Gabriella Ch. 04

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soular
soular
3,051 Followers

She wished she were like other women and could just cry to drain out all the feelings that were crammed within her. But she couldn't. She hadn't shed a tear.

She shielded her eyes from the sun only to find Simon staring out at the slopes. He was deep in thought. She studied his profile and wondered when she had lost him. **********

Gabriella

Since the cab had dropped her off, Ella paced the freezing sidewalk until she lost track of time. She wondered if showing up like this would send the wrong message but she hated being left in the house alone. Although she had spent most of her childhood in an empty apartment, it hadn't prepared her for Simon's absence.

Friday night had been awful. Nothing to do and nowhere to go. And now that Saturday had rolled around she refused to spend another moment in the house lovesick and moping because they couldn't be together anymore. She considered spending time with Nolan, but she didn't want to call him out of desperation. Besides, they weren't a couple and she didn't want to give him the wrong idea.

Dried leaves twirled across the visitors' parking lot as the wind gusts grew stronger. Ella clutched the front of her pea coat, trying to insulate herself from the cold. A storm was coming and she had a choice to make: stay or go.

She slipped in through the gate behind a couple carrying several boxes of pizza. When she arrived at the door, she exhaled and knocked.

Steven answered. The smile on his face faded.

"Hey, can I come in?" she asked, wondering if she should turn around right now. Simon would be pissed if he found out she had come here. Could Steven keep a secret?

He stared at her for a few seconds before he said, "Sure." He poked his head out the door as she walked inside.

"Simon's not with me. He and my mom are out of town."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, I just wasn't sure." He looked at her curiously. "Ella, what—"

"Steven, there's no more—" a woman's voice called out.

Ella took in the confused face of the leggy brunette who had walked out of his kitchen.

"Oh. Who's this?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, this is Ella. Ella, that's Holly."

Ella gave a weak smile as the brunette placed her hand on her hip.

"You've got to be kidding me." Holly snatched her purse from his leather couch.

"Wha—wait, Holly," Steven said as he blocked her path. "It's so not what you think."

"Right. You just have random girls showing up at your place all hours of the night. Fuck you. He's all yours sweetheart." She stormed out and shut the door behind her.

"Holly!" Steven shouted, snatching the door open as he rushed out.

Ella felt terrible that her loneliness and boredom ruined his night. She thought about leaving, but didn't want to intrude on the conversation in the hallway. From the sound of it, Holly was doing all the talking.

Steven was rubbing the side of his face when he returned. "You owe me for that."

"I'm sorry, I can leave," she said, walking toward the door.

"No, no, no." He caught her arm and studied her. "First of all, are you okay?"

She nodded and watched as he narrowed his eyes at her and twisted his mouth to the side as if thinking.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?"

Ella removed her coat and smoothed down her burgundy dress before she sat down in the den. "I was just sitting at our house bored out of my mind. Nothing to do."

Steven smiled from behind the bar. "You? Nothing to do on a Saturday. I find that hard to believe."

"Sad but true."

"I think I hear hearts breaking across your campus."

Ella smiled. She loved Steven's naturally flirty nature.

"Want something?" he asked.

"Um, sure. Screwdriver please."

Steven nodded.

"So, that girl, Holly. Will you have another chance with her?"

"I don't know. Doesn't matter. If she's so quick to jump to conclusions and act all crazy without hearing me out first, then we aren't destined to be together." He handed her a drink. "One Screwdriver minus the vodka."

Ella frowned at her drink. "But this is just orange juice."

"Yep, and you're just nineteen," he said with a wink before he downed his glass.

"Almost twenty."

"Well, when you hit that beautiful twenty-one, give me a call. I'll make all the screwdrivers you want."

Ella took a sip and sat the drink on the glass coffee table. "So, did you have any plans to go out tonight?"

He laughed and pushed a hand through his curly blond locks. "Not really. The plan was to be in my bedroom by now."

"Oh." Ella rubbed her arms and looked around. Steven's place was very well kept—the kind of place a woman would feel comfortable in. But she remembered Simon telling her he had a housekeeper who came twice a week so to not be too impressed. "Sorry I screwed that up for you."

He quickly looked away and returned to the bar when she him caught him staring at her.

"Quite alright." He placed his glass on the bartop. "I'm assuming Simon doesn't know you're here."

"Nope."

"Okay." He rubbed his chin. "Well, how about some pizza and a movie, then I drive you home, okay?"

She nodded. "I'm good with that."

He grabbed his cell phone. "Is it pathetic that I have Pizza Hut on speed dial?"

Ella held up her pointer finger and thumb. "Just a little."

***

It was a little after midnight when Ella tossed the pizza crust back into the box sitting on the floor. "Oh my God, you have to give me another." She laughed as she waited to hear another one of Steven's crazy pickup lines.

"Another? Okay. How about this one?" Steven crooked his finger and motioned for her to move closer.

"What?"

He continued to motion for her to come to him. She playfully rolled her eyes and scooted closer.

He leaned over and whispered, "I knew if I fingered you long enough, you'd come."

Ella burst into a fit of giggles. They camped out on his living room floor to watch two of Steven's favorite Vince Vaughn movies: Old School and The Wedding Crashers. It had been a long time since she'd laughed so hard and she was glad he had let her stay.

"You liked that, didn't you?" he chuckled, taking another bite of pizza.

"And girls actually fell for that?" she said, wiping a tear away.

"Oh yeah. Didn't you know laughter was a strong aphrodisiac?"

"I guess so."

Steven smiled and sipped his beer. "So, what's up with this guy you're dating?"

"What guy?"

"I don't know. Simon said you were dating some guy from school."

"Simon talks about me?" Ella assumed he avoided conversations about her like the plague.

"Yeah."

"What does he say?"

"What? I'm supposed to betray my friends trust for a pretty smile. Tempting, but no."

She stretched her legs out. "Fine. And besides, I'm not dating anyone. He's just a friend."

"Just a friend, huh? I know all about that," Steven teased.

"Whatever," she said as she giggled and sipped her cherry soda. But when she looked at him, he studied her face, as if he was trying to read her. Feeling uncomfortable, Ella glanced at the blank TV screen.

"So, Simon said you were too good for this guy."

Ella almost choked. "What?" she asked, setting her drink down. "That's a laugh."

"Why?"

"Well, one, he doesn't know anything about Nolan and two, I'm sure most would think he's too good for me."

"Why would they think that?" he asked, glancing at her legs and then back to her face.

Ella twisted the stem from the cherry in her drink until it detached. "Wanna see something?" She placed the stem in her mouth and after about ten seconds, she removed the stem which was now tied in a knot. "Ta dah," she whispered, embarrassed she had done something so immature in front of him.

"Nice. I'm sure you have lots of hidden talents," Steven said, leaning back and placing his arm on the sofa cushion. "But you didn't answer my question. Why would they think that?"

Ella shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, he's a good guy, you know. People don't really look at me the same way."

"Explain."

Ella wanted to move away from this subject, but she knew Steven wasn't dropping it anytime soon. "Okay, well, he didn't even lose his virginity until freshman year. I'm, well, way beyond that."

Steven leaned closer to her. "So. You like sex, that's not a crime."

Truthfully, she hadn't enjoyed sex most of the time. It was just something boys wanted to do with her and she usually complied out of lack of anything better to do. It wasn't until Simon, that she began to understand how wonderful being with a man could be. She loved every intimate moment with him. "Well, some people think it is."

"Well, some people suck."

Ella laughed then sighed. "I wonder why he thinks I'm too good for Nolan," she said, more to herself than Steven.

"Probably that weird protective father thing. You know, no one will ever be good enough," he said, rolling his eyes.

Ella smiled at the thought. She knew if he did have those feelings, it wasn't in a fatherly way. But she still needed to play it down. "Well, considering he doesn't like me much, I guess that's kinda nice."

"Why do you think that?"

"Come on Steven, you've seen us fight. We're like oil and water."

He smirked. "And none of that is your fault, is it?"

"I'm not saying that, but you have to admit that he can be an asshole. Why is that?" she asked. "Why are men assholes?"

Steven shrugged. "Because we can be, darling and we know you'll put up with it."

Ella shook her head. "Boys are much easier."

He laughed. "I'm sure they are...beautiful girl like you. You probably lead them around and they just love it. Tongues wagging and everything."

Ella was taken back at how honest he was.

"But men...," he continued. "They won't let you do that. You have to have more than a pretty face and a tight...well, more than a pretty face to win them over. I mean take me for instance. Okay, I see a lot of women. But no one woman has had that thing that has ever made me want to give up the rest."

Ella listened. Even buzzed, Steven still made a lot of sense.

"Now, I'm not cynical enough to believe that the right one doesn't exist...she does. But until I find her, the world is my oyster and I'm going to enjoy every damn pearl." He winked at her.

"Could you see yourself with me?"

He hesitated before he chugged the rest of his drink down. He sat the bottle on the table. "What?"

"I guess I didn't mean me, but someone like me. My age and in school. Or would it be embarrassing for you?"

He shook his head. "Nope, it wouldn't be embarrassing. Actually, it would be kinda hot. I'd get the biggest kick out of picking you...or someone like you, up from school."

Ella leaned back against the couch. "You really do say exactly what's on your mind."

"Ah, you're annoyed I take it," he said.

"No. I like it. It's refreshing."

"Well, I don't usually get a positive response for my honesty."

"Well, I like it," she whispered, scanning over his face. Being this close to him made her think of Simon. She wondered what he was doing in that exact moment. She stared into Steven's face until it blurred and resembled Simon's.

"I normally don't ask girls this, but what are you thinking about?"

Her eyes drifted to his mouth. "You and Simon kinda look alike."

"Oh, really?" he asked raising a brow. "His brown hair and blue eyes and my blond hair and green eyes really favor each other."

Ella ignored his sarcastic reply and continued to observe him. Well, maybe they didn't look so much alike, but he was the closest person to Simon.

An exciting and dangerous thought floated through her head. If she closed her eyes, maybe he could be Simon for one night. He could replace what had been ripped from her. At least for a few hours.

She glanced past him, down the hallway. He followed her eye path, before turning back around. His eyes roamed over her body.

Ella became embarrassed by her thoughts, as if he could read them. He wasn't Simon. She quickly slid up to the couch, breaking the awkward moment.

"Do you know why Simon and my mom left?" Ella asked.

"Do you?" he asked moving up to the couch.

"Yep. He cheated on her." It sounded strange to say it out loud.

Steven nodded. "Yeah, I figured."

"He told you?"

"No, not really. But he's been my best friend since forever, so I could tell something was different. He was on edge a lot. It was weird."

"Do you know who she is?"

Steven's emerald eyes narrowed. "No. But I have my suspicions."

Ella swallowed and turned her attention to her toes. "Really, who?"

"Now what kind of friend would I be if I told you?"

"Please?" Did Steven have some other woman in mind?

"Nope and don't beg. It's a turn on."

Ella's mind raced. "Have you met her?" Her skin tingled as a small smile formed across his lips.

"I'm going to bed before I say or do something stupid." A silence passed between them as he shifted awkwardly then said, "Don't worry about Simon and your mom. I know he loves her a lot and he'll try to make things right."

She nodded and her face didn't betray how much it hurt to hear those words. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"As long as I remember how to get to the bathroom, I'll be fine," he said over his shoulder before he wobbled to his room.

"Goodnight," she whispered to no one particular. **********

Patricia

It had been a while since Patricia had worn a bikini in front of her husband. And although she had always been proud of her body, she felt self-conscious now that she would be compared to his nineteen-year-old lover.

She quickly unwrapped the towel and sat down in the steamy water.

"You look gorgeous," he said from across the hot tub.

"Thank you."

"Stunning, in fact. Mind if I come a little closer?" he asked with his signature smile. She shook her head and giggled, feeling like a school girl.

He stood and took a step to sit right beside her.

Patricia placed her hands on top of the water. "Things I've learned about myself. I can't ski. Not even a little bit."

Simon laughed. "Oh come on honey, you weren't that bad."

"I was awful. I saw a three year old go by me."

"Yeah, I saw that too," Simon said before he burst into laughter. "I saw you give her a nasty look."

"Well, she was a little arrogant, don't you think?" Patricia grinned and sank down further into the water, letting it massage her neck.

"Simon?"

"Yeah?"

Now was the time. She had to clear up this confusion before they left tomorrow to trek back into a life that she thought she knew but now didn't.

She turned away from him and played with the water. "Is it because we don't have sex as much as we use to?"

"Patricia, no. I don't want you to think that's the reason."

"Then what is the reason? I know we've been avoiding it, but I guess now I have to ask."

He took a sharp breath. "You know, for the past few days I thought about how I was going to answer that. I rehearsed a few things that all sounded self-serving and stupid. And I don't want to lie to you, so I'll give you the conclusion that I came to. And it's that I don't know. I'm still searching. But what I do know is that I'm sorry, that it won't happen again and that I love you."

A part of her felt relieved because he sounded so sincere. At least he couldn't pin point the blame on her yet. But her uncertainty remained. "I want to believe you but how can you be sure it won't happen again when you don't know why it happened in the first place?"

"I just know—" His voice broke. "I know I never want to hurt you like this ever again."

Patricia felt something she hadn't in over a month: hope. "When you do find the reason, promise that you'll share it with me."

"I promise."

They sat in silence and for the first time in weeks, it felt comfortable. Patricia moved closer, unsure what to do next. She had avoided contact with him because it just seemed like the right thing to do under the circumstances. But the affair had come and gone and she was still standing.

Simon furrowed his brow. "You don't ever need an invitation to touch me."

Patricia smiled and straddled his lap. She studied his face. His blue eyes set beneath brown eyebrows and thick brown eyelashes. She could see the slight outline of his five o'clock shadow. Her eyes dipped down lower to his defined sturdy chest.

She knew what this other woman saw in him. He had been perfect in her eyes. Handsome, smart, funny, kind and a spectacular lover. In her mind that seemed like the prototype for the perfect man. Perfect had it not been for her.

She mindlessly traced her fingers over his chest. "Is she pretty?"

He sighed and pressed his back against the wall of the tub. "Patricia, I don't think this is a good idea."

"I just want to know what I'm up against."

"You're not up against anything. I told you, it's over with her. Finished. Done."

"She's pretty." Patricia ducked her head, to avoid seeing the truth he couldn't hide.

Simon tilted her chin up until her eyes met his. So earnest. So blue. "And you're beautiful," he said quietly. "I lost sight of how many ways."

"Did you love her?"

He tensed. "N—No."

She wanted to ignore the slight pause, but she couldn't. "You hesitated."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. You hesitated," she said out of breath. She had only entertained the idea that Simon enjoyed sex with another woman. Not that he could have been in love with her. A slow dull ache penetrated her insides and settled in her stomach. Anger sprang up hot and fast.

"How many others were there?" she demanded. Did this nineteen-year-old hold a special place in his heart or was she just one in a string of women? Patricia couldn't decide which was worse.

The muscle in his jaw worked. "There was no one else but her. Patricia, I love you. End of story," she heard him say while her mind raced.

God, she felt so stupid. If she hadn't asked that question, things would have been fine. Before that question, she had wanted him to take her to bed. Before that question, she truly believed all would be okay.

"I'm tired. I'm going to turn in early." She rose up from the water but Simon caught her waist and pulled her back down.

"Patricia," he said, gently turning her face toward him. "I don't love her. I love you. Okay?"

She wanted to believe him more than anything else in the world, but she heard the lack of conviction in her own voice when she said, "Okay."

"I hate I made you doubt every word I say. I'm so sorry."

"I know. I believe that," she said as she smoothed his arms. Simon kissed her, his lips tentative, sweet then insistent against hers. Patricia shut her eyes, blocking out all else. She only wanted to feel her husband in that moment. His lips. His tongue. The warmth of his mouth. **********

Gabriella

"Oh, my God," Ella heard Steven say in a groggy voice when he found her in his kitchen. He scratched his head and poured a cup of coffee. "I didn't know you spent the night. I didn't do anything inappropriate, did I?"

Ella laughed and removed the waffle from the iron. "No. I slept on the sofa. I hope that was okay."

"Yeah, I guess its fine. If you're okay with it."

"I'm fine."

He leaned against the counter and rubbed a hand down his face. "So...I was thinking that we should keep this to ourselves, you know?"

"Sure."

"It's just that, well, I know Simon and he would be highly pissed at me. I mean, it's not like we're lying to him, right? I just feel that if it doesn't come up in a casual conversation, no sense in mentioning it."

"I won't say a word," she said.

"Okay. Thanks. So, now that that's out of the way, what have we got here?" he said rubbing his hands together.

"Waffles, bacon, eggs and fruit."

"This looks good. You know, I don't think a girl has ever cooked breakfast for me," he said, setting his coffee down to load up a plate.

soular
soular
3,051 Followers