21st Century Knight

Chapter 9 A Millionaire's Labor

Gabriella was humming to herself as she scrubbed Brandon’s shirt. She was kneeling over the tub, her hands clad in pink rubber gloves, a sponge in one hand, the shirt in the other. She wiped her forehead, which was moist, with the back of her hand. She checked the shirt thoroughly before declaring it stain-free and white again. Looks good, she thought. She rinsed it and hung it out to dry on the balcony. She checked her clock—only four o'clock in the evening. Austin had asked her to come and help out again at the Charity Center. She thought she could make it by four-thirty. She decided to get ready.

She rode the bus down to the Center, keeping an eye on the bus stops, making sure people noticed the posters she had put up. A few people simply passed by, but some stopped and read them. Hopefully, more people will come to the Center now. A few minutes before she could reach it, her phone rang. It was Brandon. She picked it up.

"Hey."

"Hey, Gabriella. Whatcha doin'?"

"I’m actually on a bus."

"Going out?"

"Yeah, I have some volunteer work today."

"Volunteer work? I would have liked to come along."

"Really? You wanna do volunteer work? It won’t be easy, you know."

"Hey, I’m strong. You did see my muscles yesterday." She blushed to herself.

"Don’t remind me. So, you really wanna come? Okay, the address is Little Dove Center, 153 Seane St."

"I’ll see you there."

"Okay, see you then." She hung up.

She got to the Charity Center and decided to wait at the gates in case Brandon couldn’t find it. The center was in the middle of a little suburb just outside of town, and she wondered how long it would take Brandon to reach it. But five minutes later, his sleek white Acura drew near her and parked. Brandon got out, wearing beige pants, a blue suit, and an open-neck shirt the color of parchment. His shiny sunglasses and matching shoes made him look altogether too dashing.

"Whoa, prince charming, are you here to work or shoot a Hottie-of-the-year ad?" Gabriella asked with raised eyebrows. Brandon removed his sunglasses and put them in his breast pocket.

"So you think I’m hot?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist. Gabriella shook her head skeptically.

"You will be after you’ve done some manual labor in those clothes."

"Would you like me to take it off? The shirt too?" he asked mischievously as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Ah, stop! I didn’t mean it." Gabriella quickly covered her eyes in embarrassment. Brandon smiled.

"Good, because that would be a little unscrupulous around kids. Although you might not mind," Gabriella groaned as he laughed aloud at her expression.

"How did you get here so fast? Were you nearby?"

"Sort of. I was browsing."

"What were you browsing for?" Brandon smirked at her.

"Tell you that when I find it." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Okay Mr. Mysterious, let’s go." They went in and headed for the reception.

"Gabriella! You came! That's good because we need some help; we’ve got a problem." Austin and Hailey came up looking worried.

"What’s wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"We promised to tutor some kids today but Morton School called in. They said they want to do the cleanup today instead of next week because they’re starting summer classes in August. That’s only a week away. Problem is, all the seniors are on tutor duty and the middle schoolers won’t be able to do it all by themselves. Cathy and Owen went with them but they’re still short."

"We can help." Brandon offered. "Just tell me where this school is." Austin looked at Brandon curiously.

"Austin, this is Brandon Whiteley. He's a friend," Gabriella explained.

"OMG! Is that Brandon Whiteley?" squealed a girl from the back. In two seconds, a handful of girls crowded around Brandon asking for his autograph.

"He’s even hotter than his picture!" there were more screams at this.

"Thanks, girls, but I really have to go. Duty calls, you know." Brandon smiled his pearly smile at them all. The girls squealed.

"He even does charity! Here at our center! Oh gosh, wait until everyone hears this!" Brandon waved them off and turned to Austin with a whisper.

"Hey, Austin, right? Could you tell me the address before a riot breaks out?"

"You got it." Austin grinned, trying his best to pacify the excited teen girls.

"So where is this school again?" Brandon asked Gabriella in the car. "I've never been to this part of the city so I'm kinda new here."

"Go straight for four miles, then take a right, then another right and you're there." Gabriella directed him. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and asked, "How did those girls know you?"

"Publicity. I’m kind of a celebrity with those tabloids that girls read," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Really? You're a celebrity? Wow, lucky me." Gabriella said playfully. Brandon pinched her cheek fondly.

"It's not like that. I just… got voted on the ‘Most eligible bachelors’ list. I’m not even in the top three."

"Then what number are you?" Gabriella asked him with a raised eyebrow. He rubbed his neck and mumbled something.

"What? I didn’t catch that." Gabriella put a hand to her ear.

"Four, okay?" Brandon said a little louder. Gabriella hid a snort of laughter.

"I guess that’s why those girls called you hot." She commented.

"I recall you calling me 'hot' not ten minutes ago," Brandon reminded her. She cleared her throat.

"Shouldn’t you clarify that you’re not a 'bachelor' anymore? Wouldn’t want the tabloids getting the wrong idea."

"You’re absolutely right. In fact, they already know I’m not a bachelor anymore."

"Already? That was fast. How come?"

"Club party, remember? There were reporters and photographers there."

"What? But… I didn’t even notice them!"

"They were at the entrance. And they are not allowed to act like paparazzi. The event was private. Only a few tabloids post about the elicit events."

"Then I’m in the news?! No way!" Gabriella pulled out her phone and started searching on Google in a hurry.

"Oh! Here's our picture! And… Wow, they go all out." Brandon snuck a peek at her phone. There, on top, was a picture of the two of them at the entrance. They looked really good, he thought, Gabriella, smiling at him with her arm in his.

"Read the article aloud," Brandon said.

"Brandon Whiteley, heir to Whiteley Enterprises, has finally landed a new date – and a stunning one at that. He walked into the Rosette Hawkins club on Friday evening, apparently very much infatuated with his new ‘girl.’ Fans had already responded to his new romance with support and paparazzi were dying to get a look at the new couple. Brandon's new blonde is the luckiest girl in New York City. But some say it’s a passing phase and, like Madison Blake, he might just move on too quickly when he gets bored. But for now, it is confirmed that Mr. Whiteley is definitely no longer a bachelor. That means it's 'heartbreak season' for half the female population out there."

"Trashy, isn’t it? Nobody knows how to make a decent report anymore." Brandon said when Gabriella finished.

"How many females are we talking about?" She asked.

"Twenty to thirty thousand. City-wise only," Brandon replied airily. Gabriella scoffed.

"Unbelievable. Do all women fall over themselves for one guy?"

"Hey, you are the lucky woman who happens to be dating that ‘guy.’" Brandon laughed.

"But I'm not falling over myself like a fool. I'm more thrown off by the fact that I’m in the news! I’ve never been on the news." She kept on reading the other articles.

"Brandon?" she asked after a minute.

"Yeah?"

"Do I… cramp your style?" Gabriella looked tentatively at him.

"Why did one of the articles say that?"

"Maybe… Do I?"

"Course not! You’re an incredible woman and I oughta be the one they're calling lucky."

"But I'm not – you know, glamorous or anything. I'm not like the girls who would sell an arm and a leg to get a date with you." Gabriella looked a little wan at the thought. Brandon reached out on hearing her melancholy voice and squeezed her hand.

"And that's exactly what I like about you. One of the things, anyway," he said softly. Gabriella turned to the window to hide her blush. He said he liked her! She chewed her lip to keep from giggling with joy.

"Hey, I can see your face in the side mirror, you know." Brandon laughed. He took her chin with his thumb.

"I better keep those lips occupied with other activities so you don’t bite them," he said huskily to her. She blushed harder at this.

"You’re seriously cute when you're embarrassed." He winked. Gabriella cleared her throat and looked out the window.

"Look, we're here," she said. Brandon parked in front of the school and they got out.

"Follow me," Gabriella said, leading the way.

"Yes ma’am," Brandon said meekly, watching her with amused eyes. He knew she wasn't very good at hiding her embarrassment and planned ways to take advantage of that again sometime. She was very irresistible when embarrassed.

"Hi, Owen! I’m here to help." Gabriella greeted the volunteer kids. She introduced Brandon next, "This is Brandon, he's here to help too."

"Great. I got the kids to do garbage pick-up and desk cleaning," the boy called Owen said. "We could use some help with room cleaning. Cathy and I are doing classrooms in the right wing. You can take the left wing. There are cleaning supplies in the middle of the school. Meet us outside when you’re done." Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. Let’s go."

They found the supplies and carried them to the classroom near the far end. Gabriella was putting an apron over her dress when she saw Brandon holding his, unsure how to tie it. She giggled.

"It goes over your head." She pointed.

"Which end?" Brandon asked cluelessly. Gabriella helped him put it on and tied the knot around his back.

"It clashes with your eyes," She teased him. He laid his suit on a chair.

"Yeah, I should’ve bought a blue one." He grinned. "Maybe next time."

"Oh, so there's a next time?" Gabriella asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If it means spending time with you, then sure," Brandon said assuredly. He rolled up his sleeves and put on his gloves.

"How do we go about this? I take the floor, you take the… What?" He took a sponge and then a mop and looked at both unsurely.

"You can take the blackboard, I'll take the floor," Gabriella said, smiling at his childlike approach to cleaning.

"Got it." He soaked the sponge into the bucket, squeezed it, and started scrubbing.

"Hey! Do it in circles. That way the paint won’t spoil."

"Circles? Like this?" he demonstrated.

"Yeah, like in Karate Kid. Wax on, wax off. Well, Soap on soap off in this case."

"Yeah. But something’s missing." He took off his gloves and went to his jacket. He got out his phone and turned up some music.

"That’s better." He placed it on the table.

"Oh, I love this song! I usually listen to it while cleaning at home too." Gabriella exclaimed excitedly.

"Guess we have similar tastes in music, huh?" Brandon smiled.

"Yeah. Ooh, watch out, that soap might enter your eye," Gabriella warned. Sure enough, some dripped from the sponge which he had raised high and dribbled down his face.

"Ah, that burns!" Brandon stepped back, pressing the back of his hand to his eyes. Gabriella dropped her mop and pulled out her hanky.

"Which eye? Show me! Oh, it’s becoming red! Let me wipe it." with gentle fingers she wiped his eye. He watched her with his good eye, secretly enjoying the attention she was giving him.

"I have some saline solution. It should help with the burning," Gabriella said and ran to her purse. She took out a small bottle.

"Tilt your head up." She instructed as she tried to put the drops on for him, but he was too tall.

"This won’t work, you’ll have to sit down," she said. Brandon obeyed and sat on one of the low student chairs. Gabriella leaned over him to put the drops. As she put in the drops, he pulled her suddenly from her waist. Losing her footing, she instinctively put out her hands, falling on his shoulders. She gasped, startled.

"What’d you do that for?"

"Just… because. I wanted to see your reaction. Hmm, I was right. You do blush when you're near me." Brandon smirked demurely, enjoying having her on his lap.

"Oh!" Gabriella exclaimed. She immediately got off him, red with embarrassment. She straightened her hair and went back to her mopping with a huff.

"Gabriella, are you mad?" Brandon asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

"No… Okay yes, a little." Gabriella admitted stiffly. Brandon came up behind her and hugged her.

"Aw, I’m sorry. Forgive me?" He asked, causing her breath to get caught in her throat.

"Fine, but don’t do that again. I told you, we haven’t even been dating that long for you to do that."

"Do what?"

"Touching. I mean, that’s really something for couples who have been together for a while to do."

"We already kissed." Brandon reminded her with a little smile. She cleared her throat.

"Let’s just get back to cleaning."

"Only if you say you're not mad anymore. Come on, let me see a smile. Or else I will sponge you." He came after her with a sponge.

"No, no! Don’t do it! Ah! Stop it!" she ran in circles around the room, darting away from his soapy sponge. He laughed, chasing her.

"Brandon stop I give up!" he finally sponged her apron as he caught her.

"Good. That’s one point for me, anyway."

"How come you got all the points?"

"I’m a good player."

"Really? Let’s make a deal. Whoever cleans up more gets a hundred points."

"Do they count as the boy-friend-girl-friend points?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm gonna win."

"If you say so. Ready? Go!"

They cleaned the rooms furiously, cleaning the blackboard, scrubbing the floor and walls, dusting the cupboards, and so on. They both splashed each other with soapy water occasionally and soon had to towel themselves off. Brandon was starting to perspire with the heat since his clothes weren’t meant for doing manual work.

"Brandon, I think we should cool off a little. You look really hot." Gabriella said, noticing he was tired out. He laughed breathlessly.

"Wow thrice in one day. I guess I’m just too smokin’."

"You are silly, at least unbutton your shirt before you pass out."

"Wanna do it for me?" Brandon waggled her eyebrows. Gabriella smiled smugly at him.

"I’m not falling for that." Owen and Cathy came in just then.

"Gosh, the rooms look great! You guys worked hard."

"But we’re not done yet. I mean the cleaning is, the work isn’t. There are some boxes of old papers and rubbish collected in the storage room. Do you think you guys could take them out and keep them near the garbage bins? We still have to clean the terraces."

"Sure. Easy-peasy," Brandon said.

"Here, we forgot to give you these earlier," Owen said, handing them a six-pack bottle of water.

"Did the other kids finish?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, they did their work and went home a little while ago. So it’s just us," Cathay said.

"Okay. We’ll finish up with the boxes and go."

Gabriella and Brandon drank the water before heading to the storage room.

"Brandon, are you sure you can do it? You look tired."

"I’m fine. Besides, I haven’t yet shown you how well my muscles work."

"Right, of course, you haven’t," she said, rolling her eyes. They opened the storage room door.

"Oh. Hmm. That’s a lot of boxes."

"I know. Are you sure–" but Brandon had already started carrying them out, two at a time. Gabriella watched him, impressed. She tried to do the same but Brandon stopped her.

"Gabriella! Don’t take the big ones. I can handle those."

"Hey, I’m not as light as I look. I can do it too."

"I didn’t know you were a feminist."

"I’m not, I just don’t want you to do all the heavy work."

"Are you actually worrying about me?" He asked suavely.

"Yes! I don’t want you to overwork yourself, even if you are enthusiastic."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For caring about me." And with that, he walked out of the room carrying the boxes. Gabriella sighed. She was starting to care. More than she first allowed herself to.

After all the boxes had been moved out, they locked the room and left. Owen and Cathy waved to them as they went home too. When they reached the car, Gabriella took Brandon’s car keys from his hand.

"Hey, what gives?" He asked.

"I’m driving. You look like you could pass out," she replied.

"I’m fine, I can drive. Besides, I don’t think you can handle my Acura."

"Course I can. You trust me, don’t you?"

"That’s cheating, asking me that." Brandon pouted.

"Is it? How?" Gabriella asked him demurely. He gave her a stare.

"You know I do."

"That’s exactly what I wanted to hear." She unlocked the car.

"Get in on the other side."

"How come you’re not tired?" he asked in wonder.

"I’m used to it. I do work like this a lot. For me, it’s fun. Now get in." Gabriella ordered him. Brandon, feeling rather tired, didn’t protest. He secretly wanted to see how Gabriella would handle his car. They switched sides and Gabriella started the car before pulling out of the lot.

Brandon closed his eyes and leaned his seat backward. Soon he was fast asleep. Gabriella turned the air conditioner blades toward him. She knew he was exhausted and let him sleep. The car was smooth and she had no trouble driving it.

As she drew into the parking lot of her building, she turned to see if he had woken up. His eyes were still closed, and his breathing was even. She didn’t want to wake him and wondered how long he would sleep. But the problem was solved, as another car pulled up in front of her, its headlights blaring in front. The light woke Brandon as they fell on his eyelids.

"Hmm… Gabriella? How long have I been asleep?"

"Only a little while. You’ll come upstairs, won’t you?"

"When you ask like that, I can't say no." Brandon smiled sleepily at her. They got out, Brandon quickly grabbing a bag from the backseat before they went to the elevator. Gabriella noticed the bag in his hand when they reached her apartment.

"Sit down. Hey, what’s that bag?"

"I figured, every time I come over, I need to change. So I bought some clothes. And your robe." He answered her. She giggled.

"That was smart. Oh, and I washed your shirt. I’ll get it for you."

"Mind if I wash up? I look worse than the state of my clothes." He held them up. They were dusty and needed a good wash.

"That’s what you get for wearing thousand-dollar clothes for heavy lifting."

"Hey, at least you guessed the price right." Her jaw dropped open. She did not actually think his clothes were a thousand dollars.

He went to the bathroom to wash up. Gabriella also changed her clothes, putting on a loose peach-colored blouse and shorts.

Brandon smiled approvingly when he went out and he saw her.

"Sit down, I’ll make you a drink. Do you want something hot or cold?"

"Anything’s fine. Whatever you’re having, just nothing with berries."

"Got it." She whipped up two hot chocolates, with vanilla cream and chocolate chips on top.

"That looks delish," Brandon said hungrily.

"Try it." Brandon took a sip, giving himself a milk mustache. Gabriella hid a smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing, Santa." She said, wiping his mustache with her handkerchief.

"You have one too, you know." He wiped hers off with his thumb. They drank in silence, wiping each other’s mustaches occasionally. After drinking, Brandon put his glass down and leaned his head against the couch.

"Tired?" Gabriella asked.

"Achy. I guess those boxes are starting to take their toll."

"Oh, I was afraid this would happen. Where does it hurt?" she asked anxiously. He shook his head.

"I'll be fine." He brushed it off. Gabriella frowned.

"Alright then, I’ll find out for myself." She took one of his arms and massaged it by squeezing it up and down.

"Ah seriously! Hmm!" Brandon bit back the pain. He didn’t want to appear weak.

"It hurts, doesn’t it? Hold on." Gabriella went to the fridge and took out two ice packs. She placed one on either of his arms.

"That feels good," he moaned. He kept his eyes closed. She quietly went to her bedroom and got out a couple of hot packs as well. She heated them and took them to the couch. Quietly, she lifted the ice packs and placed the hot packs instead. Brandon’s eyes flew open when he felt the heat.

"Whoa, that's hot!"

"Is it too hot? I only put it for a minute in the microwave."

"No, it's okay. I was just – surprised." She held the pack for him, alternating between heat and cold.

"How do you know this works?" he asked, watching her.

"I used to have aches just like you, the first time I worked like that. So I read about some quick relief treatments for aches online. I prefer the hot pack but, the rule is to put both alternatively. Of course, I wasn’t as worn out as you since I didn’t go overboard with the cleaning and lifting."

"Yeah, but I showed you my muscles, didn’t I?" he flexed his biceps for her. Gabriella gave him a patronizing smile.

"They’re not that big. And you didn’t have to do that."

"You like bigger muscles?" Brandon asked in surprise. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. I think you look good just as you are. I don’t like guys who are all ripped." Brandon laughed at her statement, pleased that she finally admitted she liked something about him.

"Thanks for the compliment," he said, and shut his eyes again, entrusting himself to Gabriella's care.