AUTHOR’S POV
SYDNEY PASSED GABRIEL THE ketchup and watched him smear it on his burger. She stuck up her nose in disgust, making him chuckle.
It had been five days since the club incident, and she hadn’t had a word with him since then, except today, when she stopped by the country club.
They’d played Tennis together till they got exhausted and hungry and had to grab lunch at the diner.
” I think this would be my new Wednesday and Saturday morning and afternoon routine,” Sydney mumbled on her BLT.
Anything was better than staying alone with Avery on Saturdays. Gavin was barely at home to Sydney’s dismay. He’d stopped trying to get on her nerves and whenever they saw each other, he would pass her by without uttering a word.
Sydney wondered why. Was it because Ethan and Emily stopped speaking to him?
Sydney adjusted restlessly on the chair, whatever was happening to him was none of her business. He didn’t deserve a space in her thoughts.
Her eyes moved to Gabriel whose gaze was fixed on her.
” Are you okay, you look worried.” Gabriel expressed his concern.
Sydney chuckled fakely and flung her hand in denial. ” I’m fine, I’m not worried. Maybe I am a little worried.” She smiled.
Gabriel cocked a brow. ” About what?”
Sydney pointed at the burger smeared with ketchup that Gabriel was holding. ” You. Don’t you ever get a stomach ache for eating rubbish?”
” This is not rubbish, Sydney. It’s good food, and I never get a stomach upset from eating good food.” Gabriel argued.
Sydney scoffed and shook her head disappointedly at him before grabbing her BLT and taking a huge bite.
She looked at Gabriel as they ate, she pondered why he hadn’t talked about what happened the other night. She didn’t want him to talk about it, but she expected him to.
After that night, she woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, and it took her five minutes to remember everything she had done the previous night. She wanted to drown in shame.
Sydney winces, recalling how she begged Gabriel to screw her. Who even says ‘ screw me’ these days? She’d let her horniness take the better side of her and Gabriel had to be the one to bear it.
A part of her was relieved it was him. Some other guy would have taken advantage of her but he didn’t. Why?
” Gabriel,” Sydney called, drawing Gabriel’s attention off his food and to her.
When she noticed she had his attention, she continued briskly. ” I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t do something stupid that other night… I’m sorry about what I said- That was me talking drunk. I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry.”
Gabriel raised a brow feigning confusion. ” What happened the other night?”
Sydney threw him a stupid look and rolled her eyes. ” You know what I’m talking about.”
Gabriel continued to pretend like he was confused as he wiped the ketchup off his lips with a napkin.
” I wouldn’t be asking you if I don’t know. Enlighten me.”
” Gabriel.”
Gabriel chuckled heartily and dropped the napkin. ” Okay, fine.”
His expression turned serious. ” Whatever happened then doesn’t matter now. You didn’t have to apologize, I didn’t rack my mind about it.” He lied.
Oh yes, he did. He couldn’t stop thinking about the lust in her eyes or the way she looked when she was drenched in the rain. She was cold, he could have made her warm. Very warm.
Sydney rested her elbows on the table and looked at him gleefully. ” But why? Why didn’t you do it? I mean you haven’t had s! x for seven years?”
He replied succinctly, ” You are married.”
Sydney looked slightly appalled. Wait, was she? Technically, she wasn’t; the only thing holding her and Gavin together was a document. They were as good as already divorced.
Sydney’s heart picked pace at the thought. Just like that, eleven years of loving Gavin was meaningless. He didn’t love her, she wasn’t sure she loved him as much as she did when they were teenagers.
Gabriel noticed her apprehension and said, ” Your husband… he hasn’t touched you in a while, has he?”
Sydney frowned at his question. ” Yes, but it doesn’t matter; our relationship wasn’t built on physical touch.” She scoffed internally at her own words.
They ate their lunch in unnerving silence. Gabriel went to the counter to pay for the meal while Sydney answered a phone call from Sofia.
” Okay Sofia, what’s wrong? You’ve been asking me how I’m faring for the past three minutes.” Sydney reprimanded.
Sofia stuttered, ” It’s um…nothing. I just wanted to know how you are feeling.”
” I told you I’m fine six times already. Is there anything wrong?”
She hadn’t seen Sofia since five days ago. She wanted to ask how things went down with her and Blake, but she didn’t get the chance to.
Hopefully, they cliqued.
” Uh… Um… No, never mind, I’ll get back to work now.”
Sydney voiced abruptly. ” Sofia, why did you call me? I know you want to tell me something, what’s it?”
Sofia hesitated. ” Mrs. – Sydney, do you, by any chance, um… have Mr. Patel’s son’s cell number?”
Sydney showed her spotless white teeth and looked at Gabriel who stared at her in confusion as he walked to the booth.
” I don’t but I’ll ask Gabriel. But, why didn’t you ask Blake yourself?” Sydney’s voice was teasing.
” He… Um, I had no idea when he left- Sydney, can I come over tomorrow?” Sofia asked in a charly tone.
” Of course you can, you are always welcome to my house.” It was a good way to pretend like Avery wasn’t in her home.
Sofia said a few things to Sydney before she ended the call. Gabriel picked up Sydney’s bag and handed it to her. She smiled gratefully and walked out of the diner with him by her side.
” Do you have Blake’s phone number? Sofia’s asking.”
Gabriel gave her a short glance and looked at a group of women wearing sunglasses standing next to a Mercedes watching them while whispering into each other’s ears.
Sydney’s seemed to care less about their gloating. Gabriel smiled like a proud father. He was happy she started ignoring what other people thought of her.
He gave a reply to her question. ” Yes, I do. Why’s she askin’?
Sydney looked up at him with a small smile. ” I think she’s interested in him.”
Unsurprisingly. Aside from almost drooling at Sydney’s appearance at the bar, Gabriel had noticed the tension between Sofia and Gil. He was pretty sure Gil, flung his advice and slept with Sofia.
Thank God she wasn’t six feet under. He wanted to ask Sydney if Sofia was still able to walk properly.
Gabriel shrugged. ” It was quite clear.”
” Do you think Blake would be interested in her? They look good together. I think she’d go well for him.” Sydney reckoned.
Gabriel wasn’t used to playing Cupid. From what he knew about Gil, he was incapable of loving anyone. He put up gates around his heart ever since he got used and dumped like a gum wrapper.
” I’m not sure. I think Sofia’s just having an infatuation, most women do after sleeping with him.”
Sydney gasped and halted, her eyes wide with shock. ” They had s! x?”
Sofia looked far too innocent to have a one-night stand. Sydney laughed, imagining Sofia all red when she was stripped of her clothing.
” I’m sure they did.” Gabriel saw four used c**dom in the trash can. Hopefully, Gil used it on different women. ” He took her to his home. He seemed off the next day.” And eerily quiet.
Normally, Gil would give a detailed explanation of how he made love to the woman, and Gabriel normally wouldn’t listen, but Gil didn’t say a word to Gabriel about it. Strange.
Sydney and Gabriel reached the parking space of the country club. Sydney felt her heart sink, she wasn’t ready to return home. It was too early. Plus, Avery didn’t go to work so she’d be at home in front of the Television watching Divergent and gubbling on snacks.
Sydney didn’t have the strength for Avery’s vile banter.
Her eyes met Gabriel’s who was putting on his helmet. ” Um, do you mind giving me a ride?”
” Ride? You don’t want to drive home?”
Sydney shook her head, her words hung in her throat for some seconds before she choked them out. ” Er, not that. I was thinking if I could follow you to your home, I would like to learn how to chop logs.”
Gabriel smiled elatedly, picked up another helmet, and handed it to her. She had eventually learned to put it on herself.
Without demur, Gabriel asserted, ” Firstly, I don’t chop logs, I saw them.”
” And secondly?”
” I’m happy you decided to tag along. I’ve been feeling lonely lately. ” His smile turned grim.
Sydney noticed his look and patted his shoulder playfully. ” Feel lonely no more; teach me how to ‘chop’ wood, and I’ll be a frequent visitor.”
Gabriel shook his head laughing as he climbed into the bike. ” I guess you’d be a better lumberjack than I am after today.”
” You bet I will.” Sydney quipped and got on the bike.
As Gabriel rode, Sydney thought about introducing Ethan and Emily to Gabriel. Especially Ethan, so she could clear the air, Gabriel was for sure attractive, but he didn’t make her feel light-headed and turned upside down and inside out like Gavin did.
He was a friend. He made her happy and brought out her inner child she thought she’d lost decades ago. The kids would be happy knowing him.
Hopefully.