Angela twiddled at the mushrooms on her plate absentmindedly. She had never been fond of mushrooms and wasn't about to start liking it now. Gill had ordered the mushroom stir fry for her without even asking for her opinion. She stole a glance at the man sitting next to her with annoyance. Gill was silently eating his tomato risotto with an unreadable look on his face. He calmly took a quick sip of his tomato juice, trying to hold back the sharp rebuke he was itching to give Angela for the wrath emanating from her. Jerk...Angela thought with contempt while she forced down a bite of her food.
Elli kept glancing back and forth between the pair opposite her, sensing the heavy atmosphere weighing down the table. The inn's staff had also noticed the thick tension at their table and had tried to avoid them, providing only a miniscule amount of customer service. Elli nudged the mayor, who was obliviously enjoying his fish meuniere, to say something. He cleared his throat, getting the attention of the farmer who was glad for the distraction while Gill ignored it and continued eating his meal quietly.
"So, Angela, how's life on Caramel Farm?" the mayor said as he dabbed his napkin at the crumbs lingering on his face. Angela beamed at the question.
"Everything's great!" she said cheerfully, "farming's not as hard as I thought it'd be." Gill's ears listened to the conversation intently while his eyes remained glued to his plate.
"I've already weeded most of my plot and my plants have already produced their first batch of crops," Angela said with pride. The mayor applauded for her efforts in admiration and Elli joined in the applause, but with less gusto. The farmer's face pinkened in embarrassment, not used to the attention. Gill rolled his eyes at the public display of his father's excessive mirth. All this fuss over some grass and veggies? The value of hard labor had obviously diminished, if the term "hard labor" could even be used to describe the meager work Angela had accomplished.
"The only problem I've had so far is this huge tree sitting in the middle of my plot. I've been forced to plant in circles around it and it makes it kind of hard to water everything," Angela continued.
"A huge tree, is it? Hmmm…."the mayor said as rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His mind was shuffling through various solutions. The farmer recognized the look on his face and quickly added the solution she had formulated herself.
"I-I'm going to take care of it though! Er, I mean, Luke is," Gill nearly choked at the mention of the incompetent oaf's name. He subtly snatched his drink off the table and began to chug it down vivaciously. The color of his face matched the color of his drink.
"I'm going to have Luke take care of it, but I haven't asked him about it yet," Angela said, paying no heed to Gill's episode.
"Ah yes, Luke! Dale's, er, outgoing son…" the mayor's mind began to envision the charming pair-up of Luke and Angela. "Luke's a strong, dependable, and sturdy lad…hmm…." his distant look suddenly lit up like a bolt of lightning. "I approve! Excellent choice, Angela!" the mayor chortled aloud, catching the attention of the inn's staff. The mayor emphasized his sentence with a thumbs-up and a coy wink, both of which Angela could not interpret.
"Now, Gill," the mayor shifted himself to face the distracted young man in front of him, "how was your trip?" Mayor Hamilton asked his son eagerly. Gill, however, was unaware of the topic shift and was busy swiveling the scarlet liquid in his cup mindlessly. Elli sighed and kicked his leg under the table. Being ever mindful of their location and his position, he held in his loud yelp of pain, despite the lack of other customers. Gill shot a look of wrath at Elli. She returned the angry glare threefold and nudged her head at his father. Gill's narrow eyes widened with realization of the situation. Had his father asked him something?
"I-I'm sorry, father, could you repeat that? I was distracted by an ugly fly buzzing about," Gill said spitefully. Elli flashed her tongue at him in revenge for the childish analogy.
"I was wondering how your trip went, silly! You came back much earlier than I was expecting," the mayor said. Truth be told, he had been earnestly hoping that his son would become charmed by his potential-wife and that Gill would stay over at Toucan Island for a night or two. The mayor would've even been happy if Gill had disappeared for a whole month and returned a married man! Anything, he felt, as long as Gill was happy.
"Ah, my trip…" Gill replied. He stole a glance at the expectant woman at his side. Angela was eyeballing him with overflowing curiousity. She, too, was interested in what had occurred during his abrupt absence.
"It went…well. The business owners' readily agreed to my terms of contract and my presence here is an indicator itself of our swift meeting," he said candidly. Angela, who had been expecting to hear more, was disappointed with his straightforward answer. Elli was definitely right for saying it was serious business. She shoved another bite of mushrooms into her mouth, trying to ignore the odious taste.
"And your date?" the mayor asked with a coy tone. Angela was the one to nearly choke on her food this time. Serious, stern, and sordid Gill had disappeared…because of a date. She looked at the mushrooms on her plate. What twisted, anomalous kind of alternate universe had these things sent her to? She glanced at Elli, who was avoiding any and all eye contact. The town's secretary had suddenly become too occupied eating her meal to notice the set of eyes upon her. Angela turned her attention to the mayor's son. Gill's face had turned a lovely shade of pink, not because he enjoyed the date, but because his father's abrupt question had been uttered in front of someone who had no business in his personal life. He straightened his tie, once again feeling Angela's chocolate eyes aimed at him.
"She dumped me, father," Gill blatantly lied. Angela mentally scoffed at his obvious cover-up, but the mayor didn't notice his son's insincerity. Those three words had momentarily crushed his usual enthusiasm for life.
"Oh. I see…" he took a sorrowful bite of his fish. The disappointment had obviously not dampened his appetite.
"I tried my best, father, but c'est l'amour, non?" Gill twisted his usually straight face into what appeared to be a look of saddened regret. The mayor's heart nearly broke at that familiar expression. Over time he had come to genuinely believe all of Gill's white lies, even the half-baked facial attempts. Mayor Hamilton rebounded from his own despair to comfort his son.
"Don't worry, my boy! She was probably just not the right one for you!" the mayor said, stretching across the table to pat his son's shoulder in consolation. Gill smiled and nodded in agreement, thankful his father had finally dropped the subject. Or had he? The mayor settled back into his own seat, watching his son bite into a tomato slice. His eyes drifted to Angela, seated next to Gill, as she chewed her food laboriously with a grimace. A seedling of playful intent was suddenly planted in his mind as he viewed the combined duo before him.
"Actually, I think 'the one' might be closer than you think…" the mayor sneakily mentioned. The pair both looked up at him in surprise as the same thought ran through their minds.
Oh no, please tell me he doesn't mean—
"Angela, how about you and Gill go on a date when you have free time?" Their faces both shifted color in reaction to the ludicrous suggestion. One turned white. The other turned red.
"I'm joking, you two! No need to get all solemn!" the mayor guffawed at the small joke made. Angela sighed noisily in relief and slumped back into her chair. She had been scared the mayor would go through with his suggestion, despite the kicking and screaming that might occur from both parties. Gill, on the other hand, reddened exponentially from a combo of both mortification and irritation.
"Father, this is—"
"I know you've already become keen on a certain someone, Angie, so I won't burden you like that," Mayor Hamilton winked slyly at her once more. Scarlet rose into her cheeks as the meaning of the mayor's earlier hinting became very clear. Gill looked back at the blushing maiden at his side with remorse and turned towards his father, clearly agitated at the ensuing chaos.
"Father, can we please continue this discussion in the privacy of our home? There's no need to drag the whole island into this … issue," he uttered quietly, trying to avoid any further inquiring looks from the Sundae Inn staff.
"Alright then, Gill. We'll talk later…" the mayor said and tossed a wink at Angela. She responded with an awkward cough, pretending to have not noticed.
"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pay for our dinner," Gill rose from the table and took the check that had placed there. He had not fully finished his meal, but their discussion had made him lose his appetite and he was more than anxious to escape further prodding from his father. Angela shot up from her seat with sudden realization at what was occurring and dashed to the cash register. Gill was already pulling out a large wad of bills from his wallet when Angela grabbed his arm.
"Don't pay for mine!" she objected firmly. Gill stared at her in disbelief and shook off her grip from him. He placed the stack on the counter. Angela grabbed it and shoved it back at him. The two locked eyes, one burning with determination and the other simply confused. Angela reached into her pocket and waved her tattered wallet in front of him.
"I'm paying for my own food, you jerk," she emphasized her decision with a slap of her wallet onto his chest. Gill scowled at her rebellion in disbelief.
"I hardly think the inn would appreciate such filthy lucre from a starving pauper," the prince-like man rebuked her and turned his attention back to the inn's proprietor. Angela grabbed his arm again, this time with more force. Gill veered his face towards back to her, exasperated with Angela's stubbornness.
"I don't care if you call me names or insult my hard-earned cash. I don't need guys like you trying to act all cool and snooty. I'm paying for my own food to keep my dignity while I still have it," she replied fiercely. Obviously, there was no wavering of her decision. Gill scoffed loudly at her declaration of "dignity". Angela was wasting his time debating over a simple matter and he had better things to do than stand her all night at an impasse. There was only thing to do against a persistent woman like this…
With their eyes still tied, Gill's free hand wrapped around her thin waist. Angela's heart suddenly skipped a beat in reaction to the odd sensation of warmth and firmness on her torso. He began to slowly draw her into him with his unyielding arm and bright eyes. The innocent farmer felt her chest thump widely and her cheeks burning like her former determination. Angie tried to deter him with insults like their first meeting, but her tongue went limp and the insults were lost to the nether. Slowly, slowly, their figures grew closer together. Angela squinted her eyes shut, unsure whether he'd shove her away vigorously or envelop her nervous person in his steady arms. He instead gently pulled the back of her head towards his face, the aim of his lopsided smiling lips unclear. Their faces were mere millimeters apart before Gill swiftly turned her head aside and settled his mouth near her ear. Angela scrunched herself up further, feeling both discomfort and odd pleasure from Gill's closeness.
"The poor should quietly accept the generosity of the wealthy, Ms. Angela," he softly whispered into her tingling ear. Whatever romantic gesture Angela had been half-anticipating, it certainly hadn't been that arrogant statement. Gill's sturdy arm suddenly left her side and pushed her shoulder back forcefully. Having taken care of his pest, Gill quickly paid the bill, and disappeared into the outside darkness.
Angela had tumbled into the ready arms of Elli. The farmer stood there dazed with what had just occurred. Her body had gone limp with shock and she hung in Elli's trembling arms for a few moments before recollecting herself. Elli sighed as she helped Angie sort herself out. The word "unfair" came to mind as she weighed the pair's contrary amounts of experience with the opposite sex. Being his confidante, Elli knew quite well how many young ladies Gill had met and used his methods of rejection on. Angie, on the other hand, seemed highly inexperienced, purely innocent, and easily influenced by simple actions from a guy, Gill's performance as a prime example.
Besides the stunned mayor and the bewildered farmer, no one else seemed terribly astonished at Gill's actions. They had seen it all before; Kathy had experienced it firsthand, while Colleen and Jake experienced it with their daughter, Maya. For someone who proclaimed to have no time for women, Gill certainly seemed experienced at handling them.
It's been a little over a week since "Of Spite & Sprites" was posted and the extra bit of time + a sturdier release schedule has allowed me to work on three chapters simultaneously. This was of the first of the said triad of chaps and should I find myself with another completed one by Tuesday...well, we'll see. :3c
Ah, the semi-intimate moment near the end was somehow difficult to write. =_=;; I at least hope it gave something akin to warm, fluffy feels in your innards. I certainly think Gill's buzz-killing sentence could've been wittier; if you have something more clever/arrogant/presumptuous that he could utter in mind, I'm totally open to suggestions on refining that bit. Also, because there is no proper pairing option for story descriptions yet, I'll be temporarily removing Luke and Selena from the character list. The current setup has caused it to look like a GillxLuke story to peeps who don't read summaries. :P Once again, the name removals are temporary.
Did this chapter make your kokoro go doki-doki*? Did it make you want to burn it in an eternally fiery pit of salsa? Or did it make you just go "meh, it's good, i guess?" Whichever way your jimmies were rustled*, I would certainly like to know about it! :D Leave me a review if you've a word to say, follow the story if your curiousity must be sated, or favorite it if you're enjoying the story so far!
*Please note that the following terms were being used ironically. There is no need to be concerned for any future appearances of excessive weaboo or meme phrases. I've outgrown those days. =3=
