The Divorce

26

Apparently by the lack of responses I was getting from both Fern and Gabriel, there probably wasn't any chance I could get some hot chips around here.

I stood up, going around the chair when I heard Gabriel.

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom, why want to come?" I asked.

"Yes."

Wait what?

I looked over my shoulder and Gabriel looked quiet serious as he stood up, "Really, you're going to come to the...bathroom?" I asked confused.

"What if someone tries to talk to you between here and there?"

"True, very well you can come up to the door my escort," I waved the path in front of me with my hand. Surely no one was going to try and ambush me between here and the 50 meters of visible clear coast to the doors that were guarding the safe haven that was the bathroom.

I didn't bother telling Gabriel that there was more chances of someone being inside the bathroom, because he would most definitely invite himself in and I really didn't need him to hear me pee. 

No millions were going to make the knowledge that my boss, soon to be ex boss, was inside the toilet while I was using it. I couldn't live with that, sure there were many cubicles and there could be other people in there as well and he wouldn't know it was me peeing but the chances were too risky.

"Are you coming?"

Gabriel looked at me confused to why I had just stopped in the middle of the wild adventure to the bathrooms, possible because I was questioning if I could just hold it in and not have the risk of him coming in. But then I was already half way there, I'll rush in first and lock it!

Yep, that should work. 

I took a big step walking ahead of him, making a beeline to the safety. Luckily for me there was no one in the cubicles. I took my time, knowing that Gabriel was probably waiting impatiently for me but he didn't understand, the bathroom was empty! It was my safe haven, quiet, isolated and perfect to hide in.

But of course all I needed was a few people to come in to make it turn from a safe space to a perfect ambush location. I quickly rinsed my hands after my five minutes of lathering it up with soap, I definitely should get out before it no longer was a safe space. 

What a shame, the lights were perfectly dimmed and the jasmine fragrance almost made this a nice soothing place to relax or have a nap in, of course it was a bathroom so probably not idea. 

I exited the bathroom and sure enough Gabriel hadn't moved an inch, he was standing there staring at the door. Now I felt a little bit bad that I made him wait, I didn't originally plan to make him wait but once I was in there I didn't want to come out.

Luckily for me he made no comment, simply turned and started walking in a direction that was definitely not the direction we had come from.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Out of here for a bit."

Well that part I was also keen for, I walked as fast as my feet and this tight dress could take me and followed him through a few corridors till we hit the big glass doors that led to the outside garden.

Unfortunately for us, it was just as busy there as it was inside. 

I took a step closer to Gabriel, trying to keep little distance between us so I couldn't lose him in the maze of the garden he was now walking through. It should have been straight forward, all the paths were linked up and you could see them all from here, yet I felt like I was going to lose him in the darkness of the dimly lit garden.

Eventually the people dimmed down, there were no free benches left of course, people were hogging those but there was a few more quieter spots to hide. Perhaps in my green dress I could disappear into the hedges. Hopefully Greece didn't have many mosquitoes.

"Oh shit," I said, suddenly feeling the ground drop as I took the next step. My left foot sunk four inches into the ground, I could barely make out the bricks in the dimly lit pathways that I didn't see a grate on the ground. My heel conveniently slipped through getting caught, and somehow I managed not to trip over, perhaps because my foot slipped out from the heel and landed on the freezingly cold grate instead. 

But I did sway dangerously before I felt an arm steady me.

"Stuck," I told Gabriel who barely glanced at me. I shivered feeling how cold the grate was, it felt like my feet had plunged into a depth of cold water. 

"Then unstuck yourself," he muttered, his eyes narrowed at something in the distance. What was he looking at?

"Right away boss!"

I grabbed his forearm that was holding me up as I wiggled my foot back into the tight heel and then tried pulling.

Gabriel sighed.

"I'm trying, give me a second."

"A smart person would take the shoe out then put their foot."

"Oh...true." 

I let go of his arm as I quickly bent down, wrestling the heel from the grate, for a moment I was worried that I was going to snap it in half, but then it could have been a good excuse to flee and hide in my room.

Maybe I should snap it, in the hope I grabbed it roughly at an angle hoping it would snap, instead this time it just slipped out.

Stupid.

I stood up, confused at Gabriel's outstretched arm not moving away. I lifted my leg to slide the heel on, slightly wobbling.

Right, that makes sense. I wrapped my fingers around his forearm again, balancing myself as I slipped it back on.

"Good?"

"Yep," I nodded, letting go of him and clap wiping my fingers from the dirt, "Solid."

"Good." 

Gabriel started walking again and I rushed behind him, this time an eye on the ground. It was only a few more steps before he turned, changing from the paved footpath to the grass and I groaned, my heels were totally going to sink into the ground.

I walked as carefully as I could behind him, I knew the back of my dress was probably going to be brushing with the dirt but I barely cared. 

Soon enough Gabriel stopped, right before what looked like a really old and unkept fountain. There was no water in it, the statue seemed broken an entire half of the bricks that made up the back border were missing.

Gabriel didn't care that it was dirty, he sat down on the bricks and stretched his legs. 

I eyed the spot next to him, there was enough place for me to sit and leave a small gap between us, but it wasn't much of a gap.

"You sitting?" Gabriel asked, looking at my curiously as I was still standing. Well...I guess sitting beat standing in these heels.

I rushed over, sitting down and angling my legs so they weren't brushing against his.

"So why are we here?" I asked.

"For some peace and quiet."

"Right, I guess it is nice out here away from everyone inside, your family is really full on you know that?" I said. Sometimes it helped not being close to family, I barely spoke to mine so I knew in the family game, I was winning.

"Peace and quiet Rory."

"Yeah, it is peaceful."

"No. Shut up."

Oh right...he wanted peace and quiet. My bad...

I cleared my throat wrapping my arms across my chest, now feeling the cold breeze and started counting the stars. 

Next  Chapter coming! Follow me on Insta : Imsooverpolice