They left a little while later, Noah's stomach aching from his laughing fit and the muscles in his cheeks sore. He found himself happier than he had been when they first arrived, and at first he couldn't figure out why.
He soon realized; he no longer was sad when he thought of the place. He used to think upon the 46th floor with nostalgic sadness, remembering his mother and his wasted childhood. But after that night, he only associated Gemma and their laughter with the apartment.
He opened the car door for her, and then walked around to get into the driver's seat.
"Where are we going next?" She asked eagerly, curiosity shining in her eyes.
He looked at her for a long moment, before deciding. "Somewhere really, really strange."
She tilted her head in minor confusion and wonder, a faint mona lisa type smile on her lips.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, and at 1:10 in the morning, they arrived at a small shop, sunken beneath the city sidewalk with a brick staircase leading down to its front door.
"Let's see if they're still open." He lead her down the steps, and to her growing excitment, the lights were on. He pushed open the door, holding it open for her as he followed her inside. The store was filled with Lucky Cats, their paws swinging and eyes unseeing. It was more creepy than strange, but she could see what he meant.
"Seb?" He called, and a younger, teenage boy rounded the corner.
"Noah?" He asked incredulously. "It's one in the morning, what the fuck are you doing here?"
"I'm giving my girl a tour of the city."
My girl.
"Ah, I see. Well my dad's asleep, but I'll be here if you need anything."
"Thanks, bud." Noah said, ruffling his hair. Seb rolled his eyes, but hinted a smile. Noah turned back to her, flashing her a sly grin, and pulled her into one of the aisles.
"Noah," She whispered, because it was one of those places where they didn't need to whisper, but still did, as if on instinct, "Why are we here?"
"For luck."
"You are insane."
"How many lucky cats do you want?"
"That suggests I want more than one."
"Yes it does."
"Why would I want more than one?!" She exclaimed, raising her voice a bit. He chuckled at her perplexed expression, and was about to respond when Seb called from behind the counter.
"Please refrain from baby making, at least while I'm here."
Gemma flushed red, and Noah burst out laughing.
"Wh-What makes you think we'd be having sex?" Gemma asked him.
"Why would I want more than one?" Seb mimicked, and Noah doubled over in laughter once again. Gemma found herself laughing as well, despite her annoyance.
"You dirty-minded little Bastard, Seb, Lucky cats! More than one lucky cat!" Noah shouted, catching his breath, "Get your mind out of the gutter."
Seb, with a smug look and a grin set upon his lips, returned to looking at his phone. "Very well then, carry on."
Noah shook his head slightly in amused disbelief, before meeting Gemma's eyes once again.
"I'm buying."
"A date in a Lucky Cat store . . . Because of everything I've ever experianced, life still had to get stranger." She declared with a smile, letting out a small breath of contentment. He pulled her to him, planting a sweet kiss upon her lips, before getting to his feet again. She followed suit, her eyes scanning over the many Lucky Cats.
A little while later, he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see him get down on one knee, holding the tiniest, most adorable lucky cat she'd ever seen.
"Gemma Summers, will you allow me to buy you this little handful of luck?"
She cupped her mouth in mock surprise and whispered, "Yes, Noah, yes! A thousand times yes!"
He stood again and kissed her, as if to make it final. As their mouths were inches apart, she noted, "We are the strange ones, aren't we?"
"If you stay in this shop long enough, you tend to be."
"I know, but you just fake proposed to me with a plastic cat."
"Yeah, maybe you're right. We're weird." He smiled, "Let's just buy the cat and get out of here, before we're permanently strange."
"Heh, too late." She giggled, and he grinned.
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Sip by Sip
العاطفية(Lowercase intended on cover) "The simple things in life are never meaningful, and the meaningful things in life are never simple. So maybe I don't want meaningful. Maybe I just want someone who cares enough to listen." Gemma Summers and Noah Han...
