Ring! Ring! Ring!
Claire glanced at the caller ID on her phone, and smiled.
Gabriel.
She answered it, and felt her heart skip a beat when she heard his velvety midnight voice say her name in her ear, "Claire."
"Gabe . . ." she breathed out, her heart thumping rapidly in her chest.
"Happy anniversary." She beamed.
"You remembered!"
"Of course I did." He sounded half-hurt that she would doubt him and half-amused that she thought he would forget.
"Gabe . . ." she breathed out again. "Happy anniversary to you, too . . . ."
"Thanks, baby doll." Her heart did a little flip in her ribcage. She loved it when he called her pet names . . . it made her feel so loved and . . . accepted.
"Listen," his voice cut through her thoughts, snapping her back to reality, "um . . . eight PM tonight?"
A huge ear-to-ear grin split her face. "Sure." God, why was she so breathless?
"Great! See you!"
"Yeah," she breathed before she hung up. She let her phone fall onto her bed and softly bounce on it before finally resting on the soft covers. Her grin was plastered on her face, her green eyes twinkling, heart pounding as it fluttered around her chest.
She hugged her pillow tightly, his voice echoing in her head.
She was going to see him again . . .
Not that they hadn't been seeing each other; there was only one reason why she and Gabriel saw each other for at least once a month or every other month (but always on their anniversary): Noah.
Three knocks on her door made her flinch in surprise, dropping her grin and dreamy eyes. Speak of the devil . . .
Noah opened the door to her room, "Hey."
"Hey," she grinned.
He raised an eyebrow at her, "What's with the face?"
She dropped her grin, replacing it with a curious frown. "What face?"
"The face that says you're really happy about something . . ." His tone implied that he wanted to know what it was.
"I didn't make a face like that!" she denied.
"Claire . . ." his warning was laced in his tone.
She groaned, "Alright," and bit her lip before muttering, "It's . . . um . . ." She shut her mouth.
"Sylar," Noah finished for her, understanding.
She stared at the stars shining outside her window.
"When are you meeting him?"
She stayed silent.
"Tonight," he concluded.
". . . Yeah," she whispered, containing her giddiness.
". . . What time?"
She kept staring at the stars. "Eight," she whispered loud enough for him to hear.
"Eight . . ." he repeated, and did a mental calculation, before saying, "Be back at ten, alright?"
She nodded.
"Dinner's ready," he said.
". . . I'll be down in a minute." He nodded and closed the door.
She listened to his faintly-disappearing footsteps descending the stairs before she turned towards the face of her desk clock on her bedside table. Two hours before eight. She sighed, thinking, I cannot wait that long! and climbed down the bed, heading downstairs to greet the savory smells of her mother's fine cooking.
^.^
Gabriel exited the shop, his "perfect gift" in hand. He headed towards his blue 1970 Chevy pickup truck and put his gift on the passenger's side of the bench seat. He climbed in and started the engine, but he felt like something was missing.
He glanced at his gift and then it hit him: his "perfect gift" isn't so perfect after all. It feels like it has a cliff-hanger to it. His gift needs to be something . . . bigger.
With a sudden strike of inspiration, he drove to the grocery store, mentally starting a list.
^.^
Claire was sitting on the living room couch with her legs crossed, an elbow propped on the armrest, and her head resting on the back of her propped-up hand. Her verdant eyes were staring at the front door, glancing at the wall clock ever so often.
It was already five minutes past eight and she was becoming anxious. What if he couldn't make it? Don't be silly, Claire, of course he'll make it. What if he'll have some car trouble? Now that's a stupid question to ask yourself, Claire. Seriously! What if he decided to come later instead? And what the heck would make him do that?
The doorbell rang. She didn't notice it until the third ring. Snapping out of her reverie, she stood up and answered the door.
And there he was, her Gabriel, dressed in a black sports coat and pants with a blue long-sleeve underneath it. His dark brown eyes twinkled when he saw her. "Hey, you."
"Hey," she beamed at him.
"You look as beautiful as ever," he told her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
She blushed. "You always say that."
"Because it's always true," he grinned.
The temperature in her cheeks rose as she contemplated her attire. She was wearing a simple red halter-top dress that hugged her curves but didn't show too much skin and reached just below her knees, with red high heels. Her hair was in a formal loose bun with a side fringe to make it casual-looking. She was wearing the rose earrings he had given her on their second anniversary.
He led her down the porch, and when they were in front of the passenger side of his truck—which he had parked in front of her house—he presented her with a dozen red roses from behind his back.
"Oh, Gabe . . ." she breathed, taking them and inhaling their sweet scent. "They're beautiful . . ." And then, she noticed it. Among the red roses, sat a plastic red rose in the middle, which looked so much like a real rose that it was almost difficult to tell it apart from the others. She frowned, "What . . .?" and faced him.
He had a warm smile on his face. "When all the roses die, then my love for you will end as well."
She giggled, feeling another blush rise on her cheeks. "That was yet another corny quote from you, Gabriel."
He chuckled. "But that's only Phase One of my gift for you."
She frowned, her curiosity piqued. "How many Phases are there?"
He smiled. "Just two," he said as he opened the passenger's door for her.
^.^
They were at his apartment. She had never been to his apartment before.
She had left the boquet in the truck, and they were now in front of his door.
When he opened the door, he gestured for her to come inside first.
She took in his apartment.
It wasn't small, but it wasn't big either.
The living room was the first thing you would see once you entered; a big, comfy-looking couch sat in the middle of it, with a black glass coffee table and a TV in front of it. To the right was the bedroom, hidden by the door, and to the other side was the kitchen and dining area, separated from the living room with a door and a small bar that hid the kitchen behind white-colored shutters.
Gabriel had closed the door, crept up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Claire . . ." he whispered almost breathlessly in her ear.
She took a deep pull of air into her lungs which formed an almost ragged gasp of . . . pleasure, perhaps? "Yes . . . Gabriel . . .?" she asked, just as breathless as he was, as her hands went up to cover his.
"I love you."
She knew that he did, but it was the first time he had ever said it aloud. Hearing it sent pleasant shudders down her spine. She tilted her head closer to his to breathe in his ear, "I love you, too, Gabe."
She felt his smile on her neck.
"Say that again," he pleaded as he placed little kisses on her neck.
Her gasps came in shudders as an alien feeling shook her body. With Gabriel, it had always been soft and gentle lip-locked kisses that she loved or aggressively hungry full-on snogging that she wanted. He just tastes so damn good . . .
And now, he was necking her, his lips and tongue softening his bites on the sensitive skin on her neck.
She did as he had asked, "I love you, too, Gabriel."
She could feel a huge grin on his face as he continued his kisses from her neck to her shoulder. "Again . . . please . . ." He sounded like he was a condemned man about to be sent to the gallows.
"I love you, too . . . I love you, too, I love you, too, I love you, too, I—" She gasped. He had bitten at the particularly sensitive skin between her shoulder and neck. "Gabriel . . ." she breathed, a small smile creeping on her face. "Oh, Gabe . . ." He had started leaving kisses on her neck again.
He stopped and whispered into her ear, "I love you. . . . Phase Two will start now," before kissing her cheek, letting her go, and taking her hand, leading her to one of the doors.
A/N: To anyone who took the time to read this crap, I'm sorry if I took so long in updating, but I had had some cases of AL (Author's Laziness), but here's the next chapter now, and yeah I left a little cliff-hanger there, didn't I? Take a guess as to what Phase Two would be. ;) I'd love to hear what you're thinking, so please just click this little button down here and leave me a review! :D (Also, since I'm on a roll right now, I'll give you the third chapter as soon as I can :D)
