Hold Me Now

"This is my six weeks." I said quietly. Gideon laughed as he looked at it.

"You only owe us two." He chided.

"Yeah but..." I smiled as I let myself fall into the seat opposite him. "And you can always call me. Always."

"Don't speak too soon." He laughed. "I might hold you to that." He grinned as he read it. "Oh I'm so proud of you B." He said. "I might cry."

"Oh god, don't, you'll set me off." I laughed.

"So you got the job?"

"Yeah." I grinned.

"Knew you would. You're something else Bailey." He smiled. "This absolutely calls for a celebration. Have anything you want. On me."

"Na, I'm seeing B soon." I leaned on my hand. "I told him he had to be on standby in case this didn't go well."

"Both of you then." Gideon waved his hand. "Tell him to come here, you can do dinner."

"Oh, really?" I smiled. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, actually."

"Six weeks." Gideon said to himself absentmindedly as he poured us a each a drink. "Jesus, where the hell am I going to find another you?"

"He'll walk in." I said. "He'll be young, he'll be a dumb student with big dreams, and you'll get to manage all his dumb problems for four years before he gets a degree and someone else drifts in."

"He'll be ok." Gideon sighed. "He'll never be you though."

"No one is."

---- --------

Basil joined me for dinner, checking that Gideon was ok before settling in with me.

"Almost don't believe it." He smiled, looking around. "I thought for sure I'd get out of this before you did."

"Me too." I smiled at him. "Thought you'd get famous and leave me for New York and go play jazz in Queens."

"Thinking about it." He joked. "But only when you're famous enough to come with me and go exhibit in MOMA." I laughed.

"That'll be the day."

"Wouldn't discount it just yet." He raised his eyebrows at me. "Exhibition in Sydney soon. Internationally recognised artist Bailey Green."

"Are you taking my last name?" I wondered out loud, changing the subject because exhibiting overseas was the most nerve racking thing I could imagine. Basil laughed.

"I am absolutely not." He said. "Basil Green? You're joking right? And can you imagine the hell hole with joint bank accounts? Mr and Mr B Green? Forget it Bailey."

"Oh well." I sighed. "We can always hyphenate."

"Nope." He laughed. "B and B Bich- Green. Even worse." He smiled at me. "You could take mine."

"Bailey Bich." I said out loud. "That has a nice ring to it."

"No songs though."

"That might be ok." I laughed. "Or you could FINALLY write me one."

"Never been much of a lyricist." Basil stroked my hand as our fingers entwined. "Did you know Bich means Jade? So you can take mine, or I can take yours, or neither of us can change because it's all the same really."

"Bich means Jade?" I laughed. "We really are B and B Green? I can't believe you never told me that."

"I always thought it was nice." He smiled. "Like we were made for each other."

"Maybe we are."

---

The End.