Chapter 72 - Blurry
At twelve minutes past midnight, a private plane landed on the tarmac of Mayne City Airport. The door had already been opened, yet no one had stepped out. In the lounge cabin, Angela had fallen asleep, and she hadn't moved since. Her back remained pressed against Gael's chest, and his warm arm was still around her.
She must have been really tired of playing the whole day because she slept through a couple of turbulence and the landing. Gael contemplated whether he should wake her up or let her sleep a few more minutes. His arm was already getting numb, but he didn't—for the life of him—dare to move.
Turning his head to the side, he could see that her brother was waiting for her outside. He was left with no choice, so he raised his other hand to wake her up, but before he could even do so, her phone started to buzz.
Angela stirred in his embrace, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She was still a bit disoriented while she fished her phone out of her pocket.
"We're here," Gael whispered above her.
Hearing his voice awakened her, and she instantly straightened her back and turned to him, her eyes were slightly tired and full of curiosity.
"That must be your brother," he said, nodding to her phone.
Realizing what he meant, she answered the call, and her brother spoke right away. "What's taking you so long? You landed fifteen minutes ago, and I've got your luggage in the trunk. Why aren't you getting off?"
"I'm coming." She ended the call after her response. Angela collected herself, cleared her throat, and put a smile on her face as she turned to Gael, saying, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
'I didn't want to,' he thought.
He got up from the sofa and rolled his white sleeves up to his elbow, a cocky smile forming as he responded, "I couldn't. You were snoring so loudly."
"I do not snore." Her smile instantly slipped and was replaced by a crease between her brows.
"You wouldn't know. You were sleeping."
"Tch." Angela got to her feet and walked with him towards the exit. He gestured for her to go first and she tried to slow down her pace. As they nearly reached the door, she stopped in her tracks and faced him. Her throat felt scratchy as if she didn't want to say the words, but she had to force herself. "I… Thanks for bringing me home. I had fun today."
He nodded, digging his hands in his pockets, and keeping his expression unreadable as he stared back at her.
She waited for him to respond, but he didn't say anything. Her hands wrung when she felt an indescribable pressure in her chest, and she took a deep breath, trying to relieve the uncomfortable feeling within her. "The book… I've decided to stop its publication. I'm really sorry."
When he still didn't speak, she continued, "If you can provide your bank details, I will wire you the money first thing tomorrow. I know you said you don't need it… You clearly don't… But I think it's for the best."
Gael hadn't said a word to her, but his jaw ticked, seemingly uneasy at her words. She felt like melting at how intense he was gazing at her.
Angela's mouth opened again; however, before she could even speak, he reached and snatched the phone in her hand. Her eyes grew wide, but she could only watch as he tapped the screen, confused at what he was doing. In the next second, he pulled out his phone from his pocket—it was buzzing, and the screen was flashing.
"I have your number now," he said as he gave her phone back to her. "I'll call you."
'This isn't what you're thinking,' she told herself—rather, she was trying to convince herself, knowing that when she leaves, it's over between them.
Tentatively receiving her phone, her face was blank as her heart raced when she heard him clarify, "Not for the money."
She studied his face, trying to read what he was thinking, but he was expressionless. Unsure of what he was doing, she softly chuckled in derision. "No, you won't."
He cocked his brow. "What?"
Angela shook her head and exited the plane with Gael following her. She saw her brother several meters away, leaning against his car, and she suddenly felt like everything was really coming to an end as soon as she stepped on the ground. The wind blew past them, and she glanced at the dark sky, putting on a fake smile for the man she shared memorable days on the island with.
"Every guy says that after a date, but they rarely do," she said. "That's just customary."
"I'm rare," he replied almost instantly, his expression all serious.
She rolled her eyes and chuckled at his answer. Even until the very end, he just had to make her laugh. He wasn't being funny—it was apparent on his face. And he wasn't wrong either… Gael was indeed rare.
But she didn't want to have her hopes up. "It's okay... You don't have to promise anything. You said it yourself—this isn't going to work."
"It's just a call, Angel. It's—"
His words were cut off when his phone rang. It was an assigned ringtone that he couldn't ignore. Out of nowhere, it started to drizzle, wetting his phone screen when he checked on it despite already knowing who was calling. Ignoring the light rain, Gael told her, "Give me a second. It's my grandma."
Just as he answered the call, the rain became heavy that it could no longer be ignored.
"Happy birthday, Santi!" An old woman's voice along with a few other voices in the background blared through his speaker.
A small gasp escaped from Angela's lips, surprised by what she heard. It's his birthday? "You—"
"What the heck are you doing? It's pouring." Oliver, her brother, came over hurriedly and tossed his jacket over her head to shield her from the rain without bothering to cover himself. Then he waved at Gael saying, "Thank you for bringing her home. Have a safe trip."
Everything went by in a blur. Just a few seconds ago, Angela was still talking to Gael and now, she was being dragged by her brother to his car. Oliver was soaked and he cursed as he started the engine. She didn't know how she got inside the car as she was still surprised.
Her head snapped to the window and she saw Gael looking in her direction with his hand suspended in the air, pressing his phone on his ear.
The car had already moved, and Angela could feel her heart being squeezed as she held his gaze through the glass. The raindrops hindered her from seeing him clearly one last time.
Oliver said something, but the rain was all she could hear. She never thought that a day would come when she'd really despise the rain. Were those really their last words to each other?
Gael's figure was now a blur. It was cold inside the car that she shivered, but she was certain that it was colder for him as he remained rooted under the rain on the same spot where she left him.