Two Turtle Doves
"Dante, wait. Before we go in there I just want you to know how much I appreciate you coming here with me tonight."
"Come on, you know you don't have to thank me. I know how hard things have been between you and your parents. You're my best friend, the least I can do is be here for you."
"You still think of me as your best friend?" she asked softly, slightly taken aback by his statement.
Dante let out a small sigh. There were a lot of things that happened this year that he wished he could go back and change but the truth was that Brook was essential to his life, he would never be able to cut her out.
"Do you remember the Christmas we spent at your Nonna's when my Ma's oven stopped working?"
"Oh my God yes. Your Ma came running over with this huge pan of half cooked lasagna al forno."
"And you remember what I gave you that year?"
Of course she remembered. He gave her a turtle dove. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever given her.
Just as she was about to answer, Dante reached into his pocket and pulled out a turtle dove identical to the one that was always safely tucked into her purse.
"See, I still have mine. Do you still have yours?"
"I never go anywhere without it," she answered pulling her own out.
"When I gave this to you I told you that as long as we each have our turtle dove then we'd be friends forever."
"Yeah I remember,"she admitted fighting back tears. "I also remember that you shamelessly stole that line from a movie," she couldn't help but add in an effort to lighten the mood a little.
"Does it really matter where the line came from? I meant every word of it. Friends forever."
"Best friends forever," she vowed to him as she hugged him tight.
