Chapter 31
LAILA
‘It’s so lovely to finally meet you,’ Gabriel’s friend Cassie said as we stood in front of the stage that had been set up on the beach ready for the mystery celebrity performance.
‘Finally?’ I asked. ‘Have you been talking about me?’ I faced Gabriel.
‘A little.’ He placed his palm on the small of my back and I hated how much I loved it.
‘Gabriel told us that he is really enjoying spending time with you and now I can see why,’ Nico added. ‘You two are very good together.’
‘Oh, we’re not tog—’
‘I need to wee,’ Cassie jumped in. ‘Will you come with me, Laila?’
‘Er, yeah, course,’ I stuttered.
‘So are you enjoying yourself?’ Cassie asked.
‘You mean at the hotel, with Gabriel or just in general?’ I said as we weaved through the crowd and towards the main hotel building.
‘In general,’ she clarified.
‘So you didn’t ask me to come to the loo with you so you could suss me out?’
Cassie flashed a mischievous grin, like that was exactly why she’d asked me but didn’t care that I knew what she was up to.
‘Gabriel’s a big boy. He doesn’t need me to play the big sister role.’ She stepped into the ladies’ bathroom which of course was just as fancy as the rest of the hotel with white marble tiles and flooring and gold taps. ‘Anyway, Gabriel’s already told me and Nico loads about you.’ Her grin widened.
‘Like what?’ I frowned as she stepped into a cubicle and shut the door.
I didn’t think that I wanted to go to the loo, but now I suddenly felt the urge, so I went into the cubicle next to hers.
‘I know that you’re a smart, strong, intelligent woman, you raised your son single-handedly and you do voluntary work on top of holding down a full-time job, right?’
‘That’s right…’ My voice trailed off. When she said she knew stuff about me, I expected her to talk about where I lived, my age and the fact I worked in car insurance. Instead, she made me sound like some kind of superwoman who worked by day and did charity work by night.
‘It’s not that big a deal,’ I clarified.
It was nice that Gabriel said kind things about me, but I didn’t want Cassie to get the wrong idea.
‘I just help out once a week at a young mums’ support group.
I don’t really do much. Just listen if they need someone to talk or share my experiences.
I remember how lonely it felt raising my son alone, so I just try and do my best to make them feel supported and understood. ’
‘Don’t sell yourself short!’ Cassie said softly. I heard her toilet flush, the door open and the sound of the tap outside as she washed her hands. ‘I bet they’re so grateful for your advice.’
‘I don’t know that I’m qualified enough to give them advice.
I spent most of Ricky’s childhood thinking I was doing everything wrong.
And I think it’s important that I tell them that because most people don’t keep it real.
They only talk about the good parts. So I know they’re grateful for my honesty. ’
I joined Cassie at the sink and washed my hands before wiping them with one of the thick cotton flannels that were laid out. Yep. There were no cheap paper towels at this hotel. Wouldn’t surprise me if these flannels were pure Egyptian cotton.
‘I bet!’ Cassie and I stepped out of the toilet and headed back outside. ‘I used to do volunteer work at a retirement home. One of the residents there, Doris, who’s in her nineties, God bless her, is now one of our closest friends.’
‘I love that! I’m really fond of some of the mums at the group too. It’s hard not to get attached. I’ve even found myself offering to babysit so they can go for job interviews.’
If I wasn’t already convinced that I didn’t want any more kids before, then those few hours spent looking after two-year-old Elijah last month would’ve done the trick. It was worth it though when his mum, Dahlia, called a couple of weeks ago to say she got the job.
‘That’s amazing. I run a foundation that provides support, opportunities, scholarships and training to help disadvantaged people. I’d love to chat more about the stuff you do.’
‘Me?’ I frowned, then winced. Of course she meant me, I was just surprised that she’d be interested in my opinions. Imposter syndrome was real. ‘Course, yeah, I’d love that, thanks.’
‘Great! Next time you’re in Paris, we can have lunch. God,’ Cassie groaned. ‘That sounded so poncy! Let’s do lunch, daarrling!’ she purred in a fake posh accent and I laughed.
‘I know you didn’t mean it like that,’ I smiled.
‘Oh, thank God! When Nico and I first got together I always swore I wouldn’t become one of those ladies who lunched, so I had to make sure. We might be loaded, but I’m still Cassie from the block, or South London in my case.’ She chuckled.
Cassie was so easy to talk to and I felt comfortable around her.
‘Good timing,’ Nico said as we joined him and Gabriel. ‘I think the show is about to start.’
‘?a va?’ Gabriel whispered in my ear. I gave him a reassuring smile. It was sweet that he checked on me. Maybe he was also worried that Cassie would give me the Spanish inquisition.
‘All good,’ I said.
‘Ladies and gentlemen.’ Jasmine appeared on the stage.
‘Welcome to the official opening of the Love Hotel Riviera. Thank you for being here tonight. To mark this momentous occasion, we’re delighted that a very special star who was once a guest at the Love Hotel California where he met his soulmate has joined us this evening.
He opened the Love Hotel in Paris for us, and now it’s an honour to have him to open our latest French resort.
Please put your hands together for Jake Myers! ’
‘Oh my God!’ I said. I couldn’t believe the actual Jake Myers was here.
As he performed one of his biggest hits, Gabriel and I danced together. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shaken a leg. Yeah, I was guilty of shimmying around the kitchen or in the shower if a good tune came on the radio, but I mean, really danced. And in public.
Even though there were hundreds of people around us, it felt like Gabriel and I were just here alone, together.
When he twirled me around on the sand, I laughed so hard my belly hurt.
Especially when he dipped me backwards and it took me by surprise so I almost fell, but of course he caught me in his strong arms.
And when Jake sang some of his ballads, I slow danced with Gabriel and the feeling of resting my head on his chest was so calming.
Once Jake had performed multiple songs the stage went silent. It was only then that I became properly aware of our surroundings again. Cassie was standing in front of Nico and his arms were wrapped around her waist. Cassie was fanning herself so she must’ve been dancing as much as us.
I pulled out a pack of tissues, took one out to wipe my forehead then offered Cassie a fresh one.
‘Merci.’ Jake bowed. ‘It’s a real pleasure to be here.
As Jasmine said, I met the love of my life, Halle, when I was a guest at the resort in California.
We didn’t get on at first, but when we relaxed and let the hotel work its magic, we realised we’d been brought together for a reason and I’m so grateful that we were. Come on stage and say hi, baby.’
His girlfriend, who could easily pass for Halle Berry’s younger sister, came running on and waved at us, before Jake gave her a kiss and snaked his arm around her waist. The whole crowd cheered.
‘And I’m not the only one here tonight who was a former guest. I’d like to invite Stella and Max, who were guests at the first Love Hotel in Spain, onto the stage.’
Everyone gave the couple a round of applause. The lady had light brown skin and honey-coloured curls, and the guy had white skin and short dark hair. As they stood on the stage, he held his girlfriend’s hand.
‘Wow,’ she said. ‘I didn’t realise there’d be so many people here! Hi, I’m Stella and going to the Love Hotel Spain changed our lives.’
‘Hi, I’m Max. And like Jake said about when he met his partner Halle, it’s safe to say that me and Stell didn’t exactly get off to a good start when we saw that we’d been matched.’
‘Understatement of the century!’ Stella added. ‘He was my ex!’
The whole audience gasped.
‘If I’d been matched with my ex, I’d be horrified,’ I whispered to Gabriel, Nico and Cassie.
‘Are you now saying that you are happy that you were matched with your friend’s son instead?’ Gabriel’s mouth turned up into a cheeky smile.
‘I guess neither is ideal…’ I said diplomatically.
‘But the Love Hotel experts clearly knew what they were doing,’ Stella continued.
‘Amen!’ Cassie shouted then turned to face me. ‘You and Gabe are perfect together,’ she winked.
‘They really did,’ Max continued. ‘I’m so grateful that the hotel reunited us.’
Jake walked over to pick up his guitar and started playing another one of his famous ballads. Max dropped to one knee in front of Stella, then pulled a ring box out of his pocket. When he opened it, her mouth crashed to the ground before she brought her hands up to her face in shock.
‘Stella, you’re the love of my life,’ said Max.
‘I’ve wanted to do this for a while and I thought what better way to declare my love for you than in front of a hundred strangers,’ he laughed.
‘In all seriousness, it was the Love Hotel that brought us together, so when they invited us here tonight, I thought this would be a great time to ask you whether you’d do me the honour of becoming my wife. ’
‘Yes!’ she said quickly, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Max slid the ring onto her finger and the whole crowd erupted with a flurry of whoops, cheers and applause. Camera flashes lit up the surroundings as professional photographers and guests took photos of the romantic occasion.
Max stood up and kissed Stella passionately, causing everyone to whistle, scream and clap with appreciation. Then Jasmine and a guy with olive skin rushed onto the stage to hug and congratulate the newly engaged couple.
‘Looks like we have another Love Hotel wedding to look forward to!’ Jasmine cheered. ‘And maybe there’s other Love Hotel matches in the audience right now who could be next!’
I felt Nico and Cassie’s eyes land on me and Gabriel.
Honestly. They couldn’t seriously be thinking that could be us.
Gabriel and I had only spent a week together. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I liked him a lot, but the idea of us having a relationship alone was a stretch, and marriage was so off-base it might as well be on the moon.
‘That concludes the show for this evening,’ Jasmine said. ‘But we’ll have a DJ until midnight, so please feel free to stay and devour the complimentary food and drink. Enjoy the rest of the party!’
Jake took another bow and everyone left the stage.
‘That was so romantic!’ said Cassie.
‘It was,’ Nico agreed. ‘It shows that even when there are obstacles and relationships seem like they are impossible, when you are with the right person, those challenges can be overcome.’ He looked me squarely in the eye.
‘Exactement,’ Gabriel said. ‘Nico, Cassie, would you excuse us, please? I would like to speak with Laila.’
‘Bien s?r,’ Nico nodded and Cassie gave a knowing smile.
Before I could protest, Gabriel took my hand and led me away from the crowds to a quieter part of the beach, then he stopped in front of me.
‘Laila.’ He looked me in the eyes. ‘I know that you have concerns about us, but seeing those couples on the stage just confirmed what I have always believed. When you find someone special, it is worth fighting for them. I know that you are convinced that we do not have a future, but whilst we are here, can we try? Forget about the reasons why you think this will not work and imagine that it will. On paper it may seem like we are different, but we have more in common than you think.’
‘Like what?’ I asked, genuinely curious.
‘We both took non-traditional paths in life. We had plans to go to university and graduate, but our lives took us in different directions. We both had to grow up faster than our peers because of our circumstances. You with raising your son, me with building a business.’
‘True.’ I nodded.
‘We’ve both had our struggles with our families – you with your parents, me with my mother.
And we’ve found it difficult to maintain friendships with people our own ages because our lives were different.
Whilst our friends were at university and partying or travelling, you were dealing with the responsibilities of being a mother and I was working night and day trying to start my business. ’
‘I guess like me you feel like you missed out on enjoying your early twenties like your friends.’
‘To some degree,’ he said and my stomach tensed.
Surely he’d prefer to make up for lost time now though?
‘But now I want to enjoy myself with you. Can we try this week? If we get to the end of this trip and you feel nothing for me, then we can walk away. But if next Saturday this feels right, we should have a serious conversation. We have more options than you think. You are the most incredible woman I have ever met, so all that I am asking is that you give me, give us a chance. What do you think?’
I blinked rapidly.
The conviction and determination in his eyes was unmistakable.
No one had ever said that they wanted a future with me. Not just for one night, but for more.
My own parents disowned me. The father of my child and the other men I dated ditched me at the first sign of trouble.
Yet here was this amazing man, standing here, pleading to let him shower me with affection.
Yes, his age and all that other stuff wasn’t ideal, but as scared as I was of losing my best friend and getting hurt, right there in that moment I realised that I’d be a fool to fight this any longer.
I’d be crazy to turn this opportunity down.
It was better to try than not to and live with regrets, right?
I was going for it.
‘Oui,’ I said. ‘I want to try.’
And as Gabriel’s lips crashed onto mine, even if on paper what we were doing was supposed to be wrong, everything felt right.
I might regret agreeing to this in a week, but right now, this felt like the best decision I’d ever made.