21st Century Knight

Chapter 11 Running from a Millionaire

Gabriella barely noticed what happened around at work anymore. Her coworkers moved on to a new target to gossip about, since Gabriella didn’t seem to get bothered by their teasing. She had changed a lot since she met Brandon and was too wrapped up in her newfound happiness to be privy to petty remarks.

Today, however, something bothered her a lot. Brandon said she talked in her sleep. She kept calling his name. She remembered vaguely what she had dreamt about. Brandon had been kissing her, and then he kept pulling away, with a knowing smile on his face while holding out an inviting hand. It was like he was trying to draw her closer to himself. She remembered feeling like she was getting further away from him – that’s when she called his name. She felt a yearning for him and she wanted more. Her desire, even in her dream, was to be close to him, to feel his lips. She tried to hold on to him, but the dream faded after that.

She shook her head. She wished she hadn’t remembered that. She was shocked at herself for even dreaming of such things. She didn’t want to tell him what she had dreamt. And yet he asked, expecting her to tell him the intimate details. Oh no. He would definitely come to pick her up this evening, and pounce on her for details! It was natural for him to want to know. After all, she called his name. But she was afraid he’d coax it out of her with his passionate kisses. She had to avoid him today. Just until she could convince him that she had forgotten all about the dream.

At five P.M. on the dot, she quickly closed up and left work. Outside, she hunted frantically for a taxi. She got a message on her phone and pulled it out to check it:

Had a meeting today, will be 10 minutes late. Wait for me.

It was from Brandon. What luck! She could escape without meeting him today. She quickly typed back.

It’s okay. I caught a cab. Got some errands to do. See you tomorrow.

She reread it once and sent it. A cab drew near and just vacated at that moment. Relieved, Gabriella hopped in and shut the door.

"Green Sky Super Market, please," she said. Since she had a little extra time, she decided to go buy some groceries. The supermarket was just a few miles from her home. She could get a cab to return as well and avoid Brandon until tomorrow.

The taxi halted near the supermarket and Gabriella got out. She buttoned up her coat and put her crossbody bag strap over her head. She didn’t want them to get caught and cause accidents. That was common in a supermarket for her.

The supermarket was not crowded today, being a weekday. She pushed a trolley and headed to the pulses section. She browsed leisurely, reading the packets as she went. She picked up a packet of spaghetti and pasta shells each. She checked out the list of things in her head that were running low in her cupboards and replaced them on each shelf. That should tide her over till next week.

She wondered if she should pick some things up for Brandon since he seemed to come over often. What would he like? She wondered. She browsed around the snacks and picked out packets of pretzels and popcorn. She also took a packet of crackers. She could top those with pate. That reminded her that she needed herbs. She went to the spices and herbs section.

This was her favorite area; she loved the smell of spices. The aromatic scents of each spice helped her decide what to buy and use in her cooking. She picked up a bottle of basil, oregano, and paprika. She also took garlic powder. She wondered if she was out of anything else. I should have made a list, she thought. She then went over to the canned food section. As she was reading the ingredients in a can of tomato sauce, someone spoke behind her.

"Finally, I found you." She jumped with a start, turned around, and dropped the can, knocking over a few more from the shelf.

"Good Lord! Brandon, you scared the wits out of me!" The can from her hand had fallen right on his foot, and he hopped around madly.

"Ouch, ow, ow!" He cried with a wince while massaging his foot. Gabriella sighed and started picking up the cans. Luckily, no one else was around to see her clumsy accident and she was relieved of that. She supported Brandon while he stood on one foot till the pain subsided.

"Why do we keep meeting like this? Does it hurt a lot?" She asked him. He shook his foot about and stood straight.

"No, it’s alright now." He said, testing it with his weight. "What on earth are you doing here? I sent you a text, didn’t you get it?"

"Well yeah, that's why I replied to it. I didn't want you to come to pick me up, it seemed so troublesome."

"Gabriella, picking you up isn't troublesome!" Brandon said with a frown. "I don't mind doing it all the time."

"Oh." Gabriella was touched that Brandon felt that way about her but nervous that he might ask her about her dream again. She fiddled with her hair.

"How did you know I was here? I didn’t even decide till the last minute," she asked, keeping to the subject.

"When I got your text I was already halfway to your office. I turned around and came here instead. It wasn't hard to figure out what your ‘errands’ are, and this is the closest market to your apartments. That, and I tracked you by your phone."

"What?! No way! How?" Gabriella gawked at him. He smiled and held up his phone.

"Friend-tracker. It’s an app that tracks any number that’s saved as a contact on your phone. You didn't even need to have it. That day you asked me for my number? I put it in and you showed up on my phone." Gabriella groaned at Brandon's exclamation. He smiled.

"Why? Aren't you happy to see me? You're not trying to avoid me, are you?"

"No, I just have groceries to pick up." She turned with a huff and wheeled her trolley to the fresh foods section. Brandon followed and came and hung onto her trolley.

"I’ll push." he offered. Gabriella gave him a pout and turned away.

"Hey, wait!" Brandon pushed the trolley through the crowd and came to Gabriella. She was picking some peppers and jalapenos.

"I can help." Brandon offered.

"No need, just watch the trolley." She went to pick some root vegetables. She also picked some fresh leaves and cabbage and went back to the trolley, dropped the bags, and headed for the dairy section. Brandon noticed her stiff demeanor and guessed she was mad at him. He wanted to fix that.

"Gabriella, is it just me, or are you mad at me? You're the one who tried to ditch me."

"I didn’t! I just…" she pressed her lips together. "Look, can we talk about this later?"

"If that's what you want," Brandon acquiesced, hoping that would put her in a better mood.

"Okay. For now, could you help me reach the mozzarella cheese? It’s kind of high."

"That’s what your knight is here for." He reached valiantly for the top-shelf cheese and handed it to her.

"Dairy for my lady." he offered it with a dramatic bow. Gabriella bit the corners of her mouth to keep from smiling. Brandon saw it.

"Did I make you smile? Good. What else do you need?"

"I was gonna ask you that actually. You do come over a lot nowadays, so pick out anything you’d like me to cook for you."

"Aww Gabriella, you’d cook for me? In that case—" he passed the trolley to her.

"Stay here. I’ll be right back." He went off, probably in search of his favorite foods. She waited by the trolley a few minutes, then spotted a free sample cart. They were giving away tiny pita pockets. She asked for a vegetarian sample and tasted it. It was appetizing.

"Whatcha got there?" asked Brandon, dumping a few things in the cart.

"Pita pockets. You might like them." Brandon tried the piece which she held out on a toothpick.

"Hmm, it is good. How do I get this?"

"We have the pita stuffing in cans over here sir. The pita bread is in the bakery section," the counter girl said. Brandon took two cans.

"Thanks. Come on Gabriella, let’s head to the bakery section." He pushed the trolley skillfully through the people.

"Need anything else?" he asked.

"I’m not sure. I didn’t make a list since I came here unexpectedly." Gabriella said, twisting her lips in thought.

"Hmm, I wonder why," Brandon asked slyly. Gabriella dropped her gaze guiltily and stopped by the drinks section. She put a large bottle of soda into the trolley.

"What’s that for?" asked Brandon.

"To drink, silly," Gabriella said with a laugh. "We both need something to drink while we… hang out." Brandon chuckled at her halting voice, wondering what else she meant to say.

"Is this all?" he asked, gesturing to the trolley.

"I guess so." Gabriella nodded.

"I also got the pita, and a loaf of whole grain bread," Brandon said. Gabriella looked surprised.

"How did you know—"

"That you don’t eat regular bread? I had a feeling." Brandon completed her sentence and winked at her. Gabriella shook her head in amusement. They went to the counter and started unloading the groceries.

"By chance, are these nuts for me?" Brandon asked Gabriella, holding up a can of nuts.

"Yeah, I thought you might like to snack on them."

"I can't eat nuts. I’m allergic." Brandon said softly, putting them back on the shelf.

"Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know," Gabriella said. It was something new she learned about him.

"It’s okay. Hey, could you get that packet of gum for me, please? Thanks." The counter lady totaled the bill after Gabriella added the gum.

"That’ll be eighty-nine dollars, seventy-five cents." Gabriella pulled out her card but Brandon beat her to it.

"Brandon!" she whispered sternly.

"I bought half the things. Besides, I’m the man here and I don't like letting a lady pay when I'm with her." Brandon whispered back.

"You let me pay for the pizza that day…" Gabriella mumbled.

"You too must be newlyweds, right?" The counter girl asked them with a smile. Gabriella turned red.

"No! No, we’re dating. That’s all." She said quickly. Brandon hid a secret smile, pleased at the thought of being a 'newlywed'.

"Come on, let’s get home." He pushed the trolley out, toward his car.

"You're driving me home?" Gabriella asked in surprise.

"What am I, chopped liver? Of course, I’m driving you home." Brandon said, shocked that she would think otherwise. He loaded the bags into the trunk. Gabriella got in the passenger seat.

"So, would you care to tell me why you avoided me today?" Brandon finally brought up the topic she had been trying to avoid. She folded her lips in tense silence. Brandon held the steering wheel with one hand and took hers in his other.

"Gabriella, talk to me." She finally met his eyes.

"Why did you track me down today? It felt like stalking."

"Gabriella honey, I would never do such a thing. Whoa, this feels like déjà vu." Brandon mumbled the last bit, remembering the day they met. "I wanted to see you so bad, and I was hoping to pick you up. Then I got your text and I felt hurt." Her face softened.

"I didn’t mean to hurt you," she confessed.

"Then why did you run away?" Brandon asked her, turning back to the road. She bit her lip.

"Was it because you didn’t want to tell me about your dream?" he asked intuitively. He heard a sharp intake of breath beside him and knew he guessed right.

"Gabriella, if you're not ready to tell me, it’s fine. I don't want you to feel pressured to tell me." He threaded his fingers through hers and raised her hand to his lips. She felt her cheeks become hot. He saw it in the side mirror.

"You look cute when you blush," he commented with a smile.

"You’re not mad at me?"

"Never. You?" Brandon gazed hopefully at her.

"Not anymore. And besides, you paid for all my groceries. I’m kind of indebted to you."

"Forget it. You can pay me by making your delicious dinners."

"Whatever's your favorite." They parked in the lot and got out.

"Lucky I came to get you when I did. You wouldn’t have been able to carry half of these by yourself." Brandon said, carrying her bags.

"I do find it difficult sometimes. It's nice to have help." She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. He stared after her in surprise as she walked to the elevator, pausing only to ask him a question.

"You coming?" he grinned at her and followed her to her apartment.

Together they put everything away, Gabriella telling him where each thing goes. After that, they flopped on the couch.

"I’m hungry. Wanna go out for dinner tonight? It's too much work to cook right away." Brandon suggested. Gabriella hesitated.

"It won’t be a fancy place, just a casual couples’ eat-out," Brandon said, guessing high-end restaurants intimidated her.

"If you don’t mind the way I’m dressed," Gabriella said, looking down at her simple but comfortable work dress.

"Not one bit. I think you look cute in that dress." Brandon responded affectionately. He got up and hugged her waist. She placed her palms on his shoulders, raising a fond smile at him.

"You look too dashing for me. I think I should put something that’ll match you better." He shook his head.

"I love the way you look right now." He leaned in for a kiss. She smiled before letting him take over her lips. They got so caught up in each other's gentle tongue play that Gabriella didn’t stop till she heard his stomach. She pulled her lips off of his and giggled.

"I think my shining knight needs vittles." She grabbed her coat. "Let’s go. I’m starting to get hungry too."

"I’m right behind you."