Taste of Love - (Gal Gadot)

14 (1/2)

I stopped myself from continuing on with my explicit rant once I realized just how inappropriate it sounded, so I took a deep breath, before I continued, keeping eye contact with her.

"I am not a mystery woman, I am not just some piece of meat but I feel like I am. Believe me, I don't keep up with the news. I mean just look." I stopped, pointing at the small television which was reporting a missing person's case; a woman in her late 40's whom hadn't been seen in over a week, photos of her were all over the small screen with an emergency number to call if there was any information about her as well as a $25,000 reward.

"What are you trying to tell me?" She asked, leaning closer towards me, but I pulled back, keeping to myself as much as I could.

"I don't keep up with the misery that we call this world, but once I started being seen out with you, I couldnt keep my eyes away, it seemed as though everyday someone had something else to say about me and it was all bad, I was deemed as something I'm not, Gal."

"But have you seen anything written or said about you the past few weeks?" She asked tilting her head. "I'm not so sure you did, because I've been in contact with the paparazzi and I've paid them, they won't speak or ask questions about you anymore. You're stuck in the shadows now."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, she paid, which I'm sure, a shit ton of money, to have a group of people stop spreading names, photos, and videos about me connecting me to being involved with Gal somehow. It was despicable, considering all it took was a large amount of money to keep people on the hush, but that wouldn't stop everyone from talking, and talk often spreads rumors and that's the last thing I needed.

"How much did you pay them off?" I asked, before bitting my lip as I created my own scenarios of destruction. The 'what if's' were driving me to madness, I was worried, but for what exactly? Sure, Gal and I had... something, but it wasn't anything to for me to need to worry about, yet it was wrong, but it felt so right, even in this moment, seeing her as she took a sip of her now, cold tea, before sending me a toothless smile.

"It's really not your business, sweetheart. I've handled it, you will not have a problem."

I scoffed. None of my business? You're talking about me! My reputation, and my name being thrown around the dirt. It was frustrating, she was frustrating me but for some reason I couldn't stay mad for so long, because just seeing that beautiful, smile of hers, brought me back to the sense that I was going to be alright.

——

"It's Gal speaking. We need to talk."

I couldn't believe it, I had pinched my arm as hard as I could causing me to wince in pain, but I had gotten my answer, this was real, this was happening, and I didn't know what to do, or what to even say. A small part of me wanted to hang up the phone, and block this number, but I didn't want to run away from anything, I needed to face what was in front of me, that was the only way.

I began to roam around my room as my anxiety spiked. It often happened in moments of disparity, nervousness, and the feeling of uncertainty. It was a lot worse when I was a child, something as simple as waiting for my report card would cause me to walk or run around in circles in order to calm myself down, it was a coping mechanism back then, and it still is right now.

"Gal...?" I asked, as if I didn't already know it was her, but for some reason I needed that reassurance that the woman I had wanted all along, and was desperately still waiting for, was here, on the other end of the line. I was about to break, but I held myself together as I picked up the stress ball I had in the corner of my room and began to press on it as hard as I could, almost releasing all of my built up anger from within.