Chapter 70 - A Piece Of Cake & A Drop In The Ocean
"Mom, Dad! That's the man who stole my pudding!" A little boy's voice caught Angela and Gael's attention not far from them. It was the same rude kid who pushed her and was rowdy at the restaurant during the power outage. Their heads snapped at the voice's direction just in time to meet the curious stares of the parents of the boy.
Instinctively, she grabbed his hand. She liked kids… but not this kid, and neither did Gael.
"Let's go," he muttered low before walking away from the party with Angela in tow. They walked in a hurry and headed towards the suites to the left of the resort, laughing and panting at the same time. They had escaped from the bride and the groom, but the parents of the little boy were a different story.
Reaching the front of their doors, they let out a sigh and leaned against the wall next to Angela's door, smiling when they looked at each other.
Feeling a squeeze on her hand, she lowered her gaze, and saw that he was holding her hand tightly. Her heart swelled at the feeling of warmth that he was emitting. His hand was bigger than hers, but she thought her fingers fit perfectly between his.
"We still have a few more hours… Do you want to rest before we leave?" he asked.
Dragging her gaze back at him, she thought for a second before responding with an offer, "Do you want to go inside?"
Gael stared at her as if he was wondering what she meant. Raising her other hand, she shook the small clear container that she managed to grab before they sprinted away from the party. "We still have cake."
He chuckled at the sight of the slice of cake sitting inside the dome container. It was a decadent chocolate cake with a label on the box that said: "From Estella and Jake".
"Sure. Why not? We don't want to disappoint your cousin," he said.
The two entered Angela's suite and went straight to the balcony where they could see the night view of the beach as they sat on an outdoor double chaise, sharing a piece of cake while watching the wedding reception. The dessert was sweet and luxurious, melting as soon as it hit their tongues. If only life was like this piece of cake.
It was quite chilly that night, the breeze was gently blowing and the leaves on the trees were gracefully dancing—a perfect night for a sunny day. Too bad they would have to leave soon.
"What are you going to do when you go back?" Gael asked as she put the empty box aside.
Angela shifted in her seat, their arms brushing when she found a comfortable position. A small prick punctured her heart when he moved his arm away, thinking that he didn't like how close they were sitting. However, she was immediately pacified when he planted his hand behind her, his entire arm serving as her backrest. It felt so much better as she leaned against him.
"I don't know…" She shrugged. "Finish my book, I guess… You?"
"I have urgent matters I need to take care of. I'll be in New York before leaving for Italy."
Softly nodding, she remembered that he mentioned it to her earlier. He was only going to drop her off at Mayne City before flying again. Whatever he had to do in NY was none of her business anymore, so she didn't ask. The lesser she knew about his whereabouts, the better for her. She didn't want to keep wondering where he was after this and what he was doing. Three years ago was already a little annoying for her when she went back home and ended up having to think about him and their night for weeks. She didn't want to go through all of that again. A clean slate would be better.
While she was in deep thoughts, he got up and extended his open hand in front of her. "May I have this dance?" he asked.
Angela was a little confused at first until she realized that the music from the beach had just changed into a mellow one—A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope—a beautiful song rendered by a man at the wedding reception.
And as if she was in a trance, she placed her hand on his, got to her feet, and stood face to face with him. Gael placed her other hand on his shoulder, pulling her closer until the sides of their heads touched and his arm circled around her small waist.
~If you don't love me, pretend. A few more hours then it's time to go~
'How truly fitting this song is,' he thought. Just a few more hours and they'd have to leave this island, and then be on their way—back to their lives separately. So, yeah… 'Just pretend a little longer, Angel.'
The two were quiet as they slowly moved from side to side, the music in the background mixed with the soft breeze made the night extremely cozy. How oddly romantic despite being on the balcony in jeans and tank tops.
Gael noticed her taking a deep breath and he could sense her feeling a bit tense.
"This… you and me…" she began.
He knew it. He knew that she would address that, so he beat her to it. "This… isn't going to work."
Their hands tightened and neither of them spoke for a few beats until she muttered, "I know."
And as if their already dispirited souls weren't sad enough, the song made fun of their situation.
~I was praying that you and me might end up together. It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert. But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven.~
"Angel…" he whispered above her ear.
When Angela looked up at him and met his stare, she fought the urge to lean in and kiss him, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good.
Gael took a deep breath and spoke the words he'd been thinking all day, "I want to kiss you—"
Before he could even punctuate his words, she had already tiptoed and pressed her lips to his.