Chapter 34 Do You Like Me, Even a Little?
It's like seeing those you'd rather avoid everywhere you go. An annoyance through and through.
The sight of the delicious spread on the table suddenly seemed unappetizing to Jessica. Still, thinking of the baby growing inside her, she forced herself to eat amply. She particularly focused on the shrimp and fish for their nutrients, managing to swallow them despite a slight fishy taste.
After finishing her meal, Jessica turned to the man across from her. "Oscar, may I ask how long you've been with him?"
"Oh, Gabriel? Let me think..." Oscar pondered, then replied, "It's been five years. I've been with him since he started at the company."
"Five years!" Jessica muttered softly. "Not as long as I've loved him."
"Jessica, what was that?" Oscar inquired, clearly puzzled.
"Nothing," Jessica shook her head gently. She had loved him for a whole decade.
"So, is he always this gentle with every girl?" she probed further.
Oscar immediately shook his head, answering earnestly, "No, Gabriel only shows that kind of warmth to you... and Diana. He's quite distant and avoids other women."
"Really?" Jessica let out a slight chuckle.
It seemed he truly harbored a deep affection for Diana, not allowing other women to come even remotely close.
If things had been different, without the binding marriage, without Xavier tying them together, perhaps Gabriel would have been just as icy towards her.
Suddenly, a tender piano melody filled the hall, evoking memories in Diana's mind of a night when she gracefully danced en pointe upon the stage—a vision of beauty and pride, the adored darling of the world, as resplendent as a peacock. It was simply beautiful.
That night had been her most glorious, her most radiant. It was unforgettable. But now, her legs crippled, she was stripped of the chance to ever stand on that stage again.
She thought that he had forgotten their past, but to her surprise, he still remembered. Tears welled up in Diana's eyes, her emotions almost rendering her speechless.
In another booth, Jessica couldn't help but steal a look. She watched as a server wheeled in a multi-tiered cake into a large, airy room diagonally across from where she sat.
The cake matched the most graceful moment of her past performance on stage—her figure was adorned in a vivid red dress, dancing gracefully like a fairy, every move an exact replication.
Diana was absolutely thrilled, her face a picture of excitement and joy. "Gabriel, I can't believe this. I thought you had forgotten," she said, unable to hide her surprise.
"I remember," he assured her.
"Thank you, Gabriel. This is such a wonderful surprise. I am so happy." Reaching out, Diana wrapped her arms around Gabriel's neck, her delight evident in her embrace.
Gabriel remembering the most beautiful moment of her past was all that mattered to her.
When Gabriel looked up, he locked eyes with Jessica. This was unexpected. He had never thought he'd run into Jessica dining in the same restaurant.
"Gabriel, it means so much to me that you've always kept me in your heart," Diana murmured as she leaned in with a smile, offering her lips.
Jessica's hands shook, and she quickly averted her gaze. She accidentally knocked over a cup on the table, spilling the recently poured chrysanthemum tea all over herself. It was scalding hot. Yet, in that moment, she could barely feel it.
"Let's cut the cake already!" Gabriel suggested, tilting his head to effortlessly dodge Diana's kiss, then changed the subject nonchalantly.
Diana, oblivious to the tension, released him cheerfully, "Absolutely, I love strawberry cake!"
"Yeah, as long as you're happy," Gabriel responded.
"You start cutting the cake. I need to step out for a second," Gabriel said.
Around the corner, Gabriel quickly made a call to Oscar, "Can you come out for a second?"
"What's up, Gabriel?" Oscar answered, his head full of questions.
"I'm at the same restaurant, at the opposite private room," Gabriel said.
"All right, Gabriel, I'll be right there." Upon leaving the private room, Oscar quickly spotted Gabriel.
"Why are you guys here?" Gabriel frowned, clearly caught off guard.
"Pure coincidence, Gabriel.Jessica just randomly chose this place while passing by," Oscar explained.
"How is she? I saw servers panicking," Gabriel asked, concerned over Jessica's well-being,
"Jessica just got a bit scalded by boiling water," said Oscar.
"How's the burn? Is it bad?" Gabrial asked anxiously.
"A bit red and swollen," Oscar replied.
At those words, Gabriel didn't hesitate and made his way directly towards Jessica's private room.
"Please wait, Jessica, I'll go fetch some burn ointment for you," the server offered kindly.
Jessica glanced at the redness on her hand, shook her head slightly, and said, "That's all right, I'll just run some cold water over it later." Her heart might have been aching too much, making the actual wound feel less painful.
"Being silly," Gabriel murmured as he walked inside.
Jessica was stunned to see him; his sudden appearance was the last thing she expected.
Wasn't he just in the box across from hers? And he’d been celebrating Diana's birthday, complete with cake-cutting and public displays of affection. What could have pulled him away from that?
"Why didn't you put any ointment on your wound?" After saying that, he turned to the server, "Go get the medicine."
"Yes, right away," the server obliged.
"Weren't you busy keeping your lady friend company for her birthday? You just left her to come here?" There was an unmistakable hint of jealousy in Jessica's voice.
"It's not a birthday, just a significant day for her. I didn't want her to continue spiraling down, so I thought I'd give her a little encouragement, that's all." With that, Gabriel pulled up a chair next to Jessica, grabbed her wrist, and began examining it attentively.
His brows furrowed when he saw the large, swollen redness on the back of her hand. "You're about to graduate; you're not a little girl anymore. When will you learn to take care of yourself?"
"I haven't graduated yet!" Jessica muttered under her breath.
With an undergraduate degree behind her and her graduate studies spanning three years, she still had half a year until graduation.
"But that doesn't make you a little girl," he teased.
"Who says I'm not? I’m cute, I look youthful; I’m certainly a little girl," Jessica rebutted.
"Since when did looking cute define a little girl? Jessica, remember who you are. You're a married woman now," Gabriel chided.
Jessica pouted, "What does that matter? It won't last much longer anyway. If I feel young at heart, then I'm a young lady, is that a problem?"
Gabriel, at a loss for words with her reasoning, could only helplessly shake his head and sigh, "Fine, you’re forever eighteen, always a maiden, happy now?"
Jessica finally felt a bit more at ease.
The server quickly returned with the ointment, which Gabriel took impatiently.
"Stay still, put your hand out properly," he instructed Jessica.
"Okay." Jessica obediently placed her hands on the table.
Gabriel held the ointment in one hand and a cotton swab in the other. His slender fingers gently applied the medicine with patience.
His profile was strikingly handsome under the light, with smooth lines, deep-set features, and an aura that seemed to shine. He never seemed to need any embellishment; he naturally radiated charisma wherever he went.
She never dared to hope that such an exceptional man would become her hubby. Yet, to her surprise, he had agreed to marry her.
On the day they signed their marriage certificate, it all felt as surreal as a dream.
After the wedding, she braced herself for a cold and distant husband. She imagined that without her involvement, Xavier would not have forced the marriage, and perhaps with time, as Diana had suggested, he might win Xavier's acceptance.
Jessica, therefore, never allowed herself to indulge in hopeful fantasies. She prepared for his indifference, for his neglect, but she also resolved to spend a lifetime warming him with her sincerity and love.
Yet none of her fears materialized.
Once married, he was the epitome of the perfect hubby. He took care of everything, down to the smallest detail. He was tender, protective, and supportive. He lavished her with money, jewelry, and clothes, and presented her with his credit cards.
He'd even tend to her wounds and carry her on his back. On those thick, velvety nights, he held her close, letting passions ebb and flow like any other man.
For a time, she entertained the illusion that maybe he had forgotten Diana, or at least that his love for her had diminished. She dared to hope that his heart might have stirred, even if just a sliver, for her.
"Gabriel, can I ask you something?" Jessica looked at him, the question suddenly pressing.
"What's with all these questions? You're always full of them," Gabriel said curiously.
"So, will you let me ask?" she continued.
"Go ahead," Gabriel said cooly.
"In these two years, have you grown to like me, even just a little?" Jessica asked, boldly.
