Betrayed

Cool Return

I spotted Gabriel before he saw me, he was pacing around the arrival gate deep in conversation on his phone, his frown ever so present on his face. My heart fluttered when he looked up towards me and a large grin formed on his face. He promptly hung up and gathered me in his arms in a warm welcoming hug. I was shocked by his reception based on the conversations we had in the last few months.

"You look great Harper," he said, checking me out while holding at arms length.

"Thanks, you don't look too shabby yourself" I replied. He had shaved his dark curls in favor of a buzzcut, and he sported a short beard . I had never seen him with facial hair longer than a day or two's worth, but it looked good on him. It even made him look a little younger than 37. He placed an arm around my shoulder and carried the small suitcase with all of my measly belongings to his truck. We drove to his house with the AC on full blast in the oppressing heat of early June while the music played over the sound of the forced air cooling my skin.

I took a quick shower and slipped into a cute and comfortable summer dress I had bought a few weeks before. I pulled my thick brown hair into a messy French braid and applied some mascara before stepping out of the bathroom.

Gabriel did a double take, his gaze travelling up my long exposed legs before meeting my eyes and giving me a sly smile. Warmth flushed my face and travelled down between my legs as I turned away from his heated gaze.

"Did you want to eat out for supper?" he asked.

"I'd rather you cooked," I teased. He snorted as he approached me, slipping a hand around my waist and holding my chin in the other. I looked up at him timidly, too stunned to move, my heart beating frantically in my chest and my underwear getting wet in anticipation. His soft lips pushed against mine teasing while his hands searched for a way up my dress, caressing my thighs and buttocks.

"For you, I'd try" he said softly, kissing my neck, "but not tonight". He grabbed my hand pulling me behind him before picking me effortlessly and placing me on the passenger's side of his truck. We drove about 5 or 6 minutes before stopping at a diner on the side of the road with large neon lights announcing they were open until 10pm. He took stock of me again before jumping out of his truck and coming around to my side to open the door. He held my hand as we walked into the diner and led us to a booth in the middle of the place.

"Wow, Mr. Mason, we haven't seen you here in a while" the waitress called out. "This isn't Chrissy is it?" she gaped at me. Horrified at being confused for his daughter, I seemed to have lost my voice. Gabriel didn't seem to mind as he chuckled.

"No, this is the second best cook in the country," he said, looking at me with a fond smile.

"Second?" I said dumbly. He winked at me.

"Second only behind Sally here" he said with a nod of the head towards the kitchen.

"Gabriel Mason, you sweet talker!" a woman called from the kitchen. The waitress and Gabriel laughed again as Sally walked out to greet Gabriel. "We haven't seen you here in months" she scolded him after a short hug.

"It has been a while, but I thought I'd show our young cook here how things are done around here" he said beaming at me. Sally and the waitress turned to look at me, inspecting me from head to toe. "This is Harper Saunders, she was my cook last year and she's joining us again this year, starting tomorrow." Gabriel said as an introduction.

"Well, glad to meet you Ms. Saunders, if you're looking for work during the off season, come see me!" Sally said, shaking my hand. "The usual Gabe?" She called out.

"Of course, make that two, Sal!" he responded.

"To drink?" the waitress asked.

"Beer for me. Harper?"

"Water is fine, thanks." After our drinks were delivered we made small talk about my hometown, my sister and the sort of work the men were going to be doing during the summer.

"Will Matteo be back?" I asked eagerly.

"Yeah, he's been back since March" he answered.

"I can't wait to see him!" I squealed happily, but regretted it immediately as Gabriel's eyes darkened. He shut down for a moment as he drank his beer in silence. I praised the divine beings that our food arrived, providing a welcomed distraction. The waitress placed two enormous plates of burgers and fries in front of us and placed a bottle of ketchup on the edge of the table which we both made a grab for at the same time.

"Go ahead" he ordered gently. I squeezed a pile of ketchup onto my plate then passed him the bottle which he took and squeezed all over his fries. I looked at him with disgust. "What?" he asked with a dark eyebrow cocked up, questioningly.

"You eat your fries with your fork don't you?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, his eyebrows tightly knit together.

"That's weird," I said playfully.

"What's weird is your obsession with married men," he said under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear. Stunned by his comment I felt a large ball forming in my throat. I tried with difficulty to swallow the bile I felt rising as my eyes watered on their own accord. "Shit, Harper, I'm sorry" he said, taking a deep breath and running a hand across his face in frustration. He grabbed my hand and lifted my chin so that I would look at him. "I'm sorry, I really don't know why I said that" he said, "I didn't mean it. I know you and Matteo are friends. It's just he's been talking my ear off about you and I guess I just got jealous that you two are so close" he said bashfully. I nodded and smiled at him. I grabbed my burger and took a huge bite. I chewed slowly, unsure if I was going to be able to swallow the food in my mouth as my throat was still tight from the unexpected low blow Gabriel had thrown my way. We ate in silence and when I feigned being full, Gabriel grabbed the rest of my food and inhaled it.

As we left the diner we thanked Sally and the waitress who didn't charge us for the food. Gabriel exhaled loudly.

"Well I sure know how to put a damper on things don't I?" he asked, with an air of disappointment.

"It's okay," I said reassuringly. We drove back to his place in uncomfortable silence. I quickly got into my pajamas when we returned and sat on the couch to watch the movie Gabriel was watching.

"Well I'm ready for bed, what about you?" he asked as the movie finished.

"I am too, what time are you leaving tomorrow?" I asked, scrolling through Facebook and not looking up at him.

"I was thinking five, we can pick up breakfast on the way" he said gently as he extended his hand out to me but instead of reaching for it, I looked up at him in question. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh, I don't mind sleeping on the couch," I replied, watching his face fall.

"Harp," he began. I clenched my jaw at the use of that nickname.

"Please don't call me that" I asked nicely, "I really don't like it".

"Sorry, Harper. Come to bed with me"

"It's okay, I'll be fine on the couch, seriously. But can I borrow a pillow?" He looked at me for a moment longer before heading to his room to get a pillow. He didn't insist but was clearly hurt by the gesture. He returned to his room and closed his door with a little more force than necessary. I cozied up to the pillow and grabbed the throw blanket from the couch. I slept very little before it was time to get up.