Chapter 121

GABRIEL'S POV

That following morning I had heard Arden's door get unlocked,then the sounds of his footsteps because he hadn't been trying to be quiet. And when I looked at the time I realized it was close to six. I had expected him to sleep in till noon considering his zombie like behavior just the previous night. I was sure something was keeping him up, he was trying, as always, to downplay his stress but I could see right through him. I gazed up at the dark space surrounding me. At night I always found myself being careful about my movements. I didn't want to wake Layla up, especially on days when she had been working. 

I hadn't been planning on revealing Arden's profession to her in such manner. In my head, we were supposed to wait till about five years down the line, then we'd invite her to his family's Christmas party where she'd meet a bunch of Russian men naturally flashing their guns while talking about the differences in cocaine quality. I agree that it would have been more logical, but there were too many lies. Too many truths which I feared would ruin us. And last night had been a way for me to judge how much she actually loved me. She had reacted how I had expected her to with the shock and disbelief. But in the end she hadn't let me down. I always feared that she'd wake up one day with nothing left of the live we have. That she'd ask herself why she was still with me and she'd pack up and leave. Although as I've made clear, I still wouldn't let her. But if she had taken so we'll to news of Arden's illegal dealings then I assumed I had nothing to worry about. Our love was real. 

And to think I had thought myself incapable of that feeling once. When I looked at the likes of Miguel I had always wondered what went on in their heads, what it was that they felt. I had never understood that desire, that passion and that affection that made one want to have the same person next to them for eternity. But I finally understood it. That girl sleeping peacefully beside me was my life, she was my very being. Layla had filled a void inside me which I had thought I liked. I used to believe that that emptiness was a good thing because it would help me focus on things that truly mattered. But before her, nothing had ever really mattered......except my money. 

Money which I'd now be willing to give away if it ever came down to choosing between the two. Although that would never happen, and even if it did I'm certain half would be just as good. Sighing, I gently untangled myself from Layla's hold. It didn't help that she was completely naked either. Recently I couldn't go a night without being inside her slick and heated depth. I'd sleep but then wake up in the middle of the night with the strongest urge to take her. And she had always been more than willing to let me have my way. She made this soft humming sound from the back of her throat and all I wanted to do was get back into bed and hold her against me once again. I kissed her forehead, then I put on some clothes before I walked out and headed straight to the stairs, when I got to the bottom of the flight, I listened in. I had suspected he'd be in the kitchen, but I found him in the living room instead. Lying down on one of the sofas, his eyes closed and a pair of air pods in his ears. He was shirtless, and my eyes automatically fell to the bandaged wound on his side that seemed recent. 

" What in the name of the devil is that?" I demanded as I strode over to him. Then I realized he couldn't hear me and I took off one of the devices in his ear and threw it somewhere behind me. 

" What the hell! I literally just bought those!" He complained, then he tried to sit up before squeezing his eyes shut and slowly laying back down. My eyes were still on the wound. His expression meant it hurt. That explained why he had been acting so sluggish. 

" Where'd you get that from?" I asked once more. 

I knew that he probably got hurt all the time because it was a part of his job. But I had only ever seen the evidence once before. It had been two years back, his dad sent him to close a deal and things hadn't gone as planned. He ended up getting shot in the leg. I remember trying to convince him he was okay while he kept warning the nurses against amputating his leg. If my memory is sufficient then I believe his exact words had been, " I know how these things work! You drug me, then I wake up three weeks later with a fucking robot leg attached to me!" 

That was probably one of his lowest moments, but the bullet had just grazed by his side, there hadn't even been that much blood and he had only realized he was shot because someone else had informed him. But despite how insignificant that was wound had been, I will never forget the dread that had washed over me on hearing that he was in the hospital because of a gunshot wound. 

" It's just a work thing, " he calmly said, then he closed his eyes once more and went on with his dawn meditation. I wanted to find out what type of wound it was. Normally I would have waited till he told me but this Arden was quieter than usual and there was no way he would have said anything unless I made him. He glanced down the stab wound as if he had forgotten it was there, then he laid back down and crossed his arms above him such that he was covering his eyes. Those green usually bright eyes were red in an open display of the exhaustion he felt. He hadn't even been gone that long.

No, don't do that, " I warned and he asked me what I was talking about. 

" Don't make light of the situation Arden, " I guessed that he probably thought I was too close, so I moved and sat on the couch opposite his.

" Is it Layla who rearranged the place?" he asked.. going completely off topic, but tat was just how we worked. 

" I wish it was her. The damn house was Soniafied! " 

I had walked into the house last night expecting to see them still around, but gladly they had already left. 

" What?" Arden asked in total confusion, but some seconds later he caught on and his eyes widened.

" No!" He exclaimed, his expression portraying all the shock he was feeling. 

" Unfortunately so, they left just yesterday. It's a pretty long story, "

He asked why I hadn't said anything about it. And I lied and said it had always slipped my mind because I didn't hold that couple in any high regards. The actual truth was that each time we talked over the phone I had been able to hear the exhaustion and worry in his tone. There hadn't been any reason for me to pile up my own problems on top of his so. And so I had kept that information from him intentionally. 

" No wonder I felt creeped out when I walked in here last night, " he said, shuddering and looking around at the room as if searching for whoever we were talking about. He insisted I tell him all about that surprise visit, and I did so because he was using it as an excuse to plan how he was going to tell me everything that we as bothering you. By the time I was done, he had found a way to sit up and he was leaning against the back of the sofa , doing his best not to further hurt the already injured part of him. 

" Is it my favorite LA villa? the one with the baby jacuzzi inside the larger one? " he asked, sounding genuinely upset. I nodded and he slapped a hand to his forehead and asked me why I had done that. 

After that we both grew quiet. I waited for him to talk, observed as he sought out the best way to start. Normally he just told me whatever he felt like without reservations. He always said too much sometimes and I had told him under several circumstances that he had to relax and take a breather sometimes. I didn't follow that advice personally but it sounded good for him. He run a hand through his dark strands, then he slowly laid back down on his back and took in a deep breath. 

" You and Layla seem happy, " he finally spoke. 

" We are. "

" Do you love her?" 

What sort of question was that? He knew better than anyone else how I felt for Layla. 

" She's precious to me. "

" I know she is, but I asked you if you love her. "

" More than anything!" 

He subtly smiled and nodded. Then he said it was obvious just from the way I looked at her. And that he was still finding it hard to believe that I was actually in love. Me of all people! 

After that he switched to another completely different subject, telling me that my jet's pilot had gotten food poisoning and they hadn't been able to find a replacement,but he'd be flying in the following day so I had no reason to worry. 

" I actually hadn't thought about that, " I said in a low voice. My eyes once again fell to the stab wound. It looked painful as hell, and being as dramatic as he usually was, I was shocked he hadn't revealed it to me the second we saw each other. 

" It was Novak, " he told me at last. 

" I was going back home after a trip to the vineyards when this car came out of nowhere and blocked our path. Some dudes got off and I immediately realized that they were Novak's men, we had it out and I ended up getting stabbed. "

" All because you refused--" I began but he cut me off. And what he said had me staring at him with wide and unblinking eyes.

" Wedding's in two months, I hear the bride's into sunflowers, " he scoffed and shook his head, " Who on earth has sunflowers as their favorite flower type?"

Immediately after he asked that, he closed his eyes and remained still. I thought he was asleep before he spoke again.

" I fessed up to mom and dad about faking being married to Layla, but I lied and said I had begged her to do it on the same day they arrived.. they're a little bitter about it but they don't blame her for anything, "

At that point all I could do was listen. My mind was still back at the two months, and the wedding. And the fact that he had been stabbed just so he could agree to it. 

" Oh, and I also told them she's been your girlfriend for about five months and I met her through you. They're happy for you but they didn't think it was the wisest idea to let your best friend get so cozy with your girlfriend, even if it was for theatrical reasons, " he forced a smile. And I gave him a minute just so I could confirm whether he was done, but just as I was about to talk he did the same. I kept quiet and listened. 

" I know this is unnecessary but will you be my best man? "

" You can't honestly be planning on going through with this. "

It was the unfiltered definition of dumb. And that maniacal demon named Novak was definitely out of his mind if he thought stabbing people was the way to get them to marry his daughter. Had I not already seen her pictures I'd have assumed she was ugly and he was only doing that because he feared she'd end up alone. But the girl was hot. 

" I am, and I know what you're thinking but I'd advice you to stop. I already told you murdering Novak is out of the question. "

" I hadn't been thinking that. "

" Yeah right. "

" No honestly...I think you should try killing the daughter instead, no bride equals no wedding. Problem solved."

" Of course you'd say that. I might as well openly declare war and bear my neck to him."

He stretched, then he asked me to just let it be because there was nothing either of us could do about it. 

" The girl agrees to this?"

" Like she has a fucking choice. "

" Bloody curses! this is worse than you getting stabbed. "

" I wish he'd stuck the damn thing in my chest instead. "

" Arden!" My tone was lethal. He opened his eyes and threw me a quick glance. Then he looked away and muttered an apology. He knew I didn't like it when he said such things. We could joke about anything, literally anything... but he didn't have the permission to say such obscene things. I wanted to console him, tell him that it wasn't even that bad. That it was just a wedding..and he already had a little experience with Layla and all...but I was well aware that I'd be simply lying. The truth was that it WAS a rather serious issue. People didn't just do that. What era were we in where parents got to choose who their children got married to? Or in this case, nearly kill the unlucky victims just to threaten them into accepting the proposal. And what if that girl turned out to be just like her father? Or maybe even worse? Arden was mostly upset because he was wild at heart. He was one of those free spirits that liked to explore and try out different things. And he also valued his free will. He had never liked it when others tried to make his own choices for him, even as a child he had been independent. Peer pressure had never worked on him unless I was involved. 

" I'm going back to bed, make sure you find my other airpod, I'm not buying the third pair in less than three weeks, " he carefully stood up, then he picked up his phone and started walking away without uttering another word. 

" Who knows? Maybe you'll like her!" I said when he got to the stairs. And without glancing back he told me to go to hell. Then he went up the flight with obvious difficulty because of the wound. I wondered whether his parents knew about it. But I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't. For some reason Arden believed it was his duty to always be the model son and to not show his parents that he was in any way vulnerable. A trait of his that I had never appreciated. One that would undoubtedly make him face many disappointments.