Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 110- Gossip Girls

Saturday, July 20th, 2013

"You've got to get up, sweetheart."

I grumble and turn over, mushing the pillow against my head.

"I've got all your things packed, but I can't carry a sleeping person through the terminal without being labeled a kidnapper," Abel jokes.

"But you can carry me until the terminal, right?" I mumble. Last night feels like a nightmare, but the ache in my muscles from the panic attack tells me it was all too real. How did I get back to the hotel? Surely Gordon couldn't have taken me in without drawing suspicion.

"I suppose I could try, but carrying around a sleeping person is much more suspicious during the day than at night when half the population of Vegas is blackout drunk."

"What... happened last night?" I groan, tearing the pillow away and blinking as my eyes adjust. I'm still exhausted, though I doubt any amount of sleep would have been sufficient to completely kick the feeling. Abel is sitting at the end of the bed wearing a white fabric shirt with a collar and black pants, gently stroking my leg over the covers.

"Gordon got back to the hotel and came up to the room, woke me up, and asked me to come and get you. He told me about the news you'd heard and your following panic attack." Abel's expression turns melancholic. "I put a shirt on and followed him downstairs to where he had you curled up in the back seat, wrapped in a blanket. If I wasn't so worried about you, I would've liked to have taken more time to admire how adorable you looked."

I sit up in bed and roll the covers down, my head swimming a bit. I'm dressed in one of Abel's shirts, a dark green one, and a pair of soft black shorts I'd brought with me.

"Are you feeling alright? You had a wild day yesterday, even without the panic attack," Abel asks, standing from the bed and offering me his hand.

"I'm just tired and somewhat woozy. Hopefully, the woozy part will go away after a bit," I respond, yawning. I take his hand and he helps me up. "What did Gordon do after you brought me up?" I ask curiously.

"He stayed. He told me you asked him to. He's out finishing up breakfast right now, but he slept beside you last night."

"Where did you sleep?"

"Beside you, on the opposite side."

I flush, even through my sleepiness. "Really?"

He nods. "I doubt he would have left for anything. He was worried about you. The only thing he had to do was be sure he was up before anyone else was, so he didn't get caught exiting the bedroom."

"I'm not sure that matters anymore, anyway," I say, leaning my head onto Abel's chest in defeat.

"Sure it does, he and I ironed out the details last night. He's going to have a meeting with the producers when we get back. In the meantime, he's not sure when the next time he'll get a chance to spend time with you is, but that he'll try his best. There are only three days until the finale, so at least you won't have to wait long in case he can't see you any sooner."

"Oh, God. Today is the challenge that eliminates two of us." I wrap my arms around him. "I'm fucked."

"You underestimate yourself, sweetheart," Abel soothes. "Being exhausted is not ideal, sure, but imagine what it'll be like when you run a kitchen five or six days a week. You'll likely be living off fumes most of the time, and I've seen you thrive after some very emotional moments. You can do this."

I pull my head from his chest and give a small smile. "Does this mean you're conceding defeat?"

He kisses my nose. "Certainly not, but I do believe you can make it through today's challenge. After all, there will be two winners today." He winks. "Now you should probably get dressed, the challenge isn't until later tonight and I've heard we won't be required to prep, thank goodness, so you can wear something other than your jacket."