21st Century Knight

Chapter 13 Hot like an Oven

Gabriella was still debating if she should go to the wedding or not the next day, despite Brandon's willingness to accompany her. It wasn't that she didn't want to go with him – personally, she simply hadn't been very close to Meredith, and she didn’t know who else would be there. She wondered if her best friend Sassie got an invite as well and called her up to find out.

"Hey, Sass!"

"Hey, Gabby! What’s new? How’s the crush coming along?"

"That crush turned into a boyfriend a little while ago."

"Really? Marvelous! I have to meet him! When will you let me see this guy?"

"I was gonna ask if I would see you at Meredith’s wedding. Strangest thing, she sent me an invitation."

"You got an invite too? That’s so weird, me too. I wasn’t planning on going, but if you’re going, then count me in. It’ll give me a chance to meet that boyfriend of yours. Is he hot?"

"Er, define hot," Gabriella said coyly. Sassie laughed.

"You're not giving straight answers, which means he must be a heat wave. I gotta meet him. Phil and I will be there. I just gotta leave Teddy with mom."

"Okay. Then I’ll see you there."

"Later Gabby." She hung up. Now that Gabriella knew Sassie was also going, she didn’t feel uncomfortable about going anymore. There was just one problem left to solve – an outfit. Weddings called for all the elegance and class of gowns and pearls. She would worry about that later. Right now she had to fix dinner and it was almost six. She put on her apron and started cutting some vegetables. Just then, her phone rang. It was Brandon.

"Hello, darling. What are you up to?"

"Making dinner."

"Without me? I feel so left out!" Gabriella could almost hear the petulance in his voice.

"I thought you’d be coming over after work. You did buy a week’s worth of groceries for me," Gabriella laughed.

"I had a little extra work today since my secretary is off. But I can get off soon."

"Great then I’ll – Ouch!"

"What? Gabriella, what's wrong?"

"I cut my finger. I’m hanging up, I gotta put on a band-aid. See you soon."

"Wait Gabriella!" but she already hung up before hearing him. She went to the bathroom and washed the blood off. She hunted in the medicine cabinet for a band-aid but couldn’t find any.

"Great," she said to herself, "and I didn’t even think of buying some yesterday."

She went to her drawer and rummaged for a handkerchief. She folded one and wrapped it around her cut finger, tying a knot to keep it in place. She went back to the kitchen and put some vegetables to boil. Just then she remembered she had cut Brandon off. She decided to call him back.

She dialed his number but there was no answer. She tried again but got the same answer. She put her phone down. Maybe he’s working, she thought.

The vegetables finished cooking and she took them out. She was making shepherd’s pie, and she started to peel the potatoes for the top crust. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. She went to open it.

"Gabriella! Are you okay? Is your finger bad?" Brandon asked, his face flushed. He was panting heavily like he'd run up in a great hurry.

"Did you rush all the way from work just for that?" Gabriella asked in surprise. He didn’t pay attention to her words but pulled her to the couch.

"You didn’t even have a band-aid. It’s a good thing I came." He said, seeing the improvised bandage she made with disapproval. He removed it and took a variety of band-aids from his pocket, each a different size. He picked the largest one and peeled it open. He took her finger and wrapped the band-aid around it carefully. He then let out a breath of relief. Gabriella leaned into him with a touched smile.

"You’re the sweetest boyfriend, even if you did get a panic fit for nothing." Brandon turned to her.

"I was worried. I burned the road getting here." She took his face in her hand.

"Brandon, it’s just a little cut." She patted his cheek, taking in his drawn face. "My knight seems tired today. Lie down a bit; I’ll wake you up for dinner."

"What are you making?"

"You’ll see." She propped the cushions for his head on the couch and he lay back, stretching his legs.

"Wake me up in a bit, okay Gabriella?" He mumbled. Gabriella smiled silently, watching his eyes flutter shut.

He shut his eyes, intending to rest only for a few minutes. But he ended up sleeping for half an hour. He had been overworked that day and a little rest was exactly what he needed. And oddly, the most comfortable place he found to rest was Gabriella's couch.

Gabriella went back to her potatoes, glancing at his peaceful, reposing face occasionally. He really is attractive, she thought as she piled all the ingredients into the dish. I wonder why I never noticed it before. It would be nice to see him like this every day… Gabriella shook her head. They were still in the budding stage of their relationship; Gabriella couldn't afford to get attached this early. Sticking to practical thoughts, she made a mental note to talk to Sassie for relationship advice later.

After an hour's sound sleep, Brandon stirred and woke up. He looked around and spotted Gabriella in the kitchen, her back towards him. He came and stood behind her, kissing her cheek and resting his chin on her shoulders.

"Mmm… Shepherd’s pie?" He sniffed hungrily as Gabriella finished garnishing the potatoes with butter.

"Hmm. But it’s not done yet. I just need to bake it." She sprinkled some salt on top. Brandon took the tray from her.

"I’ll put it in. I don’t want you to burn your other fingers." Gabriella let him, feeling amused and touched at the lengths he was going through to protect her.

"Alrighty then. Set it for twenty minutes." She said as she started to put away everything and kept the table ready. Brandon straightened up after closing the oven and looked around. He saw her bedroom door lying open and a little smile crossed his face. He walked up to it.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Gabriella asked anxiously, dropping the forks on the table and running after him when she saw him go in.

"I didn’t get a good look at your bedroom before. I wanted to see it again." She came up behind him and tried to pull him out by the hand.

"You can check it some other time, there's nothing in here worth seeing. Besides, I have things in here I don’t want you to see!"

"Oh? Like what?" Brandon asked, taking a step forward. He felt something soft underfoot and looked down. Gabriella saw his smile widen.

"Huh, like this?" He asked and held up a royal blue-colored satin bra of hers. She blushed furiously and her hand darted forward to take it from his hand. He held it high out of her reach.

"Give it back!" she clung to him, desperately trying to reach for it.

"Hmm, looks like a b-cup." He teased her, waving it over her head. She gasped, feeling more desperate. She hopped wildly, still out of reach of the bra. Brandon was tall and his arms were slender and long. He turned and intended to throw it on her bed, but Gabriella reached out for it while still clinging to him, causing him to fall backward on her bed, and bringing her down on top of him.

"Oof!" They both got the wind knocked out of them. Gabriella froze as she suddenly found herself chest to chest with him, her hands supporting herself on his shoulders, his face a mere inch from hers.

"Er…" Brandon was speechless. Gabriella snapped back to reality and finally got her bra from his hand which had fallen idly next to him. She threw it behind the bedpost. She then tried to get up but felt a pair of arms clap around her waist. Without warning, Brandon suddenly flipped her over, so that she was lying flat and he was on top of her. She squealed in surprise. Brandon supported himself on his elbows, taking hold of her arms.

"Gabriella," His voice was soft. She was still panting from the sudden movement, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She tried to move, but his weight held her down. She couldn’t say anything because his eyes had her hypnotized. He bent his head forward and kissed the edge of her jaw. He continued trailing kisses along her neck. She inhaled sharply, her heart pounding. What was he doing? She'd never been in a position like this with a man in her life! The temperature of the room felt like it rose ten degrees and heat seeped into Gabriella's skin wherever Brandon's skin touched.

"I can hear your heart, Gabriella. Relax. Don’t be afraid." He hushed her gently. She tried to quieten her pounding heart and closed her eyes. She thought she could calm down a little if she didn’t see those beautiful ocean eyes. He lightly kissed her eyelid.

"Your hair smells like lavender," he said as he breathed deeply into her neck, "I like it." Her hands were still tightly fisted. He pushed her fingers out, unwrapping each one, and laced his fingers through hers. His lips brushed under her ear. He heard her intake short breaths and turned to see her face.

"Gabriella, open your eyes, love." She slowly opened them. She saw his tender smile.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me. I just want you to know how much I'm in love with you."

"Okay," was all the answer Gabriella could return. Brandon smiled beguilingly at her before pressing his lips to hers. He moved his lips across the grooves with an intensity that made her body quiver. She tried to free her hands but couldn’t. His grip was unyielding. She felt her mind slipping out of time and space. She tried to free her hands again and this time she got them free and took hold of his arms, pulling him closer. She opened her mouth wider and let him taste her lips. He let his elbows slide flat on the bed, his full weight on her. He took hold of her by the waist and let his hands rove to her back. She had never given in to her desires like this before and found it quite enjoyable. She got lost in his grasp, her body engrossed in his every touch until she heard a bell go off – the pie was ready. That completely broke her attention. Her eyes flew open and she tilted her head back, gasping under his weight, realizing he was close to crushing her.

"Brandon! I can’t… breathe!" His eyes widened and he quickly rolled to one side. She sat up, her legs dangling off the side of the bed.

"Gabriella, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?" he asked, massaging her back.

"I’m alright." She said weakly. She still felt tipsy from his kiss and was more breathless from it than from his crushing weight.

"I… I guess I lost control," She said timidly.

"It wasn’t you. I am at fault." Brandon looked heartbroken at the thought that he almost hurt her.

"I didn’t say I didn’t like it…" she added, drawing imaginary patterns on the sheets next to him. He smiled.

"Good, because I’ll be doing that again sometime." He got off the bed and pulled her up, his lips perking up in satisfaction. "And to think it all started because of your bra." Her eyes widened. She had forgotten about the offending article.

"What made you stop, love?" he asked. He would have liked to go on for some immeasurable time but he had felt her stiffen and knew she had gotten distracted.

"Dinner’s ready, I heard the oven go off." She said in a candid voice. Brandon laughed. Gabriella was so practical and level headed he found it both amusing and adorable in her.

Brandon went home after dinner, promising to come the next day. Gabriella was surprised that he wanted to come over nearly every night. He brushed it off, saying he liked to hang out with his girlfriend.

He reminded her that they were meeting his parents that weekend. She smiled nervously and promised to be ready. But after he had left, she felt uneasy.

Brandon took everything so fast. She was starting to feel like she was on a love rollercoaster. That’s what she told Sassie at the coffee shop the evening before the weekend.

"Sass, I’m feeling breathless. I’ve never been in a relationship like this." Sassie encouraged her to take a sip of her coffee.

"Go on, let it all out. I’ll talk once you feel better."

"It’s like, one minute he’s smiling at me from afar, the next he’s… you would know. It’s like when you got married to Phil."

"Uh-huh."

"I feel so rushed. He makes me lose my mind, my… reason. When he holds me it’s like…" she searched for the right words.

"Like you two are outside of time and reality and the only two people in your own world?"

"Exactly! I knew you’d understand."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. You wanna know the weirdest part? Even though one part of me feels like I don’t want it to go that fast or that far, my heart feels like… I don’t want him to stop. I’m starting to want to be around him as much as he wants to be around me. I feel afraid, but at the same time ecstatic. And he said he was in love with me, twice!"

"Gabby, you’re in love with him too. You just have a hard time showing it. He's probably noticed it too and is trying to draw you out, make you respond to him. Did you tell him that you liked him too?"

"Not in so many words…"

"See what I mean? Why would you want to take it slow with a guy like that? Guys like him don’t just fall from the sky! I know it was fate when I met Phil, and I’ve never been happier. Now I’ve got my little Teddy too. I’d never have had him if it weren’t for Phil. Gabby, these are the moments of life to live for. What are you afraid of?" Gabriella bit her lip and looked into her coffee cup for a long moment.

"Breakup." Was her one-worded reply. Sassie sighed.

"You can’t avoid guys forever because you’re afraid of going through a breakup. I’d broken up at least thirty-six times before I met Phil. I’m glad I had those breakups, otherwise, I never would have met him."

"But you and Phil love each other. And Teddy is your love child. You guys are bonded by true love."

"And?"

"Brandon said he was in love with me. That’s not the same. I don’t even know why he’s into me. I’m afraid… He might get bored later on. Then he might leave me if he no longer sees whatever he's interested in now in me, later. That’s how break-ups happen. It's the reason I always thought that was why guys never asked me out."

"Well, if he likes you despite how you dress, he’s way more into you than you think." Sassie gave a playful snort. "Only you can still think modesty is fashionable."

"Hey! That’s harsh! You should've seen the gown he wanted me to wear to a party once! But okay, I'll concede you’re sort of right. He doesn’t really care. He always says he likes me just the way I look."

"Wow, he is something. Takes a mature guy to say that. At least you know that he won’t be swayed by some jewel-encrusted supermodel."

"He’s already seen a lot of that."

"See?"

"But he may start to burn out later. Guys lose interest in girls too easily. Right?"

"Honey, he comes over every week. How long has this been going on, three weeks? Most guys get bored after two. And from what you told me, he seems to want to take things to the next level. Just go with the flow, see where you arrive. If he wants you to meet his parents, he definitely has more permanent plans in mind."

"Sass that’s what scares me!"

"What, commitment? Or the unfounded fear that he might not want it with you? Gabby, there's nothing to be afraid of. Trust me. When the time comes, you’ll find out that you want it too. Whatever is holding you back now – let it go. I have a feeling that boy is just waiting to hear you say that you love him too." Gabriella looked out the window, thinking back to the steamy moment they shared last night.

"If I only knew why he loved me. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so…"

"Insecure?" Sassie completed her sentence. "No real relationship is based on a 'why', honey. If people had to figure out the reason why they fell in love and loved, they wouldn’t know where to start. Or stop." Gabriella clenched her fingers.

"Okay, I’ll give this a try."

"Good. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be married in two months." She punched Sassie in the arm.

"Ow, Gabby!" Gabriella laughed.

"Don’t get carried away."

"Fine… By the way, are you ever gonna tell me who he actually is?"

"Nope. Wait for the wedding reception. I’ll introduce him there. Although he might not need it…" Gabriella chewed the inside of her mouth, thinking about Brandon's recognizable face.

"What? Is he that famous or something? Do I know him?"

"Maybe," Gabriella said teasingly. This time Sassie punched her arm. They both broke out in laughter.