AUTHOR’S POV
SMOKE ERUPTED FROM THE EXHAUST of the motorbike as Gabriel skidded to a stop in front of his quaint home.
Sydney coughed as she got down from the bike. ” I think your bike is mad at me.” Sydney laughed and coughed.
” Nah, It’s been long since I took it for maintenance.” Gabriel choked out as they walked into the house.
Sydney’s eyes scrutinized the house as they walked in. She didn’t pay much attention to the little details the last time she came. Her eyes were too clouded with tears for her to, and it was sundown.
The living room seemed less like where a poacher inhabited. The obsolete designs give Sydney a sense of inner warmth. She could live here, far from civilization, and wouldn’t even care.
It was so tiring being a cynosure.
Sydney looked at the portraits of mountains, plateaus, highlands, and lowlands as Gabriel excused himself.
The portraits drove her thoughts to her mother. Sydney had called Ashley all day since she left Arizona. Their conversations lasted mostly an hour with Sydney doing most of the talking and Ashley laughing.
Sydney loved hearing her mother laughing, it came rarely.
Gabriel walked into the living room holding two overalls and safety goggles. His gaze lingered on Sydney before he spoke softly. ” You need to wear this to be safe, the other gears are by the back door.”
Sydney turned to him almost too quickly, her short hair bouncing on her shoulder. Gabriel’s mouth nearly tipped at that movement. He wanted to see it again.
Sydney collected the overall and looked at the tiger-skin rug then back at him with a questioning look. ” Do you slaughter the animals yourself?”
” I’m a lover of nature, not a killer.” Gabriel enunciated.
They put on overalls and other safety gear before heading to the patio.
Sydney’s eyes gleamed with awe taking in the back view. She didn’t even notice the house was downhill. There were a bunch of tall trees scattered in the terrain.
Oh, mum would love to be here. Sydney thought.
She looked at Gabriel like a giddy teenager, ” It’s beautiful. Beautiful is an understatement; it’s lovely. Very lovely.”
Gabriel smiled a bit uneasily. Staying alone with this woman was a form of torture for him. He swallowed as he saw her grin. Damn!
” I’d kill to live in a place like this. Would be nice to clear some horrendous thoughts just by seeing this serene view.” Sydney gushed, high with nature.
He wasn’t holding her from staying, was he? She could stay as much as she liked, even permanently, if she wanted. Gabriel wondered how she’d react when she saw the view at dusk. She’d be marveled.
There was a lake fifteen minutes walk away. Gabriel swallowed hard, envisaging her under the moonlight with her hair wet and that girly happy grin on her face. Oh God!
Shuddering out of his thoughts, Gabriel spoke. ” Come, I’ll teach you how to saw a log.”
Sydney followed him bubbly to where the fallen logs lay on the soil. Gabriel smiled seeing the surprise in her eyes.
” You didn’t carry this log yourself here, did you?”
Gabriel picked up the chainsaw. ” I would have if I played the main lead in Justice League. Put on your gloves.”
Sydney did as told and watched intently as Gabriel expertly started the chainsaw.
Gabriel looked at her with his eyes squinted. ” You need to learn how to hold a chainsaw first,” Gabriel shouted.
Sydney scoffed. ” That’s easy. Let me hold it.”
Gabriel looked skeptical. ” Promise me you won’t saw yourself to death?”
” No one dies from holding a chainsaw,” Sydney said confidently and took a careful step close to him. ” Give me.”
Gabriel hesitated but handed it to her. Sydney recoiled as she held the vibrating machine firmly. It was like waves were passing through her body.
” Take this shit out of my hand Gabriel!” Sydney wailed.
Gabriel erupted in laughter and took it from her. She was still shaking from the vibration making Gabriel laugh even louder.
” Easy, she said.” Gabriel mocked playfully.
” Do…do…don’t… mo…mockkkk meee Gai…. Gabriel.” Sydney stammered.
Gabriel clutched his stomach and laughed. His sides hurt as he laughed. When he saw the ‘ I don’t find it funny that you are laughing at me’ look on her face, Gabriel forced himself to stop laughing.
” Okay, fine I’m sorry-” His statement was replaced with laughter just looking at her. He stopped and released a breath when she corked a brow.
” Sorry, I’ll be serious now- Here, have it.” He raised the chainsaw to her.
Sydney took a step back, ” I’m not ready for another brain-scrambling experience.”
” I’ll be behind you, have it,” Gabriel said assuringly.
Sydney carefully walked to him. He handed her the chainsaw. She hesitated but slowly collected it; he stood behind her and wrapped his fingers strongly around hers, holding the chainsaw.
Her breath hitched slightly at the intimate position. She hoped Gabriel didn’t hear it.
Gabriel’s face moved to the side of her face as he said, ” Get used to the vibration… Strengthen your grip… Don’t cower… I’ll let go.”
Sydney did all he had said and nodded lightly for him to let go. She nearly fell the chainsaw when he moved away but was quick to tighten her grip. She relaxed, taming the vibration.
Gabriel grinned like a proud teacher. ” Good girl, tighten your grip, you are leaning.”
” Okay, it’s getting a bit heavy. ” Sydney said, wincing.
Gabriel grabbed it from her and held it effortlessly with one hand. Sydney panted slightly and slouched on the bench.
Gabriel looked at her teasingly. ” You’ve not even reached stage five and you are already struggling for air.”
” Stage five can’t wait another day, I’ll just watch. Come on, hop to it.” Sydney waved him off.
He smirked and picked up the chainsaw. At least that meant she’d be visiting often.
Sydney watched attentively as Gabriel sawed the log. He was definitely attractive. She would have never imagined anyone looking good by just sawing wood under the sun.
Sydney’s bladder was full and she excused herself.
After doing her business, Sydney exited the bathroom. She had a slight urge to look around, hopefully Gabriel wouldn’t mind.
Her eyes scanned every detail in Gabriel’s living room. Her hands brushed the disk players of old 1980s rock bands. A faint smile played on her lips seeing songs from old artists like Michael Jackson and Prince. She wasn’t a fan of contemporary music; she loved 20th-generation music.
That was all Caleb ever listened to anyway. He said modern singers have no clue what they are singing about.
Sydney sauntered out of the living room and saw a violin lying carelessly by the side of a wooden cupboard in the small hallway with a large sheet of paper around it.
There seemed to be something drawn on the papers.
Sydney squatted and picked up the papers. Her eyes widened with bewilderment when she saw drawings of her. They were meticulously drawn.
” Wow.” The words escaped her mouth as her fingers grazed the drawing, leaving a faint dark mark on her fingers.
Did Gabriel draw this? Sydney wondered, appalled. The shade of pencil used, the outline, the eyes, her dimples. The way he highlighted her hair. Everything. Perfect.
Sydney was too busy admiring herself to realize Gabriel was standing behind her with a hint of red on his cheeks.
” Um… I thought you wanted to pee?”
Sydney’s wide eyes moved to him and she quickly got up while holding the papers. A paper she hadn’t seen before slid out of the mass of papers and to the ground. It wasn’t a drawing of her.
It was that of a woman lying in a haddock with a fake smile on her face.
Sydney looked back at Gabriel like she’d been caught looting. ” Um… I um… I’m sorry, I saw the drawings and I was drawn to them.”
” There’s no need to apologize.” Gabriel picked up the drawing. ” I wanted to clear them out but I kept on procrastinating.”
He looked at her uneasily; she’d probably think he was a stalker.
” It’s beautiful. I had no idea you could draw. ”
” It’s just an excuse to kill time. It’s not a big deal.” Gabriel shrugged.
Not a big deal? Right, it wasn’t. It was a great deal! He could use this talent of his to make loads of money. Sydney knew many celebrities that would pay ridiculously much to get drawn like this.
But, why did he draw her?
Sydney smiled inquisitively at him. ” Don’t you have flocks of women chasing you that love to be drawn? Why did you draw me, Gabriel?”
Gabriel’s face hardened, and his demeanor became serious. What should he say? He couldn’t stop thinking about her since she’d left his home without telling him, or he didn’t have time to think of any woman that wasn’t her.
Sydney changed the topic when she noticed he was apprehensive. ” Who’s she, your wife or your mother?”
Sydney gestured to the drawing he was holding.
Gabriel looked at the drawing with a frown. ” My wife. ”
” Oh… Do you play the violin?”
” Rarely but yes.”
Sydney’s sparkle returned. She picked up the violin and handed it to him. ” Great! Now I can hear your angelic voice while you play the violin.”
Gabriel grabbed the violin staring at her skeptically. ” Are you sure? I’ve gone raspy over the years.”
Sydney nodded. ” Yes, I’m sure. Come, let me hear your dulcet tones.”
They walked to the living room and Sydney sat expectantly on the couch.
” What song would you like me to sing? Romantica or something contemporary?” Gabriel asked, his gaze firmly fixed on hers.
” Anything you’d like. Wow me. ”
Gabriel smiled and shut his eyes, his fingers wrapped around the neck of the violin while the right hand held the bow and his chin lay on the chin rest.
His voice came like tranquil waters as he sang ”Take my heart’ while playing a waltz.
His expression turned hard at every high and soft at every low, making Sydney mesmerized. A slight blush coated her cheeks as she watched him dreamily.
How many hearts had he captured with such a beautiful voice and why would any woman think of killing herself over a man like Gabriel?
Sydney sighed as Gabriel slowly ended the song with great scrupulousness. She didn’t even realize she was leaning her head on the couch while staring at him.
” How many girlfriends have you had?” Sydney asked as Gabriel opened his eyes.
He dropped the violin and stood next to her. ” I don’t do girlfriends.”
” I find that hard to believe.” From his looks, you’d get the thought he’s a hardcore player. ” Blake was right, you sing like an angel.”
” I’d be the judge of that. I’ve to bundle up the lumber before the termites find a place to sleep.”
Sydney didn’t even realize time had gone so fast. It’d take a while to reach Beverly Hills Elementary School. So, she called Theresa and asked her to pick up Ethan and Emily.
Sydney sighed and leaned into the chair. She was too lazy to get up. Maybe she could rest for an hour before leaving. Or take a nap.
Yes, a nap, that’ll do.