35

                                    

                                          
"I just wanted to get us something nice. Paris wasn't much of a holiday with the family drama, this is a step up from that at least - no freedom at stake. You do what you have to do and then we can enjoy a nice dinner at the marina - you know - have a date night," Celeste explained, slightly apologetically, knowing Jess wasn't much for lavish accommodations, after they'd checked in to Marina Del Rey and were heading for their room.
"It's fine, thank you," Jess said, grateful for her thinking of the things he hadn't really had time to think about, having been preoccupied with work and trying to figure out how exactly to talk to Jimmy.
Jess had left the travel planning to Celeste, trying to do a few late nights at the office so he could actually use their trip for something other than working on the go. He was only somewhat surprised to see that Celeste had booked a first class flight and a five-star hotel. He might have said something, whined a little about splurging or said it was excessive just for a few nights, having just spent a fortune on the house, but he held his tongue. He just wanted her to do whatever made her comfortable - if it was more legroom, so be it. And he had to admit, they'd neglected dating as such a bit during the renovation process and there was nothing else he'd rather do that to enjoy her company.
"God, I'm tired - every muscle in my body aches," Celeste stretched herself out with a yawn. Sitting still for extended periods of time, on a plane or elsewhere, wasn't her favourite activity these days, but if she was going to travel, this was the time to do it. They'd just had her 12th week appointment a few days ago and gotten the green light. Everything looked by the book, even getting another visual confirmation on the gender. Going in for the second time had felt slightly less overwhelming for Jess, and after they'd heard the heartbeat again and saw her moving on the screen, hand and legs recognizable, he felt like he could finally breathe a little easier. This was really happening.
"You go lay down, I'll go get us some lunch from downstairs," he suggested, recalling seeing a deli. He knew that her go-to meal these days was salads, preferably something with beets.
Celeste kicked off her Toms, settling with a deep sigh onto the smooth bedspread. She hadn't been in L.A for years, the last time being for some work thing, flying quickly in and out without so much as seeing the beach. She propped herself up on some pillows, finding a comfortable position, the contents of her purse to keep her company. She picked her notebook instead of her phone again, continuing to draw. It had become her escape these past few weeks, random scribbles gaining more and more meaning, becoming a story of sorts.
Jess returned 15 minutes later, finding her drawing. He liked how focused she looked when she really got into something.
"I had them take away the goat cheese and replace it with Swiss," he said. Beet salads for some reason often game with goat cheese which she was not supposed to be eating.
"Thanks!" she said.
He settled down next to her, along with the salads. He took a fork himself, biting into his own chicken salad one handedly, while his other hand browsed what Celeste had been drawing. He knew she was fine with him looking at her things, but at the same time he knew she felt a little self conscious about them too.
"I like this character," he gestured towards the semi-abstract girl she'd incorporated into her drawings.
"She's a misfit who goes from situation to situation - getting more brave and independent. I'm not really sure what to draw next though so I just started with the background details, trying to catch the L.A feel," she explained, flipping through a few pages with her left hand. There was no secret than she drew the character off herself, though visually baring hardly any similarites.
"You have an interesting style, I haven't seen anything quite like it before. It's like a crossover between noir comics and childrens books or something," he commented. It was amazing how she still kept surprising him.