AUTHORS POV
SYDNEY STARED AT Gabriel in a daze. She tried to check from his facial expression whether he was kidding but he looked dead serious.
” You are kidding aren’t you?” She asked incredulously.
He responded in a rigid tone. ” No, Sydney, I’m not joking. You want to be in Arizona today, I’ll fly you there.”
She was more confused. He was a lumberjack, not a pilot. If he wasn’t a pilot, it meant he had a private plane, but how could he? He’s not an elite.
The elevator opened with people waiting outside impatiently. Sydney was still staring at Gabriel in confusion so, he grabbed her hand and walked out of the elevator.
As they walked out of the hotel, his hand firmly holding hers, she asked. ” Where are we going, Gabriel?”
” I have a friend who owns a private jet. He lets me use it often. He wouldn’t mind this time. I can fly a plane so I’ll take you to Arizona.” He explained, coherently. o
” But, I can’t let you go with me to Arizona. What about your job?”
They stopped in front of Gabriel’s motorbike. He grabbed the helmet and put it on for her. ” I’m not complaining. I could use a time above ground. It’s been a while.”
She stared at him as he put on his helmet. What if he wanted to use her again? She dismissed the thought instantly. What was there to lose? She’s lost her popularity, lost her husband, lost her best friend, lost herself. At least she could try to be better for her kids. Some days away from the madness in Beverly Hills would give her some time to cool off.
She told Gabriel to give her a second then she called Sofia. She asked her if she could take care of Ethan and Emily while she was gone. Without hesitation, Sofia agreed. Sydney talked to Ethan and Emily for a while and then got onto the bike.
As Gabriel rode off, Gavin watched the bike disappear into the evening sun. Avery’s hand was around his waist, and her head was on his bare back. She smiled and kissed his back.
In a triumphant voice, she said. ” You aren’t thinking about her, are you?”
Gavin ignored her and moved away from her grip. He put on his shirt rather aggressively. Isn’t she feeling bad about what he did to her? Clearly, from what he had seen, she was not.
Avery rolled her eyes angrily and helped him button up his shirt. She smiled wryly and said, ” I love you and I’ll treat your kids better than Sydney ever could. ”
” I’ll see it when I believe it.” He turned away and buttoned the shirt himself.
Avery reached out to him in frustration but held herself before she could do anything to ruin her plans.
‘Sydney did a good job in tolerating this bastard whenever he’s upset.’ Avery soliloquized.
” If I were you, Gavin, I would pay her back for all she has done. I wonder if she actually ever had feelings for you.” Sydney wheedled.
When she noticed his shoulder tense up, she smirked and went to him. She kissed his neck, but he didn’t react in any way. Her smirk turned into a grin. She thought he and Sydney were exemplary fools. How easily they could be hoodwinked. But, it was meant to be, after all; how could two self-absorbed humans fall in love with each other?
_________
Gabriel and Sydney walked into the private hangar, where a sleek jet with “Patel” emblazoned on the side awaited them. Sydney’s eyes widened looking at the jet.
Was Alfred ‘the friend’ Gabriel was referring to? But she had been in Alfred’s private jet before, and it looked nothing like this.
As the plane’s propeller whipped up a cloud of dust, Sydney squinted to protect her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw Gabriel’s dark hair was disheveled, his chiseled features slightly rugged watching her humorously.
” You know the Patels?” She asked with a raised voice.
Gabriel looked straight ahead. He answered, ” Yes, I’ve been friends with Alfred’s son for a long time.”
Sydney’s eyes widened with interest. That means this was Alfred’s son’s jet. Someone knew about his whereabouts. Wouldn’t that be something those ladies at the country club would love to know?
” Wow… I’d like to see him someday.” He must be as kindhearted as his father.
Gabriel smiled and watched as a familiar figure jumped down from the jet. He leaned into Sydney and whispered in her ear, ” Well, he’s here.”
She looked confused until Gil walked to her. He looked less like a carpenter and more like a high-class business Tycoon.
Gil resisted a smile when he saw her. He stretched out his hand in greeting. “Blake Patel. I’m guessing you are the famous Sydney Reed.” If he wasn’t The Alfred Patel’s son, you’d think he was teasing.
Sydney accepted his greeting. ” Yes and nice to finally meet Alfred’s son.”
” I guess I should let you go now so you’ll arrive in Arizona before midnight.”
Sydney nodded gratefully. ” Thank you for letting me use your jet.”
” The pleasure is Blake Patel’s. How about we have dinner together when you return?”He proposed with a charming smile.
Sydney accepted without hesitation. ” Of course.”
Gil looked at Gabriel and winked before looking back at Sydney. ” I’ll bring Gabriel with me, so bring a plus one.”
Gil said something to Gabriel before leaving.
She wondered why Blake decided to show up in Beverly Hills today. Did Alfred know about it? Whatever was wrong with the Patels, she hoped it got resolved soon.
Adrenaline rushed over her when she entered the jet. She could never get used to the feeling of being above ground. Being up in the air was like being in a utopic world to her. It was a perfect escape from the contemptuousness of the world below.
‘ As free as a bird… who was far away from the soil.’ She reckoned silently.
Gabriel’s hand brushed her waist, pulling her back to real life. She was taken aback when she realized he was barely an inch from her as he tried to buckle her up.
” I can do it myself.” She said but he didn’t stop.
” For once, don’t complain when I’m doing something for you.” He clicked the finally buckle in and sat straight, looking at her.
She looked ahead, not saying a word. She just realized how she pushed people away who only tried to help her and Gavin wasn’t exempted. She had been too afraid of not wanting to become like her mother she pushed people away from her. Avery knew this and took advantage of it.
” Relax Sydney. I know you are thinking of your husband again.” He leaned in and wore the aviation headset for her.
” Not exactly.” She adjusted the headset. She looked at the flight buttons enthusiastically. She had always wanted to learn how to fly a jet. Caleb was going to teach her after she finished high school so she could fly herself anytime she had external conferences, but she got pregnant, and Gavin wasn’t ready to let her ‘die’.
” How long have you known how to fly a jet?” She questioned as the jet began to lift from the ground.
Her shouted a response, ” Almost twenty years.”
Her jaws nearly hit the ground. ” How old are you?”
” I haven’t been counting since twenty but I do know I’m six years older than you are.” He replied.
Six years older than her? It means he is thirty- five. Sydney looked at him, amazed. He glanced at her and smiled, knowing she had figured it out. He didn’t look thirty at all. She’d thought he was her age or at most, Gavin’s.
She looked down at the beautiful city below. Some time away from Gavin would allow her to regain her sanity. She wondered if he was still in the hotel fornicating with Avery.
She shook the thought off immediately and looked at Gabriel. ” How long has Blake been in California?”
” I have no clue. It was a surprise visit.” Gabriel lied.
She nodded in understanding and watched how he flew the jet. She smiled grimly and said, ” I’ve always wanted to fly a jet. I love it above ground.”
” My father would tell me to sit and watch as he flew that’s the most crucial step in learning how to do anything. ”
Sydney grew more interested. He spoke like a man who had learned a lot about life. ” How many years did it take you to finally learn.”
Gabriel smiled and looked at her before looking back ahead. ” I learned it in a month Sydney.”
” You… you learned how to fly in one month?” Her mouth hung open.
” Yes. My father was a very insistent man. He put me in a jet with some man one day. The man fell asleep and didn’t look like he was going to wake up. I knew it was either I flew myself or die.”
” But, what if you had died?!”
Gabriel chuckled in amusement, surprised by Sydney’s level of interest.
” He trusts me. He knew even if I didn’t care about whether I died or not. I would never want to see my mother die of a heart attack.” He explained.
Sydney smiled. A real one this time. Gabriel couldn’t miss it, he stared at her for quite too long. ” I’d love to meet her.”
Gabriel looked at Sydney’s hair and a bleak smile broke on his lips. ” I’ll take you to see her someday.”