Gabriel's quiet snore lulled Claire to her sleep. It was the best sleep she had in days.
Gabriel woke up first, with Claire in his arms. This was a dream come true. With the gloomy reality, this was one of the few moments of bliss. Claire must've felt him fidget as she opened her eyes and smiled at him. Her naked body was still pressed to his. She blushed at the instant memory of what they did earlier.
"Do you want dinner?" Gabriel asked her softly.
"Not yet," Claire answered honestly.
"Hmm… I am not hungry yet." Gabriel said.
"I don't want to move." Claire admitted. "I don't want this to end."
"But… an alternative is that we have dinner and then we can resume some of our previous activities." A mischievous smile crept on Gabriel's face and his eyes glimmered.
"You are meant to be resting." Claire muttered which made Gabriel chuckle. He planted a kiss on Claire's head as she sleepily looked up at him.
"Who's the loser now?" Gabriel asked which made Claire laugh.
"I knew that being with someone as competitive as me was a bad idea." Claire answered as she buried her face in his chest. She then pulled away as she sat up. "What would you like for dinner?"
"Is 'you' an acceptable answer?" Gabriel asked. Claire looked over and saw a light blush on Gabriel's cheeks. He definitely wasn't used to this, and neither was she, of course, but that made Claire only think how adorable he actually was.
"Maybe after dinner." Claire decided as she stood up, covering herself with a blanket. She gazed over at Gabriel who laid down naked and turned red herself. 'God, was he attractive!' She thought. She wanted to stare at him but at the same time, as soon as she looked at him, her desire burned on the inside. She didn't want to over-strain Gabriel. He hasn't recovered fully yet. Her heart still aches as his arm laid down alongside him motionlessly. She looked away quickly.
"Do I look that hideous?" Gabriel asked with furrowed brows.
"What?" Claire was taken aback by his question.
"You've looked away. I'm just wondering if it's because I'm hideous."
"You're the sexiest man of 2018." Claire uttered as she started picking up her clothes. She then sat down on the edge of the bed dressing herself up.
"They didn't see me naked though." Gabriel sat up and moved closer to Claire, planting a kiss on her shoulder. Goosebumps went down her back. As large and strong as he was, he was gentle. His soft lips barely tickled her skin as he kissed her.
"You're perfect, cuore mio." Claire said softly. "In fact, you're too perfect."
Gabriel planted a kiss at the top of her spine, and then one lower down her back. His skin brushing against hers made hairs at the back of her neck stand up...
"Too perfect?" Gabriel repeated.
"Uh-huh." Claire tried not to let him distract her as she put her underwear back on. "Now, what would you like for dinner? And don't you dare say me." Claire warned him, which made Gabriel chuckle.
"That is as far as my imagination goes right now." He replied as he rested his head against her shoulder. His hair tickled her ear.
"I'll make you something hearty." Claire decided.
"You don't have to cook, Claire dear."
"I know I don't have to." Claire looked back at him. "That's my way of taking care of you, cuore mio."
"Let me take care of you, Claire dear." Gabriel snuggled his face into her back. "Let me take you for a long holiday, let me take you on a yacht, let me buy you everything that's the best, and let me take you to the finest restaurants. And not because you want them, but rather because you need them. For once, let someone else spoil you. I think it'll help you relax a bit, at least for a little while and forget about everyday things. You're always so worried about everything and everyone."
"Maybe after the trial," Claire said with a hint of sadness in her voice that didn't escape Gabriel's attention.
"Okay. I'll hold you onto that." Gabriel's voice was decisive, the one that no one (besides Claire) could argue against. "A long holiday somewhere nice is a must. Where would you like to go?"
"Wherever you decide, cuore mio."
Gabriel stopped and looked at her, trying to work out her mood. She had a soft smile on her face but yet, behind it, there was a glimpse of sorrow. She was too complacent for his liking. She was too quiet. Something was bothering her. Gabriel concluded that the upcoming trial was the cause. He couldn't wait for it to be over. He did not doubt that Claire will win. There was more than enough evidence and more than enough witnesses. Finally, the tyranny of his father was to be brought to an end. Gabriel embraced Claire from behind, squeezing her tightly with his left arm. His right arm rested on his side awkwardly.
"Everything will be okay, Claire dear." He spoke tenderly. "I will be there for you every step of the way. Everything will be just fine. And then, I'll take you to every corner of the world. I'll show you the best places. The oceans, the mountains, the sandy beaches, and snow-covered peaks. Waterfalls and caves, deserts and jungles. Anything you'd ever want to see. I can show you the world."
"I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering splendid…" Claire hummed which made Gabriel laugh.
"We can go to theme parks and resorts." Gabriel added. "And all the landmarks." Gabriel let out a sigh. "I can't wait."
"One thing at a time, cuore mio." Claire smiled as she put her top and trousers back on.
"I know but I'm excited!" Gabriel got up and started dressing up. Claire turned around and hurriedly helped him with his t-shirt. "I did wonder if…" Gabriel hesitated. "If you'd like to share a bedroom with me."
"Didn't I just do that?"
"I meant permanently. Like, a joint bedroom."
"And how would I fit all of my belongings in your crammed room?" Claire laughed.
"Honestly, I think your entire bedroom could be turned into a walk-in closet. It should be filled with the finest clothes, shoes, handbags, and plenty of jewellery."
"You say that as if you didn't know me." Claire rolled her eyes.
"What about books and paintings?"
"Sounds much more enticing." Claire nodded.
"Well… I haven't told you yet, and it was meant to be a surprise, but a perfect patch of land is for sale and I wondered if you'd like to go see it with me to see whether it'll be suitable for our new home." Gabriel ruffled his hair nervously.
Claire looked at him with her big doe eyes, but yet again he couldn't tell what she thought. There was too much emotion flashing through her eyes at once.
"Gabriel, the first hearing is already tomorrow." Claire said quietly.
"Let's go after the hearing tomorrow then. It'll be a perfect way to distract us!" Gabriel was truly enthusiastic about his idea.
"As you wish, cuore mio." Claire agreed - again. She was definitely too complacent. Gabriel's instincts were flaring. Yet, he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. "Same goes for the bedroom. If you want to share the bedroom with me, that's fine." Claire continued. She agreed to every suggestion so far. Gabriel knew that usually, Claire would have protested at least at some of them.
Claire keenly held his hand as they went downstairs, then she cooked as she asked about his time with Eva, laughing at the stories of them arguing at least five times over the past few days over the smallest things.
Before long she served a bowl of noodles each. Gabriel religiously praised her cooking, still wondering how she managed to not get into a culinary business with such a skill.
After dinner, they spent some time watching tv until a movie soundtrack sparked a discussion which resulted in Claire sitting by the piano and playing for Gabriel. Gabriel leaned against the piano as he listened to the melody with a gleeful smile. If only this day could last forever, he thought.
Once the evening fell, even though they'd slept through the day, they started to feel tired, Gabriel especially. Claire nudged him to get a warm bath whilst she had a shower in her bathroom. She came back to Gabriel's room which she agreed will be hers too and crawled into the bed with a book. Gabriel came out soon in his pyjamas, joining Claire on the bed and picking a book himself. He pulled Claire closer so that she snuggled up to him as they continued reading. Gabriel fell asleep not long after with his book still open.
Claire anticipated it. She saw that he struggled to stay awake throughout the evening.
She let out a sigh as she picked up their books and put them away. She gently covered Gabriel up and lay beside him, watching his peaceful face.