Love Lurks Beyond the Notes Pt. 02

Alyssa was lying on my chest. "I may have to start calling you Nate the Great," she whispered. I brushed wisps of hair away from her angelic face.

"We should get some food, Lyssa."

"I know." She made no move to get up.

"We have to keep our strength up."

"I know."

"I didn't bring anything to cook."

"I know."

"You're the most amazing woman in the universe."

"I know."

I went after her ribs with my fingertips as she screeched and giggled. God, I loved this woman.

Sex-sated as we were, we finally gave in and ordered a pizza. We were feeding each other bites on the sofa and listening to Chopin. Alyssa had her green robe on, the one that left most of her sexy leg expanse assaulting my retinas like neon. Alyssa asked, "Hey Nate, when's our next concert?"

I checked the calendar on my phone. "We missed one when we had dinner at Mamma's after Gina's procedure, but that obviously took priority. It looks like the next one in our series is in two weeks." I pulled up the program. "Oh, they're playing Dvořák's Eighth, I love that one." I looked at her. "So, do we have a standing symphony date, now?"

"Yeah, I guess I can declare your probationary period officially over." Alyssa's eyes shone. "Can we go to Miller's Pub again?"

"Sure, before or after?"

"Let's have dinner there before. I just may have already made some plans for you after the concert." Her naughty eyebrows were working again.

I laughed, shaking my head. "You minx! How did I ever survive before I met you?"

"Fitfully, Hot Guy... only fitfully."

I gave her a big pepperoni-laced kiss.

*******

Nicole came slowly into my cubicle on Monday. She sat gingerly in my guest chair. I took one look at her and pulled the bottle of ibuprofen out of my drawer.

"Bad this month?" I asked softly.

"It's not been easy since I went off the pill. This is my worst day, and I forgot to buy Advil."

"Jeez, Nicole. You should have texted me the minute you got in. If you want to piggyback, I have acetaminophen too." I handed her the second bottle. "I'll email you a quick schedule so you stay within the dose limits. You don't want to screw up your liver."

She nodded, "Thanks, dude." Then she switched topics. "Nate... we've been trying for months now. I don't know what to do. Frank's sperm count is at the low end of normal."

Nicole had the misfortune to have a circle of friends in her suburb who either already had kids, or were currently pregnant. I knew how it had been gnawing at her. I didn't recall exactly when Nicole and I started having full-blown adult conversations in addition to our banter. But I had learned she really appreciated a sympathetic ear.

I matched her serious look. "But low normal is still normal, meaning millions and millions of swimmers. Have you looked into the tube clearing? FTR I think it's called?" I'd been reading up since Nicole told me they were trying to get pregnant. She might bust my balls, but she was really a good friend underneath all that. I wanted to help her in any way I could, not just tiptoe around female issues like many guys I knew.

She sighed. "My gynie suggested that. I'm just nervous about it."

"It's supposed to be pretty safe, and around 80-90% effective in clearing any blockage. It should significantly increase your chances. Nicole... I really can't stand to see you agonizing like this. Maybe get a second opinion about the procedure. But hon, you need to do something, and I'm not talking just about cramps."

She mustered a hint of her normal wise-cracking self. "'Hon?' What do you mean, hon? Like, do you want fries with that, hon?"

"What do you want me to do, call you 'Nicki' or something?" I immediately regretted being so short with her when she didn't feel well. But at least she didn't go off on me.

"No." Nicole shook her head. "Wait -- actually, Nicki is kind of sweet. Just don't ever call me that in front of anyone else. I'm going to go take some pills, and maybe make a phone call."

"Tell Frank you need a long back rub tonight, ok? Dr. Nate's orders."

"Ok." She gave me a wan smile, and said softly, "Thanks again for the meds, doofus."

A week later Nicole came striding into my cubicle. She was back to her usual self. "Nate, I'll be out of the office tomorrow. I'm having it done."

"That's great news. I'm sending you every good vibe I can muster, Nicole. Do you need a ride home afterward?"

"No, Frank's driving me." She looked down, a bit shyly, which was totally unlike her. "Nate... you can definitely call me Nicki sometimes. Thanks for being such a good friend."

I smiled. I knew Nicole had a soft side, she just didn't show it very often.

"Ok, Nicki. See you Wednesday."

She pointed a finger pistol at me and walked out, smiling.

*******

Alyssa called me on Friday, relieving me from the tedium of voltage drop calculations. Even though they were mostly just typing inputs into the software, I could feel my synapses atrophy every time I had to do them.

"Hey, Nate!" She sounded pretty upbeat.

"Hey, most adorable woman in the universe! What's up?"

Alyssa giggled. "Gina has a date tonight."

"No shit! That's fantastic."

"Well, it's a start."

"I really hope so. Am I cooking for you tonight?"

"You bet. You could also make me some food." I could sense her eyebrows arching.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Fine. I guess I can stand the intense heat from your burner by now."

I could almost feel her smirking through the phone. I had thought about getting an iPhone so we could do face time, but worried that I would never get any work done at all.

"Can you make that Chicken Piccata? I kind of have a taste for that... among other things."

"You are so, so naughty. I might have to punish you repeatedly... with my tongue."

Alyssa's laughter rang out. "That's not punishment, Nate!"

"No? Maybe I'll get a tongue stud and you'll change your tune."

"But I like the stud I have now." I could imagine her eyebrows working as she said that.

"You know, now my pants are going to be uncomfortable for like the next hour."

"Then I'd better get them off you quickly later!"

She really knew how to get me going. I finally stopped laughing long enough to speak again.

"I hope your office door is closed, Alyssa!"

"Don't worry. I haven't had you on speakerphone all week."

"You saucy little b-word. Am I driving you to my place?"

"No, I'll stop at mine to grab some clothes before I come over."

This sounded like a fun weekend was shaping up.

I loved cooking for Alyssa. I had the chicken breast butterflied and ready to sauté when my phone buzzed an incoming text.

"We're on the way"

"We? Thought u were taking the bus?"

"Gina and Chris are going out to eat in Evanston so they're dropping me off"

"Don't scare the poor guy off"

"Ha if he can handle Gina I'm easy"

"I might have evidence to the contrary"

"Don't push ur luck Hot Guy! ;)"

I buzzed Alyssa in. She had a small bag, so was serious about staying. She wrapped her arms around me as I drank in her scent and the curvy warmth of her sexy body. We finally broke the clinch and headed to the kitchen.

"So, what's he like?"

"He seems really nice. He's a resident at the University of Chicago Hospital."

I frowned. "Was he involved in the procedure? That doesn't sound kosher."

"Oh, no, they met in the cafeteria. She dropped her discharge orders and he picked them up for her. He's, um, pretty easy on the eyes."

I had to laugh. "Is this now the standard technique for Bertolini women to find men?"

She smacked my arm. "Don't be a shit. You're the one who dropped the page when we met."

"That's a fair point. Can you please boil the fettucine and chop some kale while I handle the chicken and sauce?"

"Sure thing... if you promise to punish me later." She stuck out her tongue and wiggled it as she worked those damn eyebrows. I planted a kiss on her and squeezed those adorable ass cheeks.

We had a great weekend.

*******

Nicole and Alyssa finally met when we all went out to lunch. As I had predicted, Lyssa and Nicole got on famously -- especially when they started firing dual broadsides at me. It was a small price, I figured, for seeing how much they liked each other.

Nicole started it. "So how did you guys meet again?" Nicole already had the full story from me. From her wicked grin I was pretty sure that she was just setting me up, and I was right.

Alyssa beat me to the punch, smirking. "We were both at a symphony concert. Instead of using the gentlemanly approach, something like 'I'd be humbly delighted to make your acquaintance, you ravishing creature,' he flipped a page from his program at me. I was so shocked that I had to go sit next to him just to keep him from throwing more paper around."

I groaned, "Shut uppp!" It did no good. I was afraid I might be in for a long lunch.

Nicole was grinning broadly as I got roasted. Alyssa continued the onslaught.

"At least he took me out for dessert. But then after I got him home, it took me like three hours to seduce him even though I hardly had anything on."

They were both giggling now as I turned about six shades of red. At least she hadn't mentioned the scene with Marla.

Nicole looked at me. "I'm glad to see that someone else can keep him in line. I thought that might become my full time job."

Alyssa fired back, "I'm happy to help out. I'm sure you've noticed that he's much more pleasant to be around when his ego is kept in check."

Nicole nodded. "It's hard to believe he has that much of an ego considering he can't even take a selfie!"

I finally found my tongue. "Can you two at least reel in the X chromosomes long enough for me to pick up the lunch tab?"

Nicole patted my arm. "Come on, Nate. That should have been your plan all along. How else could a schmuck like you get so much attention from two smokin' hot babes?"

I had no answer to that, other than to slink off to the men's room with peals of laughter following me.

*******

I texted Gina to ask her if she could come downtown to have lunch and help me out with Alyssa's Christmas present. We met at Miller's Pub.

"Hi, Nate!" Gina gave me a big hug.

"Hi yourself, beautiful! I'm happy to see you totally recovered. How are things going with Dr. Chris?"

"Really well. I had coffee with him yesterday and we're going out again this weekend. It's been tough sometimes with his crazy hours, but he's made it clear that he really wants to spend time with me." She looked at me, biting her lip. "I think I'm going to ask him back to my place after."

"If you're that comfortable with him, I think that should be fine. Alyssa said he's really nice."

Gina nodded. "You'll get to meet him eventually. We've disclosed all of our baggage and neither of us ran away screaming in horror." I laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. Gina's wicked smirk was just like Alyssa's.

We both ordered salads. I got the Greek salad with chicken, Gina the Caesar salad with shrimp. We chatted pleasantly about the upcoming holiday, and our strategies for coping with Mamma's typically oversized Christmas dinner.

After lunch I walked Gina up to Macy's where we picked out a cute silk blouse for Alyssa. Then I guided her to the Jewelers Row District.

"So you're going upscale, Nate? She'd love a nice pendant. She's not really a flashy girl though."

"I already have something picked out. I'm hoping that she'll be happy with it, but I wanted your opinion."

"Sure thing! You're a pretty confident guy, going for jewelry on your first Christmas together."

"I'm not feeling quite as confident as you might think," I said. Gina shot me a look.

We went up to the fifth floor and I rang the bell. The jeweler buzzed us in.

"Mr. Blackwell, isn't it? I'll be with you folks in just a moment." He was on the phone with another customer.

"Take your time," I said.

Gina looked around. "Nate, there are a lot of really nice estate pieces here."

I smiled and nodded. The jeweler eventually came back to the counter with a small blue box.

"Is this the lucky lady?" He was smiling.

"No, this is her sister, Ms. Georgina Bertolini." Gina resumed using her maiden name after her divorce. "I would like her to look at the piece."

"Ah, welcome. I am Jared Skolovski, at your service." He made a small bow. He placed a black cloth carefully on the counter and aimed the small lamp at it. Then he took the ring out of the box and placed it where it caught the light.

Gina gasped. "Oh my God, Nate!"

Jared began his description. "This five stone ring dates to approximately 1890 and is English in origin, a late Victorian piece. It is 18 karat gold, the hallmark is still legible. Two experts independently concluded that these three emeralds are Colombian. The two large diamonds are old mine cut stones and have a total weight of point six carats. The three emeralds total just under one carat. The eight small accent diamonds are rose cut and all of them are intact and original to the ring. All of the stones have excellent clarity considering the age of the piece. The scroll carving on the band is in very nice condition. We have given the stones a light cleaning."

He looked at Gina. "You may certainly have a closer look. Then I can answer any questions you may have."

He offered Gina a loupe. She looked at the ring, then at me. "Nate, this is really beautiful."

I'd heard the description before, and of course did some research on my own. I felt comfortable patronizing Jared's shop because of his low key approach and extensive knowledge concerning antique jewelry.

Gina turned to Jared. "I have the same ring size as my sister. May I try it on?"

"Of course!" He smiled.

The ring fit her perfectly. That was an unexpected bonus from asking her along to look at it.

Gina placed the ring back on the cloth. "Mr. Skolovski, I believe we are finished looking at the ring. Can you please give us a moment of privacy?"

Jared bowed, returned the ring to its box and locked it under the glass counter. He then went into the back room.

Gina looked at me. "Nate, I can see that you... you're really serious about this. You obviously know what a huge commitment it is."

"I do. I hope that I'm reading Alyssa's feelings about us correctly. I know we haven't known each other that long, but... sometimes, you just know when it's right, don't you, Gina?"

"I can't answer that with absolute certainty. But she'd be a fool to turn you down, and as you know, my sister is no fool. I... I'm not going to ask you what you're spending on this. It's clearly a special ring."

"My bonus check is coming in March. The cost is no more than I would spend on one of those generic modern platinum rings with a one-carat diamond. But I think that Alyssa will much prefer this."

Gina smiled. "I think you're absolutely right about that. You have excellent taste."

"I'd say that any man who is this serious about a Bertolini woman has excellent taste."

Gina blushed a bit. Then she kissed me on the cheek.

Jared approached us cautiously. I turned to him.

"I'll sign the agreement now, and pick the ring up on Saturday." I didn't want something this valuable in my pocket on public transportation.

Jared smiled. "There's no need for you to come back downtown. I'll have it delivered to you by courier on Saturday. The courier will contact you to arrange a convenient time. Copies of the signed contract and all of the certification documents will be included. I have your credit card information and will schedule the installments as stipulated in the contract. It's a special piece, and you won't regret this purchase."

Jared knew how to secure long-term customers. After I signed the sales contract, we shook hands. "Thank you for your business, Mr. Blackwell." He again made a slight bow to Gina. "Ms. Bertolini, a pleasure to meet you."

Gina and I strolled along Wabash Avenue to the el train station. She had a huge smile on her face, and kept looking at me.

"Gina, can you convince Alyssa to wear her green dress at Christmas?"

"The one she wore the night you met? Absolutely I will." She shook her head, still smiling. "You are such an incurable romantic, Nate."

That made me smile as well.

*******

Christmas at the Bertolini household was an event. I hadn't done this sort of family celebration in a while. My parents were both gone and my siblings were widely scattered.

Mamma Bertolini outdid herself. There were homemade meatballs, ravioli, a small ham, and plenty of side dishes. This time I resolved to pace myself with the wine and also kept a tall glass of water by my place. The gathering was entirely convivial and heartwarming.

My phone buzzed with a text during dinner. It was from Nicole.

"Best. Xmas. Ever. Thx for being you, Nate"

The attached photo was of her and Frank. They held a plastic stick with two conspicuous red lines. I showed the photo to Alyssa, who broke out in a huge grin. I texted back our congratulations.

The Bertolinis had already done their family gifts in the morning. The eldest, Elena, was still in New York but had been on a Zoom call earlier during the gift exchange. Gina showed me a lovely necklace that Chris had given her. I kissed her and said, "Best wishes to you both. He's coming for New Year's so I can meet him?" She nodded, smiling.

Only Alyssa and I still had our gifts to open.

Gina kept shooting me little looks, but Alyssa didn't seem to notice. She was wearing her green dress and had dangly Christmas tree earrings on. She was in a festive mood. I kept staring at her, thinking what a truly lucky man I was. The entire room seemed to be overflowing with love and affection.

I opened my gift first. I was stunned to find a top quality 90mm macro lens for my digital camera. Alyssa beamed at my reaction. "This is from the entire family! Merry Christmas, Nate!" Everyone else chimed in excitedly.

"This is awesome. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart." I gave Alyssa a big kiss.

Then it was Alyssa's turn. She was delighted with the silk blouse, and I nodded to Gina who had helped me pick it out. Another box contained an assortment of bath salts and some nice gold hoop earrings. Alyssa changed out her earrings, smiling. Then she looked at me, all starry-eyed. "Thank you, Nate. It's all lovely." She snuggled against me and pulled my arm around her.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Georgina take custody of the box that had held the bath salts, nestled in tissue paper. The chatter level quieted down a bit in the room.

I stood up and Gina handed me the box. I looked around at the family. "I'm not one to make speeches," I began. "But this Christmas is one that I will remember for a very long time. My total acceptance into this wonderful family has been very, very rewarding. My very best wishes for the holidays to all of you." Everyone was smiling, Mamma, Gina, Alyssa, even Eddie.

I turned to my beloved Alyssa and spoke softly. "There is one more gift in here for the most amazing woman in the world. It's under the tissue paper." Alyssa's big brown eyes stared at me as she took the box. I sat cautiously next to her. My heart was pounding as she found the small blue box and opened it. Mamma put her hand to her mouth. Gina's smile was radiant.

Alyssa took out the ring. Her eyes were shining as she slowly slid it onto her finger. Then suddenly she was in my lap with her arms wrapped tightly around my neck.

"Yes!! The answer is yes!! Nate, you wonderful, amazing man!!" Her lips pressed against mine.

I whispered in her ear. "Merry Christmas, my love, the first of many, many more."