audrey (bidabble) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-02-23 07:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, groot |
Who: Gabe and Audrey
When: Late November
Where: Various jewelry stores
What: Engagement ring shopping!
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete
Audrey was super excited for Nina and Gabe. If Gabe was buying a ring it meant that the pair of them were ready to step into the next phase of their lives. Together. It definitely meant a wedding and moving in together, possibly a new house? And maybe it meant babies and all that stuff, too.
She was eager to help him figure out what Nina might like so far as jewelry was concerned, and took an hour off work to meet up with him at the first jewelry store on their list.
Gabe was grateful to Rick for letting him be able to also leave the shop early to do this. Gabe had pretty much been ready to pop the question for months but was unsure about how to go about it. He'd asked Merlin's advice which in turn had led to the suggestion that Audrey help him out since she and Nina were best friends. It sounded like a solid plan. Now here he stood, standing as inconspicuously as possible near the jewelry store as he waited for Audrey, casting glances about as if somehow Nina might magically appear and catch him in the act.
Audrey pulled open the door and rushed over to meet up with Gabe. She gave him a quick hug in greeting. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” She said, beaming brightly up at him. “I can’t believe we’re doing this! I mean, I can. I can believe we’re doing this. But it’s still super exciting! Do you have ideas? Have you started looking yet?”
Gabe chuckled and smiled down at his friend after giving her a quick hug. “I've been stalling the salesman for a couple minutes. Didn't wanna start without you.” He'd cast curious glances at the cases less than ten feet away but resisted the temptation to look on his own. Gabe knew he'd get overwhelmed between the eager sales staff and just plain not knowing what was good enough for his Nina.
Audrey laughed. “You’re too much. Okay, let’s get this thing started, then. Call the salesperson over, and we’ll start looking.” She leaned against the glass case and took a look inside. She knew a lot of things about Nina, and would use that to her advantage. “Do you have ideas? What kind of cut you want, or what color?”
Gabe gave Audrey a look as if to say ‘Really? You do KNOW me right?’ and gave her a wry smile. “So long as it sparkles like a supernova and is diamond colored.” And he winked before getting the attention of a salesperson and rejoining her by the display case.
The salesman glided over and with a smile and velvety voice said, “Good afternoon, what can I help you with today?”
Gabe glanced at Audrey then at the man. “Um I'm looking for an engagement ring.”
The man smiled. “Congratulations!” He paused half a breath, looking at the two of them, “Would it be this lovely lady or…?”
Gabe looked shocked. “What? No! No no, she's my girlfriend's best friend. And she's married.”
Audrey burst into laughter. She shook her head and her hand at the employee. “No no, I’m just a friend. And the lucky lady’s my best friend, so I figure with him and me here we can find the best possible ring.” She leaned over to take a look in the case, still grinning to herself. Mostly at poor Gabe’s reaction. He was so on edge! If it was Merlin and Nina? They probably would have both laughed.
“Ah, sorry about that.” The salesman chuckled. “Well is there a particular cut or style you were looking for?”
Gabe looked over at Audrey helplessly, brown eyes wide with uncertainty. “I…” he looked at the rings. They all glinted brilliantly under the display case lighting. “I... don't…” Gabe shook his head. “I have no idea, man.” His brow furrowed a moment as he spotted a ring with a band of a unique color. “What's that one? Not the diamond but the band?”
“Ah, that's our meteorite engagement ring.” The salesman said cheerily, procuring it from the case before Gabe could stop him. “Gibeon meteorite is in the band, and the diamond is point five carats with smaller diamonds around it.” Gabe found the concept fascinating but frowned a bit as he turned to Audrey. “I dunno, neat concept but...Might remind her of…” He nearly forgot that they were in front of someone who didn't know Nina's moonlight biology. “Y'know.” He made a face as if to emphasize the secret.
“Gibeon meteorite?” Audrey asked. She figured that Gabe would know more about rocks and minerals than she did--after all, he worked with them more than she. “Does that mean… like, actually from outer space?” She added, turning to glance at Gabe before looking back over at the salesperson. That was absolutely fascinating. They made jewelry out of meteorites??
“Yep,” Gabe and the salesman both said at the same time. Gabe chuckled. “Thanks but uh, I think I’ll pass on that.” He didn’t like the cut anyway and wanted a bigger diamond. “Aud, you see anything?”
“What about this one?” Audrey asked, motioning toward a simple, white gold band with a large, square cut diamond in the center. “It’s simple. I think she might like the white gold, too. Don’t you?”
Gabe wasn’t sure. He had always had the impression engagement rings had to be fancy, but knew also that every woman was different in their tastes. A part of him wanted some sort of floral like scrollwork on the sides, but that was him. This was about Nina.
His brow scrunched deeply as he stooped over the glass case and peered at the ring. He shook his head and cruised around the case, staring at the other rings. Some of the bands were too gaudy with too many inlaid diamonds, some too plain and boring, and some nearly cost as much as his house it looked like. They inspected various rings in silver and gold and rose gold and traditional gold with this cut and that size diamond until he thought maybe he'd go blind from all the peering at the rings. Then a brilliant glint caught his attention from two rows left in the case he was stooping over. “Wait...what about this one?” His big finger pressed against the glass as it pointed. It was elegant, and in white gold as well, with a full carat diamond in the center and twisting contours with smaller diamonds set in the band. Gabe had never seen anything like it.
The salesman pulled out the ring and held it out for them to look at. Gabe looked over at Audrey, having a gut feeling this might be the one. But he needed to know from her for confirmation. “What do you think? Definitely unique.”
Audrey gave a little gasp at the sight of the ring, then turned to look at Gabe with a huge grin on her face. She could tell this was it. She could tell that he could tell this was it. It was a beautiful ring, and Audrey could just imagine Gabe giving it to Nina, and Nina wearing it for the rest of her life. The whole thing made her heart warm considerably, made her smile. She nodded. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Gabe. I think you’ve found it.”
He grinned his Groot grin, excitement gripping him. “I think so too. I'll take it.” He turned to Audrey and said with wide eyes and disbelief on his face, “Holy crap I'm buying an engagement ring.” A bright smile spread across his face and he picked up Audrey in a hug. After he set her down he said gratefully, “Thank you so much.”
Audrey grinned, eyes bright and excited. Then her grin turned into a laugh as he picked her up to hug her. She returned his hug, of course, and nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Anytime. Well, one time. Hopefully only the once.” She added, teasingly. “I’m so excited and happy for you! For both of you!” And she hugged him one more time.
Gabe laughed and hugged her back. He went over to the beaming salesman with the ring already packed away nicely and in a bag and paid for it. He then looped his arm through Audrey's and said, “All right, let's grab something to eat. My treat.”