by India Lee
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 28th
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.
Chapter 14
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 mak
ing 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.
“Yes,” he shrugged. “What are you, five foot six or so? My girlfriends have all been around that height.”
“Yeah, around that,” she said. As she finished measuring Callum, she realized he was the same height as Damian, with about the same build that Damian was back in high school. She thought about how when she hugged Damian, she could put her ear to his chest and listen to his heartbeat. Callum was right. It was exactly the perfect matchup in height.
“You wouldn’t happen to be single, would you?” Callum asked. Gemma burst out in laughter.
“Wow,” she said, simply.
“I’m terrible at this sort of thing,” he said with an apologetic smile. “This isn’t even the worst I’ve done. You should consider yourself lucky that I gave you a good laugh instead of making you just cringe and feel so bad for me that you just excuse yourself from the room.”
“Has that happened before?”
“Yes,” Callum nodded. “But I’ve grown used to it and this is just how my relationships start. As a total mess. It’s great, actually. Gets all the awkwardness out of the way and it’s usually good from there.”
“And yet,” Gemma teased. “You’re clearly single now.”
“Yes, but that’s because I’m a terrible cook,” Callum explained with an exaggerated seriousness. Gemma laughed. “And there’s an easy solution to that. We just order takeaway every night. It’s romantic, I promise. Eating out of Styrofoam boxes by candlelight.”
“I believe you,” Gemma replied, flatly. She figured she was probably supposed to be somewhat charmed by Callum’s looks if not his terrible game, but she didn’t feel very much. She took down his measurements, waving him on his way. “Well, you’re all set Callum. I’ll see you in Maui.”
As she said goodbye to Callum, Gemma realized that Tyler had been sitting within earshot, waiting his turn. He looked over to find him smirking in amusement as he approached her.
“Day one and you’re already turning heads?” Tyler said, hugging Gemma hello. “That’s the Gemma Hunter I’ve always known.”
“Hey, Tyler,” Gemma said with a smile. She was strangely comforted at the sight of him.
“Should I have punched him in the face for old time’s sake?” he joked. “You know, just to keep in theme with the last time the two of us were on a movie set together.”
“Well, this isn’t the actual set, yet,” Gemma replied. “And unlike last time, I’m not a visitor. I’m actually working.”
“You could have been working the last one,” Tyler reminded her.
“Let’s not get into that again,” she laughed, shaking her head.
“Are you excited?” Tyler asked her. “I saw some of your sketches and I was really impressed. I admit, when I first read the script and realized that the whole thing was supposed to take place either by the water or underwater, I kind of just imagined us in wetsuits for the whole thing. But then I remembered it was a Burke Faust production and that’s too obvious an answer.”
Gemma laughed. “I am excited. It’s kind of nice to be working in an environment where I can immerse myself in an imaginary world. Sort of get away from reality for awhile.” She bit down on her lip, realizing her words said a little more about her than she was comfortable sharing.
“I know what you mean,” Tyler said, his voice suddenly solemn. Gemma looked up at him as she wound up her measuring tape.
“Everything okay?” she asked, catching his expression.
“Oh, yeah,” Tyler said shaking his head. “You know, it’s just…” He trailed off again, pressing his lips together.
“You can talk to me,” Gemma lowered her voice, glancing over quickly at her assistants who were chatting once again as they cleaned up.
“It’s… not appropriate,” Tyler replied, shifting his weight. “The subject manner. It’s not something we should be discussing, I don’t think.”
“Well, is it something you can talk about with anyone else?” she asked. “Like Sophie?”
“I definitely don’t think I should be talking about this with Sophie.”
Gemma nodded, letting her curiosity get to her. She wondered what was bothering Tyler enough that he was willing to admit it on the spot, the moment someone caught sight of it. She had been in a similar mode these days, thankful that no one actually asked her what was wrong. She wasn’t sure she could stop listing everything if she started.
“What are you doing after this?” Gemma asked, letting herself blurt the question that she had been trying to hold in for the past few moments. “Maybe we should get dinner somewhere.
OKAY, SPOKE TOO SOON
The Post-Up
February 11th
So I came to Evans’ defense before I should have and I’m here to make amends and eat a little crow. He hasn’t slipped completely, which is nice and helps ease my ego out of the soreness its felt since taking a bruising – but that doesn’t mean things aren’t looking really bad.
Earlier today, among the recent reports of Evans showing up late for not just practice, but now games, the league announced that Evans would be replaced for
All Star Weekend. Evans cited “personal reasons” for missing the much-anticipated event but provided no further explanation.
Which… sucks. I’ll admit, I kind of pegged this guy as our savior. And you know what, I know I wasn’t the only one. New York breathed hope again – at least for a second.
Now we’re back to square one, which is a place that Knicks fans are all too familiar with. To non-sports fans: don’t mind if we riot sometime soon. We’re long past due for a tantrum.
Only as she sat in Tyler’s passenger seat did Gemma realize that she hadn’t seen very much of Los Angeles with him while they were living together. She could count the number of times they had a chance to go out to dinner on one hand. They never went to the beach or took many walks either – it was hard to, considering how much of a mess the paparazzi made while following them.
They had been in the car for close to an hour now, partly because they couldn’t decide on where to go for dinner but mostly because of traffic. Tyler didn’t seem to notice as he spouted all that was on his mind.
Wedding doubts, apparently.
He was getting cold feet, he said, and he suspected Sophie might be on the same page. But that would be a disaster. In order to accommodate their absolutely massive guest list, they had a massive wedding planned at one of L.A’s most elite country clubs. A no-show would be catastrophic for a bevy of reasons.
“Jesus, I probably sound like a girl for saying this,” Tyler said, a sheepish smile on his face. “But I’ve been looking forward to the day I got married since I was a kid.” Gemma laughed. She wasn’t exactly surprised. Tyler had always been a hopeless romantic. “So, naturally, I feel like something’s wrong that I’m really not looking forward to it. Every time we have to start doing some sort of planning, I feel myself tense up. All I want is for it to be over already and I haven’t even gotten to it yet. And when I think about the actual day, I’m not excited. It just feels like a big interview I know I have to do but I really don’t want to. Which can’t be good.”
