Amanda

At eleven fifty-four, a few seconds to midnight, I paced up and down in the living room as I awaited Gabriel's arrival.

I wondered what had kept him so long. I wondered if he was not coming back today. What would happen to the food I cooked for him?

Damn! It can't happen.

This is the first time I took out my time to cook yet the person I cooked for is nowhere to be found.

Stress!

Yes, the stress. How could I forget the stress I underwent? I had to watch a lot of tutorials on YouTube to finally prepare salad and fried chicken.

My stomach grumbles endlessly begging me for some food. I have eaten nothing since morning.

For the last few days, I can't point out what Gabriel had done to me. Is it the affection because he told me he loved me or the fact that he was very protective?

With my hands on my waist, I shifted my gaze to the wall clock which struck twelve-fifteen.

I felt a little annoyed and thought of eating. As I sat, I heard the door open. I turned quickly only to see Gabriel. I dropped the cover I was holding and ran to hug Gabriel.

“I thought you were not coming. I miss you!” I said as I threw my hands over his head and hugged him tightly, almost breathlessly.

“I miss you too,” he chimed into my ear.

I collected his briefcase and helped to sit in the dining hall.

“Wow! Emily cooks so well. This must be delicious,” Gabriel said and rubbed his stomach.

I gave him a bombastic side eye and yelled, “Who told you Emily cooked it? I did all the cooking myself. For the first time in my life, I engaged in such hard work yet my work and value are not appreciated.”

“You mean you cooked all of these?” Gabriel asked with a surprised look on his face.

“What do you mean by that? I cooked it all.” I argued.

Gabriel stated the obvious, which I had kept a secret. “That may be true but… As far as I know, my wife can't cook.”

“What? You're… You…” My words stuck in my throat.

“Talk. Tell me what you want,” Gabriel said.

He finally caught me leaving me no choice but to tell him what I needed.

“I'm sorry.”

“For what?” He asked, raising an eyebrow before swallowing a spoonful of Salad.

“For going to the Romanus mansion,” I answered truthfully.

“So you knew I found out? This food is to keep me shut. Well, I will eat the food but it won't work because I'm very angry.” He replied.

“If only I could kill Kael,” I muttered.

“What did you say?” Gabriel questioned knowing what I meant but still bothered to ask.

“Nothing. Eat your food,” I encouraged him.

“Won't you eat with me?” He asked.

“Yes, eat your food. I'm not interested.”

Without wasting time, Gabriel continued to eat and pretended like I was not sitting beside him.

Such a gluttonous man.

After a while, he decided to be nice and asked again, “Are you still not going to eat?”

“I've eaten,” I replied coldly.

“Still, eat with me,” he urged me and offered me a fork. I rejected the offer trying to form a strong woman.

When he finished the three chicken laps and salad, he stood and volunteered to drop the plates in the kitchen. While he did that, I carried his briefcase close to my chest and waited for it. When he came back, I wrapped my arm tightly around his left arm. It seemed like a shock to him because he stared at me for a while and I looked away before we matched upstairs.

While Gabriel was about to open the room's door, I remembered I left my phone on the table in the dining room. I told him and hurried downstairs.

When I got there, I found nothing. I checked everywhere until I decided to find out if I left it in the kitchen.

Yes, I did!

Immediately I picked up my phone, and my stomach begged for mercy again. I opened the microwave and served some salad on a small plate.

Using my hands, I shoved a lot into my mouth, it was very bad. The chicken tasted like dog food. I had no choice but to eat it since I was famished so I consumed it in a hurry. The happiness dwindled and my stomach wept in shame.

I rushed to the room where I met Gabriel coming out of the toilet in white underwear on his waist and his blue towel slung on his shoulders.

“Why didn't you tell me?” I asked, causing a little bit of confusion.

“Tell you what?” he replied sharply.

“The food was bad, wasn't it? And you couldn't tell me,” I said.

“It was not that bad. My wife took time to cook for me for the first time, why would I reject it?”

“That's really a lot on you. I'm sorry,”

“There is nothing to be sorry about. By the way, you can change again tomorrow. Who knows? You might ask me to start sleeping on the couch or floor tomorrow, even today.” He said and I was dramatically forced to look down at my feet. “Since you cooked the food, I had to eat it before you think of leaving again.”

“Leave? Leave for where?” I inquired.

“It's almost three months, Amanda. You know what I am talking about.”

“That?” I laughed, “Time will tell.”

I better sign up for cooking classes in no time cause I can't keep feeding Gabriel poison and call that food. He has sacrificed a lot for me and now, it's my turn.

Gabriel moved to my side then he touched my tight shoulder gently. “How is your shoulder? Does it still hurt a lot?”

“It took you long enough to remember,” I answered, wearing a gown of pride.

“At least I remembered. Be thankful for that, I'm a dutiful husband even though it's a contracted marriage and you would be leaving soon however that doesn't stop me from performing my duties.”

I inhaled deeply after Gabriel's words before he started rubbing my shoulder with the balm.

That reminds me, all thanks to Dr. Aishwarya, I was not caught by Detective Lawrence yesterday. Kael brought her just in time through the backdoor and she straightened my shoulder. Though it was painful still, I had no choice.

The Slade family's name was about to be tarnished if I was caught by Detective Lawrence.

After Gabriel finished the massage, I went to the bathroom to have a cold bath. When I was done, Gabriel was already on the bed with his eyes fixed on his laptop but I was glad that he slept on the other side and not the side he claimed was his.

I climbed the bed and dragged the blanket over my body while I tried to sleep but couldn't.

After a while, Gabriel sank into the bed almost wasted. He covered himself with the blanket and sighed heavily before he took my left hand into his right hand. “Amanda, may I ask a question?”

My best pounded hard against my chest. At that time, if I had my BP checked out, it would be more than that of a HBP patient.

“Yes, you… you can.” I retorted nervously.

“What are we?”

“I don't understand what you mean,” I said.

“You do understand and know what I mean very well, Amanda. Are we a thing or not?” He asked, his voice thick and cold.

“I guess,” I replied after ten seconds.

“Which are you going with? Are we in a true relationship or I'm just here for your revenge? Am I just seriously a revenge tool?”

I clenched my fist as Gabriel asked those questions. The fact is, I fucking don't know what we are.

Do I love him? No! At the same time, yes.

Do I see him as a revenge tool? Yes! Amanda, what are we?” Gabriel asked again while my heart rate increased rapidly.