Another Chance To Say... [ON HOLD]

Changing Ways

For the next week, the same scene was before her. There was Gael, this time sitting on the hood of his car, waiting for her to arrive. He handed her the now familiar thermos of coffee he had brewed for her at home and together they walked inside the bakery. He took his usual spot on the stool and waited for her to do her usual rituals before handing him a hairnet. At first she was weirded out by him being there every night, just watching her. She mostly ignored his presence; he never talked much anyway, just watched her work, sometimes played a game on his smart phone, or read something on the internet, but mostly he just watched. He was serious when he said he was going to act like her bodyguard.

"Gael?" she suddenly broke the silence.

"Sab?" he looked up from his phone.

"It's been a week of you doing this, and while I appreciate the company, I don't think Maria would. So maybe you should stop doing this and just stay home and sleep like a normal person tomorrow?" she asked.

"Actually, I can't do that. You see, I already spoke with Maria. I told her that until she hires an assistant for you so you're not here by yourself in the middle of the night, I will stand guard. She said they were already in the process of hiring a replacement for your old assistant, and that it was okay for your overprotective boyfriend to keep you company. She thought it was sweet that I was doing this for you."

"Boyfriend?"

"Hey, her words, not mine. But I wouldn't mind being your boyfriend," he flirted with her.

"Well, you haven't asked," she said and then quickly retracted. "I mean, you just barged into my life disrupting all the things I'm used to. I don't think I would want you as a boyfriend, anyway. So overprotective like I'm some fragile glass. Not to mention bossy!" she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sab, I know you think you're tough and strong, but a 300 pound man can easily have his way with you."

"And you think you could take on a 300 pound man?" she arched an eyebrow up at him.

"Of course I can. I'm an athlete. I can run circles around that man," he said arrogantly.

"Right," she giggled. "You do realize that I lift heavy things every night, right? I think I can take him down long enough to at least get away from him."

"I know, but I just don't want to take the risk. I don't even want to think about anything bad possibly happening to you, okay? So please, just let me do this."

"But why are you doing this?" she finally asked after a few seconds of silence.

"If it isn't obvious yet, which apparently it isn't, it's because I like you. Sab, I like you. Every chance I get to spend time with you, I'll jump on it. Even if it means just sitting in a corner, watching you work, barely speaking to each other, it is eight hours well spent. I've come to know that every time the oven timer goes off, you smile. I've come to know that when you can't get something just right when you're braiding dough to make some intricate looking bread, you frown. I've come to know that you have strong arms that can carry that heavy mixer over there, but that at the end of those strong arms are delicate and nimble fingers that make bread making look so easy. I've come to know that I've grown fond of you. That's why I'm doing this."

"Okay."

"Okay?" he looked at her, puzzled.

"Okay, thanks for answering my question."

He laughed in disbelief. He didn't know if Sabine was just being dense or if she really did not have an inkling to any world outside of this kitchen. He just literally poured out his heart to her, but she just shrugged it off.