30 | owe me one

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CHAPTER 30

Bongo drums pounded somewhere in the distance, interrupting the silence that I had been enjoying until then.

Wait a second.

Bongo drums?

I sat up in the bed I had been sleeping in far too quickly, immediately clutching at my head in a groggy wince.

Apparently, those so-called 'bongo drums' were really just the sound of my brain bashing against my skull.

Memories flooded through my thoughts in fragments as I tried to piece together the events of the night before.

"I'd like a cocktail please."

"I'm not drunk. Promise."

"Do you remember it?"

I frowned. If anything, I was more confused now than I was before. The events of last night were still a mystery to me.

Maybe it was for the best though. I had a sinking feeling that I'd done something embarrassing.

The last thing I remembered was ordering a cocktail, and I knew from prior experience that alcohol and I didn't really mix.

The creak of a door broke me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Gabe strolling into the room with a smile that didn't belong on anybody's face this early in the morning.

He flipped a switch on the side of the wall and the shock of white light that blinded my eyes forced me to shut them instantly.

I let myself spend a couple of seconds with my eyes closed on the off chance that when they reopened he'd be gone and I could keep ignoring the fact that my head felt as if it had been run over by a bus, but I had no such luck.

My eyelids parted and I found him staring at me with... amusement?

"Morning, sunshine." He teased, staring at the scowl on my face and the way I was half-submerged under the bedsheets.

"Go away. Come back in..." I trailed off. "Actually, just don't come back in."

My usually cheerful self was long gone, replaced by the sleep-deprived, hungover version of me. It wasn't a great feeling.

He grinned. That guy actually had the audacity to grin at me. "No can do, sorry."

I forced myself to sit back up and ignore the way my head was still throbbing, my body against the bed's backboard. "And why is that?"

He gave me a funny look. "Because we're leaving in two hours."

Oh.

Oh.

It had completely slipped my mind that today was the day that we were going back to London, so I was eternally grateful for the fact that I had never really unpacked.

I tried to remain nonchalant. "Right. And what time is it?"

He took a quick glance at the watch that was wrapped around his wrist. "Two o'clock."

My eyes widened and I practically jumped out of the bed. Saying that I'd overslept was an understatement. Half the day had disappeared while my mind was conjuring up dreams that I had already forgotten.

I couldn't remember the last time that I had slept past nine o'clock in the morning.

"I need to get ready." I said, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed frame.

"Mhm." He said noncommittally, but his attention was clearly elsewhere.

I watched as his eyes did a slow sweep up my legs, goosebumps rising on my skin as he did.

I didn't have time to revel in it though because that action brought me to notice what I was wearing. Or should I say, what I was still wearing. The exact same outfit that I had on the night before.

Recollection struck me like lightning, fibres of electricity that zapped me from the inside out.

I asked him to dance?

More blank spaces started to fill themselves in.

Oh my goodness. I practically kidnapped him, suckered him into dancing and used the fact that I was drunk as an excuse.

"And for giving me abs to stare at."

Enough. That was the last straw. The memory that filtered into my thoughts, some alcohol-induced comment about his body, was the last straw.

I knew alcohol and I didn't mix.

My brain attempted to rationalise what I had done. I was drunk. And clearly not in my right mind. There was also the chance that he didn't even remember it. Right?

My hopes rose over the next five minutes when he told me where to meet him when I was done - in the conservatory - and informed me that his mother wanted to see me before I left. All without a single word about my drunk bad decisions.

"And Cora?" I looked up to be met with the sight of Gabriel at the door, his figure shrouded by the darkness of the shadow he cast as he moved.

The only thing I could see properly was the knowing smile on his face. "Lay off the cocktails for a while."

My cheeks heated instantly.

So much for him not remembering.

***

"You have to come back soon." Maggie sounded like she was on the verge of crying, squeezing me in a bone-crushing hug.

"How come you never act like this with me?" Gabe joked from next to me.

Maggie released me from the hug and raised one eyebrow. "Because you're not Cora."

I smiled. "Thank you for having me."

Her face grew serious and sincere, eyes locked on mine. "Anytime. And I mean that."

I wasn't sure why I could feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes, just chalked it up to emotions running high.

Maggie kissed Gabe on the cheek and waved us off before she could 'change her mind and keep us here forever.'

The door shut behind us as we wheeled our luggage to the taxi that had paused outside of the house.

The journey back to the station seemed a lot shorter than it was the first time, nothing but the blurred outline of trees through the tempered glass.

Neon orange lettering told us when we got to the station that our train would be boarding in ten minutes, so I took the opportunity to check my phone.

I had been ignoring it over the five days that we spent in Cornwall in favour of focusing on where I was and living in the moment.

Now, as the screen buzzed and flashed obnoxiously, I knew I had made the right decision.

The first message I clicked on was from Lucy, and I laughed when I read it. "Where are my photos???"

Over the course of the trip I had - with Luce in mind - taken photos of anything that I thought was interesting or instagrammable. The breath-taking view from the hill that we climbed, the velvety red of the puppet show and the little shop that we had bought our ice creams from.

There was also the occasional picture of me in the water, taken on the beach during a moment where Gabe grabbed the phone from my hands and wouldn't give it back until I 'smiled for the click'.

"Give it back!" My hands grabbed at the air as he held the phone out of my grip.

His height used to be something I admired. Now I just wanted him to shrink so I could get to the phone that he was dangling above me.

"Not until you smile." He was wearing his own grin, clearly finding the whole situation amusing.

"Gabe. Give it back." I tried again, brushing wet hair from my eyes to see him properly.

The sound of a click filled the silence between us, and he moved the phone from in front of his face to give it back to me.

I glanced at the screen quickly, hating that he had actually taken a good photo. A small smile was pulling at my lips and my eyes were hidden under the hand that I was using to move my hair out of the way, but you could tell that they were solely focused on him.

Of course he was good at photography too. Life was just unfair like that.

I looked up from the phone screen to see that familiar smirk falling onto his face, his eyes glittering with amusement. "I've taken better."

I fought a smile as the memory replayed in my head, sending off every picture to Lucy except the ones that Gabe took.

I didn't know why, but I wanted to keep them to myself. A secret. Hidden away from the rest of the world in a bundle of pixels and lenses.

"The train to London Kings X is now boarding." I spelled it out in my head as the letters moved across the board, looking to check that Gabe had seen it.

He nodded, answering my unspoken question. "Let's go."

My heart squeezed when he held his hand out to help me get over the gap between the platform and the train, remembering my irrational fear of falling into it.

Once my feet were on firm ground, I let myself look around. The first thing I noticed is that the train at night had been far more peaceful. I had taken the quiet for granted, and it was only now that it occurred to me.

This one was alive with sound in every way, and not all of them were the nicest. The wail of a baby in another carriage, the birds that were somehow singing loud enough to be heard even in the train, and the buzz of each and every conversation.

Great.

After dropping off our luggage, bumped into countless times on the way, we were finally settled into our seats.

My back sank against the woollen fabric and I sighed in relief. We had been on our feet for far too long and the pounding in my head hadn't completely gone yet.

The first hour of the journey was silent save for the noises in the background, Gabriel somehow able to sense that I needed the peace and quiet.

But, as the wheels of the train rumbled over the tracks and the other sounds quietened down to a hum, I began to grow bored.

I reached into the pocket of the jacket I was wearing, finding a biro I must have thrown in there at some point over the week.

That gave me an idea, and I spun the cap off. Holding my hand out in front of me, I began to doodle random things. The outline of an eye came first slap bang in the middle of my wrist, then a butterfly on the other side and a music note on my middle finger.

My fingers danced as I inspected my work, laughing at how much they looked like tattoos. I had reached a whole new level of boredom.

Gabe stirred at my side, edging closer to see what I was looking at.

His eyes travelled around every ridge of my hand and I could feel him taking in each drawing. That is until he stopped, bringing those eyes to mine with a grin that I didn't understand. "That one please."

I paused, giving him a blank stare. "Huh?"

"The music note." He gestured towards it with a lift of his head. His hand flattened against the table in front of our seats expectantly. "I want one."

I probably should've questioned why on earth he wanted a lopsided doodle on his finger, but I blame my lack of perceptiveness on the alcohol that was still flowing through my system.

I swivelled in my seat until I was facing him properly, trying to focus on the drawing instead of how close we were to each other.

Just the feeling of his hand in mine was enough to change the atmosphere completely. At that moment, I could've sworn there was nobody else on the train. Just Gabriel and the look he was giving me.

A silence settled between us, only ever interrupted by the squeak of the pen against his skin. I could lie and say that it was a comfortable silence, but it wasn't.

It was loaded with words that escaped from our lips but stayed just out of reach, manifesting themselves as tension instead.

I let out a silent breath when I finished, shifting back onto my seat. I hadn't realised it until then, but we had practically been sharing one. "There you go."

He smiled, but there was a still hint of whatever had been lingering between us a few moments ago in his eyes. "Thanks."

The rest of the journey went by in a blur of picturesque seascapes, train confectionary and pining over the city that I had been separated from for far too long. As much as I had loved Cornwall, London was my home and I'd missed it.

So when we left the train, got into a taxi and stepped out onto the street of my apartment, I was practically jumping up and down with excitement. I couldn't even believe I was saying this, but I had actually missed the rows of metal brickwork that I was now facing.

Before I made my way inside Gabriel spoke, a mischievous smile on his face. I didn't understand why until his words registered in my head, and by then he was already long gone.

"I'll pick you up at 7 on Tuesday for our date. Wear something pretty for me."

- - - -

The chime of the bell greeted me as I made my way into the café for the first time in two weeks, and I smiled at the shift in air quality.

I had forgotten about my love/hate relationship with those plants.

The sign hanging on the door read 'open' from the inside instead of the outside so I flipped it around, mildly concerned about the fact that the café had been open for a couple of hours but nobody had thought to do that.

I let myself make my way down to the counter when I was done, where I could see a mop of blonde hair peeking up.

A stream of expletives could be heard along with a deafening crash that reverberated throughout the room, and I increased my pace a little.

A quick glance around had me confirming that the few customers milling around hadn't noticed or just didn't care, too preoccupied with their own lives to pay attention to whatever was going on behind the counter.

My shoes must have made more noise against the floor than I thought because Drew popped up from where he had been crouching, flashing me a wide grin when he noticed that I was there. "Cora. Welcome back."

My attention was still on the drawer that he'd somehow managed to unhinge, the cause of the sound that I heard when I came in. "Um... thanks."

He followed my line of vision over to the drawer on the floor, explaining with a sheepish smile. "I was trying to fix it, but I think I made it worse."

I couldn't help the laugh I let out. Somehow his explanation didn't surprise me.

"Where did you go?" He asked when my laughter had died down, bending back down to continue working on the drawer.

Over the sound of pinewood and light hammering, I answered. "Cornwall."

The vibration of steel against wood paused for a moment, and I noticed his head lifting to look at me. "How was it?"

My eyes closed briefly as I let the memories wash over me, soaking them into my skin and letting myself swim for just a moment.

When I reopened them and made my way back to the surface, the answer was obvious. "Amazing."

I kept going even though he hadn't asked me to, the fire in me lit. "I know London has some great beaches, but none of them hold a candle to the one that we went to while we were there." A smile fell onto my face. "The weather was pretty great too."

"I've always wanted to go." He replied, eyes tracking my smile before it fell and remaining on my face for just a few beats too long.

I broke the silence that fell by clearing my throat, moving behind the counter to put my apron on. My fingers were still tying the loops of fabric behind my back when I spoke next. "What did I miss while I was gone?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much." His voice grew hushed and dropped a little deeper. "Except for this one lady. She had short blonde hair and gave me the dirtiest look I've ever seen. Came in complaining about something to do with slow service."

I bit back a smile. He had to learn to deal with her himself. "Yeah. She's here a lot."

He looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. "To be honest, once was more than enough. She's kinda scary."

I shook my head in amusement. "You'll figure it out. She's not that bad once you know how to deal with her."

We settled into a comfortable silence, the squeal of fabric against wood while I cleaned and the thud of hammer against nail while he 'fixed'.

"Thanks for covering my shifts while I was gone." I said with a smile.

According to Lucy they had been split between him and her evenly and he took them on without any complaints.

"Don't worry about it." His eyes twinkled. "But you owe me."

I paused midway through wiping the table that was in front of me. "You mean you want me to cover some of your shifts?"

His eyes shifted to the window behind me and glazed over slightly, as if he was considering something. Something in them had changed when they returned back to me. "No."

My brows furrowed. "No?"

He shook his head firmly. "No."

I found myself even more confused and opted to wait for him to explain himself.

I got my explanation, his words breaking through the fog of my mind and then jumbling it up all over again. "There's a movie coming out on Friday that I really want to watch. Come with me."

l paused at that, the warning Lucy had given me before I left ringing in my head and causing me to blurt out what was on my mind. "I'm dating someone."

I winced after the words escaped, realising that the chances were that Lucy was wrong and he hadn't even meant it like that.

I could've sworn he gritted his teeth for a moment but I couldn't be sure because the usual wide smile was back almost instantly. "I meant just as a friend. To get to know you better."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." I was relieved and a little embarrassed, glad to know that Lucy hadn't been right after all. "What movie is it?"

"You'll find out when you get there." He grinned, but I found myself comparing it to Gabe's for some reason. His was all perfect teeth and sharp jaw, but I wanted my favourite dimples and the crinkling eyes they came with.

I realised I had been looking at him for too long, averting my gaze. My mind was still running away from me, leaps and bounds that would rival that of an Olympic athlete.

I didn't know what it was about going to the cinema with Drew that made me feel a little uncomfortable, but it was the right thing to do considering he'd done me a favour.

And after all, I now knew that I had been right all along. Since he only saw me as a friend, I knew for sure he wouldn't try anything. My posture relaxed and I allowed myself to continue wiping the rag along the table.

"We can go straight after the shift ends." He told me when he saw that I had gone back to cleaning. I watched as he stepped behind the counter again, crouching down to continue working on the drawer he had been trying to fix before I came in.

"Sounds good." I smiled, but for some reason it didn't reach my eyes.

I bet you all forgot about Drew hehe

Anyway they're back in London where all the drama is, so prepare yourself :)