Secret Double Life

Chapter 15

  Gemma woke up with a start, sweat covering her face and drenching her hospital gown. She breathed heavily and looked around the room with wide eyes. Her dream was flashbacks of her car accident. Memories slowly forming in her mind's eye of Sportacus saving her.

"Did I think that was Magnús?" She thought to herself.

"Are you okay?" Magnús asked, kneeling at her bedside with a worried look.

She nodded. "I was dreaming about the crash. That's never happened before."

Gemma started to tremble as she remembered losing control over the vehicle and it flipped over twice, then knocking her out as it landed.

"It's over now," Magnús said stroking her hand and making circles with his thumb. "You're safe..."

Why did he keep repeating that, she wondered. Gemma knew it was over and she was safe now but the continuous way he kept saying "you're safe" was weird to her.

"I should call my friends and let them know what happened," she said looking for her phone on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Magnús asked, getting her phone out of her pants pocket that laid on a chair.

She nodded and dialed for a video call with Kirsten.

"Hey gir... oh my goodness! What happened to you?!" Kirsten looked at her friend with concern and Taylor popped up into view.

"I got into a car crash," Gemma said, tears building up in her eyes.

Kirsten threw her hand to her mouth in shock and Taylor grabbed the phone with tears in his eyes.

"Are you okay? How did it happen?" he asked, hogging the cell phone.

Gemma went on to explain everything, even brought up Sportacus saving her yet again, to which her two friends clapped.

"That's great! Thank you Sportacus!" They both cried out pumping their fists in the air and high diving one another.

"So you never made it to Magnús to tell him how you feel about him?" Kirsten asked, not realizing he was in the room.

Gemma made eye contact with him and he had a slight grin on his face. She looked back down at the phone and repeated this process until they understood.

Kirsten covered her mouth again then whispered, "Is he in there now?"

Gemma nodded, and Magnús made himself visible in the camera and waved. Kirsten and Taylor shared the same look and winked at Gemma.

"He's handsome!" Kirsten said nodding her approval and embarrassing Gemma. "We'll let you go so you two can talk."

With a final wink, Kirsten hung up the phone and Gemma shyly looked at Magnús who was giving her a questioning look.

"So, I have something to tell you," Gemma finally said after a long awkward silence.

Magnús sat on the chair next to her bed, his ears perked as he listened intently. He knew she was going to tell him how she felt. He was ready to tell her the same. Magnús wanted to tell her how afraid he was for her and how scared he was about losing her.

"This is awkward..." she chuckled and sat up to look at him directly in the eye. "I've been around you long enough to know that you are a special person. You're kind and sweet and everyone loves you... including me. I've fallen in love with you, Magnús.... and...."

Before she could continue, their lips were pursed together in a sweet gentle and passionate kiss. More passionate than the first time he kissed her under the northern lights. She gently pushed away to gaze into his blue eyes.

"That's not all," she said, a tear escaping her eye.

He looked at her confused and she breathed in deeply and exhaled shakily. This was it, the moment of truth.

"I was sent here by my job, The Loop Studios, as an undercover writer to write about you and Sportacus. My job was to find out whether or not you were Sportacus or not and publish it so The Loop would become number one and top of the most liked fashion/writing studios. I came here with a peace of mind as to not fall for you or you for me and well..." she nervously chuckled. "That didn't go as planned. I haven't written up anything because I've been taking mental notes.

She paused to see his reaction. His face held a sad yet knowing look.

"If I wasn't to turn in the article at a given time with something about you being Sportacus, the studio would shut down and my friends and I would lose our jobs," she finished, looking down at her hands and played with the blanket nervously.

Magnús was processing everything she just told him. He felt hurt and lied too. But he couldn't stay upset about her keeping this a secret because he was keeping one. Now, he wasn't sure if he should tell her his secret in fear she would write about it and leave him.

"Please say something," she begged, laying a hand in his.

He stood up, his hand holding hers, and kissed her forehead. "I need time to think..."

She closed her eyes, bit her lips, and nodded. "I understand. I'm so sorry, Magnús."

Magnús stopped at the door and turned to look at her, to study her. Gemma's small framed body was fragile now from the wreck. She was in a place she only knew him and she didn't have anywhere to go. He looked at the floor and turned to walk out only to stop halfway down the hall. A glimpse of Gemma sitting in that bed looking so helpless made him tear up.

"I need to speak to Stefan," he thought and dialed his friend's number. "I need to speak to you. I have a problem. Meet me at the studio in fifteen minutes."

Back in the room, Gemma was silently crying. Did she make a big mistake in taking this job? All she wanted now was to undo all the wrongs she ever did. All the lies she's ever told she wanted to take them back. She wanted to go back to the very beginning when she arrived and met him and just call Kim and tell her she quit.

Gemma was beside herself at this point as the hurt she felt in her heart just left an empty space there. She wanted Magnús to hold her, but she knew he needed time to process everything she told him.