"Sissy, try this one. I baked a chocolate cake."
Nancy offered me a slice of cake.
"Wow! You can bake?" I asked her smiling.
She was about to answer, but her brother speak for her.
"Yes, she can bake. At least she knows how to bake because she can't even cook a fried egg."
"Argh! I hate you, Gabriel! Get out of here!" she shouted on top of her lungs. "If you can't comment something nice, get your ass out of here!"
"Ohh, but what I've said was true. You can't even boil water in the kettle." and he laughed in his carefree laugh, which made Nancy stop in her trance.
Maybe seeing his brother back in his carefree mood, still a surprise for her. She looked at me and then she smiled.
"I've changed my mind. You can stay here brother. You can also eat my cake if you want."
I bite my lips when Gabriel looked at her and scrunched his eyebrows.
"No. Thanks Nancy, but I won't fall for your tricks."
"B-But..."
"Let's go love." he take my hand again.
"No, love. I'll stay with Nancy. I'll help her." I smiled and patted his cheek.
"Love----"
"I'm okay love, don't worry about me. Just go the boys."
"Are you sure?"
"Jesus! She's no longer a kid! And I won't eat your 'love' Gab!" Nancy answered him mimicking his word and rolled her eyes.
"I'm not talking to you. Nancy, I'm warning you, don't ask her with your ridiculous mouth and ridiculous question!" and then he turned to me. "Love, just call me if Nancy made something stupid."
"Whow, Gabriel! She'll just stay in the kitchen! My God, I'm not a beast!"
He ignored her and asked me.
"Love?"
"Okay, okay. I'll call you." i smiled and pulled his shirt's collar and bring my mouth to his ear. "Don't worry love, I won't ask Nancy anything about you."
"Love!"
I laughed at his reaction.
"I love you." I said smiling and I don't know where I get this confident and kissed him quickly on his lips. I saw how he was taken aback by that. And I used that as an opportunity to push him away.
"Go love, I'm okay here."
He just nodded and kissed me on my forehead before he disappeared in the kitchen.
"You know what, sissy? I really want to say thank you." Nancy said when we both left alone.
"Thank you? For what?" I'm confused on why she wants to say thank you.
"For bringing my brother back."
I watched her as she slices the chocolate cake.
"Why? Does he never visit you here in a long time?"
"No, that's not what I mean. Thank you for bringing back the old Gabriel to us. The carefree and naughty Gabriel. Almost smiling, laughing and throwing jokes to anyone of us." she smiled a half.
"Ohh..." I don't know what to say. What should I supposed to say? That we're just acting?
"He'd changed so much after his break up with Stacey. Oh no, the proper words for that was, she left him. My brother gave everything to her, all of him including his dreams. Do you know what his first course in college?"
I stopped breathing for a while. "No," I answered.
"He wants to become a pilot, but he gave up those dreams because he believed in that woman. She's taking business by then and because she wants my brother to be on her side every day, every hour and every minute, she influenced him to ship into business." she took the plastic gloves off from her hands.
"Well, for our parents, it's okay with them whatever course we would take in college. That's why Gab chose that course but eventually, he followed what his woman wants. After they graduated, he proposed to her, and God, she's squealing when she saw the diamond ring on her finger!"
Her face turned sour and shook her head with the memory.
"And then what happened after that?" my curiosity is now killing me.
"And then.. since he graduated in business, dad offered him his position, to be the CEO of WEC. But he refused dad's offer."
"But why?"
"Because his woman wants them to put their own business. Clothing lines, if I remember it correctly. And she wants to travel abroad, here and there! So, they lived together after their graduation. Travelling from one country to another. God, my brother was like a lovesick puppy by that time, always trailing behind Stacey's back!
I gulped the sudden pain that surged inside me, but I didn't want her to notice that so, I continued to listen to her story.
"What Stacey wants, always Stacey gets. And if you ask Gabriel why he's giving his everything to her.. he would just answer you.. 'because I love her and I would do everything to make her happy'. How stupid isn't it?" she waved her hands in the air.
"And then what? In the end, she just left him! She betrayed him by choosing that bastard Ray over him!"
"Ray?" I asked although that name is quite familiar.
"Stacey's new boyfriend. Her classmate in high school. Yeah, he also have the looks but he's nothing compared to my brother! I don't know what she sees in him!"
"So after their break up, he turned into a different person?"
"Exactly! He became a loner, sissy. He doesn't want to socialize. He doesn't even want to open his social media accounts. He stopped being Gabriel. He stopped being my brother for over a year. So, I really appreciate your presence, Madi."
I just smiled at her.
"So that means, he really loved Stacey before, if he changed himself after she left?"
Actually, by that, I don't really need to act upset, or whatever.. because that's exactly how I feel right now.
"Oh my God!" her eyes widened as she covered her mouth.
"Why?" I asked acting innocently. Although I already know what's behind her horrified look.
"Madi, Gabriel would surely kill me! Oh my God! Just forget everything I said!"
I tried to laugh but I think I failed because it turns out a pained laugh.
"Oh Madi, I'm sorry." she bites her lip.
"Why are you saying sorry."
"Because I let the cat out from the bag. I know my brother haven't told you yet. Madi, I'm sorry. But please, can you not let my brother knows about this?"
I hold her hands and smiled a bit.
"Don't worry, I won't tell him."
"Thank you, sissy."
She hugged me and I hugged her back. We laughed together after that.
"But you know what.. I don't really like her ever since Gab introduced her to us, as in never!"
"But why?" I said trying to laugh.
"I don't know. Maybe sister's instinct." and she smiled and take both of my hands. "Unlike you Madi."
"What do you mean unlike me?" I looked at her as she became serious.
"I like you since my brother speak his first word about you. His first compliment about you. And when I saw you, I proved it. He's telling the truth."
"Wow, and what did he tell you guys about me?"
I can't believe Gabriel talking about me in his family.
"No-ow! That's a secret for you to know and ask my brother if you want to know." she giggled and used her finger for signing 'no'.
"Nancy, please. I'm sure he won't tell me anything. Your brother is a jerk sometimes!" I blurted out without thinking which made her laugh.
"I really like you, Madi! You're not just making my brother laugh, you can also call him a jerk and I like it."
"Because it's true! He's a real jerk, not just sometimes, but every time!" I said out loud and we both laughing hard when the jerk show himself in the kitchen.
"I heard that 'jerk' again. I am really wondering who's that jerk you are calling." he said walking his way towards me.
"Oh, the jerk-----"
"Hep! Stop talking Nancy! I won't buy your excuse this time." he brought his palm in the air to show Nancy to stop.
"What excuse?"
"That you're just talking about your favorite movie! Come on, think about something new that would sell in the market!"
"And where are you going?"
I asked him when he continue to walk closer to me.
"I'm going to get you and I'm going to kiss you." he said smiling and I gasped.
"Oh my God! Don't tell me you're going to make out here in the kitchen? That's eww.. I swear if you that, I'm not gonna walk in here forever! Disgusting!" I can't help not to laugh at Nancy's expression.
"I didn't say we're going to make out! I said I'm just going to kiss my girlfriend! You're overreacting!"
"Eww!"
And she left us stomping her feet out of the kitchen.
"Okay, she's gone!" I pushed his chest which is just an inch away from my body.
"And so?"
"And so... you can stop your best actor drama that you're going to kiss me!"
"Oh, love. But it wasn't a drama. I'm really going to kiss you."
My eyes widened. "Gabriel---------"
To hell with this man! Why did he always kiss me? It's not that I don't like, it's just that... I don't want to get used to it.
I pushed him hard and glared at him, but the jerk just laughed in front of me.
He pulled me and hugged me tightly, the way I can't move and I can't protest.
"Gabriel what are you doing?" I straddled on his hold, but he's so strong, I can't even move my arms.
"I'm hugging you, love."
"God! That's not the proper way of hugging, Mr. Wilsons!" and he let go of me suddenly.
My eyes widened in realization.
"What did you just call me?"
"Ohh.. I.. I.." and because I can't form any words, I pushed him and run to the other side of the table.
"Oh, love. So, you want me to chase you, huh?" he has an evil smile on his lips.
"No!"
"No? So, why did you call me that?"
"What, Mr. Wilsons? Because it's your last name and it's for uhmm... formal call." I bite my lips while walking around the oval mahogany table while he's still chasing me.
"Ahh okay, formal. My future Mrs. Wilsons, I promise to you... that if I get you.. I will kiss you hard until you're gasping for breath."
Because we're busy exchanging nonsense words about his name and the way I called him, we both became oblivious of anyone around us. We didn't noticed that Nancy started to record our chasing fight through her cellphone. And that his mom and dad were watching us, like they were watching a scene in there favorite movie.
"Really?" I asked not even bothering.
"Really. So make yourself ready."
"Ohh.. I'm so scared, love."
"Yes love, wait for me."
"Haha------" and the next thing he did make me gasped and stopped me from walking. He jumped over the mahogany table and he instantly in front of me.
"Ohh...." my mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"Now... my love, can I get my reward?"
He asked.. his face wearing his breathtaking smile.
If we're just in a different situation, I will just watch his handsome face and his dimple.
He frowned when he noticed me smiling. I poked his dimple with my forefinger and smiled like an idiot.
"You're so cute when you're smiling. I love your dimple." I said not even thinking. His smile left me in dazed.
"Just my dimple?" he asked me and I looked directly in his eyes and shook my head.
"I love you."
It's my heart that speak... I know.. it's not my mouth. But what I didn't realize, I've said it out loud.
He paused and stared at me. My lips suddenly went dry and I unconsciously wet them with my tongue. And his eyes followed my mouth movement. I saw him gulped and the next moment, he pulled me and kissed me. I kissed him back. Our lips perfectly moved in sync. He pulled me more to him and he put my hands on the back of his neck as he kissed me hard like it was his air to breathe and his life depended on that kiss.
When i saw a flush.. something from a camera, i was instantly pulled back to reality. I pushed him slightly and pointed with my mouth the people behind him. My face turned into crimson red due to embarrassment.
"They were watching us!" i whispered and bite my lip.
But he used his thumb to release it from my teeth.
"Don't do that, or else i won't stop myself from kissing you." he warned and pulled me to his side.
He put his hand over my shoulder and he kissed the top of my head. When I looked up to him, he also kissed my forehead.
A smile formed in my lips, and I put my face on his chest.