21st Century Knight

Chapter 4 Ain't Seen the Last of Me

"This is it." Gabriella directed as they pulled up into her building. Brandon drove down to the underground parking lot as she asked him to.

"Thanks. I can go from here." She got out quickly, forgetting for a minute what happened to her ankle, put pressure on it, and fell with a squeal on her hands, a few tears squeezing out at the pain.

"Gabriella! Couldn’t you wait a moment? I was gonna come and get you." Brandon ran to the other side of the car and lifted her, supporting her weight on one side.

"Please don’t! I can go by myself," she said, red-faced with humiliation.

"You know you really can sue me if you want, but I’m not letting you go like this. Which floor?" he insisted. Gabriella protested in vain. He was already carrying her to the elevator.

"No just –"

"Give up already and tell me which floor." He tried to be stern, but it was a feeble attempt and he only sounded funny. Gabriella almost smiled and then bit her lip to hide it.

"Fourth," she replied. He pressed the button with his elbow. Consciously aware that they were both dripping wet and pressed against each other, she reddened again and turned away from his face.

"Are you still crying? He asked.

"No," she mumbled. The tears already mingled with the droplets from her hair which was still dripping off her shoulders.

"Which number?" he asked as they got out.

"412." She looked down.

"You can put me down; my key is in my bag." He did so, making sure half her weight was still on him. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door. He carried her in and Gabriella felt too exhausted to protest.

"Where do you keep your towels?" He asked as she sank onto the couch. She looked at him, a little unsure.

"Cupboard, in the bathroom, first shelf." He went to the bathroom and brought back two towels, sitting down beside her.

"Let me help you out of your coat." he touched her gently. She shied away.

"I can do it alone, thanks." She pulled it off and threw it to a far corner. They dried themselves in silence.

"You better get your shoes off. They’ll make you sick otherwise," She said.

"I don’t get sick." He replied childishly, but he pulled them off anyway.

"There’s an extra pair of slippers in the cupboard over there. You can use them." He got up and went to fetch them. As soon as his back was turned, she got up, trying to make it to her room. He heard her wince.

"Really? Are you attracted to pain or something?" he turned back quickly, supporting her.

"I can go from here. It’s no big deal," she insisted. Determined, she walked alone into her room. She emerged ten minutes later, in dry clothes, holding a long bathrobe.

"Here, you can wear this while you dry your clothes, just throw them in the dryer." He accepted it and went into the bathroom. Gabriella sat down on the couch, feeling worn out. She rested her head, closing her eyes. About twenty minutes later, Brandon came out dressed, his clothes fully dry. Her dryer was certainly fast-acting.

He went over to the couch, watching her face. She didn’t stir. Fast asleep, he thought. Well, he won’t wake her. He put out the light, took his shoes, and quietly went out, shutting the door behind him. He sighed as he went down the elevator. It was probably better if she didn’t see him again. She was right. Around him, she always seemed to get into accidents. His chest felt tight at the thought, but there was nothing he could do about it. With Gabriella, he only seemed to clash in the most maladroit way. She was safer away from him. But would he be able to stay away from her?

Gabriella woke up feeling disoriented. The half-open curtains told her it was just getting light. She sat up suddenly, wondering what had happened. She’s never slept in her living room like this. She put her foot down, a sharp pain shooting through her foot. She tried gingerly to walk. It was difficult but manageable. If she tied it tightly it would be okay.

She showered, dressed for work, and swallowed her oatmeal in two minutes, half-wishing she could take the day off. She felt like she could use a holiday. Oh well, that was a pipe dream.

As she opened the front door, she realized it was unlocked. Goodness, what happened last night? Oh right, she remembered everything just then. Brandon happened. She fell through a pier. Brandon rescued her and took her home. Brandon saved her from drowning. That thought suddenly seemed very big. What happened to him? Did he just leave like that without saying goodbye? Was he okay? She didn’t even see him out.

She went down to the parking lot. His car wouldn’t be there, silly, she thought to herself. He must have left last night…

Gabriella limped up to her office. She sat down and got to her work intently for a few minutes. She didn’t notice when her boss, Jess, called her.

"Gabriella! Are you feeling alright today?" Gabriella raised her head to reply.

"Yes, I’m fine."

"You look a bit pale. Maybe you should take the day off. After all, you deserve it." Gabriella looked confused. Jess smiled.

"Because of your good service, the Walter Whiteley just praised our company and caused a boom in business! His one good review put us on the map!"

"Oh, that’s great." Gabriella felt relieved, at least that turned out well. But right now the fact that Jess was offering a day off seemed too good to be true. But if it was, Gabriella wasn't going to let it pass by. "Did you mean it when you said I could take the day off?" she asked, distractedly.

"Sure. And get some sunlight would you? It's not good to miss out on vitamin D." Jess added with concern. Gabriella quickly gathered her things and got up. She went out, limping a little, hunting for the closest hotdog vendor. It was half a block away. She wondered if her hunch would pay off. Would Brandon still come here for his lunch?

Gabriella had been sitting on a bench beneath a shady tree a few meters away from the hotdog stand since noon. It was five minutes to twelve-thirty now, and she kept looking up and down the road, hoping she didn’t miss a familiar white coupe. But ten minutes later, she decided to give up, thinking it was a silly idea to hope for a certain millionaire to come back to the same stand for lunch.

Brandon, meanwhile, was already making his way to the Diana Cosmetics' customer service building. He went to the counter and asked if he could see Gabriella. But the girl at the counter shook her head.

"I’m sorry sir, you just missed her. She already left." Brandon sighed. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, he thought. He couldn’t possibly go to her place, just to see her again and find out how she was. Even though he badly wanted to, for some inexplicable reason.

He walked back out into the sunshine, the bright rays bouncing off his dark sunglasses. He turned down the road to his favorite hotdog stand. He bought an extra large one, feeling like he needed something to make up for his disappointment. The hotdog vendor mentioned in passing conversation that some girl had been sitting across the stand for half an hour. Probably waiting for her boyfriend to show up, Brandon thought disinterestedly. He didn’t pay much attention. He wasn't even sure why the hotdog vendor told him about it.

He turned and went toward his favorite three-seater under the tree, hotdog in hand. A lone figure sat there, a figure in a dress a little too dark for the summer. The pale stockinged legs with toes pointed to the ground had a bandage wrapped around the right ankle. Brandon exclaimed in surprise.

"Gabriella?"