Welcome to Baker Street

92. (In)decent proposal

Giulia wipes off a solitary tear with the back of her hand and takes a deep breath, coming to her senses.

The sorrow of the past stays in the past. The happiness of today is not promised for tomorrow, she whispers to herself. This is her golden survival rule against the resurfacing of painful memories. It works for everything: her parents' death, Luca's betrayal, her rejection of Thomas' feelings, and the loss of his friendship. The sorrow of the past stays in the past... Forever.

She heads back to the living room and plunges on the sofa, stealing a glance at Sherlock. A part of her thinks he was right about warning her against affection: caring is an unforgivable weakness. Another part of her being, though, hopes that he is, in fact, wrong and that he will come to realise it soon enough.

Giulia shifts her gaze on the coffee table and breaks the ice with a new topic.

"Oh, two tickets for the exhibition A Night with the stars at the Hickman Gallery. Now we know where John is taking his date tonight."

Sherlock looks confused at her. "A date? What are you talking about?"

He is bewildered. Does she really want to start a random conversation with him now?

"It wasn't difficult to guess. John has been texting a lot lately, definitely more frequently than usual, often smiling at the screen. Second clue: he has changed his aftershave. Actually, he shaved this very morning, and when he came home from work one hour ago (slightly earlier than normal), he went straight into the shower. He told me not to count him for dinner, so he is clearly having a date at the museum tonight." She points at the tickets in front of them.

Sherlock looks baffled at her quick recovery from a painful stroll down memory lane but plays along. He nods at her deductions and sits back in his armchair, resting his chin on his folded hands.

"Why would he choose such a place, in your opinion?"

"Because with women, John likes to play it safe. A museum is a pretty convenient location for two people that have just started dating; the works on display provide for several conversation starters while also allowing for some contemplative moments. It can easily mask those little pauses of awkward silence that are quite inevitable between two that are just getting to know each other. But there's more. Apparently, he chose an astronomic exposition: quite a smart move, considering that most people think starry nights are a romantic setting."

"And you disagree?" he draws his tentative inference from her choice of words.

She shrugs. "To be accurate, considering light speed and distance of the observable celestial bodies, when we gaze at the night sky, what we are really doing is just looking at the way things were in the past, many years ago. Trivially, stargazing is the same as reading a history book. I love history, but I certainly don't find it romantic."

He raises a brow. "Interesting. Do you have any more of your maverick thoughts about romanticism?" he teases her.

"I detest receiving flowers. I find that the Christian association of red roses with martyrdom clashes a bit with the sentimental value usually associated with them. Wouldn't you agree?" she sneers sarcastically, then adds, "Not to mention that another traditional romantic gesture—presenting a woman with a diamond ring to seal the commitment of engagement—dates back to a De Beers Company's advertisement in the '40s. A powerful diamond mining corporation coined the phrase 'A diamond is forever', and now every time we see a diamond, wedding bells start playing in our heads. Great marketing strategy, though," she says, relaxing her back against the cushions.

She isn't against romanticism per se. She simply never thought she would conform to romantic traditions. She can't even take a compliment without replying with a snarky comment to defuse the tension, let alone be courted properly.