For once, I woke the next day feeling a smidge more rested, and I knew it was all thanks to my grandma. She always knew how to help me with a few comforting words.
After I had ended my conversation with her, I called Gideon, and we set a time for when we would all meet. Since we agreed to meet at his place, I talked him into making us dinner, which he never would have said yes to if this had been before Emma.
Previously, he rarely made us anything at all, but lately, that had changed, and thank God for that because I'd never eaten anything as good as the meals he was cooking. Even Zaveri fell short, and he was the owner of a two stars Michelin restaurant. If it hadn't been for Gideon's unsocial tendencies, I would've said he'd missed his calling as a chef.
I went through my usual routine as I killed time: gym, food, and work. It helped to keep busy, especially to stamp out the urge I had to pick up the phone and text Emma. I was constantly wondering how she was doing. Was she doing good? Was she sad? Did she need us? The last thought always undid me.
It wasn't only Gideon that had changed, it seemed. I usually wasn't the emotional type or someone who obsessed over a girl. But the thing was, Emma wasn't just a girl; she was more than that, as I'd attested to my grandma.
By the time I picked Mateo up and drove to Gideon's, my body was sore, and I was starting to develop a mean headache.
"Changed your mind yet about giving her space?" Mateo asked from the passenger seat.
"I'm not sure where I stand. This time around, I am the passive one." If we fucked it up this time, it wouldn't be on my conscious. It was rare for me to take a step back and let others handle it, but sometimes it was necessary for my peace of mind.
"No worries, man. We'll just hear Gideon's thoughts and decide from there."
As we exited the city, I changed gears and pushed down harder on the gas pedal while Mateo fiddled with the AUX to put on some music. His idea of good music was rock and roll, which wasn't my taste, but I let him go at it.
"How's Wright Enterprises going? Made any decisions about what you want to do with it when you start?" I asked, curious about the company Mateo would take over as CEO after he finished his last semester as a professor at NYU.
He shrugged. "Good or bad, I really don't care. I'm doing this for my sister, so the company will still stand when she's ready to take the reins. She has already signed up for a few classes, and I'll be helping her with the rest. But yeah, I do have some ideas. Mainly, I want to do a complete overhaul of the employment. Knowing my father, he's given the high-paying jobs to undeserving, racist old farts. I want them gone and give the positions to those who will do well. I also want to research and see if the people working there are treated fairly."
"It seems you've been thinking a lot about it," I remarked.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm stuck with the position for the foreseeing future. The least I can do is change things for the better."
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask. Changing from being a professor to the big boss will be an adjustment."
"Thanks, man, I appreciate it, and I'll probably take you up on the offer at some point."
The drive to Gideon's place took about forty-five minutes and a further four minutes to drive to his house from his gate. He had a ridiculously massive manor with an outrageous amount of land.
The main house was from the eighteen century. It looked beautiful enough on the outside; a gorgeous limestone-bricked building with huge windows and two pillars supporting a canopy by the entrance. But the inside was creepy. It had too many empty rooms, which echoed with each step you took. I had no idea how Gideon could stand living here-not that I should speak, with an apartment that lacked any impression that anyone lived there. Hell, I hadn't even put up any mementos; all the decorations were picked out by a personal interior decorator.
Gideon was from old money. His ancestors invested early in the oil industry and later in the railroad industry as well. It really paid off for them.
I parked the car in the garage, and we walked inside. The smell of food wafted over from the kitchen as we got to the second floor, and I inhaled deeply, feeling my mouth watering.
"I can't believe you got him to cook for us," Mateo stated.
"Me neither. It's like we said yesterday; Emma has changed him."
"Thank God for our girl." As if on cue, his stomach started growling, making me chuckle.
We entered the kitchen and saw Gideon pull something out of the oven. Mateo sauntered inside, a teasing grin on his lips.
"Honey, I'm home!" Mateo singsonged and walked right up to Gideon and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek, startling him, so he almost lost the tray. If he hadn't saved it, I would've been pissed at Mateo because it smelled too good to waste. Instead, I broke out in laughter as Gideon cursed out our friend.
"This is the last time I'm cooking for you guys," Gideon threatened, and fuck, it was a good threat, making my laugh stutter in my throat. Surely, he didn't mean that? Hell, why was I even asking, of course he did.
"You love us too much to follow through," Mateo teased, and I was just about to punch him in the face. If he pushed Gideon too far, I could say goodbye to the best meals I've ever eaten. Fucking idiot.
Gideon narrowed his eyes. "Try me."
"Quit it," I told Mateo before I shifted focus to my other friend. "What are we having?"
Gideon huffed, clearly irritated. "Porchetta. Grab a seat. I'll serve you," he answered grumpily.
I could clearly see Mateo gearing up for another teasing, but I sent him a look that quickly shut him up.
Porchetta was pork wrapped in fat and skin and stuffed with seasoning. It tasted fucking delicious. He'd served it with roasted vegetables. The fucker wasn't even Italian, and he still made it better than Grandma—not that I would ever tell her that.
We didn't end up talking until after we'd eaten. The food was too good to pause enough to hold a conversation.
"Fuck me, that was amazing," Mateo swore as he finished up his last bite. I'd already finished ages ago.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Thanks, man."
Gideon only grumbled something unintelligible, one of the things he hadn't changed was how he took to receiving any kind of gratitude.
After dinner, we ended up in the cigar lounge. We lit a cigar and puffed some before we got down to business. Each of us had a drink by our side.
"What's your standpoint on giving Emma her space?" I asked, rotating the cigar before drawing in the smoke and puffing it out.
"I'm fighting for her," he said rather resolutely. "I promised her I would when I met her on Wednesday, and I keep my word."
Mateo looked pleased. "Well, I guess that settles it. Doesn't it?"
I shook my head. "How are we going about doing that? We also have to respect her wishes, or else Emma might find us unreliable."
"We can give her space...to a degree." Mateo shrugged. "Texts should be fine. Gifts too, though, not the expensive kind, just something to let her know we're thinking of her. What do you say, Gideon?"
Gideon scowled, not taking well to being ordered around, even if it was from the woman we were falling for. "Fuck her distance. I won't be barging down her door, but we all know damn well she didn't like us because of our willingness to let her lead, quite the opposite. We'll just have to remind her why she was with us in the first place."
Something like approval lit up Mateo's face, and I already knew they'd just decided what we would do about this break of hers. My inner possessiveness agreed with them, but a tiny part of my mind couldn't help but wonder if we would push beyond her boundaries.
Already, I started thinking about gifts I could give her. Something that would show her that we cared about her without it being too much. Maybe I'd even call Kevin and get some help from him. He should know better than anyone, and I had his number, after all. He'd given it to me once when I came to pick Emma up at the café, just in case she needed something while she was with me and wanted me to have a way to contact him.
"As long as we do it on her terms," I finally said. "If we at any point see that she's uncomfortable, or she sets hard limits, we will concede to them."
"Yeah, that sounds fair," Mateo agreed. Gideon only grunted, which could mean either or. As mentioned, he wasn't a fan of being restricted by rules.
"Isn't Emma working at the nightclub tonight?" Mateo asked, taking a sip of his Brandy.
Gideon nodded. "Yeah, she got someone to take her shift yesterday, but she would be in tonight."
"How'll that go?" Mateo asked further. "Will you talk to her?"
He shrugged. "We'll see."
It felt like we were on a minefield, not knowing which step might cut Emma out of our lives for good.
Like it went against my nature not to be a part of any decision-making, it went against our nature not to take what we wanted. We were used to getting whatever we desired without any issues. We weren't used to chasing or letting someone else hold the reins. But that was what made us end up here, wasn't it? Because we took what we wanted by any means and hurt our girl in the process.
This time, we had to follow her lead-we would take, but only what she wanted to give.
And we would give as much as she would allow us to.
Game on, Bella.
Hope you all liked it <3
Next chapter will be out on the 14th at 12PM (GMT/UTC) x