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“Shut the fuck up,” I laughed, opening my door before going around to open hers.
Of course, she didn’t wait for me so I just held it open while she climbed out of the massive machine.
Freya put her hand in mine and we traverse the garage up to the surface, where we emerged beside The Bean.
“It’s even shinier than I expected,” she murmured, breaking into a run and pulling me along beside her.
So we ran.
There was a massive crowd looking at the sculpture, so I did my best to kind of frame an area for her so she didn’t get jostled.
I wasn’t too interested in the sculpture itself, even though it was the first time I’d personally seen it finished. It hadn’t been finished when I’d left for the Marines.
“Picture!” My girlfriend practically shouted the word, pulling out her phone to cuddle in for a selfie.
I managed to smile, though she teased me about my toothless, closed-mouth grin.
“You’re unable to actually smile, aren’t you?” she giggled. “Unless you’re making fun of me. Just tell a joke or something, let’s try again.”
I had to think about it, but still couldn’t really think of anything. So I went with an oldie but a goodie.
“How can you tell if someone’s a Marine?”
She lifted an eyebrow, phone still raised to take a selfie.
I slipped my own phone out of my pocket and prepped for a facepalm.
“How?”
“Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.”
Bu-da-dum.
The epic eye roll was totally worth it, and I couldn’t help but grin at her, glancing over to make sure we were in frame before I snapped a shot with the massive sculpture in the background.
“Oh, that was so bad!” she groaned. “But very true. You never have to wonder with Marines.”
“Hey!” I protested, snuggling my arms around her to show her the picture I’d taken.
She hummed, settling back against my chest as she cooed over the picture.
“Send me that, please,” she asked, humming in pleasure.
I did as she asked, pocketed my phone, then snuggled in further as we watched people come and go. It didn’t take long for her to get impatient.
“This is pretty cool,” Freya said, turning around in my arms. “But it is just a shiny bean. What else is here?”
I let her go, wishing I could just sit and hold her forever, but this was about her. She’d flown across the fucking country to support me through the death of the man who I’d hoped to never see again. For the millionth time, I was asking myself why I’d even bothered coming, but seeing the woman holding my hand, I had my answer. She’d told me in simple enough words why I should be here.
“How about we walk around the park?” I asked her. “It’s been literally decades since I’ve been here.”
So, we did.
“That sandwich was so good! My mind is fucking blown,” Freya cried. “How is deep dish going to top that?”
“It doesn’t,” I informed her, smiling down at the only real bright spot in my life. “It’s all downhill from here.”
“Yeah, right. Food doesn’t become popular without a reason. The big question is, will it be as good as New York style? I have my reservations.”
