Gabriella Ch. 05

Patricia laughed slapped his shoulder. "Like you were any better!" She darted ahead of him before his arms snaked around her.

"I don't think I burst any eardrums," he whispered in her ear.

She had wondered what dating Simon would have been like in college had she chosen him over Rodney. But then she wouldn't have Ella. "Well, your song was easier," she had told him. "Anybody can sing that pretty song by that band."

Simon stopped and turned her around in his arms. He placed a hand to his chest. "Oh, we might have to cut this date short. Did you just call Yellow by Coldplay that pretty song from that band?"

She laughed again. "Okay, okay, sorry. You did an okay job, but you have to admit mine was harder. Anyone can sing yours."

"Maybe," he countered with a smile. "But can they do it drunk and with an English accent?"

Patricia tapped her chin and rolled her eyes from side to side, mimicking deep thought. "Is that what accent that was?" He hoisted her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

She had felt so young and free that night. After they were married, Simon confessed that that had been the moment he knew he was going to marry her. He said any woman who could belt out that God awful rendition of Alone and still be hot was worth marrying—that and the fact had fallen in love with her.

How had everything changed in three years?

A dark SUV pulled into the driveway. Patricia shook away the memory and quickly stubbed out the cigarette. The headlights blinded her as she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

"Hey," Patricia said to Ella, who slowly ascended the steps. She followed her daughter's eyes to the pack of cigarettes lying beside her leg. "Oh, hope you don't mind. I grabbed them from your dresser. Long night."

Ella glanced at the door. "Where's Simon?"

"Hmm?" Patricia took in her daughter's black knee high boots. Simon definitely wouldn't have approved of her sangria red shirtdress that barely stretched to reach mid thigh, yet layers of boring clothes wouldn't hide Ella's womanly appeal. Patricia frowned. The amount of money she gave Ella couldn't have financed all her inappropriate attire. But it was a mystery she was in no rush to solve while her own life made no sense.

"Where's Simon?" she repeated in a harsher tone.

"He left."

"What happened?"

She looked up at Ella. Her tone had gone softer and more concerned. It was rare when she found no hostility or indifference in her daughter's words. "We had an argument and I asked him to leave."

An annoyed look crossed Ella's features as she mindlessly shook her head. "But this is his house." Now that was the tone Patricia had become accustomed to.

But she had grown a tough skin after living through her mother's drunken benders. And she'd needed it in the wake of the judgmental looks and comments people around town sent her way when rumors of Ella's behavior surfaced, rumors she ignored until it was too late to make a difference.

Patricia nodded. "I know." She looked back out into the yard she and Simon had spent the previous summer landscaping. She once doubted they could do it by themselves, but Simon insisted that together they made a good team. And now theirs was the second best lawn in the neighborhood, right behind Mr. Schulman, a retired war vet obsessed with gardening.

She looked up at her daughter and smiled. "Who was that who dropped you off?"

"A friend," Ella answered before she slammed the front door.

Patricia exhaled. The vague answer should have been expected as well. Sometimes she wondered if she'd ever reach Ella.

She stood and brushed the ash from her clothes as she gazed out into the yard. The chorus from Yellow moved through her mind with flashes of Simon wrapping his arms around her in bed, the intensity in his eyes right before he would make her come and his smile that predicted everything was going to be okay.

Lord help her because she missed him.

She hummed a few bars aloud as she walked back into the house. But they fell flat, no longer holding the meaning they once had.

**********

Gabriella

Ella waited until the light under the master bedroom door went out before she grabbed Simon's spare keys. She adjusted his seat and rearview mirror...the same mirror that held his reflection that night at Lake Torrance. Even his car smelled of cologne, destined to make her crazy.

After searching for his motorcycle at Steven's and the only bar still open in town, Ella pulled up beside it in the university teacher's parking lot.

She stared at the ugly brick building as she lit a cigarette. It was moments like these when she usually chose to go left instead of right. Only to find out that right was the correct choice.

The clock on the dashboard read 3:15 am. A chill ran over her body, causing her to shiver. It could have been the cold weather or it could have been her nerves. Nerves that were slowly faltering the longer she sat there.

She leaned back against the seat and cursed herself. She was doing exactly what she swore to him she wouldn't do. Follow him around like some love sick girl with a crush.

Ella got out of the car and slowly made her way up to Grayson Hall. She took another puff from her cigarette before she stubbed it out on the pavement. She popped a piece of cinnamon gum into her mouth and cupped her hands over her eyes to peer through the glass door. The hallway was dark with only a little light shining from the dim fluorescents above.

She pulled her black wool coat tighter, her teeth now chattering, though the thought of him being pissed at the dress she was wearing in this weather made her smile.

She still wasn't sure exactly what she had planned to do. What excuse she was going to give him for being there? All she wanted to know was if he was okay and if he needed anything...in a nonsexual way. Then she would leave.

Yes, she would leave and go back home once she knew he was okay.

But she needed a backup plan. Something that would ensure that once she asked about his well-being, she could leave right away.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Nolan.

"Hello?" He sounded groggy.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey," he replied, perking up. "What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Need me to pick you up?"

"No. Um, just call me in like 45 minutes, okay?" She peered through the door again.

"Just call you back?"

"Yeah, it will be my cue to leave. I'm with a friend and I don't want to stay long."

"Oh, okay. Sure. Forty-five minutes, right?"

"Yep. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Talk to you then."

Ella bit the inside of her lip as her fingers hovered over the dial pad. She had never felt this nervous before, but this was all new territory. Simon had changed now that her mother knew. But she never would have thought in a million years that her mother would have kicked him out. And for how long? Was it permanent? She wanted to talk to him about it. But his perfect world was tumbling down and she was in part to blame...if not the whole reason. A fact she was sure he would never let her forget.

She gulped down the frosty air and dialed his number. By the fourth ring, she was prepared to leave a message.

"Yeah?" His voice was low and she couldn't determine what mood he was in.

"Hey," was all she could think to say. He didn't respond. "Can you let me in?"

"What?"

"I'm outside."

Several seconds went by. She bit her nail waiting for him to talk.

"Gabriella, go home." The line went dead.

Ella debated what to do next. If she called again, he would ignore her. But the possibility of just leaving didn't seem like an option.

The wind whipped around her face, as she looked into the building once more.

Her heart warmed as she saw Simon slowly making his way down the hall. His hair was disheveled in a natural attractive way and half of his dress shirt was untucked from his jeans.

He walked up to the door and stared down at her through the glass. Her face was freezing, but she refused to reveal her suffering.

She blew breath on the outside of the door and wrote "please" with her numb fingertip.

Simon fogged up the space above hers and wrote "go home". Ella smiled and shook her head. He leaned his forehead against the glass and traced over her "please". She shook her head again.

He closed his eyes and pushed the door open.

"Thank you," she whispered as she slipped in. But he closed the door behind her, locking her between his body and the cold glass door.

She looked up at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.

"I wanted to know if you were okay."

"I'm not."

"Anything I can do to help?" Even to her own ears, her voice sounded small and unsure.

His eyes continued to hold hers as if seeking out her true reason for visiting him.

The low hum of the flickering light in the distance was the only intrusion against the silence.

The chill along Ella's back grew as she leaned against the door. She stood completely straight, lightly pressing into him. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked, trying to gain some confidence back.

He stared at her then he turned and walked down the hallway. She quickly fell in step behind him.

When they reached his office, she shrugged off her jacket but kept her eyes on him.

He plopped down onto the couch and propped his head against the wall. She ignored the fact that he sat directly in the middle, blocking her from sitting near him.

He eyed her as carefully as she was eying him. He appeared tired, due to the sunken eyes and slight stubble on his chin. Good. This way she would only stay for a short while before she let him rest.

"Why did she kick you out?"

"Because I cheated on her, Gabriella," he grumbled.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Well, she already knew that."

Instead of responding, Simon stood and rummaged around his desk. He checked over a paper before he thrust into her face.

"Since you're here..." he stated with a smirk.

Ella groaned at the unfinished test in her hand.

She sat down opposite of him at his desk and began answering the questions she had left void from earlier that day. But her mind was on everything but Ancient Egypt.

Simon swiveled his chair around and faced the wall. He removed his degrees that were framed and began wiping them with a paper towel.

Ella tapped her pen against his desk hoping the irritating sound would draw some reaction from him. But he continued to ignore her. She cleared her throat. Still nothing. He placed his degrees back on the wall and picked up a book from his floor. He opened it and leaned back, still facing away from her.

She sighed and finished filling in answers for the remainder questions. She glanced up again, and noted how the hair on at his nape curled, indicating he needed a haircut. She loved running her hands over the soft brown locks when they dripped with sweat. Her eyes lowered to his broad shoulders and muscular back. Although obscured by a baby blue dress shirt, she knew all too well what lay beneath.

When she handed the test back to him, he grabbed a red marker and studied it. She watched his face as his eyes moved back and forth, the marker hovering just above the paper. A few lines down, he slid the bold red ink across an answer. Then another. And another.

She wasn't sure why she cared, but impressing Simon had become more essential to her than she cared to understand. He was a smart man and no doubt he didn't want someone as dumb as a box of bricks like Jessica.

She turned her attention to the other tests on his desk. She saw Nolan's name sticking out from under the stack. She couldn't see the grade, but was sure it wasn't that high. Nolan was certainly not an academic. But he liked her. And she liked him.

"Nolan asked me to be his girlfriend," she said, examining Simon's reaction closely. His hand paused over the paper for a second before it continued to move.

"What was your answer?"

She shrugged. "Told him I'd think about it."

Simon slid the paper towards her. "B minus, not bad."

Ella glanced over it. "Thanks." She bit her lip and looked up at him. "What do you think about it?"

"About?"

"Me being Nolan's girlfriend."

"I'm happy for you," he said then eased back in his chair. "You two are the poster kids for true love." He tossed the marker onto the desk.

"Would it kill you to say exactly how you feel? I just want to hear something real from you."

He shrugged. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, maybe something like I don't like you and him together. In some weird twisted way I feel like you're mine. Tell him no." She tried to reign in her frustration, but it kept building. He knew how to get a rise out of her the same way she knew how with him.

Simon rested his hands on top of the desk. "I don't like you and him together. In some weird twisted way I feel like you're mine. Tell him no," he repeated.

Ella shook her head and stood. "Thanks," she mumbled, ripping her jacket from the back of the chair.

His eyes averted to the desk. "That the thought of you two together makes me insanely jealous."

A warm flood flowed through Ella's inner core until it bubbled over in an ear-to ear-grin. He hadn't said it, but those words might as well have been the three word phrase that she desperately wanted to hear from his lips.

She placed her jacket back on the chair and walked around until she was behind him. He didn't move. He was in deep thought.

His shoulders were tight as she ran her hands over the toned blades. At first he tensed, but then he relaxed. The back of his head lightly rested against her stomach while she rolled her hands up his neck and back down.

He mumbled something.

"What?" She leaned down closer to the side of his face.

"I said I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything."

Her arms moved down his chest and over his stomach as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry too," she whispered. She tightened her embrace as she kissed the exposed skin by his neck. Her lips parted, as the salty warm tasted filled her mouth.

His hands gripped her arms. She waited for him to push her off, but instead he ran his fingertips over her arms, causing the slight sprinkle of hair to stand up.

They remained that way for what several minutes, Ella afraid to move for fear of breaking the mystical spell. It felt like ages since the last time they were together and not fighting about something. It was in moments like this that she knew this was real.

But Simon pulled away. He turned the chair around and looked up at her, his azure gaze growing darker in color. She had seen that look before. She carried that image to bed, as she pleased herself into a deep sleep.

Ella hesitated for a moment, before she slowly straddled his lap, the familiar position sending a flurry of butterflies to her stomach. His hands caressed her back as one made its way up to her neck and gripped the hair at the base.

She gasped, loving the rougher bond between them, one she lacked with Nolan. Did Simon compare her and her mother this way?

Simon pulled her face to his, his lips attacking hers. She moaned as his tongue found hers and his grip tightened in her hair. She felt him growing hard through his jeans as she rolled her hips over his.

The chair squeaked after each thrust of her hips. He removed his hands from her hair and ran them down her sides until he reached the hem of her dress. She lifted herself off his lap as he pulled the tight dress upwards and over her head, leaving only her lacy black bra and panties.

Ella lifted his hand, taking his middle finger into her mouth. It wasn't until his focus shifted from her eyes to his hand did she realize her mistake. The shiny gold band flashed in the light creating a silent bullhorn in the middle of their intimate moment.

She dropped his hand, but his eyes remained on the ring. "I'm sorry," she said in a soft voice.

He continued to stare down at his hand as she mentally chastised herself. She looked around and ran her hands over her arms, his touch no longer keeping her warm.

Simon looked up at her, his eyes growing even darker, as if the pupil swallowed up the dark blue iris. His mouth was set, his jaws stiff.

Those subtle hints meant he was burning with anger. But at who, she wasn't sure.

Ella didn't have a second to brace herself before he lifted them both up and turned around, roughly dropping her on his desk, knocking a stack of papers to the floor.

"Ow—" was all that flowed from her before he seized her mouth again, this time biting her bottom lip before he forced his tongue in her mouth.

His movements were rough but welcomed as her legs tightened around his waist. Ella quickly pulled at the buttons on his shirt, until her hands were able to run over his hard torso.

Her phone chimed on the edge of the desk. She pulled her lips away from his to reach for it. Her hand ran over the sleek plastic, before he ripped it from her and tossed it across the room and onto the couch. The phone continued to ring when he pushed down his pants.

His head lowered to her chest as he pushed the cups of her bra below her full breasts, her nipples already puffy from her arousal.

"Simon," she moaned as he latched onto her sensitive bud. He lightly bit and pulled on each one as he pushed her panties aside. His hand brushed over her warm entrance before he positioned himself in its place.

"Ooh." Her breath quickened as he swiftly pushed his cock inside her, not giving her a moment to adjust before he pulled out and slammed back into her again.

His hands were sweaty. He gripped her waist and pulled her roughly against him. His eyes roamed over her body before settling on hers. She wished he would lean down and kiss her. But he continued to pull her back against him as her slick body slid across his desk.

His carnal battering continued as her pussy began to spasm around him. She gripped the edge of the desk above her head and held on as an orgasm rippled through her body. This was what she had missed. This was what she had with him, and no amount of Nolan's or Bryan's could make her feel this alive.

When they connected on this level she did feel...special. Even if he couldn't say it like Nolan had.

But once the muscles gripping him let go, and she was able to focus again, his violent thrusts became painful.

"Simon," she said, not sure what else to say. His eyes were still dark as his lunges became quicker. He gripped her waist, pulling her back against him one last time before he closed his eyes and shouted out his pleasure.

His body jerked against hers for several seconds before his hips slowed their pace and his grip on her loosened. Their breaths fell in sync as all else went quiet. This is where she wanted to stay. Right here in his arms. But she knew too soon that he would let go. He always let go.

When he opened his eyes, she smiled up at him. But something was different this time when he didn't return her smile. He was already in that place he retreated to after their lovemaking.

She pulled him in for a kiss, wanting to keep him a little longer, but he escaped her embrace as he quickly backed away from her, dropping her legs onto the desk.

He pulled his pants up and plopped down into the squeaky chair.

Ella sighed and closed her eyes. He was feeling guilty. But this time she would make him see that they needed each other. They wanted each other and whether he realized it, they loved each other.

She sat up on the desk and pulled her bra back into place over her breasts. Their mingled wetness felt sticky underneath her legs. For the first time, he hadn't pulled out, crossing an invisible barrier that he had been adamant about maintaining. But his sudden mood change halted her from bragging about it.