BEFORE THE SUN BEGUN TO set, Gabriel had taught Ethan the ropes of fishing. Ethan was a quick learner and he learned how to cast the fishing line in no time.
Emily joined in and asked Gabriel to teach her.
Gabriel replied in a tender tone, ” Your brother would teach you, I’m a bit sore in the knee.”
Ethan, who had cast the fishing line into the lake, half-looked at his sister and said teasingly. ” Make sure you don’t a-t-e the earthworm.”
Emily chuckled fakely, ” It’s e-a-t Ethan and that’s disgusting. ”
Gabriel laughed at their childishness and left them to themselves.
He walked to Sydney and sat next to her. She was almost falling asleep when he came.
He looked at her sleepy figure and said softly, ” Do you want to go back and hit the sack? ”
Sydney shook her head dismissively, ” No, I’m okay here. Er, thank you for today. ”
” You can thank me by cooking dinner. ” He smiled.
Sydney chuckled tiredly and nodded, ” Sure, I don’t do anything anyway. ”
Being a couch potato was tiring for Sydney. All she did was sleep, wake up, watch TV, and sleep again, then repeat the whole cycle every day. Gabriel was of no help since he’d do all the chores before she woke.
Gabriel rested his elbow behind him and leaned backward with a sigh. ” Don’t you think about getting a job?”
Sydney scratched her knee and replied succinctly, ” I don’t need unnecessary attention. ”
” You won’t get that much attention if you work online, don’t you think? ”
It never crossed Sydney’s mind she could work online. She’d always liked writing. That would be enough to kill time and drift her mind away from her ex and deceased mother.
Despite all her efforts to take her mind off them, it proved futile as every instance reminded her of them. She barely slept five hours a day with her mind ravaged with thoughts of them.
She thanked Gabriel and then she realized she had broken her laptop in a fit of rage when she was still in her home.
It was either the laptop or Gavin’s face.
She said with a nervous lip curve, ” I don’t have a laptop but maybe I’ll get one next week.”
Gabriel gave a nonchalant nod but his mind swirled throughout the day on what she had said till he found himself in an Electronics store with Gil by his side.
His eyes scanned the multiple Apple laptops arranged in front of him.
Gil looked restless and said, ” Remind me why I’m here?”
Gabriel didn’t look at him when he replied sarcastically, “I don’t know um… you were standing by a bus stop doing God knows what and looking like you had your heart broken. When you saw me on my bike, you shouted for me to stop like an insane man and demanded to go wherever I was going.”
Gabriel enjoyed toying with him.
” It was a rhetorical question… Besides, don’t you think Sydney would be suspicious if you got her an Apple laptop? This shit cost a fortune.”
Gabriel didn’t want her stressing over anything. With the right setup and programming, Sydney wouldn’t have to worry about using the laptop.
But, Gil was right.
So, Gabriel settled for a less costly Microsoft laptop.
As they walked out of the store, he finally addressed his best friend’s sour mood.
With a nudge, he asked, ” Come on spill it.”
Gil was a man who loved attention. He was happy Gabriel finally asked what was bothering him but he didn’t give a quick answer.
” It’s nothing.”
Gabriel knew Gil too well, so, he said indifferently, ” Aiit, sooth yourself. ”
He was about to hop on his bike when Gil said grumpily, ” You are a big a**hole, you know right?”
” Of course, you’ve told me like a thousand times.”
Gabriel sighed and said earnestly, ” Talk to me, what got you in a bad mood?”
Gil wavered a response, ” That chick that works for your Dad.” He looked at everywhere but Gabriel.
” The one you have a crush on?”
Gil denied it with his cheeks red, ” I don’t have a crush on her.”
” I’ll pretend like you don’t, so, what about her?”
Gabriel smiled at the troubled look on Gil’s face. Is someone catching feelings already?
” She, um, she’s ghosting me. Normally, she calls me or sends messages, but she doesn’t anymore. When I swallowed up my freaking pride and tried to call her, she didn’t pick up. I feel like a sack of shit because she made me call and text her over fifty times just for her to ignore me.”
Gil, call anyone over fifty times to talk more of a woman? Well, isn’t this funny!
Gabriel held his laugh and said, ” Did you say or do anything wrong to her?”
” No, I can’t think of anything wrong I said or did.”
Gabriel shrugged, ” Then get over it.”
Gil laughed fakely. ” Because it’s so easy. I drank twenty bottles of shit over the past week trying to get her off my mind, but her goddamn beautiful face keeps on waltzing back into my head.”
” I think approach is the best reproach then.”
Gil’s felt a shiver run down his spine. What he feared was that she’d found another guy. What if he caught her banging another guy when he’d go meet her?
He could handle it. After all, he only felt physical attraction for Sofia, nothing more.
Yeah. Yeah! He decided that Gil promised himself to go to Sofia’s the next day.
_____________
Gavin felt like a huge part of him had been taken away ever since Sydney left. He’d lost a lot of money and incurred loads of liabilities over the last week, he thought he’d go insolvent before New Year.
A part of him wanted to burn all he’d worked for over the years down and start his life afresh.
Ever since he allowed Alejandro to orchestrate everything that would happen in his life, Gavin had been in ruin.
He craved to have Sydney in his arms again and to see his kids. He hadn’t even realized when he turned to an alcoholic.
Avery got tired of keeping up with his tantrums, if he wasn’t of use to her, she would have poisoned him a long time ago.
Avery stood by the staircase watching Gavin as he bathed his mouth with alcohol as he lay depressingly on the couch.
She rolled her eyes, hid her grimace, and walked to him with the documents in hand.
She said in a hypotonic tone, ” You need to stop drinking, baby. It’s not good for you.”
Gavin ignored her and poured more wine into his mouth. He quickly sat up when he began to choke, and he coughed like a maniac.
Avery’s fist clenched as she tried with every fiber in her body to exercise patience.
She sat next to him and grabbed him by the jaw making him look at her.
” Why are you doing this to yourself, Gavin? ” She brought her lips to meet his but he looked away.
” Please, I need to be alone.”
” It’s been a long time since we had s! x, Gavin, I need you.”
Gavin looked at her scornfully. ” If you are so horny, go and f**k the wall. I’m not and will never sleep with you again.”
He wanted to stand but Avery pushed him back down.
She smiled pretentious and said, ” That’s fine, have it your way. But, Gavin, I need to be sure you would never disown our child, I’ve brought this document, and you have to sign it.”
She placed it on his lap.
” Peradventure, you try to disown my child; one-quarter of all you own belongs to me.”
Gavin could barely see straight because of the alcohol in his system.
Although he was drunk, he’d always learned to read over any documents thoroughly before signing.
” Waste of ink and paper but whatever, tomorrow I’ll read through it and sign it.”
Avery said briskly, ” I can’t wait till tomorrow, Gavin; you need to sign it now.”
” And why is that?”
” I just need reassurance now, Gavin; I’ll lose my mind if I don’t get it today.” She squeezed his hand cajolingly.
Gavin released a breath and ordered for her to bring a pen and stamp.
She handed it to him in no time.
” Show me where I have to sign.” He said and leaned over to talk another glass of wine.
As Avery began to open the document impatiently, her hand mistakingly hit Gavin’s, making the wine spill over the document, ruining it.
It was like a circuit went off in Avery’s head when that happened. She began to bark at him.
” What the hell have you done?! Are you insane Gavin? Can’t you do anything right for once?!”
” You hit my hand so how is it my fault?”
” Oh, please don’t you think of blaming me. You did this intentionally so you would have an excuse to disown my child.”
Although she was mad, she was careful not to ruin her plan.
Gavin stood and stared at her squarely in the eyes.
Sending his foul breath over her face, he growled. ” Say that one more time, and I promise you, I’ll lock you up, beat the shit out of you and kill you, your child, and myself.”
He grabbed a bottle and flung it to the wall in anger then stormed out of the living room.
” Stupid undeserving son of a b**ch, I’d kill you first before you have a chance of touching me,” Avery screamed.