Angela stared at Gael, unsure of how to respond to his offer. What could she possibly say when he just told her to move in with him? Well, only temporarily. But still! Three nights was plenty.
Last night, sure. It somehow ended that way, and she allowed herself. However, she had the option to say no now. And she did a few times, but he's insisting. And honestly? She wanted to say YES.
YES, said her heart.
NO, said her brain.
So whose voice would she listen to? Her weak heart that falls for the wrong people? Or her brain that sometimes listens to her weak heart?
Gael tilted his head to the side as he patiently waited for her answer. She knew that it was a bad idea to stay with him. So why would she want to anyway?
Angela chewed on her bottom lip. The truth was, she spoke to her brother on the phone earlier that day. She could have told him about her bathroom situation, but when he said his new girlfriend was spending the weekend over at his place, she couldn't. It had been a while since Oliver was seeing someone, and she didn't want to get in between the two. He'd probably let her stay in his place if he knew, but she didn't want to be the third wheel. Ew.
Staying in a hotel was another option. But at this time of the year? She doubted she could book a room. Esmea was a tourist hotspot, and December was one of the busiest months apart from summer months. Even if she found a place, she was sure she'd constantly worry that any time, Evan might get to her.
'For now, let's just survive,' she told herself.
She must have been quiet for a while, only staring at him because he started fidgeting and said, "If you—"
"Fine," she cut him off.
"What?"
"Fine… I'll stay with you until Sunday." Angela crossed her arms and sighed. He looked surprised that she agreed, and the growing smile on his face was making her heart flutter.
"Really?" Gael probed.
"No. I take it back." Annoyed, she turned her back and continued to stuff her suitcase with her clothes.
"Hey, no backsies."
She couldn't see his face as she had her back to him, but the sound of his voice indicated that he was grinning. She shook her head, yet a small smile threatened to form on her face.
"Do you need help packing?" he spoke to her back.
"No, I'm okay. I'll be out in a few."
"Okay. I'll just wait out here."
Angela turned to check and saw an empty doorway. She figured he must be waiting in the living room, so she took her time packing everything she needed. Once she was done, she headed towards the living room with her suitcase in tow, only to find Gael in her office, towering over her desk.
She came to his side, wondering what he was looking at. A gasp escaped her lips, panicking because he found her sticky notes. They're not the normal reminders that she wrote. They were little reminders of what to research for her next book. And Gael's smirk told her her "naughty list" definitely amused him.
He noticed her presence next to him, and he simply could not resist teasing as he picked up a few of those notes.
Horrified, Angela tried to snatch it from him. "That's not—"
"Things guys like during sex." He read the first one, quickly raising his hand away from her attempt in grabbing the notes from him.
Then he continued the next one. "Sexy moves men crave in the bedroom."
And then another. "What women do that makes men go crazy in—"
"That's enough!" she bit out. Her ears grew red from embarrassment because the asshole enjoyed playing with her.
He threw his head back, laughing at the notes he just read.
The sound of Gael's sexy laugh didn't only annoy her more; it also caused the butterflies in her belly to go insane—she thought they were having a party.
He wiped his eyes as his laughter subsided. "Who would have thought that you had so much curiosity in that pretty little head of yours?"
Angela took the notes from his hands and tossed them inside her drawer. Of all the things that he would find in her office, he found those. What would he think of her now? He must be thinking about how much of a pervert she was. How embarrassing!
She answered with her back to him, "This is for my next book. Okay? I'm doing research. I need a lot of material for my writing."
His silence made her turn to face him. Then she caught him grinning from ear to ear. How annoying!
"Let's just go." She walked out of the office and waited for him by the door. When he walked past her, she turned off the lights and locked the door.
"You sure you got everything?" he asked, in an attempt to clear the air. His face was passive now, but Angela knew that he was still thinking about the notes.
"Yeah—oh…wait." She walked back to her bedroom, which was just across from her office, and decided to move some of the bathroom stuff to her closet. The workers were probably men, and they wouldn't be interested in them, but the thought of her things just splayed on her bed bothered her.
Locking her walk-in closet, she looked around her bedroom, making sure no valuable stuff was in plain sight. When she was satisfied, she exited the room carrying a paper bag in hand.
"All set?" Gael asked, holding the handle of her suitcase as he waited for her in the hallway.
Angela nodded and hoped that she didn't forget anything from her house. It felt weird leaving this place and not really going on a vacation somewhere. The strange feeling of forgetting something lingered in her stomach. It was probably just the nerves. After all, she just agreed to stay with Gael for the weekend. It was probably a stupid idea, but she still went with it anyway.
…
The elevator ride down to the ground floor wasn't smooth. They stopped a few times, and more passengers rode with them in the car. They were cramped in the small space.
She was slightly startled when Gael suddenly leaned towards her and whispered, "You know...you could ask me anytime. I'd be happy to help."
Angela raised her gaze to him, her brows arching in confusion. "About what?"
"What men love during se—"
He coughed when she elbowed him, and then he chuckled. He was clearly having so much fun messing with her. A few heads turned in their direction, and he laughed some more as her face flushed.
"Hilarious." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"Sure. But if you change your mind, the invitation still stands." He winked.
Angela bit her bottom lip, already regretting her decision on agreeing to stay with him for a few days. Was it too late to back out now? The elevator dinged, and everyone stepped out.
"Let me." Gael took the paper bag from her hand, and they both headed out of the building. He loaded Angela's things in the trunk of his car. Then something caught his eye, making him halt.
Inside the paper bag were a towel, a few cosmetic bottles, and the fancy-looking dildo. He swallowed.
"Everything okay?" Angela probed from the side of the car.