Chapter 118

I loved Arden, he was the closest thing I had to family. But last night I had been forced to hang up on him. I preferred face to face conversations. And it's not like there was anything useful we would have discussed over the phone. But the phonecall hadn't been a complete waste since he confirmed that he would indeed be coming back. Layla had been sound asleep when I went back to the bedroom. I couldn't blame her, on top of being exhausted from work she had had to endure all that drama. 

That following morning, she had women up to snooze the alarm, I open dy eyes and I could see her, seated upright in the bed. Looking tired.... and I knew it wasn't only because she hated waking up, she lacked the normal lagged enthusiasm she ways had whenever she had to get ready for work. I heard her as she sighed, fisting her hands into her hair. The dark strands a bit tangled due to sleep. 

I sat up as well, and she turned to face me due to the shifting. And when I moved closer and wrapped my hands around her from the back she leaned back against me. Placing her own hands on mine and inching as close to me as she could get.

" Morning, " she uttered. Her tone low and a bit distant. She was clearly thinking about something, and I knew exactly what it was. 

" They won't show up again, " I assured her because I was certain that was her fear. Otherwise she would have already gotten up and started to get ready. I had an eight o'clock meeting, then I had to visit some university or something of the sort to judge an art exhibit that had been planned by the students. I wasn't sure how long that would take. My P.A had said it would be at least three hours but I knew things like those could never be estimated. I could be there for longer, or maybe not. But if it wasn't yet done by lunchtime then I'd have no choice but to make up an excuse and leave. These days I had become accustomed to having lunch with Layla. It was our thing. I'd drop by the restaurant during her lunch break and we'd eat together before I went back to work.

" What if they do?" Layla asked, referring to the paparazzi. I breathed in the scent of her hair before I buried my head into the crook of her neck and took an even deeper breath. 

" They won't. "

The words were sure and final. I wasn't making assumptions, I knew for a fact that those suicidal maniacs wouldn't be showing up at the restaurant...or any other place that was remotely close to where Layla was. 

It was dark, only the dim lamp on Layla's side was on, and it was glowing softly. Casting shadows everywhere around the room. But despite the darkness, I could see Layla's weary reaction. 

She slowly turned around to face me, a frown on her face. Then she parted those tempting lips and tightened the grip she had on my arm. 

" Gabriel?...What did you do?" 

She asked the question with the type of tone parents used on their children whenever the said children did something questionable. 

There wasn't shock, neither was there anger, all I could sense was curiosity and a little fear. 

I believed the fear was there because I wasn't the most reasonable person. And she was probably wondering what I had done to those poor souls. 

" They're alive, worry not, " I said with a teasing smile on my face. And when she went to speak again I placed a finger on her lips and shushed her.

" Before you ask me anything, please be aware that I will not respond, " I told her beforehand. Then I laid back down on the bed, bringing her along with me. 

" I'm not even gonna ask, I don't want to be involved in your criminal activities, " she stated seriously and I laughed. I hadn't done anything that great to those people...I had simply made sure they would never get to publish anything else pertaining to Layla for the remainder of their lives. 

" I'm so sleepy, " she confessed. She was definitely not a morning person. If it were up to her she would stay in bed and sleep until there wasn't any drop of sleep left in her body. But she had to work, and I was done asking her to quit. Especially now that I had seen what people were capable of. I was going to let her work because that would prove to the twisted world that she was one of the most hardworking and deserving people there were. And it was times during moments like those when I recalled the devastated state she had been in when we had first met. But she had still managed to find a way through all that despair and try to make a living.

" Do me a favor and wake me up after ten minutes, okay?" She requested and I told her to go to sleep, that I wasn't going to let her sleep more than the ten minutes. 

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LAYLA'S POV

Not only did the paparazzi not return, but I happened to check that website again and I found nothing other than an apology. 

To me, stating that everything that had been posted initially hadn't been true. 

Though I doubt I'll ever forget that feeling, having all those questions and cameras thrown in my face had not been fun at all. And I don't even want to think about the comments those awful people had made. It was absurd, all of it!

But I wasn't going to focus on any of that. So what if I had basically been catapulted into fame for something so awful? My Gabriel had been able to work things out. he was like my personal superhero or something, even though most of the times I only got into danger because of him. 

And the crazy thing was that, despite all the awful things that had happened last night, I only really harboured one important memory. One I was going to treasure for as long as I lived. 

He had told me that he loved me. And he wasn't just saying that because he thought it would help me to calm down, he has wanted to tell me. And once he did so, I realized just how childish we both were being. And I asked myself why we had waited for so long to state the obvious. But I was glad he told me when he did because hearing those words from him were my personal cure. He had told me so again after dripping me off at work. 

And with Gabriel, it was like he hadn't even been thinking it over, he just naturally and calmly said them before he proceeded to tell me that Arden would he arriving in Seattle that day. And that he was going to pick me up after my shift because we had to talk about something. I wondered what that something was, but his cool nature when he had been relaying the infirmation assured me that it was no big deal. 

I was glad that Arden was coming back. It felt like an eternity since I had last seen him. I missed listening to his jokes and watching his humorous interactions with Gabriel. My happiness had increased even more when Carl informed us that we wouldn't be required to go to work from the next day. Dahlia wanted the entire restaurant to be prepared for her wedding. She had been so excited yesterday before those creeps walked in and caused that commotion. And because of that she had actually implemented security measures. There was a gentleman at the entrance who made sure only legitimate customers and employees walked in. I hated that I was making her I cur the additional costs, but I also wasn't going to lie. It felt relieving knowing that the place was protected.

I also had the most considerate coworkers. All of them had checked up on me after I went home through texts, and that day they had assured me that I didn't have to worry. And through that, we somehow got closer. And of course, Cassie had called. And she had demanded that we meet before the day ended. 

Work went well. The past me would have probably crawled back into my shell the second such a thing occured, but the fact that I was working was proof of how much I had changed. I was no longer that girl. When lunch time came around, I grew excited. Nervous....happy. 

Gabriel Germaine made me happy, and if there was one thing I had learnt from my grandma, it was that I ought to treasure whatever made me feel joy, as long as it was a good thing. And though Gabriel couldn't technically be termed as 'good', he was okay. 

I knew he had arrived because he sent me a random text each time he did so. And by random, I meant strange and nit making any sense. Yesterday he had sent me the word ' Broccoli '. And today he had sent me a duck emoji. He was the strangest person I had ever met. I grabbed a towel and dried my hands after washing them. Then I turned to tell Carl I'd be right back but he just waved me off because he was used to it by then.

" But if he dares to order a bouquet of edible flowers again I'm bringing in Jeffrey, " Carl shouted as I left. Reminding me of what Gabriel had done the previous day. And Jeffrey was the newly hired security guy. When he saw me approach, Gabriel stood and met me halfway to the table. That thick and rich brown hair, those blue grey eyes which always soaked me into their dreamy depths...that sly smile which always made me suspect he had done something or was about to do something wrong. Just everything about him amazed me and I didn't wish to have him any other way. 

" Goodness sweetheart, how long has it been since we last saw each other? Years?" He asked when he got to where I was, then he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before loosely wrapping his arms around my waist. We were in the middle of a number of customers, all of whom could clearly see us, and I knew I should have been uncomfortable but I wasn't. Nothing felt off. 

" I think the sweeter version of hulk over there was checking me out, " he then stated, inclining his head towards the exit while glancing in the direction for a short while. I shook my head and told him Jeffrey was just doing his job since he was new there. He kissed my forehead in that tender and loving way I his. Most of the time, his actions and words refused to match completely to who be was. We walked back to the table and sat. Then I warned him against embarrassing me again. I reminded him that I worked there and if he did anything sully I was never going to be able to live I'd down.

We sat and he ordered for us, he had this thing where he'd ask me what I wanted, and if it didn't align with his own wants, he was going to ignore me and order whatever he wished. 

I always wondered why he even bothered asking me in the first place. 

" I'm free tomorrow!"I had cheerfully told him after he finished telling me about some kids he had been mentoring. The last thing I imagined him as was a mentor...I wished God's graces upon all those unfortunate children. 

" What's that? You've finally decided to quit?!" He excitedly asked and my smile vanished, then I rolled my eyes and shook my head, telling him he ought to stop wishing such things. Then I told him about thr wedding and his expression asssured me he had completely forgotten about it. He was good friends with Miguel from what I had gathered, by it always seemed to slip his mind that the couple would be tying that knot in just a day. 

" An entire day? " He asked me and I nodded excitedly. I could already see him calculating all the meetings he could postpone and the work matterss he could successfully push further into his schedule. So I warned him not to do such a thing. I had distracted him from his work long enough. Because of me he had taken so many days off and I was scared that his business would eventually start to decline. 

We talked an laughed. There was never a dull moment with him around. And I realized that we were basically a legit couple. I mean,we did everything that couples ought to do. There was nothing preventing us from being happy and enjoying each other's company. And it was during such lax moments that I realized how lucky I was to have found seone like him. He had helped me grow, he loved me and constantly worried about me. And I even liked the fact that his feelings for me layered a little on the edges of obsession. 

For instance, the previous night I had gotten up to use the washroom,and he woke up and found me missing from the bed. He had shouted my name as if I had been kidnapped. And it wasn't until he had me in his arms again that he was able to relax. 

He always said that he wouldn't be able to survive without me. Most people would think that statements like those were just empty declarations ofove that didn't hold any actual meaning. But I knew Gabrieeant everything he said. And I didn't  know whether that ought to scare or thrill me. I loved him as well, and he mattered to me in a sleckal and extraordinary way, but in the impossible chance that we didn't make out well, I still believed I would be able to lift myself off the floor and strive to go on with my life. It would be painful and difficult, but if I had no other option I was sure I would have been able to do it. 

But Gabriel....

Each time I heard him speak about that delicate issue, he seemed convinced that I was his source of life or something of the sort. And he was never shy about admitting anything either. But the things he constantly said,like that he wouldn't be able to move on with his life if I left him...things like that filled me with a slight amount of dread. But there was no reason to worry because him and I were never going to separate. That wasn't even a word that existed in our vocabulary. 

We were going to live happy and content lives because we had each other!