21st Century Knight

Chapter 17 All for You

The week following Gabriella's visit to Brandon's parents' place passed by uneventfully. But as the day of her classmate Meredith's wedding drew near, she started to feel jittery. She suspected meeting Brandon's parents had been an easier task than attending the forthcoming wedding on the arm of a millionaire, now that the former was behind her and the latter loomed in the near future.

She got out her old yearbook from her closet and went through it. She stared at Meredith's picture. She had long straight cherry red hair, a wide smile and naturally pink cheeks. She had been quite a beauty in school, which was why she was so popular. She'd probably be even prettier now, Gabriella thought.

She went to look at herself in the mirror. Compared to Meredith, she was not strikingly beautiful or eye-catching. She was just – ordinary. The only difference was that Brandon liked her just as she looked and he didn't care for the overly glamorous girls he dated before. She smiled to herself. She had Brandon's affection, that she knew. That thought made her feel better. Back in high school, before the drama with Archer had begun, she used to be a target for Meredith's snide remarks about her being single because she was not that pretty and no guy would ever fall for her. Gabriella had gotten over it, but it had still hurt at the time. At least this time Meredith can't tease her unmercifully that she didn't have a boyfriend.

She studied her face. Her skin was clear but lacked sheen. It had been a while since she indulged in self-care. She would wash her hair as well. It was starting to look limp and greasy. She hadn't had a chance to wash her hair since going back to work.

She washed, shampooed and conditioned her hair. Then she dried it and wrapped it in a towel turban. She put on a bathrobe. She decided to put on a face pack. It was a Korean honey and aloe pack guaranteeing fresher skin. She smeared the green substance generously all over her face in front of the mirror. She hummed to herself as she applied it. She then went and sat in the living room to listen to some music while the pack dried. She had closed her eyes, swaying to the music for only fifteen minutes before the bell rang. She got up and went to the door, still humming. She opened it, completely forgetting her unpresentable appearance.

"Hello, Gabriella. Whoa." Brandon stood at the door, wide eyed and taken aback when he saw her. Gabriella stared at him with her mouth open for a split second before looking down at her robe and touching her face, remembering the pack. She gave a squeal of horror and was about to slam the door.

"Wait!" Brandon yelled, but she had already shut the door instantly in his face.

"Give me a minute!" She called through the door to him, feeling both apologetic and embarrassed at the same time. She ran to the bathroom and scrubbed her face vigorously. She removed the towel from her head, quickly drying her hair with the dryer. She then discarded her bathrobe for a short sleeve blouse and a skirt. She hurried back to the door. Brandon was still standing there holding his nose.

"I think you broke my nose." He said, tearing up a little. Gabriella looked fraught with guilt.

"Sorry! I'm sorry! Here, let me see." She gently touched his nose feeling for any fractures.

Ah, ow," He said, sounding nasal.

"It's not broken, but it must hurt a lot. I'll get you an ice pack."

"Angel, just because you're wearing a face pack doesn't mean you should get so embarrassed. I've worn a face pack too, you know." Brandon said, entering her apartment and shutting the door behind him.

"You caught me at a bad time! And – wait, really? You wear face packs?" Gabriella blinked at him incredulously.

"Sure."

"Well, I suppose you do need to keep up your good looks." Gabriella observed with a coy smile. Brandon grinned.

"You happened to be doing the same. By the way, I do appreciate that tiny bathrobe you had on earlier."