Chapter 22
Elena
I throw the last stack of papers of expired or misprinted contracts in the bin and finally call it a day.
Who even keeps junk in their drawers. There is a paper bin for a reason.
Today might have been the most productive day I have ever had at work and I even got to finish my work early.
At around two in the afternoon, I noticed how messy Gabriel’s drawers were and I misted them all out and created order in the white wooden desk of his. It was such a weird conversation when I asked him if I could clean out his desk but he didn’t say no so I just told him to go to my office to finish his work until I am done.
I am done exactly an hour and twenty-two minutes later and I have never felt better about cleaning.
And the fresh smell of lime that I used to wipe down the colour on the inside gives the office a new fresh smell.
“Done!” I exhale as I jump on my feet and blow away the hair that fell from my messy bun and tuck it behind my ear. A bright smile creeps on me as he stands at the door and shakes a head at my silliness.
“You didn’t have to do that, love.” he says and he walks to his desk, inspecting the first drawer and he seems impressed by his facial expressions.
“It was a mess Gabriel. I couldn’t just leave it be. How can you just live with such a mess?”
“I’m too busy to care about the drawers.”
“I can tell. These drawers looked like you stuck them in a dumpster, pulled them out and only cleaned the outside. It was so messy.”
“No one looks inside them.”
“Anyone could. If I saw them from metres away can you imagine how many others can see that too.”
“No one. You just have an eye for chaos.”
“I would say I have an eye for cleaning.” I smile awkwardly and he just shakes his head in disapproval. I shrug my shoulders at him and he just steps closer and gives me a small kiss on the side of my head. I stand starstruck there, the words stuck at the back of my throat.
“Door.” He mumbles and I look at the door and there is a girl standing. She strolls to us with a fake smile - or at least it looks like one and hugs Gabriel. I take a step back and I will not lie that this spikes up a sense of jealousy in me.
“Hey Nicole. What are you doing here?” He asks the rather young girl who walked in his office with a gazillion shopping bags in her arms. Her brown fair hair is curled and goes all the way to her waist with multiple layers in them and curtain bangs framing her slim face.
She is wearing a pair of low waist wide leg jeans and a long black sleeve crop top to show off her skinny stomach.
“Who is she?” She looks over his shoulder over to me and I just smile and awkwardly wave at her.
“Right. Nicole, this is my fiancé Elena.” He introduces me and goosebumps rise up my skin. Still weird being someone’s fiancé. “Elena, this is my sister Nicole.” Holy shit.
“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you.” She says and stretches her hand out for me to take.
I shake her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet another sibling of Gabriel’s. Sorry if I just stumbled onto you like this.” I point at myself. The drawers look perfect but now I am the mess.
“You are all good. I just didn’t know my brother was engaged.”
“You didn’t?” I ask her.
“Stop messing around, Nicole.” He warns her.
“Obviously I am just trying to lighten the mood, old grump.” She insults him and pats his cheek. I laugh at their sibling dynamic.
I could never tell that she is Gabriel’s sister. She looks nothing like him or Charles. Only resemblance they have are the blue eyes.
“And you can also drop the fake act.”
“What?” Gabriel asks her.
“Did you really believe Charles will keep his mouth shut. He has the mouth to gossip and he will take the chance to do it whenever he can.” Nicole says and Gabriel rolls his eyes at his sister.
“I knew I should have kicked him out of the room.” He exhales.
“I would have loved to see the begging that Charles mentioned so briefly. I would have bugged you with that for the rest of your life.”
“You are already doing that.” He taunts and a short laugh breaks out of me. I close my mouth and try to keep myself from laughing. “Why are you here, Nicole?”
“I wanted to meet your fiancé.” She says and her gaze moves to me and I grow nervous under her glare. She is a little taller than me. “She is pretty.”
I smile at her compliment.
“And definitely an upgrade from Mio. No offence to her but her bitchy personality made her ugly.” She comments.
“Let’s not mention her.” He says and turns her around to guide her out of the room. They keep their talking in a hushed tone. I can barely decipher what they are saying.
“Fine fine fine. I have to go anyway. You two have fun. I will see you at the airport later.” She winks at me and walks out of the door and disappears out of sight when Gabriel closes the door.
“Mio?” I ask him.
“My ex.”
“Really? Were you guys close?” I ask him because I definitely don’t want to be the person who destroyed their relationship with the kiss at the bar.
“No. My mother just loves her for some reason. Our relationship was purely physical.”
I raise my eyebrow at him and my lips part open. Physical. Isn’t that the same case for us because so far all we have done is only something to describe a physical relationship?
Minus the sex part but most of the time we have been physical.
Great. So that means I can throw whatever feelings I think had for him in the fucking bin because it is not worth it. He will probably put me aside too after a while just like Mio. Maybe that is the reason he asked for a fake relationship and not a real one because at least that way he doesn’t have to worry about hurting my feelings.
Great.
“Okay.” I click with my tongue, acting disinterested. “Your desk is done. I’ll be in the office. And I will see you when we have to leave.”
I leave before he can utter a word.
I am stupid. You know to think that maybe this could turn into something real with time. That’s how romance books go. Why not real life?
Maybe I wasn’t made for love.
But why did he give me so much hope when he visited my family?
***
I gulp down the rest of the water and throw the plastic bottle in the bin, the pill I just took slightly hurting my throat. Why make them so huge anyway? However, I had to gulp down that huge block of a pill because otherwise we would have had a puke show in the plane and no one needs that. Frankly, it’s disgusting and puking gives me anxiety. Better safe than sorry.
Even if I am sorry a lot of times but that is something I can’t stop so I won’t talk about it.
“Is your mother on the flight?” I ask him as he walks up to me as he just finished talking on the phone.
“She is already waiting for us there.”
“Great.”
“Why is that great?” he asks me in an offended tone and I think that might have offended him but oh well, I do care but I am going to act like I don’t.
“Because that means we don’t have to act like a lovey-dovey engaged couple for the next two hours and we can actually be ourselves. Which I would prefer by the way.” I give him a shy smile when I look over my shoulder to him and he looks at me with a confused expression.
I shrug my shoulders.
“And also, when is our flight coming because a, I don’t have my ticket and b, there is no flight to Venice on the board. Are we even at the right gate?”
“We are flying private?” he says as he questions his own answer.
My eyes widened. “Say what now?”
“My private jet.”
I take a moment to take in the information before I let out a loud squeal in the middle of the airport. “Say you swear.” I shake his shoulders and he laughs at me.
“I would never lie to you, my love.” He says and I let go of him and jump up and down like a child.
Oh my god.
I will be flying with a private jet for the first time in my life. I thought I could mark it off my bucket list on ‘what I want to do in life,’ but here I am doing it. I am living the dream that I never thought I could live and it is so weird to be doing all of it.
The very first thought to pop up in my mind is to text my mother. My mood falls when something clicks in my head. It doesn’t matter what travel plans I tell her and dad, they always are so happy for me but I always remind myself how they could never do that. Mum cannot travel for medical reasons and dad won’t travel without her. While I take a vacation back and forth, they never get to experience flying around the globe. They couldn’t afford it when they were younger to travel.
I pack my phone back away in the back pocket of my jeans and try to shake off the bad mood. I am doing this with them in my heart.
“You okay, love?”
“No.” I whisper in all honesty. “But hopefully I will be.”
“Anything I can do?” He asks in a soft tone. I always admired Gabriel for how soft spoken he is.
I take a moment to think. “Make this vacation memorable. I want to see it all. I am not sure if or when I will ever be back in Venice. Doesn’t hurt to experience the city before leaving.” I said to him, He gives me a warm smile.
“I plan on doing that without you having to tell me.”
“I know.”
Guilt pangs inside me and I start to feel bad how I have been ignoring him since the Mio comment about their relationship. It shouldn’t upset me this much. I knew and still know what I got myself into. Especially the night I kissed him again because I - a stupid idiot - thought I could go with a one- night stand without getting attached. I realised too late that I can’t and I was already too deep inside the water to get out. I am practically drowning now. That is how attached I got to Gabriel since that night.
However, for the sake of myself, my best option is to keep the bitch act - God I hate saying it like that - and protect myself from getting even more attached than I already am.
I spent the two hours of flight that we had taking up conversations with Nicole and she filled me in on all that I needed to know about this weekend and in general how their family vacation goes on.
Every now and then I tried to resist the urge to take a quick glance at him and every time I did, he was already looking.