'Don't move! Don't go! I need you! My audition is tomorrow. Shah blue blah! Me lah peeh! Ombrah!... Pooh!'
I couldn't help but laugh at Joey's desperate tries to get Phoebe to stay and help him with his French. It didn't even matter that I had already seen that episode a dozen times. Friends was a classic and it had never failed to make me laugh before. In fact, it was one of the few things that could keep my mind from wandering to the chinesse woman I've met back at Gabriel's and her words.
The fact that it had been two days since my last encounter with him and that he hadn't called yet -just like I knew he wouldn't-, but also that he hadn't made an appearence so far, wasn't helping. I mean, maybe she was right, after all. Maybe I was nothing more but a conquest to him. And maybe it's better that way! My conscience added, making me reach for my bottle of beer. I needed something that would drown the bitch. Or, at least, make her shut the fuck up. Her snarky comments were the last thing in the fucking world I needed right now.
Placing the box of cold chinese takeaway on the coffee table, I took a swig of my beer. The alcoohol was warming my insides, making me forget all about Gabriel, the chinesse woman and my still missing best friend. Lila was still spending most of her time with the tattooed gorilla and that was really starting to piss me off. She was putting our friendship on hold for a man. And what a man that was...
Two swift knocks at my front door had me snapping my head towards it. Grabbing the remote control, I turned the TV off and ran one hand through my disheveled mess of a hair before heading towards the source of the noise. My heart started pounding a frantic tattoo as my hand grabbed the knob and slowly turned it, opening the door. Then I slowly let out my held breath the moment I came face to face with my visitor.
"Judge..." Mathew Rowton nodded his head at me once, before running his eyes over my small figure.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, sighing and moved away from the door, so that he could come inside. I knew better than to let any stranger walk into my house, but then, he wasn't exactly a stranger, was he?
Smirking, he accepted my silent invitation, walking past me and stopping next to the kitchen archway.
"Gabriel sent me. But then, I think you already had that figured out." I couldn't disagree with that. I knew that Gabriel had sent him, but the question was why? "This is for you." Mathew said, extending a bottle of Montrachet to me. "He said he owed you a bottle of wine." Yes, he owed me a bottle of red, cheap wine, not an over the top expensive, white one. A weak laugh escaped my lips.
"I think we both know that I can't accept that. Drinking three thowsand dollars wine is not my thing." Mathew's eyes lit up, a knowing smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"I told the fucker that you looked like a girl who knew her way around wine. He kept insisting that you would accept this as long as there was no price tag attached to it." Mathew had been right. I didn't need a price tag. I knew my way around wine just fine, especially when it came to the expensive type. My father had taught me well.
"My father would probably have a heart attack if I couldn't tell the difference between a Montrachet and a Cabernet." A light giggle fell from my lips and Mathew placed the bottle on my kitchen table, his shoulders slightly shaking with a silent laughter as well.
"Well, I'm gonna leave this here, anyway. The fucker is a stuborn ass, as I think you've noticed by now. He just doesn't know what the word 'no' means." I frowned a little making Mathew shrug on a smile. "He would probably send me back to you with the wine until you took it." I almost felt sorry for the big guy. Who knows how manny times he had to pay these sort of visits to the girls Gabriel had a thing for.
"Is that all?" My voice was weak as I let out a defeated sigh. Mathew smiled in a sympathetic way and shook his head. Oh, God!
"No. I also need to give you this." He produced a small black envelope, from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and extended it to me. "He also expects an RSVP." RSVP to what?
Opening the envelope, I carefully pulled at the small, black piece of paper inside and glanced at it. My name was written in small, perfect, golden characters at the top of the page and the same perfect, golden characters were cursively flowing underneath it and down to the very bottom of the page.
"A ball? Really?" My eyebrows hit my hairline.
"It's actually more of a party, but Gabriel's a pompous fucker." I had to laugh at that. Hearing Mathew talk about Gabriel like that made him seem somehow more real. Like he didn't only exist in my imagination.
"I, um..." Another short laugh escaped me. "I don't think it would be suitable for me to be there." Mathew just shrugged and headed for the door.
"Have it your way then, judge. You should know that I was just the messanger, though. If you don't RSVP the damn thing, he's not gonna be happy about it. And trust me! You don't want the unhappy fucker to pay you a visit." That had sounded menacing as fuck. I knew what Gabriel was capable of. Mathew's words and the tone he'd used had made it clear enough.
"I'll... be there." I hurriedly said, before he could exit the door. I didn't know what to expect, nor what was expected of me, but I knew for sure that I didn't want an unhappy Gabriel to pay me a visit.
"Ok, then. I'll make sure to tell him you'll be there." A triumfant smile crept up on Mathew's face as he opened the door and that's how I realised that I'd fallen right into his trap. Fuck!
"You were bluffing, weren't you?" I asked, my eyes narrowed on his back and watched him freeze to the spot. "Consider this my RSVP." His shoulders sagged for a moment and I knew that he felt relieved to hear me say that.
"You shouldn't let people like me into your house and then push their buttons like that, judge." I knew that I probably should have, but I simply wasn't scared of him.
"If you were going to hurt me, you would've done it by now." I could see him inhaling deeply.
"I couldn't if I wanted to. The fucker really has a thing for you and that only happens once in a blue moon. I don't have a death wish, judge." I couldn't help the proud smile that had taken over my lips. Yet, I was curious about something.
"Do you want to?" He shrugged again and turned to look at me.
"Nah. You seem ok." Nodding his head at me one last time, Mathew opened the door and marched out of my apartament.
I just went back to the couch and sagged back onto my comfy seat, turning the TV on again. I needed something to take my mind off of the stupid mistake I might've made by accepting to go to that fucking 'ball'. God! I really needed to learn how to think my words and decisions through.
$$$
I woke up to the sound of somebody knocking my fucking door down and realised that I had fallen asleep on the couch. Urgh! I must have been exhausted.
Slowly standing up, I headed for the maniac waiting just outside my door.
"Where's burning? I'm coming." I mumbled on my way to the door, but before I could reach for the knob, the fucking thing flew open and Lila stormed in. She was wearing a light, blue, summer dress, her blond hair gathered up in a ponytail.
"What the fuck took you so long, Jules? I've been knocking for ten fucking minutes." My hands went to rub at my eyes and I turned my back to her, heading for the kitchen. I needed a coffee before I started any kind of conversation with my friend. Lila followed me there and sat on one of my stools, patiently watching me.
After turning the coffee machine on and grabbing two mugs from the cupboard, I seated myself on the empty stool next to my friend.
"What's up?" I asked , stiffling a yawn and making Lila give me a wide-eyed look.
"What do you mean 'what's up'? You RSVPed Mr Shaffer's invitation." I shrugged and went to pour the coffee, playing it cool.
"And your point is?" I couldn't see her, but I knew that her eyes were buldging at me.
"And my point is that you could've told me you were going. You have no idea what I've been through since I received that bloody invitation, thinking if I should go or not." I rolled my eyes at her over-dramatic behaviour.
"Yes, the last few hours must have been hell for you..." Lila huffed, making sure I knew that my sarcasm was not being appreciated.
"A few hours? We're talking about days here, Jules." What the fuck? Days?
"I don't know what you're talking about. I only received my invitation last night." My best friend frowned at me.
"Come on, Jules! Who gives out invitations one day before the party?" One day? My eyes widened, my brain automatically searching for the details written on the invitation. Realization hit home and I gasped. The fucking ball was taking place tomorrow.
"Oh my God..." I whispered, but Lila didn't seem to hear me. What had I gotten myself into?
"So, what are you going to wear?" What was I going to wear? I didn't even know if I wanted to go anymore.
"I, um..." Somebody started knocking at the door again and I let out a breath of relief. I was off the hook for now.
"Will you get that?" My friend asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. I knew for a fact that she must have been wondering what the hell was wrong with me and I couldn't even blame her for that. I was wondering what the hell was wrong with me myself.
Walking to the door, oblivious to my outfit -meaning a pair of baggy pants and a baggy T-shirt- I opened it and took a step back. My teeth clenched at the sight of him. Exactly the person I was dying to see right now.
"What do you want? Forgot to mention something last night?" I spat at him and Mathew smiled that damn cocky smile of his. Why the fuck wasn't Gabriel paying me a visit himself? I was starting to get sick of seeing his wingman.
"Like what?" He shrugged and pushed me a little to the side, so that he could pass by me and into my apartment.
I was already fuming. Him playing stupid was not the wisest thing to do right now.
"Like the fact that the fucking ball or party or whatever the fuck it is, is taking place tomorrow."
"Oh, I haven't forgoten to tell you that. I was under strict instructions not to." And out of an unknown reason to me, that was pissing me off further.
"And why is that?" I could barely contain the anger in my voice.
"Because that would've given you an out. Everything happens for a reason, judge." And it suddenly dawned on me that me not receiving the invitation sooner had also happened for a reason.
"You only brought my invitation last night because you didn't want to give me the chance to change my mind, didn't you?" He didn't even seem to register my accusatory tone.
"I did what I had to do." Yep. He did look like a man who always did what he had to do.
"What if I refuse to come now?"
"You won't." The certainty in his tone took me aback. Why the fuck not?
"Why not?" I mockingly asked.
"Because we both know that the fucker is crazy as shit and when he wants something, he gets it, be it on his terms or not. You know that you can make this easy and come willingly or make it hard and... Well, you get my point." My eyes widened, yet I knew that he was right. Gabriel was crazy as shit and I was going to go willingly. "Now, take your friend and follow me." My brows shot up, my lips slightly parting. How did he even know Lila was here?
"Where are we going?" Right... That's just the right thing to ask him right now...My conscience barked at me, her bitchy self bitchier than usually.
"Shopping." His upper lip curled up in an almost disgusted manner. "Since this was all on such short notice, we thought that we could at least help with your outfits. I hope that you and Ms Mathews like Fashion Valley, because that's where we're headed." His deflated state made me smile, all my anger melting away. I might have had no intention to go through with everything, but I was still going to get my revenge on Mathew one way or another. And well... Appearently torture by shopping was my weapon of choice.
Quickly heading back to my bedroom and putting on a summer dress I then grabbed Lila and followed Mathew downstairs and into the parking lot where we climbed into his black GMC SUV.
"You don't do this often, do you?" Lila asked, when Mathew's uncomfortable squirming became impossible to ignore.
"Only once in a blue moon..." He said, his eyes finding mine in the rearview mirror and holding them for a few moments.
$$$
The way the stupidly expensive dress was hugging my each and every curve was making it impossible for me to stop staring at my own reflection in the mirror. You can't buy it! You'll never be able to pay him back. My conscience yelled, but I somehow succeded in blocking her further screams by focusing on the music coming through the integrated speakers. Listening to the girls calling for backups and saluting, I slightly tilted my head to the side, so that I could take a better look at myself. I fucking loved the ridiculously expensive dress and even though I wasn't planning to buy it, I was going to take advantage of the time I had left with it.
"Jules? I think I found it!" My friend's excited scream had me turning on my heels and storming out of the changing room. If she said she had found a dress, then I bloody had to see it to believe it.
Lila was standing just outside of the changing room, wearing a wonderful, Ralph Lauren white, silk gown that was perfectly matching her pale skin and blond hair. The plunging back was showing her perfect, flawless structure and the high heeled, peachy stilletos she was wearing were a perfect match for the dress. I was stunned. She was fucking stunning.
"Don't get your hopes up, judge! This is dress number fifteen and all the others looked amazing, but they got turned down nevertheless." Mathew mumbled, keeping his back to me and his shoulders slouched.
"No, I really think this is the one." Lila said, her eyes twinkling in the mirror.
"I've heard that before..." Mathew mumbled again and Lila quickly turned toward me.
"Would you tell him that..." She didn't get to finish her sentence though. My friend stilled, staring at me, her mouth gaping.
"Tell me what?" Mathew grated, slowly turning on his heels and stilling the moment his eyes landed on me, as well.
After a couple of minutes had passed and none of them had said a word, I uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other. Lila seemed to be the first one to snap out of her trance.
"Oh, good God!" She whispered on an exhale.
"Fucking hell!" Mathew seemed well and truly shocked. "The fucker is gonna go insane."
"No. No, no, no. You got it wrong. This is... Well, the dress is beautiful, but I'm not taking it." Their eyes widened, both Mathew and Lila looking at me as if I had just lost my mind.
"What do you mean you're not taking it?" Lila asked incredulously. "It's perfect." I knew it was bloody perfect, but it also had a price to match its perfection.
"Sorry, judge, but you've got yourself a dress. I can't wait to see the bloody look on the fucker's face when he sees you." Oh my God!
First a car, then a three thowsand dollars bottle of wine and now this... Good job on letting a murderer buy you all sorts of expensive stuff. And for the first time ever, I didn't have it in me to argue with my conscience. She was right, but that wasn't going to change the fact that I was going to let Mathew buy me the fucking perfect dress.