A/N: We're back yall! It's been a while. All righty, so initially I was planning on writing and posting Lia's story on here, but this story kinda wouldn't allow that to happen lol.
I also want to thank each and everyone who reads, votes for, comments on and enjoys my work. It really does mean a lot to me! Especially my day ones, I see you guys! <3
Anywayyyy, without further ado, I give you Sangria! I hope you guys enjoy.
~~~~~
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Go, baby, go!"
"Ah! Fuck!"
"Yes! Woohoo!" Gabrielle jumped up in excitement, fist pumping the sky, while Vincent stomped his feet in annoyance. "I win again, Vincent! Why don't you just admit that I'm better than you in Mario Kart?"
Ever the sportsman, he tossed the controller onto the coffee table in front of him before standing up in frustration and walking away. "This game is rigged against me, that's what," he said with an accusatory point in the direction of the television. "And you are inhumanly good at it for absolutely no reason."
Gabrielle clicked her tongue with a shrug. "I told you, I won a Mario Kart tournament in my freshman year of college. My skills clearly never left." She started to shake her hips in a silly victory dance while Vincent stared at her, his lips fixed in a pout. "Oh, fix that face, you sore loser," she goaded with a shoulder shimmy. "What? So now that you're not kicking my ass in chess for the hundredth time, you're upset?"
Vincent scoffed in response. "You just wait until I get the hang of this infernal game, then I'll show you who the sore loser is."
Gabrielle paused her dancing and chuckled at his attitude. Vincent thought extremely highly of himself, and was incredibly competitive. He HATED to lose. He would beat her at almost every game they played against each other. Though Gabrielle knew that he would NEVER beat her at Mario Kart. She was a state renowned champion in days gone by, and Vincent had never played any video games prior to meeting her. She knew that losing to her would take him down a notch.
She sat back down on her couch, beaming smile plastered on her face, and patted the cushion next to her. "Vincent, come here." He looked at her with a stony expression, shaking his head, but obeyed anyway. "You know I love you, right?" she muttered, pressing a soft kiss on his pursed lips. His stern face softened just a little bit as he kissed her back. Instead of vocally replying, he opted just to nod the affirmative. "But you're a sore loser. And you're not gonna beat me in Mario Kart no matter how hard you try."
With that, she stuck out her tongue before going into the kitchen to retrieve some snacks. Though she'd been a vampire for almost three months, Gabrielle still immensely enjoyed human food. She'd originally feared that her taste for the stuff would fade, but was pleasantly surprised that she still craved her favorite things to eat.
Vincent rolled his eyes heavenward, but laughed as he watched Gabrielle walk away. His eyes zeroed in on her swaying hips while she strolled leisurely to the kitchen. Damn, how the hell was he so lucky... so blessed to be bonded to such a wonderful, beautiful woman?
They had been together now for almost a year. While they'd had their conflicts, the reward of being where they were was all worth it. Vincent was struggling to plan something for their anniversary celebration. How could he show Gabrielle just how thankful he was? Dinner just would not cut it this time. Hell, they went to dinner just about every weekend! In fact, they were due to attend another charity dinner in just a few hours. Dinners, Vincent thought, had begun to lose their luster.
No, they needed to do something big.
They needed to... To go on a trip maybe! But to where? London? Paris? Dubai? The possibilities were endless!
His thoughts were interrupted by Gabrielle returning to sit with him. He threw his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close, and reached for the bowl of popcorn she'd brought back with her. That would be the perfect time to pick her brain and get a feel for something she may like to do. "Hey, Love."
"Hm?" she absentmindedly replied as she munched and scrolled through her cellphone.
"What do you think we should do for our anniversary? I was thinking, maybe a trip somewhere amazing. What say you?" His eyes settled onto her face, gauging her reaction.
Her gaze immediately shifted, eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement. "Funny you should say that, Vincent. I was thinking about it a few days ago, actually. A trip would be awesome! What better way to celebrate our anniversary than traveling together for the first time?"
He smirked. That was easy... "Where would you like to go?"
Gabrielle pursed her lips in thought. There were so many places she wanted to visit, but now that she was offered an opportunity to go anywhere, she couldn't quite put her finger on just one. Tapping her chin in thought, she considered some of the places she had always dreamed of visiting. "What about... the Bahamas? Or Greece? Oh! Costa Rica! Bora Bora!"
"Hold on there, Love," he called, holding up his hands to slow down her thoughts. "How about something a bit easier to plan? Our anniversary is next week already. How about Paris or Rome...?"
"Oooh, Paris would be nice... Oh! I've always wanted to go to Barcelona. That would be easy to plan, right?" Vincent furrowed his brow apprehensively, and Gabrielle picked up on it. "What's that face for?"
"Actually... I can't ever go back to Spain. I've had quite a few run-ins over there, and there are dangerous people over there I wouldn't want you tangled with."
"What? In, like, the whole country?"
He nodded. "There are people in every corner of Spain that want my head... Actually, the entire Iberian Peninsula is off-limits."
"What the hell did you do?" He was about to respond when she held up her hand in surrender. "Actually, I don't really want to know. We'll just leave it at that." Looking at the time, she noticed that it was getting late, and they still had an engagement to attend. "We can discuss it more later. We should go get ready for this charity thing."
Vincent grunted at that, but stood up nonetheless. "Fine... Let's get this over with then."
---
The charity gala took place at the famous Rainbow Room in Manhattan. It was a large ballroom with a killer view of the skyline, nestled on the 69th floor of Rockefeller Tower. The room sported high ceilings, a huge dance floor in the center, and walls full of windows that allowed a glimpse of the city from every angle.
The event goers were all abuzz as they walked about the room or danced or spoke with other people. For the most part, everyone was happy. There was a small band in the corner that played a plethora of hits. The round tables where people sat were decorated with long white tablecloths, and gold and black centerpieces. Servers swerved in and out of the crowds with drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
Vincent absentmindedly tapped the body of his glass of sherry as his gaze remained glued to his date, who stood on the opposite side of the room with Jacques' wife, Linda. The two women were occupied in conversation with some women who attended the function.
Radiant. That was the word that came to his mind every time he laid eyes on her. She was radiant. She exuded pure grace from every single pore of her mahogany skin. The shimmering, silver form-fitting dress clung to her curvy form, and glimmered with every ray of light that passed over her. Her curly hair, pulled back into a sleek bun, was adorned with an equally glistening studded headband. Her entire outfit had earned her so many compliments already, and the dinner was just starting. In short, Gabrielle was stunning. And she was all his... How the hell did Vincent get so damn lucky?
"So how much did you want to sign for the company's donation? Biff Hollingsworth is asking."
"I've already signed a check in my name for fifty grand. He asked me for it yesterday."
"What? How'd he manage to get two checks out of us? That cheeky bastard. You can cancel yours and we can just sign the one with Corp on it."
Vincent shook his head. "Jacques, what's wrong with you? You can't cancel a donation to a charity! Where's your moral standing?"
Jacques scoffed at that. "My moral standing? Hell has surely frozen over if you are questioning me about my morals." He took a sip of his gin and tonic when they'd both gone silent.
Eventually he had started back up about some other conversation that Vincent couldn't bother paying any attention to. Zoning out, his gaze drifted back over to Gabrielle, who was now speaking to some other young ladies. "Vincent," Jacques called to his cousin.
He sighed. "What?"
"I've been speaking to you for the passed five minutes, and you've said nothing."
Vincent shrugged, peeling his eyes away from Gabrielle where she stood with Linda for approximately two seconds. "Maybe I'd rather not talk to you right now."
The other man rolled his eyes at his cousin. "Why don't you just marry her, Vincent? What are you waiting for?"
"Funny you say that," he replied, reaching inside his jacket pocket for the little velvet box he made a ritual of carrying around at all times. "I was thinking of proposing now."
"You can't do that now! This is a charity event."
"Do I give a fuck?"
Jacques scoffed. "And you question my morals..."
Linda shook her head, peering over at the two men in their squabble. Couldn't they just behave themselves for one night? "Why on earth must they always have an argument?" She sighed, taking a sip of her champagne.
Gabrielle glanced over at the guys. The two men looked particularly handsome in their tailored black three-piece tuxedos with matching red ties. Why the two had decided to match, she had no idea. However, Gabrielle would admit that they complimented each other perfectly.
"Hmm?" Gabrielle followed her new friend's line of sight, only for her gaze to fall on Vincent and Jacques engaged in a heated conversation. She noticed the copious amounts of eye-rolling from both parties, which elicited a chuckle from her. "Oh, what is it now?" This really did not surprise her. The cousins always argued like two school-aged boys who loved to hate each other. She accepted that that was just the dynamic of their relationship. They were still family and still came through for each other when one needed the other. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what they were bickering about this time. "This would be a good time to practice my selective hearing."
Linda, aware of the subject of their disagreement, quickly piped up in protest. "No," she all but shouted, startling Gabrielle. "Don't waste your time with their pointless bantering," she followed up, waving her hand dismissively in what she hoped was a smooth recovery. "Those two always fight over the most pointless of things... Er... Oh look! They have a chocolate fountain in the corner!"
"Girl, you had me at chocolate..."
The vibration of Jacques' cellphone in his pocket distracted him from his back and forth with Vincent. Pausing to fish his phone out, he read the text message he's received.
Bonsoir mon neveu. Have you spoken with Veci yet? What did he say?
A wave of angst sudden washed over him. Of course he hadn't asked Vincent about traveling back home yet. He already knew what his cousin would say. No, no, no, a thousand times no! But he did keep a promise to his aunt Celeste. Besides... it was always worth a try, right?
Jacques considered his approach, eyeing Vincent as he took a swig of his scotch neat. Apparently he wasn't pleased with the drink, for he shot the glass a dirty look before finding a wandering server and flagging him down. When he was finished asking for another drink and sending back the one he had, Jacques swooped in. "Vincent... I'm curious about something."
"No, Jacques, they don't have multiple flavors of chocolate in the fountain. Just milk chocolate. I already checked."
"What? No! Shut up, fuckwit." He scowled at his cousin's smug expression before sobering up. "Do you every think about going back home?"
Vincent fell silent for a second, as if considering his answer. Taking a sip of his fresh drink, he looked over at Gabrielle indulging herself at the chocolate fountain. "I've considered going back to London, but I don't want to uproot Gabrielle. Her family is all here, and I'm willing to sacrifice—"
"No, not London," Jacques interrupted, shaking his head. "I mean back to Romania to see your parents."
Vincent's expression suddenly darkened, and he shot Jacques a deadly glare. "That place is no home of mine." With that, he stalked off in the direction of the balcony. Not looking back to see if the other man followed, he paused when he came to a wall.
Inhaling deeply, he tried to calm his suddenly foul mood. Why would Jacques of all people ask him some bullshit like that? Becoming aware of his tightly clenched fist, he shook his hand in an attempt to loosen it up. "Calm yourself," Vincent whispered lowly before noticing Jacques standing in his peripheral. "Jacques, I really don't want to continue this conversation."
"Vincent, won't you just hear me out?"
"Why the fuck should I? If I had any rats' arses, I would spare none."
"Don't you want to see your family? Your mother? We've been speaking recently and she said she wants to see you."
The other man furrowed his brows in surprise, the color draining completely from his face. "You've been in contact with my mother?"
He nodded solemnly. "My mother gave her my cellphone number, and she told me that she'd been desperately seeking you out. She wants to make amends... she says that they bear no ill-will towards you, and they would like to rekindle your relationship."
Vincent scoffed, then snickered wryly. "They bear no ill-will toward me? That's rich! I'm exhausted of this conversation." A few more seconds and he was sure that he would explode.
"Wouldn't you want them to meet Gabrielle?" He continued to press on, ignoring Vincent's change in demeanor. The veins in temples began to bulge and his jaw ticked, his irises glowing a lethal shade of crimson. "Wouldn't you want them to be present at your wedding? What about your future children? Wouldn't you want them to know their grandparents?" He cautiously stepped closer, despite Vincent's indignation. "You haven't seen your brother since he was a teenager!"
"Enough!" Vincent roared loudly, stopping Jacques in his tracks. Other party-goers who were present on the balcony had also froze to peer over in their direction. Silence washed over everyone. Ignoring the negative attention he was receiving and the multiple camera flashes that started going off, he pointed forcefully at this cousin. "Don't EVER to speak to me of this again or you'll sincerely regret it. Do you understand?" Jacques simply nodded in silence, but it was not enough for Vincent. "Do you understand?!" he repeated more sternly.
"Yes, Vincent," he said, bowing his head.
Without another word, Vincent left from the balcony and made his way back into the restaurant where Gabrielle stood with her desserts, blissfully unaware of the exchange that had just occurred. "Babe, you wanna try some of this chocolate covered bacon? It's so damn good!" When Vincent pushed passed her without so much as a word, she frowned in confusion. "Babe?"
"I'm ready to go, Gabrielle. Tell Linda and Jacques good night," he finally muttered, his tone short.
"We haven't even had dinner yet. What happened?"
"I said let's go!" he growled, causing Gabrielle to shrink back in surprise. Her gaze followed after him as he stormed toward the entrance before looking in the direction of the balcony where Jacques stood, an unsettled expression marring his features. Turning back to see Vincent already waiting at the elevator, she decided to catch up with him. Whatever transpired between him and Jacques, he could explain it to her later when he was ready. Her primary objective was getting him to calm down.