Mistaken Perception

Chapter 21

Gabriel laughed at the innocent look of interest on her face. Then his face sobered up, and he avoided eye contact.

"In college, I met this girl, and we hit it off right away. Her name was Halimah, and she was Muslim," He paused, peeking at her.

She nodded for him to continue.

"Anyways, she came from a super religious family, a bit on the severe end of the spectrum. I guess I was part of her rebellious phase. But that hadn't been the case for me. In her own way, she liked me. Though not as much as I was into her," he paused deep in thought.

"Looking back, I was like a forbidden fruit or something for her. Her family found out about us, and her dad was ready to kill me. I explained I wasn't trying to hurt her, that I wanted the best for her. But she had been using me as a shield to do all the things that would upset them. At some point, I became an accessory for her to parade around," again he paused and his famous scowl decorated his brows.

"I'm sorry," whispered Aisha, but he shook his head and continued.

"When she found about my family and the fact that I would inherit the hotel, I become a goal. I... just hadn't known about it," he said, and the look on his face was enough to make Aisha want to reach out to comfort him.

"I'm sorry," she repeated sadly.

Gabriel gave her a smile, his heart squeezing a little at her concern.

"Anyway, just when I planned to break up with her... she ah... announced she was pregnant," he said his face coloring red slightly, praying that she wouldn't hold his past against him, not that he owed her anything, yet.

But there wasn't a single trace of judgment on her face. She was just listening intently, giving her full attention to him.

"What happened to the baby?" she asked in worry.

Gabriel laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

"There was no baby. She had been lying, hoping to become pregnant and potentially trap me with child support or marriage," he said.

"I'm sorry, Gabriel," said Aisha, tears forming.

"That must have been a hard situation to live through," she said, wiping a tear.

"Why are you crying?" asked Gabriel in concern, forcing his hands to remain at his sides.

"Because... I can see why..." she sighed, wiping a few more tears.

"You can see why what?" he asked, scooting closer to the desk.

"With all those difficulties, no wonder you were so angry. No wonder you were questioning God," she sighed.

And they both knew she was referring to more than his past love.

"Ah," said Gabriel with a chuckle.

"Maybe it affected me somehow, but I don't think I connected all that well to Sunday classes or the church. As for the anger, I should know better than to lash out and hurt others," he said with a shrug.

"I guess, sorry for all of that," she said feeling embarrassed.

"No, thank you, for showing you care," he said with a smile. His heart was doing all sorts of twirls in his chest he was trying hard to contain.

Aisha shook her head with a smile.

"I care about you... Really! Don't look at me like that," laughed Aisha when a skeptical look crossed Gabriel's face.

"You have been amazing with me and my siblings. It might have started out rough, but I don't think many people would have done as much as you and your family have done for us," she said gratefully.