Rings

I Just Miss You

"I wish I could come with you," Maya said sweetly as she watched Carina pack for the big medical conference she was attending in Chicago.

"The next one! I know this is an important week for you at work. I wouldn't ask you to miss it."

"But this is an important thing for you too. I want to be there."

"It's okay, Amore. There will be other conferences." Carina looked up from her packing to see puppy dog eyes being made at her. "It's only three days; we can manage."

"You're going to call me a bunch, right?"

"Yes, of course," Carina smiled as she held Maya's chin with her thumb and index finger. "You know you could call me too."

"Yeah, but I don't know when you are going to be busy or tired."

"Your work is more unpredictable than my planned out event!"

Maya went to defend her point more, but her alarm went off, saying it was time to leave for work soon. Instinctively she pulled off her ring and went to give it to Carina. The two stared at the shining gold for a moment.

"I don't have to take it with me if you don't want me to."

"I like knowing you have it on when I'm working. But I want it back when I get home."

"Yeah, but we can't do that right now." Maya looked up at Carina with her big blue eyes, waiting for Carina to come up with something. "Here," Carina held out her hand, asking for the ring.

"Are you taking it with you?"

"Is that okay?"

"I guess."

"Good, because I like having it too." Carina slipped the ring on her right hand then quickly wrapped her arms around Maya's shoulders. "Plus, I can make sure you don't try anything while I'm gone and wear it to work, or just forget you have it on, and then I come home to you missing fingers."

"Fine, but you have to video call me a lot to make sure it is okay."

"Just the ring?"

"You too, of course. Just... I sound dumb, but sometimes I need extra love when you aren't around, so I play the ring and think about how much we love each other, and it helps. It almost feels like you are there with me."

"That is really cute." Carina leaned in for a tender kiss. "Are you sure you are okay with me taking it? We will both be away from you for a few days."

"Yeah, I think I will be fine. You better call me a lot to reassure me, though."

Each of the three mornings Carina was gone, Maya woke up to a text from Carina telling her to have a good day and how proud she was of her and a selfie showing her the ring was safe, along with Carina's itinerary for the day.

Maya laughed at each picture, appreciating that Carina was playing along with her quirk even if the pictures were only a joke. At least Maya got to see her ring was truly doing okay far away. But Maya's favorite part of each picture was seeing the glowing smile on Carina's face. She had the best smile, but with the morning sun shining on her face and the teasing nature of the pictures, she looked radiant.

Seeing Carina had twenty minutes until her last presentation before getting on a plane and coming home, Maya facetimed her wife. She was buzzing with excitement when Carina answered on the first ring.

"How's my baby?" Maya asked before Carina got a chance to say anything.

"I'm so tired, but I'm excited to come home to you tonight." Carina was lying on the hotel bed with her hair spread out all around her.

"I meant my ring but thanks for the update."

Carina shot up at Maya's words, "wow, here I was thinking my wife was checking up on me." She clutched her hand to her heart, pretending to be hurt while giving Maya her best pouty face.

"I'm kidding. I am excited for you to be home too. I've missed you."

"You're not just saying that to get the ring back?"

"No, I want my wife back in my arms; they have been empty for days."

Carina got quiet, watching Maya on her phone. She couldn't wait to be wrapped up in Maya's arms again. Carina was tempted to skip the closing ceremony altogether and head to the airport now, but she couldn't.

"What are you looking at? Do I have drool on my face or something?"

"No, I was just looking at your gorgeous face and thinking about how much I love you."

Maya's heart melted a little as the tone of the call changed. She tried to keep the call light and airy to stop herself from missing Carina more than she already was. But now, Carina pulled them to that space she was trying to avoid.

"I love you too. I can't wait until you are home," Maya smiled.

"So you get your ring back."

"No, I just miss you."

The way Maya spoke tugged at Carina's heart. Even though it was only three days, it felt like when Carina had to go back to Italy to wait for her visa. Carina was never one for long-distance relationships, and these few days of only being able to interact with Maya through facetime and emojis just reminded her of that.

She knew she had to turn down the offer of running the OB department in Chicago right then. Carina got the offer just the day before, and she honestly thought she would talk to Maya about it. But seeing the longing in Maya's eyes and wanting to be nowhere but wrapped up in Maya's strong arms Carina knew she couldn't leave Seattle without Maya ever again.