Chapter 14
Why boys feel threatened by a well-dressed girl…
Okay, what is it with guys? When you make that extra effort to impress them, suddenly they go all weird on you and decide you're too good for them. All because of a nice skirt/top/pair of shoes?
So what's the answer, girls? Dress like a frump? Take boho chic to a new level and become hobo chick? Not likely…
Check out these pre-spring mix and match sets that keep you looking amazing; and his insecurity in check- after all, we have to keep the guys on their toes somehow…
"Shit," Gabi checked her watch and saw it was already gone eight; and Troy had called her to ask if she was free tonight now that his essay was done and his project started.
It was four days since she had seen him and she felt like it was a lifetime ago. She slouched back in her chair and stretched her arms above her head before reaching for her phone to dial his number.
'Hello, this is Troy, Leave me a message…'
She sighed at the sound of his voicemail, not wanting to let him down by message.
"Troy, it's Gabi…" she sighed lightly. "I'm at work still…call me?"
She put her handset down and knocked her head back with a groan.
"You never told me you were a work-a-holic…" came warm, familiar tones from behind her and she swivelled to see Troy approaching with a pizza box.
She opened her mouth. "Who let you in?"
"Andrew," she grinned of the security guy. "He recognised me…"
She softened into a thankful smile and rose to hug her arms around his shoulders which he reciprocated with one arm.
"Hey, what's that for?" he asked bemusedly, following her to her desk and scooting a chair over before he opened the pizza box and handed her a slice; on a paper plate he had brought with him seemingly.
"Because I don't deserve you," she answered honestly.
He smiled a little curly smile. "Why because you had to work late?"
"Because I have to work late, all the time," she warned. "Hence why I was single…"
He took a bite of his pizza and leaned back, resting one ankle on his other knee so his leg crossed sideways.
"Well you're not now," he replied eventually. "So get used to having a man around…"
Gabi relaxed into a smile and took another slice. "I owe you."
He shrugged. "I can live with that…"
She giggled and reached forward to swipe him.
"So have you got much longer to go?" he arched a brow enquiringly.
She pressed her lips in at the side. "Another hour at least…"
"Do you want me to come and meet you?" he wondered and she tilted her head.
"I've been doing this for five years; I think I can manage…"
He blushed a little. "Yeah, of course, I'm sorry…"
She leaned forward and touched his knee. "Don't be, it was sweet of you to offer."
"So did I tell you they had a picture of us in OK Magazine?" he asked off-topic and she blinked and smiled.
"No..!"
"Yeah, from Jeremy's party; when we were dancing…"
Her face fell. "Were we kissing?"
"No," he assured. "Just dancing. Apparently you're well-known in the fashion circles," he added and it was her turn to blush.
"How did you find out?"
"My mom rang me and asked who that girl was I was dancing with…" he teased lightly and she o'd her mouth.
"Your mom saw it?!"
"Yeah, it's okay though. Once I explained you're my high-flying girlfriend she was fine about it…"
Gabi humoured him with a patient look. "Pizza was amazing, thank you," she broached.
"That's my cue to go," he clicked and stood, rubbing his palms down his thighs nervously.
She stood too and stepped up close, rising to kiss his mouth.
"No heels;" he husked as his fingers trained back her curly hair.
"No, kicked them off ages ago," she agreed, letting his arms wrap her up into his body for another long; enjoyable kiss.
"I'm going…" he told her as he stepped away reluctantly.
"See you Saturday?" she checked and he nodded. .
"Bye," she waved to him cutely as he went over to the elevator and once the doors whooshed shut and he travelled down, he sighed out in bitter-sweet happiness.
Getting to see her was amazing. Deciding to go and surprise her was the best thing he'd ever done…but leaving her was so much harder, he mused.
He pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold night air, wondering what time she would be leaving and if she would be safe. He jammed his hands into his pockets as the nippy air accosted his skin and he shrugged into his duffel coat. Spring was still cold, he thought as he crossed the road onto the shadowed side of the street.
"Hey, Bolton…" a voice called out behind him and he turned toward it, frowning as a balaclava'd man approached quickly and before he could even pull his hands from his pockets far enough to defend himself, he'd been struck with a blow to the face.
Troy hit the ground with a hard thump and quickly protected his body with his arms, unable to see his attacker through his hands, one of his eyes now closed in pain.
"What did I do?" he wondered as a kick swifted into his stomach. He couldn't think of any reason why anyone would want to take him down and he ferociously tried to get his senses back as another blow struck.
"You're with Gabi," was all the voice told him before he was dragged up and punched again; the force of the blow knocking him out.
/
"What happened?" Gabi burst into the flat and ran over to Chad who had called her and was ready to drive to the hospital.
"Someone attacked him in the street…" Chad supplied. "He didn't even have any money on him…"
Gabi felt her knees go to jelly from the last hour of panic she had endured at hearing Troy had been hospitalised. It was all she could do to get home and ask Chad for the details.
"Hey…" Chad quickly grasped her arms to steady her. "It's just bruises and concussion; he's going to be okay…"
Her eyes went wide. "Concussion?"
"They banged his head about pretty bad," Chad relayed then quickly hugged her.
"Are you getting changed?" he added and she nodded, running upstairs to quickly throw on some jeans and a t-shirt she found laying on her floor and then she pulled on her ballerina flats and grabbed her bag.
"Lets go," she told Chad, letting him lead her out.
/
Troy woke slowly and frowned at the noises surrounding him, wondering where he was. When he went to roll over, he remembered he was in hospital and everything ached again, making him wince and breathe painfully in and out.
He licked his dry lips and considered reaching for water; but he needed to open his eyes first and that was proving a hard task.
"Hey…" a soft voice, closer than the others, called to him and he felt like he recognised the sound.
"Water?" he ventured back, receiving the tip of a straw to his mouth and he opened his lips and sucked gratefully on the liquid.
When soft fingers brushed against his forehead he knew for sure who his visitor was.
"Gabi?" he checked and he heard her confirmation. "Don't look," he told her in his charming way and he heard her chuckle, followed by a sniffle.
He broke open his good eye and focused on her blurry face. "Don't cry," he added quickly, stretching his fingers out, then his arm to reach for her.
She came and sat on the edge of the bed, taking his arm into her lap where she could cradle his hand in hers.
"Are you okay?" she swallowed.
"Yeah…yeah, just beat up that's all," he explained of his injuries.
"Who would do this?" she whispered and he wondered if he should tell her. They'd told him once he'd been patched up and he'd been shocked, but he didn't know how Gabi might take the news.
"They took Chris in for questioning," he explained. "Luckily someone saw what happened and they managed to detain him while the cops came…"
"Chris?" she questioned, trying to recognise the name and then she remembered- Troy's old school friend from the party that had asked her to dance.
"I think he wanted something to happen with the two of you…"
"What?" Gabi exclaimed. "He did this because we're together?"
Troy managed a nod. "Apparently…"
"That's so stupid!" she raged. "You didn't deserve to be hurt!"
He smiled softly at her protectiveness of him. "And I was worried about you walking home alone…"
"Don't joke about this, Troy," she accused angrily. "It's not even funny."
"Hey," he grasped her hand and brought her gaze back to his. "I'm ok."
"That's not the point…"
"He's obviously got a problem…" Troy garnered.
"Why are you ok with this?" she wondered; still shocked by the reason for his attack.
Troy managed a barely-there shrug. "Because I have you."
"He could do this again…" she worried.
"He's getting charged, I don't think his modelling career will last long if he keeps getting GBH charges," Troy commented.
"Troy…" she beseeched and he closed his eyes and swallowed against the image of that fist coming towards him and knocking him backwards.
"What do you want me to say Gabi?" he husked. "That I'm afraid? Yeah, okay, I am…" he admitted, and then sighed. "But I'm the guy here, I'm meant to be the strong one who protects you…"
She reached forward and splayed her hands on the sides of face, ever so gently.
"You don't need to," she assured. "And I'm here to stop you being afraid…"
He winced and closed his eye again, feeling his exhaustion take over.
"Don't leave," he asked her and she stroked his hair back as she promised not to.
/
He had a black eye. And his lower lip that had been split still showed signs of soreness. His ribs, she knew, were bruised and just above his eyebrow, his skin was taped to heal the cut there, too.
He hobbled a little with the pain in his leg and he was surrendered to his own vulnerability, but as Gabi watched him walk from the hospital she could only be glad he was okay.
He'd insisted she wait outside while Chad loped beside him; affectionately cupping his shoulder and pushing him boyishly as they laughed together.
"Rambo is ready to go home," Chad leaned down to Gabi's open window and grinned and she smiled gratefully at his humour, seeing Troy push his friend gently into the car.
"Get in, Chad," he told him and gingerly sank into the passenger seat as he passed around the car.
"How are you feeling?" Gabi checked with her worried hazel eyes.
"Sore," he admitted, slowly reaching for his seat belt and clipping it in.
"I have to go back to work after I drop you off…" she frowned.
"It's fine, I told you…"
"It's not fine," she murmured to herself, but he merely smiled softly and reached over to touch her knee quickly in comfort.
"Ryan's gonna be home, he said he'd make my dinner and get me to bed…" Troy teased and she allowed a small smile.
"As long as he's not in your bed…" she joked and Chad chuckled behind them.
"I'm just going to rest for a couple of days, nothing major," he promised.
"Okay, I'll call you later when I'm done and see if you're awake…"
"Just come by," he offered and she frowned.
"Are you sure, you need your rest…?"
"Gabi…just come by," he said again and she nodded, flicking him a look as she pulled up at the house; getting out to see him up to the door.
"I wish we could be rolling in my bed right now," he said as they reached his door and she broke into a soft smile before grasping his top in her hands.
"Get better;" she arched her brow and kissed him gently on the lips, careful to avoid his split lip.
He swallowed. "I love you."
"I love you, too," she ruffled his hair and went back to her car, taking a deep breath before her hands quivered and then she broke down into tears; Chad quickly coming into the front seat to comfort her.
"Hey, what's up, Gabi?" he worried, shh'ing her and holding her comfortingly.
"Why would someone do that to him? Because of me?" she gasped.
"Hey, the guy had a glitch with Troy in school and he was just jealous…"
"But if he wasn't with me, he would have never got hurt…"
"Gabi, don't do this," Chad begged. "No-one could have predicted that guy was gonna go crazy and attack Troy…"
She wiped her tears on the backs of her hands and sat straight. "How can I make this right?"
"It's not you who needs to," Chad pointed out. "You're already doing everything you can…"
She took a deep breath and nodded, fighting for the inner steel she had developed when her last relationship had broken down.
"I have to get back to work…"
"Drop me in town?" Chad asked, belting up.
"Okay," she nodded, feeling anything but ok.
/
"Gabi, I heard what happened, I'm so sorry…" Elaine came over and hugged her when she got back to her desk. "Why didn't you say?"
Gabi managed a small smile. "Troy didn't want everyone knowing…"
"Oh, well, that's understandable. Is he ok now?"
"I just picked him up from hospital and dropped him home," she confirmed.
"Then you must go dear and be with him…" Elaine said right off.
"But I haven't done the outfits for the Spring Special…" Gabi admitted.
"Well, if you'll let me then I'll ask Anita to do it," Elaine said of Gabi's colleague.
Gabi pressed her lips in, hating that she had to decide between the thing she loved most in the world- fashion- and the man she loved. Because she knew right away which was most important and she felt guilty for even considering her job over her boyfriend.
"Okay," she agreed sadly.
"I promise you can have the Summer Special all to yourself;" Elaine winked and Gabi nodded, rubbing her hands together.
"I guess I'll go, then…"
"Give him a get-well hug from me," Elaine called as Gabi made her way out.
As Gabi travelled down in the escalator, she knew that she would be giving Troy her own get-well hug-one she wouldn't be letting up for a long, long time.
/
"He's sleeping…" Ryan whispered to Gabi as he opened the door to let her in.
"Oh," she pursed her lips and wondered if she should have come after all.
"He's in his room if you want to go up…"
"Ah…" she frowned, feeling awkward.
"I'm sure he'd really like to see you…" Ryan added encouragingly and she finally relaxed.
"Thanks, Ryan."
"No problem, Gabi. Take care of him, huh?" he twinkled and she pretend-hit him before she crept up the stairs to check on Troy.
She lay down her bag and slipped off her heels, watching Troy as he slept soundly on the bed on his side with his arm bent up as a pillow.
She gingerly lay beside him and mirrored his pose; just watching his bruised face as he slept.
She reached out and traced the bruise around his eye, then skimmed over his swollen lip.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, jerking back as he woke, moving but not opening his eyes.
"Nurse?" he wondered and she couldn't help her warm smile.
"If that's what turns you on," she replied drily, making him open his good eye to her where his rueful smile broke out.
"Where's the nurse-maid outfit?" he wondered; dragging his eyes down her outfit of tailored black trousers and flimsy floral top.
"At home," she sighed sadly, taking to brushing the backs of her fingers down his cheek.
"Is it too late to go get it?"
She giggled at his request and leaned forward to kiss him. "I missed you."
He smiled softly back, closing his eyes again and rolling onto his back, slowly, but only so he could cuddle her into his side.
"I missed you, too," he replied, holding her close.
"Elaine gave me the afternoon off," she explained and he nodded, swallowing.
"Smart woman."
"Is there anything you need? Anything I can get you?"
His lips twitched and she squinted, wondering why he was laughing.
"You can tell my body that we are not making love until my ribs stop hurting…" he bemused and she flicked her gaze down to his evident arousal.
He was only in his pyjama bottoms and t-shirt and he'd never looked cuter but somehow his hard evidence of attraction filled her with dirty excitement and blew all his cuteness out of the water.
She snuggled into him and wriggled. "I could…you know…" she offered and he smiled painfully.
"No, it's okay…" he promised; wanting to be able to enjoy foreplay with her and not be selfish enough to receive and not to give.
"It might help take your mind off the pain…"
He sighed. "I can't promise I wouldn't fall asleep, anyway…"
She pursed her lips. "Okay."
He cuddled her tighter. "I'm glad you came."
"Me too," she rubbed her cheek against his chest.
/