Gabriel was waiting very impatiently outside my door.
I had taken more than five minutes, but that was because it took more than five minutes to do up all the buttons on this top. He hadn't told me the dress code so I had selected a simple black work top and a pencil skirt. First I thought I could get away with jeans but then who knew where we were going, a skirt made it less casual.
Or so I thought.
Gabriel stopped pacing outside the room, almost like he was going to yell at me for taking too long and ask me why I locked the door. Because you were barging in. But instead he looked me up and down and sighed.
"That's what you're wearing."
"You didn't tell me the dress code? Shall I change?" I asked, taking one step backwards. Before my foot could even touch the carpet inside he grabbed my arm and tugged me.
"Too late, we have to go now." he said.
Once my feet started walking after two steps he let go of my arm like I had a contagious disease and rushed in front of me. I was glad I was wearing flats, but it didn't mean I could run after him. Gabriel always forgot that he was tall and a fast walker, he always took long strides.
It didn't matter that I was working with him for so long, I didn't magically get faster at walking. He looked back at me, almost like he was going to tell me to hurry up but then thought otherwise as it was probably a waste of breathe. Instead he waited at the bottom of the stairs as I caught up, breathless, reminding me how unfit I was.
I thought he was waiting for me and almost thanked him, before I heard Fern behind me.
Of course
"What are you wearing?" Fern said, as soon as he saw me.
"Should I get changed? Where are we going though?" I asked.
"Yes," Fern nodded.
"No, we're out of time the car is here," Gabriel said as he rushed ahead.
"My outfit isn't that bad is it?" I asked as Fern and I started walking to the car.
"No, it's fine. You look fine it's just not practical since we're walking."
"Walking?" I asked. Fern was definitley dressed more casual than I was, he was in jeans and a button up shirt, semi casual but it was those green runners that he was wearing that did it for me. I had never seen running shoe that shade of green, and it clashed horribly with his blue shirt.
"We need to get a few pictures." he said as we hopped into the car. Gabriel was in the front seat next to the driver, busy texting away on his phone.
"Oh." I said, well at least I looked alright. I could walk in flats, surely it can't be that long of a walk.
* * *
I was wrong, it wasn't a walk, no, not at all.
It was practically a hike.
The material of this shirt didn't help, I felt like I was smelling like an ocean but of sweat, so stinkier. The mesh like material did nothing to make me feel less hot either. I was almost tempted to take it off since I had worn a cotton singlet underneath, but I didn't have that courage just yet to let my work colleagues see me in nothing less than work clothes.
I had no idea how Gabriel was walking in those working shoes, he didn't look like he was in any pain at all, or perhaps his poker face was too good.
Actually come to think of it his poker face was showing because it wasn't poker at all, it was annoyance, frustrated and disappointed. It would be obvious if his cards were crap, he would be glaring at the cards like they should magically get better.
"I can't get up this rock." I said as I watched them both effortlessly get up.
"Just take a big step." Gabriel said, like it was the easiest thing for him to do, which it was since he was tall. I was not tall, it was not easy for me especially in a tight pencil skirt that would no doubt rip if I even tried to jump onto that rock.
"Is there another way, oh there, i'll walk around," I said. I could see in the distance a less inclined path that eventually led to the same area.
"We don't have time for that, the sun is setting."
"Here," Fern said, leaning down, "I'll give you a hand,"
Gabriel sighed, turning around from us almost like he was getting annoyed but hey, it wasn't my fault that I couldn't just take one big step across the rock.
I grabbed Fern's arm, practically scratching myself against the rock as he helped me step up.
"Great, walk faster," Gabriel said, already starting to move away from us. Fern and I caught up with him in a few minutes till we finally reached what was the 'spot'.
It was just a big boulder that thad the ocean in the background.
"So what exactly are we doing here?"
"We just need some pictures of you two together, like to make it more believable, so just...pose lovingly," Fern said, definitley grimacing as he said it.
"Lovingly?" I asked, rubbing my arm confused as Gabriel took his stance at the rock, a few metres away from me, deeply sighing before holding his hand out to me.
What was I meant to do with the hand? Was I meant to take it?
I looked at him, his emotionless eyes and reluctantly took his palm in mine, ensuring that was what I was meant to do before I took a step towards him and stood by him.
"Um," Fern said looking up from the Camera, "You both look like robots."
"What am I meant to do?" I asked, "You said pose!"
"Stare at each other maybe, that way we won't see your hideous expressions."
Great.
We both turned to face each other and I wasn't sure if I was meant to drop his hand, but he was still holding it so I remained till. His hand felt so foreign in mine, I mean, I did shake his hands a few times in a form of greeting at the start but since then I didn't really have much reason to touch his hand, let alone wrap my finger around his.
Intertwined.
Vomit.
"Rory, can you smile?"
"I am."
"Oh..smile harder, more lovingly. Gabriel is doing a better job at you."
Now that hurt, who knew my boss had better fake expressions than me. I pulled a bigger smile.
"Ok...smile less."
"Fern I swear, I'll push you off this cliff," I snapped throwing him a dirty look. I was smiling, wasn't that enough.
"What? I'm trying to make this look believable, do it for the money Rory, imagine that's your boyfriend in front of you and smile and pose like you normally would"
I could have scoffed at Fern, like this is how my boyfriend and I would be posing.
"But it's my boss," I muttered, I can't ever imagine Gabriel to be anything like Kyle. Kyle wouldn't be standing opposite me holding my hand in a deathly grip, no, he would be beside me with an arm around me, both of us laughing at some joke he would be saying.
Not this...silence between us. I tried looking into Gabriel's grey eyes, that were currently more yellow because of the sunset behind us, i could almost make out the sun in those eyes, that's how clear and focused they were.
"Relax," He muttered, almost speaking for the first time in a neutral tone since we got here.
"I am."
"You're not, you look like a bow and arrow that is about to be snapped in half," Gabriel commented, "Stiff."
"Well...I can't help it, I'm not good at relaxing," I muttered to him, it was easy for him to act but it really wasn't for me. Perhaps I should tell them that I was so bad at acting that in grade 9, where Drama was compulsory, I got told to just sit out and watch and do the lights.
"Do you want me to kiss you again then so we can't see your constipated face."
"What! No, don't you dare, we have a deal" I hushed back.
"Don't worry I wasn't going to anyway," he responded.
"Good."
"It's disgusting."
Now I wasn't sure if he meant kissing me was disgusting, or the act itself was.
"Who knows how hygienic the other person is, what they've eaten all day, what they've drunk, it's just two pieces of skin and fat coming together," Gabriel continued, oblivious to my stunned expression, was he really telling me this.
"My hygiene is fine," I told him, the only thing I could say in response to that since I wasn't really sure how to tell him that if he felt kissing was like that, he was kissing the wrong person. Kissing Kyle never made me feel like it was two pieces of skin and fat coming together, how did he even come up with that scenario.
"Sure," Gabriel said.
"Okay turn to face the other way!" Fern called out.
I turned at the same time Gabriel did, his arm now around my waist as he stared at the ocean in front of us, Fern capturing us from behind.
"What do you mean sure," I asked confused, "That's rude you know Gabriel, that's really rude and maybe this is why you're single and need a fake wife, or ex-wife, or whatever the fuck I'm doing here."
"I'm agreeing with you."
"Are you?" I muttered.
"Yes you smell like stale chewing gum which is better than other things..."
My jaw...well it dropped as I turned to look at him, "Stale chewing gum?"
"You know," Gabriel said turning to look at me, "that smell when you eat too much chewing gum and then the flavour is all gone before you spit it out, it's got a distinctive smell. It's not bad, its not amazing either, it's just...stale chewing gum."
"Okay done! Let's go to the next spot before the sun sets."
And just like that Gabriel's arm dropped and he walked away from me towards Fern, to check on the pictures as I stood there.
"My mouth does not smell like stale chewing gum!" Or does it?
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