Symphony in Blue

by M. J. Duncan

  “What?” Luke laughed as he handed Gwen her purse. “I’m just sayin’, everybody who’s seen you together knows it’s gonna happen someday, so you may as well help me win a thousand bucks.”

  “You bet her a grand on when Dana and I got engaged?”

  Luke smirked. “Not just when but also who does the asking. She thinks Dana’s gonna be the one to do it, and she thinks it’ll be after you guys have crossed the known-each-other-for-a-year-mark, but I believe in you so much that I had to put my money where my mouth was and defend your honor…”

  “God, you’re ridiculous,” Gwen chuckled.

  “So you’ll help me win?”

  Deciding that it wasn’t worth the argument because they’d just be going at it for days if she played along, Gwen rolled her eyes and waved him off as she turned and started toward the main entrance to the concert hall. “We’ve got rehearsal in twenty. I need to go get ready.”

  “Hey, wait up!” Luke called as he jogged after her. He slung a heavy arm over her shoulders when he caught up to her and pulled her into his side. “Just think about it. July’s a ways off still…”

  Gwen shook her head. “You’re insane.”

  “And?” He argued with a laugh.

  Gwen rolled her eyes. “I kinda love you for it.”

  “Damn right you do,” he agreed smugly. After a beat, he added, “When you see Dana later, tell her thanks for me.”

  “For what? Helping you win a hundred bucks?”

  “No. For making you smile like that.” Luke squeezed her shoulders. “It’s nice to see you so happy.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Gwen murmured.

  “And if you could tell her to hold off on proposing until after next July if you’re not gonna step up to the plate on that one…”

  Gwen laughed and elbowed him in the ribs. “Shut up.”

  “What? I’m just sayin’—”

  “No,” Gwen interrupted. “Just, no.”

  “Fine,” Luke grumbled playfully. “Whatever. You go get your lesbian groove thang on on your own timetable then.”

  “We will, thanks,” Gwen assured him with a smile.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He kissed her cheek and let go of her shoulders so he could open the door for them. “Go on, Smiles. Let’s get this stupid rehearsal over with so you can go see your girl.”

  FORTY-FOUR

  Gwen stepped out of the way and held the gate to the pool open for a dark-haired swimmer who was leaving the facility. She smiled when the woman looked up and she saw that it was Haley, one of Dana’s club swimmers. “Hey there.”

  Haley stopped in front of her and scowled. “I don’t know what you did to piss her off, but for the love of all that is holy, please fix it.”

  Gwen blinked in surprise. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Seriously, Gwen. Apologize even if you didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t care, just get her in a better goddamn mood. We can’t take another practice like that again. She was evil today.”

  “Oh.” Gwen bit her lip to try and contain her smile. Apparently, Dana had followed through on her threat of making her athletes pay for forcing her out of Gwen’s bed that morning. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “You’re a good woman, Gwen Harrison.” Haley clapped a hand on Gwen’s shoulder and winced. “Doin’ the Lord’s work, you are,” she muttered with a heavy sigh as she turned to leave. “At least doing ten thousand yards in the morning gets us out of afternoon practice. My shoulders are too old for this shit…”

  Gwen chuckled and shook her head as she made her way through the gate and onto deck. There were a handful of divers doing dryland exercises on the trampolines and boards in the far alcove, but the pools themselves were empty, lending a rather tranquil air to the facility as she wandered along the length of the main pool toward the offices at the far end. Normally when she came to visit around this time there were still a handful of swimmers making use of the lounge as a place to wind down and relax after practice, but even though the large accordion doors were open, the room itself was empty.

  “My god, Dana, what did you do to those poor kids?” Gwen murmured under her breath as she passed the empty lounge.

  Michelle Konley was just leaving the offices when Gwen made it to the top of the stairs, and she grinned when she saw her. “Your woman was on quite the roll today. She made three kids throw up on threshold sets this morning, and she damn near killed her club swimmers. I think a few of them are still crying in the showers after that one.”

  “Yeah. I saw Haley on my way in just now,” Gwen shared with a little chuckle as she took the door Michelle had been holding open for her, “and she begged me to fix her mood.”

  “Well, if anyone can, it’s you.” Michelle laughed and shook her head. Her smile softened and she gave Gwen’s shoulder a light squeeze. “She’s been so much happier since you two started spending time together, and I’m just really glad you guys worked everything out.”

  “Thanks.” Gwen smiled and nodded. “Me too.”

  Michelle nodded. “Well, I’ll let you go. She’s in her office, going stir crazy waiting for you to get here,” she shared with an amused smirk. “Have a good rest of your day.”

  “Thanks, you too,”Gwen replied as Michelle waved and turned to skip down the stairs.

  The offices were quiet—Gwen figured everyone had gone off in search of food since it was near midday—and she sighed happily when she spotted Dana through her open door. A pleasant warmth settled in her chest as she drank in the sight of Dana in her Juilliard tee, her hair adorably mussed as she tapped her pen on the paper in front of her, and she could not have contained her smile had she tried as she rapped her knuckles on the frame of Dana’s open door. “Rumor has it that you’ve been a bit of a terror around here this morning,” she teased as she stepped into the office.

  “Maybe.” Dana laughed as she jumped to her feet. She shrugged unrepentantly as she made her way around the side of her desk, and she sighed as she pulled Gwen into her arms. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” Gwen whispered as she wrapped her arms around Dana’s neck and melted into the embrace. Her heart soared with happiness at the feeling of Dana’s lips gliding lightly across her own, and she laughed softly as she buried her face in the curve of Dana’s neck, beyond giddy that this was really real and that they didn’t have to hide it.

  “What’s that laugh for?”

  “I’m just happy,” Gwen murmured, flexing her arms and pulling herself closer to Dana.

  “Me too, sweetie,” Dana breathed as she held her tight.

  Gwen could have happily spent the rest of the day right where she was, but the sound of Dana’s stomach growling told her that such a romantic idea wasn’t actually possible. She licked her lips as she pulled back to look into Dana’s eyes, and shook her head as she ran a tender hand over the curve of her ear and down her jaw. “I can’t believe we finally got here.”

  Dana’s eyes burned with affection as she touched their foreheads together. “You’ve been to my office before, Gwen,” she teased. She laughed at the way Gwen’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, and tilted her head to capture Gwen’s lips in a far-too serious kiss for her workplace. She hummed softly when the kiss reached its inevitable end, and smiled against Gwen’s cheek as she whispered, “It might have taken us a while to get here, but I’m never letting you go. Whether you like it or not, Gwen Harrison, you’re stuck with me.”

  “Sounds like heaven.” Gwen laughed as Dana’s stomach growled even louder than before. “I think it’s time to go find you some food.”

  Dana bit her lip as her arms loosened around Gwen’s waist, and she sighed as she dipped her chin to steal one last kiss. “Probably,” she agreed with a gentle smile as she slipped her right hand into Gwen’s and threaded their fingers together.

  “Weights at one?”

  “Nope.” Dana shook her head. “I gave my club swimmers the afternoon off, so Michelle’s gonna handle the
weight room and afternoon practice today.”

  “Yeah, about that…” Gwen chuckled. “Your club swimmers would appreciate it if you stopped trying to kill them.”

  Dana laughed and shook her head. “Who got to you?”

  “I’m not going to tell you and get anyone in trouble,” Gwen retorted with a grin. “But I promised to try and fix your mood so that you’d be nicer to them tomorrow.”

  “Oh you did, did you?” Dana squeezed Gwen’s hand as she led them out of her office. “And how, pray tell, do you plan to accomplish that?” she asked as she locked the door.

  “I have no idea,” Gwen replied with a smirk. “I mean, if an orgasm before work doesn’t get you here in a good mood…”

  Dana barked out a laugh and shook her head. “That had me in a very good mood. It was having to leave you afterward part that ruined it.”

  “Yeah, well”—Gwen squeezed Dana’s hand as they started down the hall—“unfortunately, we can’t ignore the world forever and just stay in bed all day.”

  “I know. And it sucks.”

  “It does. But do you know what doesn’t suck?” Gwen countered as Dana pushed the main office door open.

  “Hmm?”

  Gwen paused in front of Dana as she slipped through the door and smiled as she brushed a quick kiss over her lips. “Being able to do that whenever we want,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and grinning as she pulled Dana after her toward the stairs.

  “Good point,” Dana chuckled as she fell into step beside Gwen. “Where’s your cello, by the way? You usually have it with you when you come for lunch.”

  “I got a spot on the lowest level of the garage where it’s cooler, so I left it in my car.”

  “You never leave it in your car.”

  Gwen shrugged and bumped Dana’s arm with her shoulder. “Maybe I was just too excited to see you again to worry about it.” She laughed at the surprised look Dana shot her and shook her head. “It’ll be fine in there for a little bit. Our rehearsal ran long because Rhode’s starting to ramp things up for the season, so I didn’t want to waste time dealing with it when I figured we’d only have maybe an hour to grab something before you had to be at the weight room.”

  “If you’re sure…”

  “Positive,” Gwen assured her with a smile.

  “Okay.” Dana nodded. “So, now that I’ve got the rest of the afternoon off”—she squeezed Gwen’s hand and bumped their arms together as they walked—“I’m thinking I could I run home real quick after lunch to pick up some clothes and stuff and then maybe come back over to your place. Whattaya think?”

  “I think that sounds like a perfect idea. Though I can’t ask you to do that every night.”

  “Why?”

  “Because. I mean, surely you’d like to spend some time at your place, too.”

  “Eh, I’d rather be with you. And it’s easier on Storm if we just stay at yours,” Dana pointed out. “Besides, the drive in from your house is honestly faster than from mine, so…” Her voice trailed off as Gwen started chuckling softly and shaking her head. “What? Do you not want—”

  “I absolutely do,” Gwen interrupted her with a smile. “I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said I liked the idea of spending every night with you. I was just thinking about what Luke was telling me earlier about Regan setting an over/under of Halloween for us to move-in together.”

  “Is it bad that I’m not terribly surprised they were betting on us?” Dana squeezed Gwen’s hand. When Gwen just shook her head in response, she rolled her eyes and asked, “So I’m guessing there was also a bet on when we’d hook up?”

  “There was. Luke was pretty excited to win that one.”

  Dana huffed a laugh and shook her head. “Do I even want to know what else they bet on?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you could guess.”

  Dana rolled her eyes. “They were seriously betting on when we’d get married before we even…”

  “Engaged,” Gwen corrected with a laugh. “Or, I think that’s all. Luke didn’t say anything about the actual ceremony.”

  “God, what are we gonna do with those two?” Dana shot Gwen a exasperated smile. “I guess we should just be happy to have their support, huh?”

  “I think that’s the best way to look at it, yeah.” Gwen smiled and gave Dana’s hand a light squeeze as they passed the diving well.

  Dana shook her head as she pushed the main gate to the aquatics center open, and chuckled softly as she used her hold on Gwen’s hand to usher her through first. “Those two…”

  “Believe me, I know.” Gwen adjusted her sunglasses and looked up and down the bustling street. “But, I don’t want to think about them right now.”

  “Oh really?” Dana drawled as she started to lead them down the street toward the Thai place they often frequented for lunch. “What do you want to think about?”

  “You.” Gwen bumped their arms together. “And me.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Gwen pulled their joined hands behind her back and sighed happily as she leaned her head on Dana’s shoulder. “Me too.”

  FORTY-FIVE

  Ten months later…

  Gwen peeked through the stage door and swallowed thickly as her stomach clenched painfully and the most genuine fear she had ever experienced before taking the stage tore through her. It was their last performance of the season at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the audience was predictably packed—though it was the sight of Dana, Regan, Brooke, and Jay sitting in the front row of the auditorium that had her freaking out. She shook her head as she backed away, and pointed a shaking finger at the sliver of the stage that was still visible. “I can’t do this.”

  “Yes, you can,” Luke replied gently, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to look at him. He smiled and nodded reassuringly as he repeated, “You can.”

  “No.” Gwen shook her head, her eyes wide with her rising panic as she looked at him. He looked so fucking calm that she wanted to hit him, but she was also relieved that at least one of them wasn’t losing their shit at the moment. Because if he had been freaking out alongside her, god knows she’d probably pack up her stuff and drive home before the concert even started. She rubbed her hands against her slacks that she’d worn for the evening’s performance—a necessary change in wardrobe given her plans—and blew out a shallow, shuddering breath. “Luke, I don’t think…”

  “Gwen.” Luke squeezed her shoulders and gave her a little shake. “Deep breath, sweetie.” He mimicked the action and smiled when she copied him. “Good. Again.” They breathed together again. He nodded and arched a brow questioningly. “Better?”

  Gwen shook her head. “No.” Although, honestly, she was feeling a little better—less like she was about to pass out, and more like she was just going to be sick.

  Luke laughed. “I thought you wanted to do this?”

  “I do.” Gwen nodded, her gaze drifting to the stage door where she knew Dana sat, just beyond her line of sight. She licked her lips and ran a hand over her forehead. She wanted nothing more than to cement what had been the happiest ten months of her life by asking Dana to marry her. There was nothing else she wanted more in the world than to call Dana her wife, and yet…

  “We got this,” Luke murmured.

  “You just want to win your damn bet,” Gwen grumbled.

  “Fuck the bet,” Luke swore, drawing Gwen’s attention away from the stage. “I would give Regan that money in a heartbeat if it’s what you needed to do this.”

  “I know. I’m sorry,” Gwen murmured. “It’s just…”

  “Scary as shit.” Luke smiled and nodded. “Trust me, I know. If you think you’d rather do it at home or somewhere more private, you don’t have to do it like you’ve planned. She’ll never know that the plan’s changed.”

  Gwen shook her head. What he was suggesting was so very, very tempting, but she wanted to ask Dana the most important question of her life as the music Dana had inspired her to write playe
d in the background. She had thought that showing Rhode the full score for Blue would have been the hardest part of her plan, but the fear that had her throwing up twice on the way to his office that morning four weeks ago was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. “No. I want to do it like I’d planned. I want to do it like we practiced this morning.”

  “Okay. So is it the music that’s got you freaking out?”

  Gwen bit her lip and shrugged. That was, admittedly, a not insignificant part of what had her looking for a nearby trash can, just in case her empty stomach decided to revolt on her. She had worked on Blue for so long, never thinking it’d be more than just a private project, that the idea of having it heard by an auditorium full of people was terrifying. “What if it sucks?”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Luke sighed and pulled her into a hug. “It doesn’t suck. It’s actually quite revolutionary and I’m not just saying that because you’re my best friend in the entire world. I know you’re hot shit on the cello and all, but Rhode wouldn’t have agreed to add it to the program tonight if it was anything less than amazing. He wouldn’t risk our reputation like that. Trust me, Gwen, we’ve been practicing the shit out of Blue for the last four weeks, we will not fuck this up for you. I promise.”

  “Do you think she’ll like it?” Gwen whispered, feeling smaller than she had in a long, long time.

  Luke pressed his lips to her temple and nodded. “She’s going to love it. Everybody out there is going to love it.”

  Gwen closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and asked, “Do you think she’ll say yes?”

  “Absolutely. Probably before you’ve even finished asking,” Luke assured her in a gentle tone. “You know that, right?”

  “Nothing’s for sure. Not even…”

  “She is,” Luke interrupted, flexing his arms and squeezing her tight. “There are very few sure things in this world, but Dana Ryan is two million percent head over heels in love with you and I promise you that this is a sure thing.”

  “I don’t want to rush her.”

  Luke barked out a laugh and pressed a smile to the top of her head. “Sweetie, she moved into your house five weeks after you guys finally hooked up again last summer and you haven’t looked back since. You’re more married than me and Jay, and we’re, like, actually married.”