THREE
O btaining a break from the reality of my life has been the best thing that's happened to me all year long. I couldn't often go on vacation because the nature of my job was high-pressure, extremely stressful, and demanding.
So when I finally got the opportunity to submit four weeks' worth of annual leave, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I worked as an events coordinator for a well-known events company in New York, which meant that every single week, we were busy with a project.
Even though my vacation consisted of me assisting my best friend with her dream wedding, it was less strenuous than any other event I've ever handled.
Not only because I've known her for almost half of my life, but because she was the kind of person who was always understanding of any situation. She knew exactly what my professional role entailed, hence the reason she allowed me to take full control of the event.
Some people would say that she was a pushover, but I knew her better than anyone else did. She was just empathetic and considerate of everyone else's feelings, which meant she often placed everyone else's needs above her own.
The wedding turned out to be better than I could've ever imagined, and while preparing everything for her special day, I had more than enough extra time to explore Cabo.
Nicolas randomly crossed my mind throughout the day, but I quickly rid myself of the thoughts of him. Even though the dance we shared was imprinted into my memory.
The last thing I needed right now was to get involved with a man, even if he was the sexiest man I've laid my eyes on. Besides, there was something dark about him.
I could tell just by looking into those grey eyes that there was much more to him, bubbling beneath the surface. My hands were full as is, so I saved myself from a potential entanglement…Despite the words he uttered to me at the wedding reception. I honestly didn't think he'd be there. Out of every single person Kayden could've been friends with, it just had to be him.
"Thank you again for everything, the wedding was perfect, Gabriella." Kehlani wrapped her arms around me, squeezing my body while resting her face on my shoulder. "I'm probably never going to stop thanking you."
I mimicked her actions, hugging her back while pouting. Seeing someone I cared about happy made me experience a rush of emotions. Emotions I didn't really know how to deal with, so I'd often make use of humour to mask them.
"You're welcome, babe. I'm just glad you liked my vision because I was extremely stressed." She removed her head from my shoulder and looked at me, tears running down her cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
"It's tears of joy. Honestly, wedding planning isn't for the faint of heart, but you made the entire process so pleasurable and memorable for me."
We walked back to our hotel after having lunch at a fine dining-restaurant in the busier part of town. "That makes me so happy. One of the most heartwarming moments ever is to hear your hard work paid off. I'm honoured that you chose me to assist with your special day."
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't have asked anybody else. Even if you studied for your law degree instead and your career path was completely different from the one you're currently on, I would've still asked you to handle all of my events." She smiled at me. "When it comes to planning and organisation, you're exceptional at it."
I placed my palm across my heart. "Oh my God, stop," I said playfully. "You're tugging on my heartstrings, but I'm just so pleased that you were happy with everything—"
"Gabriella and Kehlani." That deep, smouldering voice had me stopping mid-sentence. Kehlani and I were a few feet away from the hotel at this point. I turned around to be met with those same eyes I couldn't stop staring into on two different occasions.
My jaw fell slack, but I clamped my mouth shut and cleared my throat.
"Hey, Nick," she greeted while walking up to the man and hugging him.
"Hey, Mrs. Sato." He smiled at her. "How does it feel to be married?"
She chuckled and we began walking again. The fact that he joined us could only mean one thing—he was staying in the same hotel. The universe really was just messing with me at this point .
"It feels amazing, though you friend is already beginning to annoy me," she teased.
"I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen," he joked. "Speaking of which, why is your friend always in such a hurry to leave?" He gestured at me and my eye twitched at the sheer audacity. "Whenever I see her, she's always running away."
I side eyed him and grimaced, but looked away, not wanting Kehlani to see the effect he had on me.
"Oh don't mind Gabriella, she's just a little shy." She looked over at me with a smirk. "Seeing that she's here now, I'll give the two of you some privacy."
"Kehlani," I said sternly, but she shrugged.
"Kayden's waiting for me, thank you for lunch. I'll speak to you later." She wasted no time, speed walking away from us. I looked at her in disbelief and pursed my lips.
"At least act like you're happy to see me," he said playfully. But I wasn't having it.
"I pride myself on honesty, I wouldn't want to give you false hope." He chuckled softly at that. The sound shouldn't have sent tingles through my body, but it did, and I hated every second of it.
"That's rude." He feigned hurt. "Does your best friend know how disrespectful you are when you've got the time?"
"I don't know, why don't you leave me alone and go share the information with her?" The man only stared at me with a dark glint in his eyes.
"Ouch," he said nonchalantly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Have you thought about my offer?"
"I'm not interested." I picked up the pace, wanting to get away from him because I could feel my restraint hanging by a thread.
"Are you always in such a rush?" I could hear him behind me, and without glancing back, I knew he was following me. My skin felt like it was on fire, most likely because the spawn of Satan was watching me.
"Are you always so persistent? It's annoying." I heard him chuckling behind me as I strolled inside the vicinity. I couldn't get to the elevator fast enough and as expected he was right behind me.
I pushed the button, waiting for the lift to open. Nicolas stopped right beside me and it felt like déjá vu . "Look at that," he said. "We're even staying in the same hotel."
"Really?" I asked sarcastically as I turned to look at him. "I don't care."
His eyes lingered on me for a few seconds before he focused on the elevator that was taking extremely long to reach the ground floor.
"I don't know if your attitude is infuriating or turning me on." The lift opened with a ding and a group of teenagers stumbled out of it.
Meanwhile, I stood there with my jaw on the floor and my eyes wide. There's no way those words came out of this man's mouth. Absolutely no way, I simply refused to believe it.
I must've been gobsmacked by his crude comment that I didn't realize I was disassociating. "Are you coming or should I leave you down here to daydream?"
His voice snapped me out of my reverie and I finally looked up at him, frowning when the realization of his words hit me yet again.
I didn't want to get into that elevator with him, which meant I had one of two options. I'd either get in and deal with the deafening silence in the confined space or I'd stay put and wait another five minutes like an idiot for the lift to come back down.
In any other circumstances, I would've opted for the latter, but today my patience wore thin so I chose the first option. Reluctantly, I stepped inside the tiny space .
The smell of his cologne made my head spin, it smelt so delicious. An aromatic, aquatic fragrance with the top notes being bergamot and sea notes. The scent already haunted me just like I knew it would, now I was being surrounded by it yet again.
I gulped, feeling claustrophobic next to his enormous, muscular frame. "I bet we're on the same floor." My eyes drifted to the button that glowed. Number five. It was my damn floor.
I backstepped until my lower back hit the handrail. Nicolas smirked and God I've never wanted to sucker punch someone more than I did right now. He acted as if he hadn't said the most absurd statement a few seconds ago.
"Funny how I've been here for a week, yet I haven’t seen you aside from the wedding," I muttered.
"You'll only see me if I want to be seen."
"You sound like a walking red flag."
"Last time I checked, women really love red flags, so I don't see how that's a problem."
The doors opened and I breathed a sigh of relief. Lord knows I couldn't spend another second in there with him. "Where on Earth did you get that misinformation?"
I stepped out of the small space and stalked toward my room. I tossed my hair over my shoulder, feeling his eyes bore into the back of my head.
He clicked his tongue, the sound unnerving me. "It's not misinformation, it's astute observations." His laugh travelled down the hallway, and it shouldn't have increased the level of serotonin in my body, but it did.
I was inches away from my door, my hand lingering close to the handle when I turned around. I moved slowly, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Is that so?" He nodded, leaning against the wall with both hands in his pockets .
"Yeah."
"Perhaps you're confusing observation with delusion, that's concerning."
"I like my women with a sense of humour and you've got that down to a tee." It's like he was purposely trying to get a rise out of me.
"And I like my men better when they go straight to Hell."
He laughed again, flashing his white teeth. My skin itched, I've never felt this irritated with somebody I just met. "If I go to Hell, I'll drag you with me."
I scoffed, opened my room door, and then slammed it shut in his face. Something told me he was probably laughing at the ordeal. Damn clown.