Chapter 39
Gabrie l
To be honest, breaking his hand was not my first intention but the thought of him being able to knock on Elena’s door again infuriated me. One thing led to another and before I knew it, I broke his hand.
Mistakes can happen.
On his side, not mine. I simply did what I promised.
“What do you say we go on a date?”
She shrugs her shoulders; her eyes burn through my skull as she gazes up for a short moment before she resumes tracing lines on my chest.
Each touch of her finger feels like a burning sensation on my skin, as if she is throwing me into a fire while I am doused in gasoline.
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Where?”
“A fancy restaurant in the city.”
She chuckles and gets up from laying on her stomach and sits up on the bed. I watch her as she has her naked back turned to me and she throws a dress shirt of mine over her shoulders and buttons up a few of the upper buttons.
“I would say yes if I had the dress to go with the occasion.”
“Do not worry so much about a dress, but rather just being there with me.”
I watch her with her arms crossed over her chest and her back leaned against the wall as she tries to suppress a smile from breaking out, holding her head high. “Why do I have the feeling that you have planned this date for some time?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Maybe I have.”
“Maybe you’re crazy.”
“About you? Since day one.”
I receive a soft smile from her before she shies away and walks to the closet.
The noise of close hangers covers the silence as I watch her before she speaks up. “Still think we can make the lasagne?”
I spare a quick glance on the clock on my wrist. “We can but by the time it is done it will be time for dinner and we have a date to get to.”
“Fine,” she says and walks up to me still in my shirt and fuck, she might as well keep all of them all because they look way better on her. She sits down next to me on the edge of the bed and pokes her finger into my chest, her face close. ”But by the time I get back tomorrow, I hope to see it done since you are the one who decided a distraction was a good idea.”
“As you wish, my love.”
I get a small smile and just as I was about to touch her soft skin, she stands up abruptly. “I need to shower. Seven?”
For a moment I forgot what she asked, her beauty mesmerised me and caught my attention. I stutter, “Seven. Yes, yes, seven.” I grow nervous at my own stuttering.
I get a small smile and a fast kiss of her heavenly soft lips on mine before she sprints away to the bathroom.
My admiration for her gets interrupted when my phone rings on the bedside table. I reach over and pick up the call without hesitation. “Gabriel Harvey speaking.”
I hear a harsh breath on the other side of the line followed by a sob. “Gabriel, this is Mio. I need your help.” Just as I was about to complain about her call, she interrupted me. “Please, your mother is blackmailing me.”
***
Elena
I am not sure if it is my mind playing tricks on me or I am just insecure but Gabriel has been acting weird ever since we got to the restaurant.
Distant. Not talking much. Always checking his phone.
“Is everything all right?” I decided to finally ask my most anticipated question I had all evening. It has been nagging me and this date was supposed to be great because it is our first as a real couple.
Although I do believe that we have been a real deal since the night of the auction but just today he confirmed it to me.
He flashes me a small smile, one without his dimples baring. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“You seem,” I say, stuttering over my words. “Distracted.”
“Just a small conflict at work,” he groans when the words come out and sets his fork down on the table. He rubs his temple. “Which reminds me to tell you that I will be quite busy the next two days while we are here at the office we have in the city. I apologise.”
I shake my head in understanding. “It is alright. Work is important.”
His eyes wander, searching for something before they lock with mine and they soften. “You are more important though.” His words are soft and I feel my heart race as I feel his warm hand on mine. I turn my hand that was flat on the clothed table and our fingers entangle with one another.
“I’ll miss this.” I murmur against my hand that holds my arm up on the table with my elbow.
“We will still have it.” He reassures me.
“Not for the next two days. Tomorrow we are both busy but the day after I will be stuck in a home that I am unfamiliar with, with your mother who so much likes me.” The tone in my voice can be clearly recognized as sarcasm with the last sentence.
She hates me.
For no reason.
“Just ignore her but if she does start a conversation, walk away.”
“I was planning to do exactly that.”
“Smart girl,” he murmurs approvingly.
I just stare at him and his words. If I had told myself two months earlier that I would be on a date with my boss that I was quite frightened off, I would have laughed at myself.
It would have sounded ridiculous and awkward, which it still is. Ridiculously awkward.
Sometimes.
My good mood from earlier today seems to have vanished and I feel the sudden urge to just leave this restaurant as fast as possible.
I have a feeling the longer I stay here, the more I might lose my mind to the thought that Gabriel might be lying.
I do not believe that he has an emergency at work. Would they not have contacted his assistant, aka me first before disturbing the boss.
It does not make sense to me or they might do it differently here in Italy and take these kinds of things directly to the boss.
I let out a harsh breath, pulling my hand away from him and crossing my fork and knife on the plate.
“Might we leave, please? It is quite noisy here.” I lied. Not that it isn’t noisy here, it is but the noise was not the problem that was making me uncomfortable. It was the half-truths that were coming from his lips.
Or maybe that is just my insecure side talking.
After having to deal with a cheating boyfriend for years, I have built up trust issues. It just made me realise that at any time when I feel insecure, I blame Gabriel. That is how it has been since this morning. Since he has started to act weird.
The thought that he might be just like Ben breaks my heart into a million pieces.
I sit uncomfortable in my seat as Gabriel pays the check and a gut feeling of the fact that I ruined the first date we are at hits me hard.
I bite the inside of my cheek as I try to come up with an idea to save the date I just ruined. I ruined it and it is my responsibility to save it. Isn’t it?
“Ready to leave?” He is suddenly standing in front of me, holding his hand out for me to lake and a small smile on his lips. Quite frankly I am trying not to smile.
Why? I am upset with him and he needs to realise that.
I place my hand in his and stand up from my seat, lifting up the skirt of my dress as I walk. Gabriel wasn’t lying when he said he would find a dress for me to wear.
When I came out of the bathroom, I found a huge box laying on our perfectly made bed, which kind of made me question how long I had been in the bathroom.
In the box, this magnificent maxi dress in baby pink. It perfectly hugs my curves while being flowy from waist down with a square cut out and built in bra. I would say that is the perfect dress.
No one can ever go wrong with pink.
With my handbag in one hand and my other hand holding Gabriel’s, we walk out of the restaurant but Gabriel comes to a sudden stop in front of the door.
“Are you well?” I asked him as the stop was rather sudden. I watch him as he takes off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. I look over my shoulder to him with a confused expression.
“It is rather chilly outside at night.” he says in a low whisper near my ear.
“But the car is in the parking lot.” I point out the glass door to his car which he has changed to a family car instead of his Sportwagon.
I am not sure why. Could be that I slightly complained when he picked me up that morning from work because my car was in the parking lot and the car was too small.
Obviously, Gabriel had a variety of choices on which car he wanted to drive around in Rome and he chose the family.
Kind of sweet.
I hate sports cars. They are way too low in my opinion and rather uncomfortable to sit in.
And this time it is rather impossible not to smile. His actions sometimes speak louder than his words. Except in the bedroom. Rather both speak loudly…
I cling to the jacket more than I intended, crossing my arms over my chest to keep it from falling.
“You can give me that,” he reaches for my handbag that I am holding while trying to keep the jacket on my shoulders. I grow defensive and pull away the bag.
“I can carry it myself.”
“Elena,” he calls my name out in a knowing tone.
“I can.”
“But you don’t have to.”
“But I can. I am an independent woman.”
“I am not saying you aren’t. I am just saying it is okay to let others help you with the smallest things. Like me carrying your bag.”
I hesitate to give him my bag but I have grown rather tired. Maybe I should stop starting a small argument with Gabriel any time he wants to help and just accept it.
I give in to his help and also give him my gratitude for his help.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him as we walk out of the restaurant to his car, our hands intertwined.
“For carrying your bag?”
“For everything. I suppose I needed this vacation more than I would like to admit.”
“You are the only person I would have taken here with me.”
I chuckle at his joke. He must be joking. “The only?”
We get to the car and Gabriel opens the door for me like the true gentleman that he is. I step inside and make myself comfortable on the warm seat. He was right. It was rather chilly even if it was a short walk.
He rounds the car and gets to the driver's seat, handing me back my handbag as he gets comfortable himself. “Confession,” he starts out of nowhere.
“Oh.” which was rather an interested ‘oh’ and not a disappointed one.
“I never actually told my mother your name,” he starts and my jaw starts to drop. It does not stop. I feel as if my jaw is dropping from my mouth as he continues. “I lied when I said that I told her that your name was Elena. I just needed an excuse to get you to come with me.”
I blink once. Twice. “You what?” I barely choke out the words.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t suspect it when she asked for your name?” Now he is the one chuckling.
I furrow my brows. “No? I just figured she did not care enough to remember it.”
“She didn’t know.”
“Well, now I know that.” I retort back in a sarcastic tone. I exhale loudly when he just gives me a soft smile, his head slightly tilted. “You really want me here?”
“There is no one else I would rather be here with,” he says in a soft tone.
“Not Mio or,” I start.
“Fuck no, do not even start with her.”
“Or your first crush.” I ask him, playing around but his answer is a rather unexpected one.
“Maybe her.”
“What?”
“You are her.” he points out and I find myself stroked with… with… I don’t know what? Schock?
“You have never had a crush before?” I ask him in a whisper, not believing his words.
He shakes his head. “Not until you. I have not been in love either.”
“Never?”
“Not yet, but I fear I might be falling faster than I expected to.” he reaches for my hands that were balled up on my lap. With my hands together and his wrapped around them, he presses a soft kiss on my knuckles.
“With…” I hesitate, hoping for him to finish the sentence. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
“Goddamn, Elena. Of course, with you. There is no one else more perfect for me than you.”
“You can have any woman in the world,” I get cut off.
“But you are all I want.” He roars back as I was not listening, he knows that. I am not listening because I am finding it hard to believe him.
“Why?”
“Because you are clever, caring, one of the most talented artists I have the honour of knowing.”
“No, why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because I can no longer hold it in me. I want you to know, I want the world to know what an amazing fiancé I have.”
“Technically, fake fiancé.” I point out.
Jeez Elena. He is confessing that he is falling in love with you and you are making a joke. Listen.
“Sorry.”
He just smiles at me, his eyes wandering all over the place. My lips, my eyes. As are mine.
“I still have one last pit stop in mind before we call it a night?”
“A pit stop?” I ask him. I have never heard anyone use that term except in Formula One. Could be that it is a daily used word. Just never heard it.
“Do you have another preferred term?”
I try to bite the smile away, but that is impossible. “No, it’s perfect.”