The sun comes up entirely too early during the summer in Salt Lake, Gina decided as the light streaming in woke her up. She rolled over to take in the delicious man beside her in bed. She smiled to herself, remembering last night, both before and after they got back to their room. She ran her finger tips over his lightly rising and falling chest, mostly to convince herself this was real.
Truth is, none of this was really feeling real yet. This weekend had been… nothing like what she expected and everything she didn't know she needed. She was starting to feel the real world creeping in around the edges… she knew she had an email from her new academic advisor to reply to, and she had like, 5 different prospective Boston roommates to follow up with when she got back. She glanced at the clock on the night stand and saw they had a few more hours before they needed to get over to the county club for brunch. She thought back to the last time she woke up next to EJ, the panic that rose in her throat and her only thought being "Leave." This morning, hoping to keep real life shut out for a bit longer, her only thought was "Stay."
She nestled herself into EJ's chest, and almost immediately felt him stirring beneath her. He opened his eyes, and seeing her waiting in his arms, gave her a brilliant smile that nearly melted her.
"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"Its the hair. It tickles."
"Ohmygod, I'm so sorry. I didn't really do anything with it last night after we fell into bed," she said. "Its all over the place!"
"No other way I'd rather wake up."
"Really?", she asked, a glint in her eye. "No other way?" She ran her hands down his chest and began to snake them under the covers, laughing at the effect she had on him. "Because I have lots of ideas about how to say good morning."
They rode in an easy silence to the country club, the windows down to take advantage of the breeze as the temperature climbed. Gina knew EJ was flying back to San Francisco tonight to start to get his apartment packed up, now that his lease was secure for August 1. She had one more night in Utah before heading to Kansas City, where her mom currently was, until she had arranged a place in the city. She'd be up in Boston by Labor Day weekend, her grad program orientation began that Tuesday. They had been through three years apart and come out here, but now six weeks felt like an eternity. She leaned over and turned the radio up, trying to drown out the edges of anxiety creeping into her mind. "I love this song!" She smiled at EJ, happy to let him into her world now, one little bit at a time.
Ashlyn had absolutely refused to have the wedding at the country club, wanting somewhere that wouldn't feel to Big Red like treading on Caswell turf. Her parents agreed to the hotel for the wedding itself, but insisted the morning after brunch be held at the club. Gina did have to admit it was beautiful, the sun shining on the rolling hills of the golf course below. She had stepped out onto the balcony of the clubhouse overlooking the last hole, needing a break from the din inside. She kept a smile on her face as she chatted with other guests, but alone, she pressed her lips into a thin line, worry clouding her face.
Like always, a familiar presence came up behind her, and she knew it was EJ. His hand landed, as usual, on the small of her back. She couldn't help but notice it still made her shiver.
"Hey, couldn't find you in there," he said, setting a mimosa down for her on the deck rail. "You ok?"
"Remember the other night, when you said a big part of you was freaking out?"
"Yes…" he said slowly.
She exhaled, looking to the sky. "My turn."
"At least we were smart enough to take turns with the freak out," EJ remarked. Gina gave a weak laugh. "Gi, what's going on? No bullshit."
"Its just… God, EJ, this weekend has been… I can't even describe it. It's been unreal. So much so that I can't help but worry it won't survive outside of this seemingly Ashlyn scripted Portwell romcom setup."
"Yelling at each other in a crowded event definitely has big comedy energy," he teased.
She laughed in spite of herself. "OK, maybe not that part. But the rest of it? All the confessions and the romance and the really good sex?" EJ laughed. "I'm serious, EJ! This isn't sustainable. It's not always going to be like this. Soon it'll be me getting stressed about my clinical rotations and you pissing me off forgetting to text that you're stuck at work. It'll be bills and roommates and trying to figure out life in a new place, it won't be… this. What if this is what the magic is about, not us?"
"Then we move back to Salt Lake? Because I'm really not ready to give up the good sex," EJ deadpanned. Gina rolled her eyes in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry, trying to lighten the mood " he said.
"Yeah, well, try harder, Caswell."
She felt EJ shift closer to her, gently tipping her chin up so her eyes met his. "Hey, Gi, I get it. And yeah, it's a little scary to think about the real life challenges we've got coming our way."
"That strangely doesn't make me feel better."
"Let me finish. But I'm also thinking about getting risotto on a random Tuesday. Of talking til 2am like we used to, or being next to you and not having to talk at all because it's just comfortable. Of falling asleep on the couch watching Netflix because it took us an hour to decide what to watch." She giggled.
"This weekend has been full of BIG moments, and I'm grateful for them," he continued. "But also, it's exhausting. I can't keep up this level of drama, I don't know how Carlos does it." Gina laughed again, her anxiety unwinding. EJ went on. "I'm ready for the small moments, the ones that build our actual life together. Good, bad, and everything in between."
"That sounds… pretty great, actually. But what if I have some really annoying deal-breaker habit you can't get over?"
"You lived with my cousin for like a year. I'm well aware that your hair sheds everywhere, you never put the cap back on the toothpaste, and you leave water glasses on every available surface. Hasn't been enough to turn me off yet."
"Hey, I've gotten way better about the toothpaste. The hair, I have no control over."
"No comment about the water?"
"Yeah, now it also includes coffee cups. Sorry, dude. I hope your place has a dishwasher."
"I'll give you the FaceTime tour as soon as I get there."
"I'm really not looking forward to being apart for the next few weeks."
"I was actually thinking about that… it's going to be kinda crazy getting ready for the move next week, but I actually don't start my new job until the middle of August. Would… would it be OK if I came down to Kansas City in a couple weeks to spend some time with you and your mom? Help you get ready for your big move?"
Gina threw her arms around his neck. "That would be great. Especially since I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get back to my mom's. Last she knew, we weren't speaking. And now…"
"What a difference a weekend makes."
"In the best possible way."
She brought her hand to his face, looking adoringly at his face. She leaned in, kissing him gently.
"C'mon," she said. "Lets go find the newlyweds before they head out for the honeymoon."
"You know we're going to owe them for like, an eternity now, right?"
Gina laughed. "As if that wasn't already true."
She wrapped her arm around EJ's waist, and together, they went in to find their friends.