Chapter Text
Immediately, Ramona knows something is wrong. She's walking towards Little Gem and it looks…closed. All of the lights are off and she can't see anyone inside. On any given day, the dinner rush is something to behold, but today is Valentine's day. The line should at least be out the door, she thinks.
When Oona had told her to meet her at Little Gem, she had initially protested. Hard. Sitting in crowded restaurant surrounded by strangers while everyone tried to eavesdrop on your conversation? It was a hard pass for her. But Oona had insisted, had peppered her face with kisses, had used her best 'please' face with her beautiful green eyes, and whispered, "trust me" into Ramona's ear. That was what changed her mind, other than feeling Oona's breath on the shell of her ear and involuntarily shivering, was Oona's plea to trust her.
It took them a long time to get on the right path in their relationship after everything that happened three summers ago, but they've both put the work into their relationship and themselves, thanks to a fancy therapist each, payed for by Steven. Ramona never thought she'd be the type of girl to enjoy a holiday like Valentine's Day, but then again, she'd never thought she would be dating her best friend.
She walks up to the front entrance of Little Gem and pulls on the door, expecting it to be locked. To her surprise, it swings open easily. Ramona is right: there's no overhead lights on inside, but tens of hundreds of candles are grouped around the space. There's so many she's surprised the building is not on fire, but it's just a warm, comforting glow of yellow light. The tables have been cleared except for one in the center of the floor, adorned with two additional candles and a white tablecloth.
Instead of her girlfriend, Annie stands in the middle of the room, beautiful in a navy blue dress and looking extremely pleased with herself.
"You're not my date," Ramona says.
"I know," Annie replies, bounding over to her like a baby deer and hugging her. "I just had to see your reaction. You look beautiful, by the way."
"Thanks. You too," Ramona says into her hair.
There's a noise in the back like a door being shut and then Oona's there in front of her, looking incredible, and Ramona forgets how to breathe for a second. She has on baggy pants, a fitted white shirt, complete with an oversized denim jacket with the sleeves rolled up. Her usual silver jewelry finishes off the look, rings glinting in the soft light.
"Hi, gorgeous." Oona is beaming at her. "Wanna sit down?"
Oona pulls Ramona's chair out for her before sitting down in her own. The next moment, Sully and Connor come walking out, holding various glasses and ceramic dinnerware, and start to set up the table between the two of them. Sully is wearing his usual blue apron but a cute top/skirt combo underneath and Connor is wearing dress pants—Ramona didn't think he owned any pairs—and a printed tuxedo graphic tee. He turns and she sees a red tulip behind his ear.
When Sully starts to pour them each a glass of wine, Ramona becomes increasingly bewildered. "I'm sorry. What's happening right now? Why are you guys here?"
"Well, I knew you probably didn't want to do like a typical Valentine's day experience with all those people around us so I asked Sully if I could rent out Little Gem so we could do our own dinner, just us." Oona looks at her, her eyebrows creasing together. Ramona has known her long enough that she's nervous. "Do you like it?"
The truth is, Ramona could probably cry right now if she thinks about it any longer. "Yeah, I do. Just—how did it happen?"
"Perks of being nepo baby, bitch," Sully laughs and sticks his tongue out.
"Annie actually helped me plan it. I've actually never looked at that many PowerPoints in my life, " Oona says.
"It's what I do best," Annie flips her hair over one shoulder with mock attitude. She hands them both printed menus. "Okay, I do have to run because I'm meeting with Ellis in fifteen minutes, but have so much fun. Sully can cook you whatever ever you want and Connor is your de facto waiter for the night. I love you both so much." She kisses them each on the tops of their heads and then is out the door in a flurry.
"At your service," Connor does a bow that's ridiculously low and tells them he'll be back to take their orders in a few minutes. Sully pulls out a small vase out of nowhere and deposits another red tulip into it before turning around and walking away with Connor.
"You're incredible," Ramona tells Oona as soon as the boys are out of earshot. She drags her chair over to Oona's side of the table. She'd be so annoyed if she saw a couple in public doing what they're doing, but it's fine because Oona loves her. Their hands find each other and their fingers link easily. "You always make me feel so loved."
She'll deny it, but Ramona knows Oona is blushing. "I'm glad, baby. I love you so much."
Ramona leans against Oona to finally kiss her. It turns heated fairly quickly once Ramona slides her hand in between Oona's jacket and her shirt and Oona's tongue slips into her mouth. Her hand twists in the fabric, anchoring herself.
Oona hums and she can feel the vibrations on her lips. "Wanna get out of here?"
She laughs. "Good try." She gives Oona a consolatory kiss since she's pouting. "I wanna see what Sully comes up with for us."
"Fine, later, I guess."
Ramona gives her one more kiss, a hard press of her lips against Oona's, that's full of heat. She looks into Oona's eyes, sparkling in the dim light. "I hope that's a promise."