"How was the party?" Klaus asked politely as they've crawled into the car - literally. Claire's wet dress was so clung to her body that she could barely move, and at this time she didn't even bother trying to be elegant. Gabriel picked up the layers of chiffon that dragged behind Claire, resembling a wet carpet, bundled up into a single pile of mess. He helped Claire get it in the car, trying to place it out of the way. This only made Claire laugh more hysterically.
"It was by far the most fun banquet I've ever attended," Gabriel answered Klaus, as at last, he was able to climb into the car himself, still tripping over her dress and falling headfirst into her lap. Gabriel laid across the seats, laughing along with Claire, his eyes glistening in pure joy. Claire helped to push him upright so that he can get into his seat so that his legs weren't dangling out of the car, and so that he could close the door, which turned out to be a rather time-consuming ordeal.
"The banquet was boring, Gabriel. You just found a better company." Claire said between the tears of laughter, eagerly pulling her wet and torn stockings off, as the car rolled onto the road.
"Hang on, are you telling me that this is a norm?" Gabriel looked at her in disbelief, catching a glimpse of her action, quickly turning away as he turned even redder. Claire was too keen to remove the stockings of which few loose threads somehow found a way to dig into her skin causing her discomfort, which she only noticed now as she sat down, to even notice Gabriel nervously looking away. She let out a sigh of relief once her legs were freed.
"Yes. You just have to know where to look and for whom." Claire nodded. "Many people of our age are not fussed about formalities and professionalism, so we try to find something more entertaining to do. Of course, you get a few people who sneak into bedrooms or bathrooms for a different kind of entertainment, and then you get a few people who are too eager, too stupid, and too drunk to act all fancy, so instead, they find a way to enjoy themselves in the back corners of the party. Jared is notorious for it."
"I never knew."
"It's because you're the professional and formal type. The 'too uptight to ever have fun' type." Claire declared as she tilted her head. "No one is going to invite you in if you keep all that serious facade on."
"Serious facade?" Gabriel's smile vanished.
"You look like you could kill, Gabriel," Claire said honestly, leaning back in the seat. "You always keep that serious face on, regardless of the occurrence, and regardless of whether you know someone or not. I didn't know you could smile until very recently, and I've been seeing you somewhat regularly for the past ten or eleven months now."
"But that's just my face." Gabriel furrowed his brows.
"Not sure whether you realise it, but you have a bit of a resting b*tch face. For people who do not know you, you seem unapproachable."
"I was always taught to keep as neutral as I can in public. That way you're the least likely to give the wrong impression." Gabriel admitted. "Every smile, every grimace, every twitch can be misunderstood and misinterpreted. And on top of that, if you smile at one person but not another, it can be taken as a sign of favouritism."
"First of all. I'm so glad that I grew up away from this." Claire sighed feeling slight pity for Gabriel. "No one ever told me to hide my smile away just so I don't offend anyone."
"Yet, you still smile at absolutely everyone and through every shit conversation." Gabriel pointed out. "That's a facade too."
"That's an interesting observation." Claire smiled at him, resting her head on his shoulder, and rubbing her cheek against his arm. Gabriel was surprised by her tiredly snuggling into him, but he shifted so that he could wrap his arm around her, pulling her closer and letting her snuggle up to his chest instead. Claire let out a sigh of relief, feeling comfortable and safe. She fell asleep within moments.
Gabriel smiled at her with pure glee, hoping for every banquet to come to end like this one.
"Sir." Klaus caught his attention.
"Yes?" Gabriel looked up, noticing a glimpse of worry on Klaus' face.
"I think that we're being followed, sir." Klaus said calmly, as his eyes pointed at the dark road behind them. "There's a car driving behind us, which has no headlights on and no reg plate. They have been behind us since almost the Evans' mansion. Gabriel looked at the reflection in the mirror carefully. It took him a moment before he noticed a slight reflection of the light off the vehicle that was behind them.
"Take the longer route and follow the procedure." Gabriel ordered. His heart stopped as he looked down at Claire who slept peacefully, unaware of any danger. He gently moved her head from his chest onto his lap. He hoped that if anything were to happen, he could shield her. He took out his phone and quickly arranged for his security. Five minutes, that's how long it'll take for several black cars to show up. Gabriel's anxiety was almost paralysing as he observed the situation. The car took exactly same turns, three right turns in the row, closing the distance between them. There was no doubt that it was following them. There was also no doubt that they were becoming less and less discreet. Gabriel let out a long breath as a pair of bright headlights appeared behind that dark car, and then another, and another. His security was swift, unafraid to intercept, when necessary, but also intimidating. Six or seven more cars appeared in the convoy. It wasn't long before the car following them started to back off, and then it vanished down one of the small side roads.
Harry texted Gabriel and confirmed that the car was no longer within the radius. Gabriel sighed with relief before instructing Klaus to drive back home, only now realising that he held onto Claire tightly, ready to use his own body as a shield if situation were to arise. It didn't surprise him. He knew that if anything were to happen, he'd give his life for her.
Claire woke up as the car stopped in front of the villa, completely oblivious of the occurrence. However, without knowing, she had a gut feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Gabriel smiled at her, but Claire noticed a glimpse of anxiety on his face. His jaw and lips were tightened, showing some tension, and a wrinkle showed up across his forehead. This only made Claire more unsettled, but she was quick to hide it.
She yawned before crawling out of the car and mumbling 'thank you, Klaus'.
As she stepped on the stone of the front yard, she noticed few security vehicles pull up by the gate. A set of bright lights multiplied, with nearly ten vehicles parking up. She didn't question it, having a slight idea of the cause. They were followed. They must've been.
She looked back at Gabriel, his shoulders were tense, and his body seemed to be stiffer. Yet, he smiled at her as if he silently wanted to reassure her that she's safe with him. And it seemed to work. Knowing that she wasn't alone now brought her comfort. She had her shield, whilst not even realising the extreme that Gabriel was willing to go to keep her safe.
She held onto Gabriel's arm as they've walked in, afraid of the moment when she has to let go, knowing that this was the only thing that held her together. Gabriel was the only comfort in the world she had.
They slowly made their way across the villa, waking upstairs, straight towards their rooms. Claire dragged her heels, trying to delay the inevitable.
Gabriel stopped by the door to her bedroom, pecking her cheek and wishing her a good night. Claire stood frozen, unable to move her feet and enter her room. Clinging onto the moment for as long as she could. Gabriel pecked her on the other cheek.
"Are you alright?" he asked, noticing Claire's body tense up.
"Yeah." Claire nodded quickly snapping back. "Good night, Gabriel." She pecked his cheek, hurrying into the room, embarrassed by how she just acted, and a mere possibility that Gabriel might've noticed her need to hold onto him.
Claire started taking her dress off. She bent her arms backwards trying to undo the zip. She managed to get it down to her waist but then the fabric was sucked into it, getting it stuck. Claire fought it with increasing frustration, her arms not bending quite far enough to remedy it, and the dress wasn't open enough to try to remove it yet. She huffed and puffed, grunting angrily, not realising that Gabriel hasn't made his way to his bedroom yet. The way Claire ran off made him feel even more anxious. Neither really realised that they both have been fuelling their anxieties.
Claire fell onto the floor and started sobbing out of frustration as well as overwhelm. She was going to see Cecilia soon and her entire plan was to be set into motion, a plan to bring Michael Moore down – something she dreaded as she feared that she would lose Gabriel just after starting to feel like she was finding her place beside him. A knock on the door startled her.
"Claire…" Gabriel called her name quietly, unsure of his own intend.
Claire wiped her face from the tears.
"Gabriel." Claire let out an accidental whimper.
"What's the matter?" Gabriel asked her through the door, feeling his heart breaking as he heard the upset in her voice.
"I'm stuck!" Claire answered in frustration.
Gabriel carefully opened the door to her bedroom. The sight of Claire felt like a stab in the chest. Even though she hid her tears and sobs, she sat there, defeated, alone, and small, in her wet dress still clinging to her body, now covered in dirt and sliding off one of her shoulders.
"What?" Gabriel stopped by the door as he tried to process what Claire meant.
"Please, can you free me? The zip is stuck, and I can't reach far enough to get it." Claire continued to whine. "Please, help me take this dress off."
"Shall I call one of the maids?" Gabriel offered, realising Claire's vulnerable state. He didn't want to overstep the boundary whilst she was like this.
"By the time they'll come up, I'm hoping to be asleep." Claire grumbled. She noticed Gabriel looking nervous and turning all red. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Claire uttered quickly, looking down at the hands.
"In all honesty, I am not sure how much you drank tonight. I am just cautious of your state."
"I didn't drink much. All I'm asking is if you can try to get the fabric out of the zip. I've pulled it down too fast, and it trapped some of the fabric in it." Claire said with despair in her voice. Her lip quivered.
Gabriel hesitated before nodding and walking up to her. He squatted behind her, trying his hardest as to not touch her whilst he fiddled with the zip, trying to look anywhere but the bra strap just above it, equally avoiding looking at her bare shoulders and back. "If I were to be drunk and I were to try to initiate any form of intimacy with you, are you going to refuse?" Claire asked curiously, as the new train of thought occurred to her.
"Is that supposed to be some tricky question?" Gabriel asked as he stuck his tongue out in focus, still trying to free the fabric without damaging it. "Of course I would refuse."
"Really? Why?" Claire asked in disbelief.
"I don't ever want to take advantage of your vulnerability. I want your fully conscious consent."
"What if it were the only chance you'd get?" Claire asked.
"And why should that change anything?" Gabriel asked in return. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can get the fabric out without damaging either the fabric or the zip." Gabriel said. Claire took a deep breath, trying to decide on what to do next.
"Okay, rip it." She said decisively feeling horrible for destroying all of Sophie's work.
"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked with concern.
"I can't stay in it forever." Claire closed her eyes.
Gabriel tried to pull the fabric out expecting it to rip, but instead the zip gave in, breaking and ripping in a swift motion almost to Claire's knees.
"Oh God." Gabriel uttered in embarrassment, feeling guilty for the damage done to the dress. He quickly looked away as Claire's white underwear showed.
"Well, that's something that I'm never mentioning to Sophie." Claire chuckled, turning around. She noticed that Gabriel already turned away, looking back at the door.
"I'm so sorry." Gabriel uttered again.
"See, I'm not sure what my take is from this." Claire furrowed her brows as she decided to tease Gabriel. "Firstly, you rip my dress as if you couldn't wait to see what's underneath it, but now you're not even going to look at me. Is what you've seen that bad?"
"I haven't looked." Gabriel shook his head quickly. "The rip was an accident. I really haven't looked…"
"Why?" Claire asked with a wide grin, somewhat enjoying the fact that Gabriel's ears turned all red.
"There was no ill intend and I've looked away as soon as I've realised that your body might be revealed." Gabriel hesitated before mumbling on. "I'll replace the dress."
"I don't think Sophie would be too keen to remake it. She already complained that this one will drive her to an early grave."
"Who's Sophie?"
"My family's friend. She's a dressmaker."
"It wasn't a designer dress?"
"Oh no. I don't do design dresses. They're expensive and never really my style. With Sophie I can come up with any dress I want, and she'll do her magic and make it happen."
"So, you've designed this dress?"
"In some way. It was heavily inspired by Hedy Lamarr dress from Ziegfeld Girl with less shiny bits to match the occasion."
"It suited you. I'm so sorry for breaking it."
"I've permitted you to. Chiffon and silk tear easily."
"I'll take my leave now. Good night, Claire." Gabriel said as he hurried away.
Claire took the dress off, having a quick shower and putting her nightie on.
She laid down in the dark of her room, her mind rushing at three hundred miles per hour, reminding her of every single stressful thing that she was dealing with, almost obsessively reminding her of her failures and worthlessness. A heavy feeling in her chest started breaking out, spreading through her body. It was a feeling of hopelessness, the one where you feel like you're losing control over your body and mind, where a black fog is taking over. And then, there it was, a silent thought – again. Like a whisper, that Claire's brain had a habit to hang onto as if it were the most precious thought. 'You shouldn't exist' with a chorus of 'you're worthless', 'you're only causing trouble to everyone'.
Whether it was a survival instinct or a desperate attempt to stop it before it eats her away, Claire grabbed a book from Gabriel and walked out of her bedroom, quietly making her way across the corridor. A dim light escaped Gabriel's room through the gap beneath the door. Claire knocked, her hands visibly shaking.
"Come in." Gabriel's voice sounded on the other side. Claire hesitated, the sudden urge to run spread across, along with the panic. What was she thinking?! "Come in." Gabriel repeated. He could hear her light steps as she approached the door and hesitated. He could tell that something wasn't right. He wasn't going to question her through the door.
Claire carefully opened the door. Gabriel wasn't on his bed as she expected. His walk-in closet had the light on, and door open wide enough for Claire to catch a glimpse of him being shirtless. Claire quickly looked away, too embarrassed to admit just how much she wanted to just stare at him. He earned his title of the sexiest man 2018 for a reason. There was no doubt there. Claire wondered how much better that magazine would have sold if they used his shirtless photos instead of the ones of him in a perfectly fitting suit
Claire started cussing herself inwardly, not realising that it worked. Her mind found a new distraction – focusing on her hate at just how much she found him attractive with his lean and muscular body. "Is anything wrong?" Gabriel asked as he came out of the closet now fully dressed in his pyjamas.
"I couldn't sleep." Claire said quietly, feeling like an idiot, now redder than a beetroot.
"What's the problem? Are you feeling alright?" Gabriel asked with immediate worry.
"I'm fine." Claire looked down on the floor, now clenching onto the book with both her arms. "My brain is just running a race and I just need some time to wind down."
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Gabriel offered, his voice softening. Only as he asked he noticed the book that Claire held onto, as well as her nervousness. He smiled as the thought crossed his mind that maybe she did intend to make one of his wishes come true, but he shot it down quickly. He didn't want to build his hopes up.
"No, thank you." Claire started to back out of her idea. "I'm sorry for interrupting you." Claire decided that it was the stupidest idea she ever had, keen to run away as soon as she could.
"Claire, dear." Gabriel started with a warm smile. "If there's some idea lingering in your head, say it loud and clear. Spell it out for me. You're thinking about something very intensely, and you haven't stopped fidgeting since you came in here." Gabriel said as he walked up to her.
"It's about something you've said earlier." Claire spoke in her quiet voice, with complete lack of confidence. "I've contemplated on your wishes. The three wishes you named first are things that I don't see as special, and I'm unwilling to accept them as your wishes. I'll do them regardless. I'll make you dinners, and I'll play piano for you, and I hope to dance with you again. Then there were few wishes that I cannot fulfil just yet. I do not mind continuing with our contract at the moment, but I need time to ensure that we are actually compatible and that you're not a complete psychopath." Claire sighed. "Abd further, I cannot introduce you to my parents just yet. So, there's only one wish that remains." Claire blushed as she looked down at the floor. "You've said that one of your wishes was to read a book alongside me and then fall asleep next to each other. I think I can comply with it tonight."
Gabriel froze, his heart rushing in excitement.
"Claire, you don't have to if you're uncomfortable with this."
"I know." Claire nodded.
"Before we proceed, how much did you drink tonight?"
"Seriously?" Claire asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Gabriel said rather sternly.
"Not much. Several glasses of champagne through the night, and I didn't finish any of them." Claire said honestly. "I have barely reached the tipsy stage and that was hours ago."
"You seemed particularly giddy though." Gabriel studied her carefully to work out if she was lying.
"Because I was happy." Claire answered with a shy smile.
"Okay." Gabriel nodded. He intensely thought about it for a moment before he climbed into the bed. He lifted the corner of the duvet, lifting it up as an invitation for Claire.
"Nothing dodgy though!" Claire said with a warning.
"Of course not. Just reading a book." Gabriel picked a book from the bedside table, as he smiled at Claire. "You have my promise."
Claire hesitated. But then she sat down on the edge of the bed, letting Gabriel cover her with the duvet he held. They both sat up, leaning against the headboard, starting to read their respective books.
It was merely few moments before Claire realised that she couldn't focus as she re-read the same paragraph nearly ten times now and she still wasn't sure what it said. She was too distracted, not only by Gabriel's presence, which frankly was the worst distraction but also by her previous causes of the anxiety. It was a feeling of impeding doom, with a timer ticking loudly.
Claire focussed on Gabriel's quiet and steady breathing, and with the corner of her eye she could see him being deeply focused on the story. It had a calming effect on her, and besides she concluded that it was rather endearing to see him being so engrossed in the book, with a short streak of his hair on his forehead. Claire quickly looked as far away from Gabriel as she could. The photograph on the sideboard caught her attention next, distracting her enough to stop her from staring at Gabriel.
Gabriel realised that he already read through several pages whilst Claire hasn't turned the page in minutes. He followed her gaze and smiled. He put his book away on the bedside table.
"That's a picture of myself, my sister Evelyn who we all call Eva, and my mum." Claire was startled by his explanation, but she remained silent. "I think you'll like Eva. You would have liked my mum too, and I know that she would've loved you."
"I'm sorry." Claire mumbled in embarrassment, quickly looking back at the book in her hand.
"Why?"
"I didn't mean to intrude."
"Intrude? You haven't even asked." Gabriel laughed. "It's okay, Claire. Honestly. And if you have any questions about my family, you can ask away. They're your family too." Claire flinched at that statement realising that Michael Moore was now her father-in-law. She found that thought rather sickening. "Eva is currently abroad, in the States. I did wonder if one day you'd like to go and see her." Gabriel continued. "She didn't come back to the country since mum's funeral and I don't think she will any time soon, but I'd really like to introduce you to her." Claire looked at a picture of a young woman wondering what she looked like nowadays, silent in thought, unsure how to answer to Gabriel's suggestion. She felt a slight dread over the thought of meeting Gabriel's family. "It's fine if not. I thought I'll just put it out there." Gabriel looked down at his hands, starting to fidget with them, as he felt like he said something stupid to upset Claire.
"Would you like to tell me about them?" Claire asked carefully. "About your mum and your sister?"
Gabriel looked at her in surprise, meeting her curious gaze. He smiled at her, his nervousness easing off.
"Of course." Gabriel nodded, moving his pillows so that he could lay down. He laid on his side so that he could look at Claire. "I'm not even sure where to start." He chuckled. Claire put her book on the bedside table, laying down and facing Gabriel. "My mum was the saint of a woman with barrels of undefeated love and patience." Gabriel started with a pained smile on his face. "She used to see good in people even when there was none. And she was keen to give as much as she could to the world. She was very keen to work with charities and foundations, supporting those that were the most vulnerable. She always wanted to start her own charity to support children in some way." Gabriel sighed at the memories. "My sister is a particular character. She's strong-headed and stubborn. She doesn't back down and she doesn't change her mind once she sets it on something. She's very determined and ambitious. She's also a little scary, at least to me."
"And you want me to meet her?" Claire asked.
"She always said that she'd swap me for a sister without as much as a thought." Gabriel laughed. "She'll be eager to team up with you to annoy me. She'll try to get you involved in some evil plots just to see me suffer."
"That doesn't sound very nice." Claire said with a worry.
"That's what sisters do." Gabriel shrugged. "That particular picture was taken during the Christmas holidays at my mum's family home."
"You looked happy." Claire commented.
"They've just about managed to capture five minutes of my happiness. Probably one of the three photos that exist of me smiling. And probably one of the last photos with my mum."
"You must miss her a lot." Claire said as she noticed small grimaces on Gabriel's face.
"I do. I think that I'm finally dealing with it. For a long time I was pretending that I was fine, but I wasn't. I think I finally had a courage to face it all. It doesn't mean that I came to terms with it. Not yet." Gabriel sighed. "I guess that I wasn't ready for it. It happened immediately, and I didn't know how to deal with it."
"Losing someone you love is difficult. I can't even imagine how difficult. I can't imagine the pain you went through." Claire said softly, caressing Gabriel's cheek, suddenly realising that a lot of his anger must've stemmed from this, from his grief and internalised pain.
"You gave me courage, Claire. You've reminded me that not everything and everyone is bad in this world. Up until I've met you, I was convinced that all that was left was the darkness and evil."
"I don't think I deserve any credit for that." Claire laughed.
"You do." Gabriel smiled. "I've managed to convince myself that my mum passed away because she was too good, and that only evil ones get to live. I think that was the reason why I've stopped trying to be good. There was no point in it." Gabriel sighed. "You've made me see the reason. You've made me want to change, without trying to force me. You radiated with goodness."
"I wouldn't say so. I don't think I was very nice to you." Claire contemplated on their past, remembering every time that she told him that she hated him. "I wasn't good to you. I am definitely not a good person." Claire shook her head.
"You are. I deserved a bit of a kick, and you gave me just that. You knocked me off my high horse." Gabriel laughed. "Even at the times when you've hated me, you cooked for me, and you've laughed with me, and you asked me if I was okay. You have the softest and kindest heart, Claire."
"If you put it in that way." Claire laughed.
"Claire, whilst on the topic of my family…" Gabriel started cautiously. "How do you know my father?"
"I cannot disclose it." Claire said calmly. Her calm tone took him by surprise. He expected defensiveness from her.
"May I ask why?"
"I literally can't." Claire chuckled. "I've signed a non-disclosure agreement. However, this will cease in the next few weeks. I promise to tell you everything as soon as I can." Claire said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "I should warn you that it's not going to be nice."
"Again, I don't care how tough it's going to be, I want to be your pillar." Gabriel kissed the back of Claire's hand.
"Gabriel…" Claire started in a gentle tone. "Thank you for telling me so much about yourself recently. Thank you for being so open with me."
"You know, once I've started sharing things with you, I feel as if some floodgates opened up." Gabriel chuckled as he moved her hair out of her face. "Even though I'm still terrified that I'll say something stupid and that you'll realise how weak and bad I am, and you'll leave me."
"You're not bad or weak," Claire said decisively. "It takes a lot of courage and strength to be vulnerable with someone. And even more to seek help. I am so proud of you." Claire moved closer, looking into Gabriel's crystal blue eyes.
"Now, why are you here?" Gabriel asked with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know you well enough to know that something is bothering you, and that you wouldn't willingly come here, as much as I wish for it. So, what's bothering you?"
Claire thought carefully about the answer.
"Well…." She struggled to say it out loud.
"I was honest with you…" Gabriel said quietly.
"I know." Claire nodded, avoiding his gaze. "I was anxious, and I was starting to have a panic attack, and I went into a downright spiral. I reached out for the nearest thing in hope that it was a lifeboat." Claire said carefully. "I was drowning."
"I can be your lifeboat whenever you need it." Gabriel leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad that I was near enough for you to reach out to me."
"I'm sorry." Claire mumbled.