon to be Blissful Bride in every way, shape and form.
"...I love you."
The worry and anxiety melted away from Garry's face, and he broke into a grin. And just before he did anything else, he leaned over the side of the ferris wheel compartment and screamed down to the large, waiting crowd below, "SUCCESS!"
As the crowd roared and the fireworks exploded around them, Garry threw a triumphant fist in the air as he pinned a giddy, giggling Ib to the side of the seat, kissing her senseless.