Over the next few days, Gabriella found herself adjusting to life with Brandon and growing extremely comfortable with his presence – it was wonderful waking up in the morning together, sharing a soy chai before work (Brandon switched from coffee as it was her favorite drink), deciding whose turn it was to make breakfast and generally dropping kisses in between the little moments.
"So this is why people get married…" Gabriella told herself one pleasant morning after Brandon dropped her off at work. She felt her phone buzz in the elevator going up and pulled it out – it was a reminder that today was payday. Gabriella didn't have expectations; from what her boss said, salaries might be a tight squeeze on the company's bank account. She gave a little sigh and checked her account anyway.
"Let's see if the monthly three-thousand got deposited—" she stopped. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her heart began to race as she looked at her phone. Normally, her account had a little over eight or nine thousand dollars, all her savings left over from her previous salaries. That's why, when she saw a six-figure sum in her account, her legs gave way and she sank to the floor. She began to tremble in shock.
"This can't be right!" She gasped, her throat feeling dry. She double-checked the figure, counting each digit twice – yes, it was still six digits. Altogether, it was one hundred and fifty-nine thousand dollars, seventy-nine cents. Gabriella clung to the railing to pull herself up. How did this happen?
She quickly called Brandon, unsure what else to do. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Brandon, something's wrong!" Gabriella said hysterically.
"What? What happened?" Brandon asked at once.
"My bank account – it's been hacked! There's a six-figure sum in it that wasn't there before!"
"Six figure…" Brandon paused for a second before a chuckle erupted from him. And another. And another. Gabriella frowned.
"Brandon, this is no laughing matter! I don't know where this money came from!" She sounded so frantic it made Brandon tear up. When his laughter finally subsided, he spoke.
"Angel, you are adorable! But, your account hasn't been hacked. That's the settlement money I got Archer to pay. After my legal team pocketed their fee, of course. The rest is all yours."
"S-settlement f-fee?" Gabriella stammered. Well, now she felt foolish, but what was to be expected? She'd never seen such a lump sum of money in her life!
"Don't worry about it, Angel, I'll tell you the rest at home. I gotta go now, duty calls, bye, darling!" Brandon hung up. Gabriella was still reeling from the news – Brandon got her a hundred and fifty thousand bucks in settlement money?
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Gabriella was still in hysteric mode when Brandon brought her home after work, berating him for not telling her about the settlement money sooner. "I mean, I almost had a heart attack seeing six figures in my account like that!" Brandon merely smiled at her as he continued to chop the vegetables for dinner that night.
"Angel, I did tell you I'd make Archer pay," he replied serenely.
"I thought you meant figuratively, not to pay a sum of money I'd never seen in my life! How'd you get him to do it, by the way?" Gabriella eyed him keenly and suddenly he shifted his position, clearing his throat.
"Oh, er, ahem… just a little – persuasion here and legal pressure there…" He said shiftily. Gabriella narrowed her eyes.
"Brandon, what did you do?" She asked with her hands on her hips as a mother would question a guilty child. Brandon grinned nervously and put down his knife before wrapping his arms around her.
"Gabriella, what does it matter how it was done? Rest assured, my hands are clean. Well, not literally, because I was cutting up tomatoes…" He hastily wiped his hands on his apron. Gabriella shook her head at him.
"You're secretly quite a troublemaker, aren't you?" She asked. He scrunched up his nose.
"Hmm… I'm sure living with an angel oughta mend my ways."
"You rascal!" Gabriella laughed, and Brandon was relieved that she let it go. He didn't want her to remember the past or be bothered by it anymore.
"That I may be," he replied. "Now, would you mind showing me how on earth people cut vegetables into equal sizes?" Gabriella smiled patronizingly at him and took the knife, chopping up the vegetables in perfect slices.
"Man, my girlfriend is skilled," Brandon said as he watched her in fascination.
"I'm glad you find this enthralling, Barry, but if you don't get started on marinating the tofu, it'll just be skewered vegetables for dinner. The tofu needs time to marinate."
"Okay, okay," Brandon said with his puppy-dog look as he turned his attention to the tofu. They were making grilled vegetarian skewers with a pasta salad that night – an idea Brandon picked up off the internet – and he wanted it to be perfect as he had never cooked tofu before. Side by side they worked harmoniously together in the kitchen, occasionally pecking each other's cheeks with little kisses – until the doorbell rang. Gabriella got startled.
"Expecting someone?" She asked Brandon. He shook his head.
"I never get company, except—" he went to check the intercom, "yep, it's Peter."
Gabriella gave a little squeal, flung down the mixing bowl's spoon she was holding, and fled to her bedroom, shutting the door.
"Wait, Angel, where are you going?" Brandon called after her in confusion. He went and opened the door to let Peter in.
"Bran the man, just thought I'd drop in for our monthly guys' night in – oh, didn't know you had company."
"How do you know—" Brandon began, but Peter raised a pointed finger to Brandon's cheek and poked it.
"Er, ow?" Brandon raised an eyebrow at him. Peter snorted in laughter.
"Your cheek is full of lipstick, you're wearing a frilly apron you normally wouldn't be caught dead in and your house smells like an Asian restaurant. You never cook."
"Right as always, detective." Brandon smacked him on the back in a brotherly way. Peter held up a plastic bag.
"I brought beer, soda, and fried chicken by the way, in case you were starving. And there's plenty for three," Peter paused, looked around, and suddenly hollered at the top of his voice.
"You can come out now, I know you're here!" Brandon bit the inside of his mouth in amusement. The door on the upper floor opened and Gabriella cautiously stepped out. Peter smirked at her.
"Ah, so that's where he was hiding you." Gabriella giggled nervously at him.
"Hi, Peter. I guess you figured it out. I wasn't sure if Brandon told you so…"
"Don't worry about it." Peter waved his hand dismissively. "But I hope you don't mind me crashing your dinner plans."
"I'll set an extra plate." Gabriella smiled welcomingly at him.
"Thanks." Peter plonked himself down on the couch. "Oh, and sorry I interrupted your necking," Peter said slyly, giving both of them a look that made their cheeks turn pink, "usually this guy is all by himself when I come over. He rarely has any food here. I'm usually the caterer." Gabriella covered a laugh while Brandon pulled Peter under his arm and gave him a noogie.
"Ha, ha, Peter, you're such a kidder, you're gonna make my girlfriend think I'm undependable." Peter wormed himself out of his grasp.
"Yeah, yeah, it's no secret you can't cook," Peter said and edged away from Brandon's retaliating punch.
"That's not true, he's quite the cook for an amateur," Gabriella spoke up on Brandon's behalf and received a grateful smile from him in return.
"Is that a fact?" Peter gave Brandon a quizzical look. "Normally this guy can't even boil water – ow, hey!" Brandon finally punched him unsuspectingly.
"Dinner guests should mind their manners, especially in front of a lady," Brandon warned him sternly. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Alright, sheesh, take a joke. So, what's for dinner?" Gabriella told him and Peter whistled.
"Sounds fancy."
"You'd be amazed what my girlfriend can do with vegetables," Brandon said proudly. Peter took out the beer and soda cans and placed them on the coffee table and addressed Gabriella.
"Well, you can share the drinks and wings. How do you feel about fried chicken, Gabriella?"
"I'm a vegetarian," Gabriella said apologetically. Peter waved his hand.
"No problem, I bought coleslaw too."
"We never eat coleslaw," Brandon said in surprise.
"Call it gut instinct, but something told me to get slaw this time." Peter winked at Gabriella, who giggled.
"I see you've thought of everything. Would you like to try some pasta salad while dinner's being prepared?"
"Hit me with it," Peter replied. Gabriella served him a plate and he dug in, only to raise wide eyes at her.
"Hmm, man, this is fantastic!" he exclaimed. Brandon smirked, thrilled that his girlfriend could exceed anyone's expectations. He felt prouder of her by the minute. He popped open a can of beer and sipped it.
"And they're vegetarian, Pete. Gabriella, do you want a beer?"
"I'll have a soda, thanks."
"Soda's the silver can with the blue stripe, the beer has a green one," Peter said with his mouth full of pasta. "Barry, I see why you're leaning towards this now. Home-cooked meals like this take the cake!"
"Leaning towards what?" Gabriella asked.
"Married life, you know, living together," Peter answered bluntly, and Brandon's ears turned red. Gabriella glanced at him wistfully. Was that really what he wanted? With her?
She picked up one of the cans while considering the thought and sipped from it. Brandon felt her eyes on him and excused himself to the kitchen to check on the skewers – knowing Gabriella, she'd get the truth out of him anyhow. He just didn't want to confess his deepest heart's desire to her in front of Peter.
"Come on, let's eat. I'm starving," Peter said. He ate with amazement, marveling that Gabriella made meatless dishes that made the tastebuds water. Her dishes made him wonder if she was secretly a chef, although she assured him she wasn't. After they had finished, Peter amused Gabriella with some of the wild shenanigans he and Brandon got up to when they were younger. Gabriella couldn't stop giggling and Brandon looked at her in puzzlement, suspecting she was drunk. But she only had a can of soda and it confused him.
"Angel, mind if I take a sip of that?" He gently pried the can from her hands and sighed when he saw it was beer, not soda.
"Beer." He held it up and Gabriella giggled harder before it turned into a hiccup. Peter guffawed.
"She must be the first girlfriend you had who can't keep her alcohol! She's a keeper. She knows how to cook too. Girl like her is a guy's dream. Have you proposed to her yet?" He waggled his eyebrows at Brandon.
"Peter!" Brandon hissed in embarrassment. Gabriella toppled over on the couch, giggling uncontrollably. She was barely able to keep track of the conversation.
"Don't tell me you don't know how!" Peter exclaimed, slightly tipsy himself. "It goes like this," he got down on one knee in front of Gabriella and said, "Miss Gabriella Keller, my stomach can't live another day without your delicious cooking. Will you marry me?" Gabriella giggled harder, tears leaking out of her eyes.
"Very funny Pete. I think it's time you went home," Brandon said, standing up. Peter smirked at him, rising from the couch and stuffing his hands in his jacket.
"Yeah, I don't want to keep you lovebirds apart all night," he winked at Brandon and nodded toward Gabriella, "just don't let her drink next time."
"Good night," Brandon said insistently as he showed Peter out.
"Don't stay up too late!" Peter added jauntily.
"GOOD NIGHT!" Brandon said quickly and shut the door as Peter's laughter broke out. Brandon let out a sigh; Peter was a handful when drunk, especially around Gabriella. He turned to her – she had nodded off on the couch, draped across it like a sleeping angel. His eyes softened on her. Hopefully, she wouldn't remember everything that transpired with Peter.
He cleared away the remains of dinner, put all the dishes in the washer, and returned to the couch. Gabriella was fast asleep by now and not wanting to wake her, he slowly lifted her into his arms and carried her up to her room. Her head fell on his shoulder and he cradled her gently. She didn't stir. He laid her in bed and stretched out beside her, his eyes fixed on her sleeping face. Automatically, her head sought out the warmth of his shoulder and leaned against it. He chuckled softly.
"Angel, you always tend to sleep on my shoulder. Is it going to become a habit?" He asked her sleeping form, stroking her hair. He breathed in her scent.
"Mmm… lavender. I love the way your hair smells." Her hand fell onto his knee. He took it into his own hands.
"You know, I don't get drunk easily. And I really wanted to ask you what Pete said earlier." She continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of his words.
"Gabriella?" Brandon brought her hand to his lips as he spoke in a tender voice. "Will you marry me, be my wife?" He slipped something out of his pocket and took her hand.
"I was saving this for later but… I'll give it to you now." He laid his head back and fell asleep beside her, the most comfortable place in the world for him.
Morning light seeped into the room where Brandon and Gabriella lay. Gabriella felt something buzzing against her stomach. She put her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out her phone. It was her alarm to wake up. She turned it off, suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings. Her head was on Brandon's outstretched arm, his hand hanging off the bed. He lay fast asleep behind her, his mouth slightly open. She sat up straight, rummaging her hair. How did I get to bed last night? Did Brandon bring me here? She wondered. She rubbed her eyes and felt something sharp scrape against her cheek. She exclaimed at the pain.
"Ouch!"
"What, what? Gabriella, are you okay?" Brandon woke up at once. Gabriella was staring at her hand. A pretty silver-colored ring with a large shiny white pearl surrounded by little diamond-like stones on either side adorned her finger.
"What's this?" She asked, holding her hand up to him in surprise. Brandon looked coy.
"Your engagement ring." Gabriella looked like she could fall off the bed.
"What?! Brandon, you proposed to me?! I don't even remember it happening, how did this happen?!" She wailed dismally. Brandon hurriedly took hold of her hands.
"Shh, Angel, don't be alarmed! I've been meaning to give it to you for a while and… last night, I couldn't help myself." He lifted her hand into the sunlight so that it sparkled off the ring.
"It's the pearl we found at the beach that day, remember? I told you I had plans for it." Gabriella looked at it with longing eyes before a little whine rose in her throat.
"I wish I'd been awake for this," she sighed woefully. Brandon chuckled.
"Are you upset that I didn't propose to you while you were awake?"
"Yes!"
"Aww, c'mere." He hugged her tight. "Do you want a do-over?"
"Well, I always dreamed of getting proposed properly and actually saying yes and all…" Gabriella said, averting her eyes. Brandon lifted her chin to meet her face.
"I promise I'll do a better job of it next time, I'll wow you!" Gabriella laughed at his enthusiasm.
"I'll look forward to it," She assured him, and she meant every word. Until last night, she wasn't even sure Brandon might want to take the next step in their relationship, nor did she dare to hope that he might share her dream of wanting more in life together. But now, seeing the ring on her finger and after hearing his heartfelt words, her doubts were put to rest forever.
After a hasty but satisfying breakfast of pesto sandwiches (made with love by Brandon), Gabriella left for work with him. She returned the ring to him with some hesitation – much as she wanted a proper engagement, she hated parting with the pretty ring. Still, Brandon promised he would give it to her again so she would wait patiently for it.
As Gabriella entered the elevator and more employees piled in, she heard them conversing in low voices.
"Have you heard from HR lately?"
"I know. Do you really think we should be worried?"
"I already prepared a new resume just in case."
"They didn't even let us know till now! And they won't even hint which department goes first."
"It won't be us. We've been here for years. Our jobs came with security."
"Might be those customer service girls, they're lower down on the food chain and easily expendable."
"They haven't worked here long. But still, couldn't they trim it down without costing us our bonuses?" The elevator doors opened, cutting the conversation.
"Come on, let's go. Might as well work and not give HR a chance to find fault with us." They walked out, leaving Gabriella alone. She took a deep breath, worry filling her. She walked slowly to her office and took her seat, feeling spaced out. Jess had warned her about this but she didn't realize the reality of the situation could happen so quickly. How close was she to losing her job?
Turns out, extremely close.
"Gabriella?" Jess's voice caught her attention. Her boss approached her, beckoning her to her office. Gabriella got up and followed her, swallowing uneasily.
"I won't beat around the bush," Jess said in a hollow voice, though her eyes were kindly on Gabriella. "It happened. Termination letters are flying everywhere."
"I suppose I will receive one as well." Gabriella didn't ask, but Jess nodded apologetically.
"I'm sorry. I had no influence over the decision. I've gotten the pink slip too." She held up a letter and Gabriella's eyes widened.
"You've been fired too? But, that can't be!"
"None of us is irreplaceable, Gabriella," Jess sighed. "Well, I suppose all that's left is to look for a new job. If there's anything you need help with, don't hesitate to ask, okay? I know we might not have been close but… I hope we can still keep in touch. You were my favorite person to work with."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you, Jess," Gabriella mustered a smile, "and the feeling is mutual." With that, she walked out of the office for the last time.