Claire was out for the client's dinners on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Gabriel popped in each morning to bring her coffee and on Tuesday he passed her a new phone and a card that were in his name, even if she refused. Gabriel struggled to find a proper amount of time to spend with her throughout the week.
As Thursday came, Claire was banging her head on a desk in frustration as Gabriel entered the room.
"Good day?"
"Stubborn tw*t," Claire grumbled.
"I thought you may need a bit of boost." Gabriel smiled. "I've brought coffee with double espresso, some chocolates, and some protein bars."
"Thanks," Claire responded, her head now laying on the desk.
"Do you want me to deal with it?"
"Absolutely not. I'm not going to hide behind your name to scare someone into compliance."
"You should." Gabriel smiled. "You should sternly say: 'Do you even know who you're talking to?! I'm Mrs Moore…" Claire laughed at his bad impression of her.
The door opened and Gina froze.
"Excuse me, so sorry. I thought Claire was alone." Gina bowed her head. "Mr Moore." She left in a hurry.
"Talking about timing." Gabriel looked pale as he looked over at Claire. "I'm sorry."
"I'll work it out later." Claire waved away. "I need coffee first."
Gabriel obediently passed her a cup of coffee.
"Of course. Shall I be worried about your coffee intake?"
"Not yet," Claire admitted as she downed the coffee. "Sugar intake might be more problematic though."
"Is there any evening that you have free?" Gabriel asked hopefully.
"Depends. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, dating consists of dates, right?" Gabriel asked innocently as he walked around the desk towards the window to look outside.
"What kind of a date do you have in mind?"
"It's a surprise."
"Don't be like that! I need to know so that I can determine where it falls on my priority list."
"It's a surprise," Gabriel replied more sternly.
"What about next month then?" Claire said teasingly.
"Next month?" Gabriel turned around looking worried. "I've waited this long, I don't think I can much longer."
"I've seen you wag your tail around my office every day since I've returned. I think that's sufficient."
"You're so cruel." Gabriel moved closer and leaned against Claire's desk in such a way that he blocked her screen.
"Get your a*s off my desk," Claire said sternly.
"I will, but right now I need to find out when you will go on a date with me."
"Gabriel…" Claire huffed.
"Tonight?"
"Client's dinner number four."
"Tomorrow?"
"I'm going out with a few people from my department."
"Can I join?"
"No."
"Really?"
"You can if you don't make things awkward." Claire agreed knowing full well how that was gonna go.
"That doesn't count as a date though! Saturday night?"
"I'm seeing Zoe and Gina."
"Sunday night?"
"Sure."
"Now, was it so difficult?" Gabriel asked in a condescending tone.
Claire stood up and punched him playfully.
"Get off my desk," Claire repeated through her gritted teeth.
"Make me." Gabriel teased her. "You've worked so much recently. Your beautiful eyes are all strained from looking at that monitor." Gabriel moved Claire's hair out of her face. "You need a break."
"I'll break your nose if you don't get off my desk." Claire threatened.
"Oh, you're so sweet." Gabriel smiled. He straightened out and started heading for the door. "Tomorrow night, will you text me the meeting place?"
"Bother Mark."
"Why is he invited?"
"Because he's nicer than you," Claire grumbled as she sat down.
"We'll see about that." Gabriel chuckled on his way out.
Claire ate a protein bar and she hurried out of the office.
"Claire?" Gina looked curiously.
"Not now, Gina. Tomorrow!" Claire ran passed her to her client's dinner.
As she walked out of the building she felt a burning gaze on her back, as if someone watched her. Until she spotted a black car parked on the side of the road, with tinted windows. As she walked she saw from the corner of her eye that it drove behind her. As expected, she was being followed.
That evening, as she returned from dinner, she checked out of the hotel and found another one nearby, moving swiftly in hope that no one was to follow her that late at night.
As she left the hotel in the morning, the black car was back again.
She walked to the office, where Gabriel caught her in the lobby handing her a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Claire." He smiled brightly. "Is the outing still tonight?"
"Yes. I've sent you an address. We're meeting around 6 pm."
"Thank you for letting me join. I might be a little bit late. I have a meeting this afternoon."
"No problem." Claire entered the elevator with Gabriel a step behind. "I should warn you that once Zoe starts drinking, she will probably try to deter you."
"Deter me? How?"
"It can be anything. I am not going to stop her though. I'm curious how far she'll go."
"Maybe Pattison will shield me."
"I wouldn't hope for it." Claire smiled. "You can still back out."
"Not a chance. This is the first chance I have to meet your friends."
"You're awfully interested in my friends."
"Isn't it right to be curious about my wife's friends?"
"Maybe. But don't you dare to utter a word about it."
"Of course not. I'll keep my mouth sealed."
"Good. I'll see you later then." Claire left on the thirty-sixth floor. "Thanks for the coffee!"
"See you later." Gabriel continued in the elevator whilst Claire went to her office.
As the afternoon came she was eager to go out.
Zoe, Gina, Derek, Mark, and two other colleagues were already waiting as she finished up. They hurried to a small restaurant at the edge of the city, eager for a few drinks. Derek and two of Claire's colleagues left quite soon, whilst the rest was keen to joke around.
"Okay, so here's the deal, Claire-bear." Zoe put the glass on a table. "We need to find you a date by the end of the night. You can't be this miserable now."
"I'm not miserable." Claire shook her head.
"Ginaaaa…" Zoe moaned to her friend when she noticed someone walk up to them from behind Claire.
"Pattison, I couldn't reach you," Gabriel grumbled a lie. Zoe and Gina looked terrified, Claire looked fed up and embarrassed, and Mark was outright confused.
"Sir, I didn't receive any calls." He took out his phone as proof.
"There must be no signal here," Gabriel said.
"Excuse me, I'll attend to it now." Mark stood up.
"No need to leave the company. I just have a few questions about the project so I might join and I'll leave soon enough." Gabriel walked away to find a chair for himself.
"He isn't just gonna sit here, is he?" Zoe asked in a whisper, her eyes wide open.
"What do you think?" Claire responded as she watched Gabriel grab the chair from a different table. "What is he doing here?" She asked Mark.
"I know as much as you do," Mark answered showing Claire his phone that showed a good signal and no missed calls or texts.
"Great," Claire grumbled sarcastically, putting up a believable act.
"Is he still giving you grief?" Gina asked worriedly.
"You don't even know." Claire clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"He probably still bombarded her with calls and emails during her leave," Zoe stated. "Don't worry, Claire-bear. I'll make his life miserable." Zoe winked at her. "Mark, it would have been nice but maybe another time." She tapped his hand.
"What?" Mark was confused.
"Good luck, Zoe. I'll pray for you." Claire said with a wide smile knowing full well what her friend meant. Zoe was about to unleash her seductive and crazy side.
Gabriel sat down between Zoe and Mark, as Gina and Claire sat by the wall.
"Well, Mr Moore…" Zoe moved closer to him, placing her hand on his forearm. "I was wondering what you think about the current trends within the design. Do you like green roofs and alleys?"
Gabriel looked at Zoe in confusion, moving his arm away from her.
"Sustainability is becoming a big part of our business' domain. It's important to incorporate it in indirect ways without missing out on the aesthetic."
"That's so true." Zoe blinked, fluttering her long eyelashes and moving her hair behind her ear. "Beauty is the foremost important aspect of any design."
"Is it?" Gabriel furrowed his brows. "Claire, you're a senior designer. What's your opinion on this?" He leaned back bringing attention to Claire who blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh God, why am I being dragged into this?" Claire uttered. "I'm sorry, Zoe, but I disagree with you. Functionality, liveability, and home-like feeling are far more important than beauty to most of the clients."
"But it is the beauty that attracts people to clubs and hotels."
"Not quite. It is aesthetic but they all are designed in a way to be perceived as beautiful for their purpose. Most attractive hotels tend to have warm undertones and welcoming auras. Clubs are designed to attract attention with their shiny appearances using lights and mirrors."
Gabriel smiled as he watched Claire explain something about colour theory to Zoe who scowled at her.
"No one likes a know-it-all," Zoe grumbled at Claire. "Mr Moore, what is your take from this?"
"I agree with Claire. Functionality should come first. There's nothing more infuriating than having a designer design a kitchen that they never stepped into."
"And do you often step into the kitchen?" Zoe asked him, leaning closer again.
"Not until recently," Gabriel said with a smile. "Lost my favourite tie to the tomato sauce just a few weeks ago. And it wasn't even me cooking."
"This tie is nice." Zoe picked his tie and mused at it, trying to flutter her eyelashes more. Claire's phone pinged and as she looked at it it was a message from Mark asking what the heck was going on and if he should get help for Zoe.
Claire chuckled moving her hair out of her face.
"No need. She knows what she's doing." Claire said in a whisper to Mark. Gabriel pulled his tie out of Zoe's hand and took it off.
"Oh, I think you have something just here…" Zoe took a napkin and tried to wipe a non-existent stain off Gabriel's cheek. Gabriel took the napkin off her and wiped his face.
"Mark, swap places. I think I'll be better sitting on the bench than the chair." Gabriel said sternly.
Mark swapped without a second thought.
"Mr Moore, I'm very good at palm reading. Would you like me to read your future?" Zoe smiled mischievously as she took his hand. Gabriel looked at Claire as if he hoped that she'll save him, but she started talking to Gina.
"Hey, boss, what did you think of the Capri project?"
"Capri project?" Claire looked confused.
"Yeah, you sent me the contract earlier today for it."
"Did I?" Claire was confused, she looked at Gabriel who looked more and more worried at Zoe. "I'm sorry. My head is not quite there. Can you run it through me again?"
"It's the event's venue downtown."
"I see. I'll review it with you properly when I'm going to meet you face-to-face on Monday."
"I'm glad that you finally took some time off. I hate to see you drive yourself to the ground so much. And things are turning for the better."
"Mr Moore… I see that you have a strong family line. Your marriage line ends quite low. You should be married before you turn thirty…" Zoe was going all in. "Your heart line is strong and long. It means that you're truly a romantic, sweet, and understanding person."
Claire and Gina snickered at what Zoe was doing. Mark watched it in terror and Gabriel with genuine curiosity.
"A romantic, sweet, and understanding person?" Gabriel repeated. "I see. And what about this line?"
"This is the line that allows us to speak to our ancestors." Zoe decided. Claire and Gina tried to hide their faces in the sleeves of their cardigans.
"Ancestors?" Gabriel's curiosity still kept him going.
Zoe straightened out and started speaking gibberish, suddenly bending her head back and rolling her eyes.
"Your ancestors are here…" she spoke enigmatically as if she spoke to ghosts. "They demand to know the truth…. whoo-oo-oo-oo…"
"What truth?" Gabriel was unshaken.
"The truth is that your soulmate is in this room. Who is your soulmate?"
Claire and Gina couldn't keep it in and burst with laughter, Mark joined now too.
"Oh… my soulmate… I think it's someone at this table." Gabriel replied in a whisper. Zoe sat up straight, her eyes and mouth wide open.
"What?!" Zoe, Gina, Claire and Mark asked in unison.
"I'm pretty sure my ancestors would know, wouldn't they?" Gabriel asked with a mischievous smile. Zoe moved her hand away, hiding them under the table.
"Ancestors' knowledge is sacred. They wouldn't just share it." Zoe grumbled.
"I see. What a shame." Gabriel sat back down, more relaxed now. "Mark, would you get us all some drinks?" Gabriel asked passing him his card. Pattison nodded, still unsure about the whole situation.
"It's Zoe, isn't it?" Gabriel asked at which Zoe nodded. "So, Zoe's possessed by ghosts of my ancestors, which I don't envy her for at all. What about you?" He turned to Gina.
"As far as I'm aware, I am not possessed, Mr Moore," Gina said shyly.
"It's only Gabriel outside of work." Gabriel corrected her.
"Drinks?" Mark came back with a tray.
"Thank you." Echoed through the group.
"By the way, Pierre has been given his contract." Zoe smiled at Claire. "Which now brings on the question, what happened when you went to meet him? And why did you turn him down? I thought that you had a thing, for Pierre, didn't you, Claire?" Zoe asked in the open. "Your French has gotten so good back then."
"It was great until the moment I spoke to him. Turns out that I liked the idea of him, not him." Claire said with a smile, sipping her drink. "Oh Zoe, really don't remind me of it. As I met him, he reminded me of the stench of vomit on my shoes from when we were at uni." Claire blushed. "But why are you picking on me. Gina is right here."
"Yeah, but she has Joe now." Zoe nodded. "So, it's my job to be your wing woman."
"Pick on Mark or Gabriel then," Claire grumbled. Zoe looked at Gabriel mischievously.
"I'm sure any date for Mark that doesn't steal a car will be a success." Zoe laughed at his story from the other week.
"What?" Gabriel looked at Pattison with surprise.
"My girlfriend stole my car," Mark admitted.
"Seriously?" Gabriel asked in disbelief.
"I sh*t you not." Mark laughed.
"Mr Moore?" Zoe turned to Gabriel
"I didn't really date much but a girl I was betrothed to run off with my best friend so…" he shrugged.
"Oh no!" Zoe and Gina showed him sympathy.
"You had a friend?" Claire asked in surprise. "Ouch!" Gina kicked her under the table. "I'm curious. Everyone else can ask questions, so, why can't I" Claire rubbed the shin of her leg.
"I have friends." Gabriel furrowed his brows at Claire.
"Living friends?" Claire asked again.
"Well, you're my subordinate so you have to be my friend if I wish for it," Gabriel said to Claire.
"That doesn't count," Claire replied while still wincing.
"I do have friends." Gabriel reaffirmed it.
"Unbelievable, with your personality? Ouch!" Gina kicked her again, this time with help from Zoe. "What's wrong with you two?!" Claire looked at them angrily.
"Stop being rude to Mr Moore," Gina said sternly. "Besides, do you want to get killed?" She whispered to Claire.
"I do. That's the aim, isn't it?" Claire barked back.
"I forgot that you're the 'eternally dead on the inside' type." Gina rolled her eyes.
"I can't say anything here." Claire continued grumbling.
"Are you running the marathon this year?" Zoe asked Claire, changing the topic.
"I haven't trained in weeks but maybe. I just need to get myself back on track."
"You've run marathons?" Gabriel looked at Claire curiously.
"Claire was training for a triathlon at uni and she's been doing marathons since. She always was the athletic one. Aside from now. She's rather ghost-like now." Zoe determined.
"As always, running from her problems," Gina uttered.
"What happened to my supportive friends? Did something possess you both?" Claire wasn't best impressed. "I'm going to get more drinks." Claire decided, passing past Gabriel. Claire was back soon enough. "So, I was just asked if I had to choose a single dish to eat for the rest of my life, what would that be?"
"Pizza!" Zoe exclaimed.
"Spaghetti Pomodoro made by Claire." Gina smiled.
"Spaghetti allo scoglio," Gabriel admitted.
"Claire's spaghetti allo scoglio is to die for!" Gina exclaimed. "You must try it some time."
"Am I being volunteered to cook for someone again?" Claire asked with a smile.
"Pizza…" Mark admitted.
"We must have dinner at Claire's then. She can cook better than all of us combined." Gina decided.
"When will I have time for this?" Claire grumbled as she sat back down and started sipping yet another drink, feeling tipsy already.
"Next week?" Zoe decided for Claire. "Let's have a cookout dinner together. Gabriel, you're most certainly invited."
"Ever so grateful. Can't wait." Gabriel smiled in his charming way.
"Did you hear that there's a concert tonight at the arena?" Zoe poked Gina.
"What concert?" Gabriel asked curiously.
"It used to be our favourite band whilst in uni. Once we sneaked out of Claire's house to go see them." Gina smiled at a memory.
"Would you like to go?" Zoe turned to Gina.
"Would you like to go?" Gabriel turned to Claire looking at Zoe's phone with the poster.
"She's too busy for this," Zoe said with a bite in her tone when she answered for Claire.
"I-…" Claire stuttered. "I don't have a ticket."
"That shouldn't be an issue," Gabriel said quickly. "Hang on a moment." He walked outside and made a call, returning within three minutes. "So… I'm not sure if that's any good but I've got us VIP tickets and behind-the-scenes meet and greet with the band."
"Seriously?!" Zoe, Gina and Claire asked in unison.
"Of course." Gabriel smiled warmly. "Shall we get going?"