Chapter 122

LAYLA'S POV

" I feel so bad for Arden, " I said for the tenth or so time that day. I was seated on the chair that had been placed next to Gabriel's shoerack in his walk in, holding a pair of wedged heels in my hand because I still wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to wear them. It was Dahlia's wedding day, and the lunatic that was currently busy admiring his looks in the mirror. He had been standing there for way too long.

" He still sleeping?" he finally asked, gesturing to the door in reference to Arden. I nodded, placing the shoes down and planting my elbows on my thighs, sighing as I thought about how crushed he had looked the previous day. He spent almost all his time in his room. And after Gabriel told me what was wrong I immediately understood. And it sucked because I could clearly see how drained he was. 

" And he looks so pale too,don't you think?" 

Even if he was just tired, that wouldn't be reason enough for why he looked so worn out. I actually suspected he had a fever. I'd made him some vegetable soup just in case, he had thanked me and assured me he'd drink it but he must have forgotten since it was still untouched in the kitchen. 

" Don't worry about him too much, he's not sick. " Gabriel assured me, then he walked over to his watch collection and started choosing which one he'd wear. 

" You take longer than I do to get ready, " I complained. I had been waiting for him to finish up but each time I thought he was done, he went ahead and started picking something else. 

" That's because I make your work easier for you. And why are you staring at those shoes like you're not planning on wearing them?"

" Because I'm not, I'll just go with-"

" Flats? You can't, I hid them all. "

Frowning, I asked him what he meant, then he said he'd give them back after the wedding. He chose his watch and was thankfully done. Realizing I didn't have a choice, I put on the shoes. 

" I'll go and say bye to Arden first, " I said as I walked out. Gabriel let me because despite his attempt to reassure me, I knew Arden wasn't okay. I wouldn't have expected him to be so affected by something like that. He seemed like the kind to just take everything as it came and worry later on. First I went t the kitchen and heated up the soup because if he didn't drink it we'd have to throw it away. I'd already had some and Gabriel had refused. Apparently he didn't trust food that came in such liquid form. 

I only knocked once before he told me to get in. And I actually expected to find him in bed, buried in his covers sound asleep. But I was surprised when I rather found him working out. He was doing press ups, but with one hand. He did two more after he saw me, then he stopped and cautiously stood. 

" Morning, " I greeted him, smiling as I looked around. My memory of the last time I had been in that room came back. And I shook it off because picturing him in bed with two girls wasn't something I wanted to be thinking about. 

" You look nice, " he complemented me as he walked over to his bed and picked a towel he had placed there. Hang it to wipe the sweat from his face before he drapes it around his neck, holding onto both ends and sitting down. 

" Thanks. "

" That for me?" he gestured to the bowl in my hand and I nodded, walking over to him and carefully placing it on his lap. 

" I completely forgot, sorry. "

" I figured as much. You seem better though, I was starting to think you were sick."

" Nah, I guess I was jetlagged. I've been flying too much. "

I nodded once more. My hands were actually itching to clean up his room. And I decided that after we came back I was gonna do it. Not that it was dirty or anything, he just seemed to have an issue with putting things where they were meant to be. For example, there was literally a coffee mug hanging off the door handle to the walk in. And another on the dressing chair which had somehow ended up next to the entrance. And let's not get started on the pieces of clothing which were everywhere I looked. I liked it when things were where they ought to be. 

" Wow, this is really good!" he exclaimed after tasting the soup. I chuckled and thanked him, telling him there was some more in the kitchen if he wanted it.

" I'll definitely have it later on. "

He took another sip, then he placed the bowl on the trey next to him and clasped his hands together.

" What is is? You seem nervous fkr some reason," he stated his observation. Staring at me with keen and bright eyes. That must have been the fist time I saw him genuinely smiling since he came back. I placed my palms flat on the bed on either side of me. There was something I wanted to talk to him about but I didn't know how to approach the subject. It was really sensitive and I feared I'd only end up doing more harm than good. 

" Can I ask you something?"

" Sure you can, you know that. "

He playfully nudged me with his elbow. Arden was one of those people who looked intense the first time you saw them. Maybe it has something to do with those green eyes of his, or the fact that he was different whenever he was around people he wasn't used to. He took his time to study them first before he settled on which part of himself he wished to portray. But that intense look was really appealing at first. Especially when his hair was as undone as it was now. A ruffled mess that had gone wild on his head. 

" Is it about Gabriel? Do you need leverage on him?" 

Laughing, I shook my head. But I did assure him I'd come back for that later on. 

" It's still hard for me to believe that he's in love. But something always told me he'd find someone one day. "

" And you weren't mad when you found out.. " I let the statement trail off and shrugged. We had actually never talked about that and it felt kinda weird. 

" Of course not. This will sound strange, but ever since that night, in the art gala, there was something about how he was looking at you. I've known him long enough to tell when he's affected by something. "

Knowing that he had had his suspicions for so long only proved how well him and Gabriel knew each other. And I also knew that Gabriel was worried about him but trying his best not to openly show it. 

" I was scared, thought you'd get mad. So I felt relieved when I found out you knew. "

" There's no way I'd get mad over that. I want the best for that maniac, and I believe you're the best there is. "

Sometimes he was too sweet. One of the major differences between him and Gabriel, other than their levels of cleanliness, was the fact that Arden had no problem with being openly vulnerable and speaking his true feelings. With Gabriel you had to force such things out of him. And even then,all you got were little snippets of information which you in turn had to glue together on your own. 

But I loved him in all his complexities. 

" What did you want to ask?"

I reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear,but the strands were in the stupid ponytail Gabriel had insisted on. I didn't get him sometimes,but I suppose it had something to do with the male gender in general. Back at Dahlia's, I had heard Crystal say that Nick didn't like it when she wore her hair up, so she always wore it down. And in much the same way, I wore my hair up even though I wasn't too comfortable with it. And because there were chances of me waking up and finding it trimmed. 

I was sleeping with a mad man after all. He didn't believe in empty threats. 

" Judging by your face,I can tell it's something serious. "

I nodded. Then I looked around the room before I returned my gaze to him. It always happened when with him. I doubted there was anyone who could look at him for three minutes straight without needing to dilute the effect of his gaze. 

" Are you really gonna get married?" 

That mustn't have been what he thought I'd ask. He say up straight and reached for the bowl, taking a sip before he held it on his lap. Both hands around the bowl to make sure it didn't spill. 

" Yap. Lucky me, "

 The faked enthusiasm in his tone was proof of how bumped our he really was. According to Gabriel, the girl was 'not that bad'. And I suspected he had already done his detective work on her because that's just the type of person he was. 

" It's okay though, I'm sure I'll get used to it. "

That wasn't how one was supposed to talk about marriage. It wasn't the type of commitment where you had to train yourself to adjust to it. It was supposed to feel natural and to make one happy. But all it was doing to Arden was draining him. 

" Is there a major reason why you don't want to?"

It sounded like a silly question, buti didn't think it was. He chuckled humorlessly and sighed afterwards.

" I have tons of reasons Layla, but I suppose there's one that tops the list. "

I waited for him to tell me what it was but instead he went back to sipping his soup casually. 

" Is it because of your girlfriend?" He stopped paying so much attention to the bowl and frowned, then he turned to me and raised a confused brow. 

" Huh?" 

" You know, your girlfriend..the one who.." I watched as the frown intensified. And I couldn't help but get confused myself because he would have surely already caught on by then. 

That girlfriend he was having such a hard time recalling was the one that had made me accept Gabriel's proposal in the first place. And as I said that in my head I finally realized something.

It was Gabriel! 

He was capable of anything. I didn't have to be more specific because is that girl had truly existed then Arden would have automatically known who I was talking about.

" Ooooh! " He finally commented, placing the bowl aside and running a hand over his face.

" That girlfriend, yeah you're right. "

I stood up and looked at him. For a good liar he was definitely having a difficult time making me believe him. 

There was a limit when it came to lies, there were some I could forgive and overlook,but there were others that I would definitely not. And that was one of them. If it was really a lie I didn't think I'd have it in me to forgive him. Arden cautiously watched as I did the maths, then I shook my head and rubbed my hand up and downy arm. 

I wasn't feeling so good. 

" Make sure you finish it, " I told him in a low voice. Then I turned towards the door and started to head out. I felt like my insides were in knots, and it was so raw it felt physical. Like I really wanted to throw up.

He couldn't have lied about such a thing, could he?

I'd just talked about his detective work a couple minutes ago. 

God! What was going on? 

Arden called out my name and I turned to him. He was standing, and he looked slightly guilty about something. I expected him to try and cover things up, but he did the exact opposite.

" Gabriel does some pretty stupid stuff, but none of it changes the fact that he loves you. "

That was basically a confession. 

And it only served to make me feel angrier..more hurt. He was in the mafia, I had come to peace with that and accepted I because it didn't really affect my relationship with Gabriel in any way. And Gabriel had told me which meant he didn't want there to be any secrets between us. I had literally asked him if there was anything else he ought to tell me and he had assured me there wasn't. 

You could joke about anything, but when it came to things such as people taking their own lives then you had to draw a line. It didn't matter if it was Gabriel, whether he didn't care about such things..you had to draw a line. 

But what I really wanted to know was why he had used that lie in particular. He could have said anything else but he had opted to go with the one that would have guaranteed my acceptance. Why? 

The minute I walked out of Arden's room, I had intended to go over and ask him to his face. But then I got scared because I didn't want to hear the truth from him. It was sickening! I had told him things about me because I had thought he didn't know, I actually assumed I was opening up. But now I realized he knew everything, and that he had always known. 

And there was no reason to ask him anything because the truth was pretty clear. He had only used the lie about suicide because he knew about my mom, and he had been certain that it would work. I recalled how sincere he had sounded, and Arden had played along because that was the type of people they were. They lied and then they made me feel like I was crazy for overreacting when in truth they were the crazy ones. 

I couldn't confront him, he'd spin things around and in no time we'd be on our way to Dahlia's party like nothing had even happened. That's how toxic and strange our relationship was. 

Gabriel controlled how I thought, and I loved him so much that I let him do so freely. I feared losing him so much that I had..! Shaking my head, I wrapped my arm around myself and leaned against the wall.

I needed some time alone to think things through. And I couldn't do it there because that entire atmosphere brainwashed me. 

Without really thinking things over, I headed for the stairs and hoped he was still in the bedroom. 

He'd be furious and enraged, but he deserved to be.