Chapter 51

“What are you doing here?” Gabriel hadn’t the mental faculties to respond with sentiment, and in like, his undertone was almost mechanic, whirling out as of necessity. The very last person on earth that he expected to grace his sight upon opening the primary door to his house was standing about as if she’d been invited. Taylor had been an afterthought, nay, a missing figment of powdered dust and obscure smoke. It was as though he’d wiped any memory of her and so he found it confusing that the universe had planted her in his sight.

“Come now, darling.” She enunciated with a twang of erotic promise. “I thought I no longer needed an invitation,” she dusted the imaginary grime off his shoulder, her need to touch him; to assert her feminine energy was to potent to resist. People exerted physical contact over things they deemed to be in their possession. This was no different. He belonged to her and it satisfied her ego that she was allowed to touch him whenever she pleased, “especially after last time.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she reminded him of when he’d brought her to his family house to show her the importance he regarded her with. He’d brought her in despite Mia showing up and despite the neighbours staring on.

Taylor’s eyelashes appeared long as she batted her eyes at him. Well, from Mia’s point of view anyway. She sucked in a breath and sighed on the exhale. How could she not expect this? Mia was about to make an exit, quietly and without fuss. Prior to her affair with Harvey, any mention of Gabriel’s mistress’ ate her up from the inside as if there was a hibernating beast residing there only to be awoken by feelings of anger and humiliation. That beast was now in perpetual slumber.
Mia knew now that any humiliation she felt before was due to that pesky voice in her head mocking her loyalty to a man that’d used her body, heart and soul without sympathy or guilt. It had all been a long game of lies and dramatization. But the simulation had ended. She was not defined by who she once loved or had sex with in the past. She was defined by her standards now, not by the wrong doings of one man. She would never put herself in the position to be used and discarded again.

“Oh, she’s here.” Taylor’s eyes had unintentionally fallen upon Mia’s silhouette, almost rolling out of her head. She made no attempt to hide her discomfort at seeing Mia. Taylor’s mouth dripped venom and her face contorted about as if she’d taken a deep whiff of vinegar. Mia had paused, her brain and body conflicting about a simple question, ‘what to do?’ She’d initially intended to walk away to her room and perhaps go out to get dinner alone but now that those devilish eyes were set upon her, her brain and body were having opposite reactions. Resultantly, she’d been glued to the spot like an unreactive machine waiting for its maker to give it demands.
Mia’s lips eased open, “You do realise that I live here, right?” Mia did not return the same energy to Taylor. Her question was serious. Did she really not expect Mia to be at the house she lived in? Mia’s eyes shifted, Gabriel was staring at her. His face an untouched canvas
From the moment Taylor acknowledged Mia’s presence, he’d altered his focus from the unwelcomed, undesirable and unsolicited visitor to his wife. She gazed at him without hatred in her eyes. She seemed passive and accepting. The defiance usually radiating from her pores was absent. He pondered this neoteric alteration in Mia as her eyes held his in a trance.

“You need to leave.” He said without much thought, his eyes narrowing on Mia’s face; still no reaction.

“Not a problem.” Mia raised her hands in front of her in surrender. “Just need twenty-minutes and I’ll be out of your hair.” Mia responded to him, blocking out the view and or mental awareness of Taylor. The more she thought on it the more she warmed to the idea of spending the night away from the house. Amiyah was safe with her grandmother and Mia had to learn to cope with the most recent loss in her life; Harvey. She made the mental note to stay overnight at a hotel. She’d order dinner, unwind, relax…hell she might even cry. Who knows?
She had been religiously ignoring that tiny numbing throb at the core of chest and the pit of her stomach. Harvey had taken a part of her and she had to either fill it or learn to live without it.
Taylor folded her arms, a tiny, self-righteous smirk twitching into existence upon her red lips. She raised the palm of her right hand and waved goodbye to Mia maliciously. Mia pressed her lips together and shrugged, turning on her heels, her back facing them.

“Not you,” Gabriel paused, “Mia.” He’d said her name as if it was his first time pronouncing it. Mia returned her attention to him at the sound of her name. She didn’t venture to think she heard him properly.

Taylor’s smile faltered her waving hand dropping limply in front of her. “What?” she grumbled aloud. “Do. Not. Move. An. Inch.” He warned Mia, his eyes giving of an intense command. Even if she did want to defy him, the situation took a turn she wasn’t expecting. Her curious counterpart Lady Evil-Hour was interested.
He snapped back to the duplicitous woman in his doorway. “You need to leave our home.” He imparted conclusively, his grip on the door tightening, his intention clear to Taylor as she regarded his knuckles. They were ready to shut the door in her face.
Her eyes were swelling up with fluid. “This has to be joke.” She huffed a single laugh, her eyes holding all the terror dropping down on her body like a ten story building. She was searching his features but it was as though she didn’t know him anymore. She parted her lips to speak again, “Now!” he yelled, the skin on her face searing from the fire on his breath. Taylor’s chest and shoulders jerked upwards from the unforeseen vibration in his voice.
Mia beheld the scene unfolding before her very eyes with scepticism and an overwhelming amount of second-hand embarrassment. She very much wanted to leave. Whatever lover’s quarrel they had, she wanted no part of it. Taylor may have betrayed their friendship but Mia did not have any desire to see her humiliated before her eyes. Did she feel pity?

No. It was hard to feel pity for someone who willingly and unapologetically betrayed her trust and lied to her. That didn’t mean she wanted to be witness to any of this.

“You cannot do this to me.” The tears were sneaking past Taylor’s lower lash line. Her voice steadier than it should be, but that was due to the lack of comprehension on her part. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It couldn’t be happening. Not to her.

“You are not to ever darken this doorstep again and that goes for my office as well.” He snarled without a flicker of emotion for her. “You are not welcome here, Taylor.” He continued for good measure, the tears rolling down her otherwise unreactive face did not stir him.

“But, I love you.” She said weakly, “and you love me.” She tried to remind.

“Whatever we had, it’s over.” He shook his head to negate everything she was saying. “I have no love for you.” He said finally, pushing the door shut over her widened eyes and speechless demeanour.
A series of meaningless sounds vibrated from Mia’s throat. She finally settled on, “What are you doing?” she asked Gabriel.

“What I should have done in the beginning.” He turned back to her. “I will no longer allow anyone to disrespect or humiliate you.”

“That’s a nice sentiment and all,” Mia responded, not believing a word he said. He and Taylor were stuck in a perpetual dance for years. Even if he didn’t love her, he surely enjoyed the convenience of her. “but—”

“You do not believe me?” he took a few steps towards her and she reverted backwards in an equal amount. He asked her the very answer. There was no need to respond.

“That’s okay, I have time to prove it too you.” He said mostly to himself.

“Are you just going to leave her out there in that state?” Mia gazed at the door. A tiny thud against it was more than enough evidence for them to know that Taylor had not left.

“She’ll leave when she calms down.” He said gazing at his phone. “Shoot, battery’s dead.” He turned his attention to Mia, who was still staring at the door. “I’ll make the dinner order from the house phone.” He said, walking off into the kitchen.
Mia traced his movements and whimpered. She hated that her body was filling up with anxiousness. She made her way over to the door and pulled it open. Sure enough Taylor was on her knees, staring up like a battered animal awaiting its abuser to shower it with love. Her head hung instantly upon seeing Mia.

“You must feel so good about yourself, huh?” she taunted Mia.

“Is there anyone you want me to call to come get you?” Mia asked, out-stretching her hand for Taylor to take it. She hated seeing her on the floor in such a dramatic manner. For someone who loved when another woman was in pain, she sure didn’t handle it well herself. Taylor eyed Mia’s palm and scoffed, shoving it away forcefully.

“I don’t need your help.” She bared her fangs at Mia, just the way a wounded animal would do to a rescuer.

“I am not helping you,” Mia was attempting another tactic. “Just trying to get you off the property.” She shrugged. “I’ll call you a taxi service, at least sit on the chairs and wait.” Mia advised, shuffling back in doors and closing the door.
She kept peeping through the hole in the door. Taylor had taken her advice and sat in a chair, she even got into the taxi once it arrived.