Chapter 76

LAYLA'S POV

I had been very suspicious at first, I wondered what exactly Arden was up to. Whether it was necessary to go out just to make his parents fall deeper into his lies. Mostly because they already believed us, I suppose they didn't think their son was capable of being so deceitful. And I'll admit, I actually thought he was taking advantage of the situation to get more time with me. And I was half convinced that he was going to try and hit on me, but I was really wrong.

All of our conversation was casual and friendly. He was interesting to listen to and he wasn't acting as weird as he had been over the past few days. Arden was cool, laid back. The perfect version of a boy best friend, I'd never had one of those before and was glad that I had him. 

" Let's try another one...cats or dogs?" He asked me. We were playing a sort of game when we'd pick a preference from two choices. Walking down a nicely lit street. 

" Hmmm, that's a tough one, " I admitted, my fingers on my chin as I tried to think of the most suitable response. 

He laughed, asking me how that could be hard. 

" It's always either a cat, a dog, both or none."

" My point exactly, it's a really hard choice. "

I ended up picking cats, I thought they were cute. He liked both of them apparently. One of his dreams was to adopt a little puppy and a kitten and have them grow up together as siblings. He surprised me each time he said things like that, it showed that he had a genuine soft spot inside him, unlike some people who made it their life's goal to act uncaring and proud. 

" By the way, I don't think I've ever really thanked you for helping me out, " he said, holding my hand and steering me in the right direction when I would have gone the other way. 

" Yes you have. Countless times. "

"Okay but still, thanks. If it weren't for you I'd probably be married to a Russian princess whose main concerns are her nails and following her diet. " 

Laughing, I told him he could stop with the many thanks he kept throwing my way. And as pointed to a nice vintage car on the street that he admired, I thought about his previous girlfriend. The one that had ended her life, the main reason behind my decision to help him out. He was coping so we'll I couldn't help but admire his strength. But I was certain that deep down he was hurting, that kind of pain never faded. Most times you were left feeling nothing but guilt and regret, wondering whether there was something you could have done to change how things turned out. I really wanted to ask him about it, to see whether we could relate to one another on those grounds, but I was scared of unearthing skeletons he had already dug into the ground. Perhaps another day, when I gained enough courage to bring up the subject, when my own fears and pain didn't threaten to float to the surface. Before we went back to the car, we passed this flower shop we had been to earlier. It was just the loveliest place,smelt so much like the breathtaking plant life that occupied the space. 

" Come on," Arden said as he headed towards the entrance.

" But we've been there already. "

" I know, I wanna buy you a bouquet. You can place them in a vase in the kitchen or something, just make sure my parents will see them. "

He really was going all out. I didn't see the need but if that's what he wanted to do then I wouldn't argue. He even went as far as writing me a note and placing it in the bouquet of white roses. I actually didn't even bother reading it, they were just more lies to add onto the pile, and I planned on throwing it into my purse and keeping it away from view. On the drive back he took charge of the conversation, I was feeling really tired and sleepy. That had been one hell of a day, I hadn't gotten any rest. And knowing I had to return to work early tomorrow made me want to close my eyes right there and sleep. But I fought the drowsiness away and tried my best to pay attention to what Arden was saying, replying when I felt the need to so he wouldn't think I wasn't listening. 

" Fuck, you look exhausted, " he said when we were almost home. And he actually looked as if he felt guilty of the fact. 

" Nah, I'm just a little sleepy. "

He shook his head, running his eyes across my entire form before he sighed. 

" What time do you have to get to work tomorrow?"

" Seven."

" Wait, seriously?" 

I nodded. He blinked repeatedly before apologizing for keeping me up so late. 

" It's okay, I had fun. "

Smiling, he pulled into the parking garage and admitted that he had also had a nice time. And now that we were finally back home, all the thoughts of Gabriel that I had been trying to suppress attacked me viciously. The look he had thrown me when I left with Arden had been close to murderous, he tended to exaggerate everything. He made it seem as if I had chosen to go, like Arden and I were going to a hotel room where we would get all wild. And looking at the time I wondered whether he was asleep. Whether he was waiting for the following morning so that he could barge into my room again and demand answers which he was well aware of. 

I wanted only him . I have never felt anything remotely close to what I felt for him. Each second I spent away from that insane man was painful. And even throughout that evening, despite Arden's cheerful and nice company, Gabriel Germaine had been the only person on my mind. And I was sure it was the same for him. I don't know whether this will make me sound like a proud person, but I liked the fact that he was basically obsessed with me. I liked knowing that the pull I had on him was strong enough to turn him furious. That proved that what we had was real, that he actually felt something for me. I'm not sure what exactly but it was there and that was all that mattered. And as I thought about that, I actually felt less tired and more eager. If he was already asleep I wondered how he would react to me going to his room instead, of my own free will. Something told me he needed the reassurance that I still wanted him. 

But then we went into the house and he was right there, seated on the couch with his laptop on his laps. It wasn't even turned on, the screen dark. He turned to the elevator doors the second we arrived. Dressed in a black t-shirt and equally dark silk pajama pants. His gaze razor sharp, focused exclusively on me. 

" Whoa, you're still up?" Arden asked as he spotted his best friend. Then he turned to me and smiled. 

" Goodnight, " he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. Then he held my upper arm and looked at me almost sternly, but in the caring way. 

" Go ahead and rest, and Incase you feel tired in the morning please don't stress yourself out, okay? I'm sure Dahlia will understand. "

He arched a brow as he awaited my response, I nodded once and gave him a subtle smile, all my thoughts on the man a few steps away. 

Why did he look so enraged? If there was an award for the most emotionally inconsistent person, Gabriel would have won. I didn't understand him, why was he looking at me like I had torched down one of his precious cars? I suspected he'd be mad but not THAT much. 

His gaze fell to the bouquet in my hands, then back up to me. I felt uncomfortable standing there so I headed to the kitchen to put the flowers in some water before I went back to my room. I passed by them once more, Arden had thrown himself on the couch next to Gabriel, feet on the armrest and his head on the keyboard of Gabriel's laptop. He was just messing around in their usual way.

" Massage my head, will you? " He said, but Gabriel's eyes were focused on me. I somehow muttered a goodnight before I made my way out of there. And that was supposed to be the end of it. I was supposed to go to my room and have some sleep before my alarm went off and I had to get up and get to work, but the second I was about to get into my room, the door next to mine opened up and Nadia stepped out. She startled me, her face covered in some dark face mask and her hair in some twisted ponytail. She looked half asleep. Narrowing her eyes at me as if she couldn't quite see me clearly. She walked over to where I was, stopped and reached out her hand to touch me. 

" Did you just return?" She asked before a yawn overtook her, I told her that we had. 

" Where are you heading to?" She asked and I wondered just how sleepy she was. 

" Ummm, to sleep?" 

She turned towards the direction I had come from. Then she pointed at my door. 

" In there?" She asked, I would have answered but my instincts immediately told me not to. That answering that would potentially lead to questions and puzzles. I went through my memories and realized she knew exactly where Arden's room was. My alleged husband who I was supposed to be sharing a bed with. 

My lips parted as I turned towards the empty hallway then back to her. 

" I um, I kept some things in here and I was gonna grab them first, " I explained. She slowly nodded, yawned again and then left me there, continuing on her way to wherever she planned on going. I blew a long relieved breath, but I wondered whether I still ought to go in there or just wait for her to go back to sleep.