Save the Date! (3 page)

The next few hours with Code Blue weren't as bad as Gemma thought they would be. Of course, she didn't say this aloud, but she silently acknowledged it, and that was enough for her. Maybe it was because she didn't feel the need to speak in order to make sure things weren't going to be awkward. The way she saw it, things would always be at least somewhat awkward given their circumstance, and because of that, there wasn't any real reason why she should try to fix something that would always remain just a little bit broken.

To be honest, the silence wasn't all that weird either. Not that she was comfortable with him, but Gemma wasn't exactly trying to impress him, and therefore didn't necessarily care what he thought about her or how he felt. So as the clock ticked away, the silence reigned heavy on the dining room, but neither of them cared.
Dixon was reading the newspaper while Gemma was reading a book. Only when it was ten after eleven did Gemma finally stand and put her book away.

"I'd like to mention just how surprised I was when I saw that
you read something other than
Cosmo
," Dixon murmured in his usual cryptic tone as he folded the newspaper and set it on the corner of the table. Gemma wasn't sure, but she could swear that the corner of his lips were twitching, as though they wanted to break out into a smile, but as usual, Dixon was quite successful at preventing such a thing from happening. "I thought shopping was more in your arena," he added, his eyes sparkling in humor.

Gemma rolled her eyes, trying not to let his words bother her. It wasn't as though this was the first time someone had made some stupid comment like that. People always seemed to underestimate her becau
se she had a wealthy family, blonde hair, and big boobs. Despite it, she always managed to keep her head up, striving to prove them all wrong like the heroines in her favorite movies: Elle Woods from
Legally Blonde
and Cher from
Clueless
. They were both blonde and wealthy, but they were smarter than people gave them credit for.

"Let's just go, okay?" she murmured, avoiding his eyes as she hurried back upstairs to grab the keys to her car. When she came back down,
Dixon was leaning against the doorway frame, looking at her with those peculiar blue eyes. At that moment, she felt her stomach clench, but she didn't understand why, nor did she let her mind dwell on such a fact. "I'm driving."

"I'm sure you are," he muttered under his breath, and though Gemma clearly heard it, she wasn't quite sure if
Dixon was supposed to be insulting her or complimenting her. Gemma figured he would never do the latter, but she still wasn't sure just why she should feel insulted.

Once the car was on the road,
Dixon leaned over and turned the radio on, changing the channels until he found what he was looking for – the alternative channel. Gemma immediately frowned at this, and changed the channel to what she liked – country.

"Excuse me,"
Dixon said, clearly affronted, as he turned his head to look at her. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"My car," Gemma explained, shrugging her shoulders while she kept her eyes on the road. "And I'm driving, so I get to choose the radio."
  She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.  “I figured you’d like country.”

"What, because of my accent?
" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.  “Because I look like some kinda redneck?”

“Where are you from, anyways?” she asked, nodding her head to the
twangy music emitting from the speakers.  She saw the cookie-cutter two story houses on either side of the road.  They looked almost exactly like her house.

“Georgia.” 
A pause.  “Atlanta.  Some backroad town you wouldn’t-a heard of.”

“I’m a lot smarter than you think I am,” she said, making a left.

“Sure ya are, Blondie.”  His eyes looked back down at the radio.  “I was listening to that music, you know.”

Gemma glanced over at him with a '
Do you think I really care?
' look. "Why do you like that kind of music anyways?" she asked him, returning her eyes to the road. "It's all about grown men whining about their problems."

"Oh, and country isn't?"
Dixon asked, catching her off-guard.

She
opened her mouth to protest, and shut it abruptly before letting a slight growl slip out of her mouth. Dixon grinned when he saw that she realized he was right.

"There are more female perspectives in country though," Gemma tol
d him, and then smirked in triumph.

Dixon
merely rolled his eyes as he leaned his head back down on the headrest, preparing for a rather long car ride with whiny people singing their whiny songs about alcohol and Jesus.

“There was a reason I left the south,” he muttered under his breath, but Gemma’s sharp ears heard it.

---

"This is weird."

The redheaded Gillian continued to look back and forth between her friend and the man they had so recently dubbed as Code Blue. She had known Gemma for so long – since second grade – and all of a sudden, she's engaged to this guy Gillian thought Gemma originally despised.

Her eyes studied
Dixon quite intently, having no qualms about staring at some strange man. She had to give him props for matching her piercing stare with one of his own.

It wasn't as though he wasn't handsome – he was, in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way. But he was Code Blue, the man who had prevented them from running away
, prevented them from getting to Dana Carvey!

Why would they get married so quickly, anyways? It wasn't as though –

Oh
shit
.

"Oh my God, Gemma," Gillian said, narrowing her eyes into her best friend's. "Are you pregnant?"

---

Dixon
nearly choked on the drink he was currently drinking at even the thought of doing such a thing with
her
, while Gemma's whole face turned crimson red.

"
Wh-what?" she yelped, quickly reaching behind her to lose her fingers in her hair. It was a gesture she seemed to do whenever she was uncomfortable, and right now, she was feeling the discomfort quite thoroughly. "Pregnant? No way, Gillian. No way!" She laughed nervously at even the thought she would ever have Dixon's kids.

As if.

Gillian narrowed her eyes in Gemma's direction, trying to read her. Gemma had always been quite easy to read, and since they had known each other for quite a while, the young woman was a privy of knowledge for anyone who took the time to try and decipher it. She seemed satisfied with Gemma’s response, and Gemma let out a shaky breath.

"Okay, okay," she replied, raising her hands up defensively. Gemma took another bite of her Cesar salad. "It's just weird, Gem. I mean, we barely know this guy and all of a sudden I hear that you're getting married to him. It's all going so fast that I figured there had to be some sort of reason besides, you know, passion.
And with your dad being your dad… Well, I could definitely see him trying to get you to get married if he found out you were pregnant to save face from some scandal."

Dixon
stopped chewing and frowned upon hearing Gillian's statement before looking at Gemma from the corner of his eyes. Gemma could feel his stare as much as the blush that currently tainted her cheeks.  She didn’t think he needed to know just what her father would do in order to save the family and himself from a scandal.

"Well, you don't have to worr
y," Gemma told her friend in a firm voice, pushing past her thoughts. "I'm not pregnant. I promise." She gave a curt nod as though to further emphasize her point, before forcing a smile.

"I believe you," Gillian said with a sincere smile. "But you're going to have to explain this to me, Gem, because I just don't understand."

"Well," Gemma said, knowing full well what she had to say which is probably why her voice came out as shaky as it did. "I will tell you, Gillian. Me and Dixon… Well, we are…"
Come on, just say it. Say it. Say it!
"We are in love." She looked over at Dixon, who immediately pinched a smile onto his face and nodded a couple of times.

"Absolutely," he said after he swallowed his food.
"Love… and all that."

Gillian still didn't believe them. "I guess what I don't understand," she began, twirling her fork filled with spaghetti as she spoke, "is how you could be in love with Code Blue after all this time and not tell me. You know I would have kept your secret, Gem. I may not quite have understood why you were in love him, although he is handsome, but I wouldn't say anything to him."

"I know," Gemma said, her brown eyes pleading with Gillian's. "I know, and I'm sorry, Gillian. Really, I am."

"It was my fault,"
Dixon said, cutting her off. She had no idea why he was helping her, but she was glad he decided to step in right then.  Even if it was difficult to understand what he was saying. "I told her that in order to protect my job and my standing with her father, I didn't want anyone to know about us until we were certain he would let the two of us get married."

Gemma stared at him in awe for a long moment, up until the point that
Dixon met her eyes with his. They looked at each other if only for a few seconds, before Gemma looked away and nodded at her friend, as though she was confirming Dixon's story.  A light breeze picked up her hair and she leaned back against the metal café chair.

"If you say so," Gillian sa
id finally.  Gemma knew she was unsatisfied with everything but she would be the first person Gemma explained everything to once this whole ordeal was over.

"Hey Gill," Gemma said, a mischievous smile touching her lips. "There was another reason why we asked you to come to lunch with us." She bit her bottom lip before exchanging a glance with
Dixon. He couldn't help but grin back in return; she looked so excited. "How would you like to be my Maid of Honor?"

"So how long have you known Gillian, exactly?" Dixon asked once they were back in the car and heading to the photography studio. He was actually interested in Gemma's answer due to the fact that the two genuinely seemed close. They ran away together, for goodness' sake, and now, Gillian would be Gemma's Maid of Honor at this fake wedding.

Surprisingly enough, Gemma didn't question his motives concerning the question. Instead, a soft, nostalgic smile touched her features, and for a moment,
Dixon realized she actually looked pretty. She, of course, was very attractive, but he hadn't thought she could look so… serene.

"Second grade," she told him, completely unaware of his eyes on her profile. "We were both at the same elementary school and all the school kids teased her because back then, she had bright red-orange hair, you know? I mean, it's still kind of that way now, but it was even more so when she was younger. I was the only kid who was nice to her because I adored her red hair. When I was younger, I wanted her red hair. She was the only kid at our school with it and I thought it was very pretty." She grinned and glanced over at
Dixon, who currently had an enigmatic expression on his chiseled face. "And since then, we've been inseparable." She paused for a moment, chewing her bottom lip as though she was unsure whether or not to ask him a question. "What about you? Do you have a best friend? I mean," she continued, blushing furiously. "Of course you have a best friend, but –"

Dixon
chuckled at her stumble over words, and she looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asked, completely appalled at such a notion.

Dixon couldn't exactly answer because he was still laughing, but managed to nod his head a couple of times. Goodness, he couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like this, and he would never have expected he would do so because of Gemma Harrison.

"You know what?" she asked, clearly embarrassed.
"Fine. Laugh at me. I'm sorry I was interested in your best friend. You probably don't even have a best friend because you're such an asshole."

Instead of deterring
Dixon with her words, they seemed to further his laughter to the point that he started turning red and it was harder for him to catch his breath. Though Gemma clearly wasn't enjoying her current situation, she felt her lips involuntarily twitch up, as though her face was preparing itself for her own laughter. But Gemma reacted in time, biting down on her bottom lip in order to prevent herself from doing so.

Note: Code Blue has contagious laughter
when
he laughs.

---

"Ah yes, Mister Black and Miss Harrison," the woman, Beth, at the desk said before shooting the couple a bright smile. "You're right on time for your appointment. Everything should be set up so if you would go behind door number one, your photographer, Drew, will be waiting for you. Have fun, and congratulations."

The photography studio was small, tucked away in a high-end business plaza.  There were only two seats available in the waiting room, and bride magazines the only reading material offered.  There were two doors, one to Beth’s left and one to her right. 
After the couple murmured their thanks, they looked around for a number one on a door. When they found it, Dixon opened it and allowed Gemma to pass through before following suit and letting the door shut behind them.

Surprising to both of them, Drew turned out to be a woman, and she smiled at the couple when she noticed their presence. She was wearing a white pantsuit, with smoky makeup enhancing her dark green eyes. Her strawberry blonde hair reached just past her shoulders, and a black cap was placed on top of her head. She was definitely in her thirties, and very pretty. Already, Gemma felt at ease with her, although
Dixon still seemed somewhat tense.

"Hi," Drew said, sticking out her hand. Gemma took it and returned her smile. "I'm Drew and I'll be your photographer today." She turned to
Dixon, and the two shook hands as well. "First, let me say congratulations on the nuptials. Are you guys excited?"

Gemma forced herself to look happy at the thought of marrying
Dixon. "Ecstatic," she said, and though Drew couldn't detect the hint of sarcasm in her voice, Dixon surely could, and he smiled cryptically at it.

"Great," Drew said, leading them in front of a beach-style background. "Well, I can already tell that the two of you have amazing chemistry. I mean, let's face it; two attractive people always seem to have this unexplainable passion that's totally unable to be seen but can surely be felt."

"And you feel that… between us?" Gemma asked doubtfully before shooting a look over at Dixon. He looked just as surprised as she was, and shrugged his shoulders, as though he didn't understand what Drew was saying either.

"Oh, of course!"
Drew exclaimed, her eyes taking in the couple. "To be honest, I don't feel it anymore with my clients. Actually, that's not true. It's just, I only feel it quite rarely. But with you guys, I can." She smiled brightly. "So. Are we ready to snap some shots?"

"As ready as we're ever going to be,"
Dixon murmured under his breath.

Though the comment went over Drew's head, Gemma heard it and hid a grin by pressing her lips together. Maybe Code Blue wasn't
so
bad.

---

It took longer than both Dixon and Gemma could ever have imagined. Drew, the self-appraised perfectionist, took probably one million shots of the couple in numerous poses, and that was only a slight exaggeration. What made the couple somewhat uncomfortable was the fact that in most of the pictures, touching was a requirement. It shouldn't have surprised them at all; these photos were supposed to look intimate, of course, but they had avoided all contact beforehand, and now they had to surpass personal boundaries and pretend to be completely enamored with each other.

Dixon
's hands were quite strong, Gemma had noticed. And yet, they were gentle. She could feel the strength in them, though. And, if she was being honest, her head fit quite perfectly on his shoulder. If she had to put a word to it, she felt
safe
with him. As though nothing bad could ever happen to her. Having him touch her wasn't as bad as she originally thought.

When it came to
Dixon, he was surprised by the whole ordeal as well. He had noticed just how petite she was, especially when it concerned her height compared to his, but he didn't realize just how fragile she could be. He felt this unfamiliar desire to protect her course through his body. And when her hand cupped his face in one of the shots, he felt paralyzed if only for a moment. She had soft skin, contrasting greatly with his own rough flesh. The feeling was not unpleasant.

It was four thirty when they were finished. Now it was time to look through the zillions of shots before deciding on three to use in the wedding. Drew disappeared for a moment in order to fetch refreshments for her and her clients.

"We both have to agree on the pictures," Gemma told Dixon.

He nodded in agreement. "And they have to look authentic," he added, "as though we really are in love."

"Of course," Gemma said, nodding her head.

It took another hour and a half before the couple found the three pictures they wanted, but once they had, they were both completely satisfied with their choices.
Oddly enough, they seemed to like the same ones so there weren't any arguments.

About the pictures, at least.

The first picture the two of them had agreed on was with a meadow-like background. Gemma was standing so her face was towards the camera while her body was at an angle, almost as though it was a profile shot of her body. She was looking at something off-screen, and her blonde hair was down and slightly messy. A smile eclipsed her face, but it wasn't forced; rather, it was simple and fit the picture. Dixon's backside was facing the camera, as though he was looking for something in the background. However, though the two were facing two different directions, they were holding hands, connected. A bright light peaked through the trees, illuminating the two.

The second picture the couple chose used the beach background this time. Their bodies were pressed closely against each other, with
Dixon's right arm wrapped around her waist and his hand pressed against the small of her back. His face was hidden by hers, as though he was telling her a secret. Gemma's head was tilted up and she had a brilliant smile on her face, seemingly laughing at whatever it was he was saying. Her right arm was wrapped underneath his own, so that her palm pressed on his shoulder, pulling him closer to her than she thought possible.

The final picture the couple picked out was simpler than the other two. They were both barefoot and sitting down. Gemma was sitting in between
Dixon's legs, her back resting against his chest. They were both looking at the camera, smiling softly, as though content with everything in their life. The beach background was used here as well, except the water was clearly seen, and the setting sun rested just behind them. Dixon's arm coiled around Gemma's waist, while his other arm rested on his bent knee. Both of Gemma's hands rested firmly on Dixon's forearm.

As the couple studied them, they both came to the conclusion that if it was anyone else, they might actually believe that the people in the photos were actually in love.