Chapter 2
He ran his finger along her cheek and down to her chin. Renee opened her eyes and smiled at him. She raised herself up on
her elbow. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on top of him. Her arms moved around his back and she
pulled him to her. She bent her head down to his, and they kissed. "I love you," he said when their lips parted.
She kissed him again, then started to get up. "Where are you going?"
She just smiled at him and slipped back into her shirt and pants. Then, she walked into the kitchen. Gabriel sighed, then sat
up and pulled his jeans on before following her out of the room.
*******
A month went by and Renee and Gabriel continued their training with Sara and Ian. They were getting better, but Ian still
thought Gabriel was too reckless. "All you're going to accomplish is getting yourself hurt," he told him one day. "You can't
just jump in and start throwing punches. There has to be some thought behind your actions."
Gabriel tried to do it the way Ian told him to, but he couldn't do it with a clear head.
It was the middle of February and Gabriel was walking to Renee's apartment from his shop. He saw a stand where a man was
selling roses. Picking out a red one, he paid for it and started to walk away. Gabriel could feel someone following close
behind him.
He quickened his pace, but still had the feeling that he was being followed. He started to run and almost dropped the rose.
When he realized he wasn't going to out run his pursuer, he stopped and turned to meet him.
Gabriel sighed in relief when he saw that it was only Ian. "Do you have to do that?' He asked a little sharper than he had
meant to.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you."
"Is there a reason you were following me?"
"I was just trying to catch up to you. Sara wants to speak with you."
"Well, I'm going to Renee's right now. After I see her, I will talk to Pez."
Ian nodded, then turned away. Gabriel watched him walk away, then continued on to Renee's.
He had just raised his hand to knock when the door swung open. Renee was standing there in jeans and a sweatshirt. She
was smiling at him. "I was looking out the window and saw you walk up."
She realized that he was still standing in the hallway. "Come in," she said, embarrassed. They walked inside and Gabriel
started to remove his coat, almost forgetting about the rose in his hand. He set it on the table and threw his coat over the
back of a chair. He picked the rose up and turned around. "Happy Valentine's day," he said as he handed it to her.
She smiled at him, then turned away and walked into the kitchen. Taking a glass out of the cupboard, she filled it with
water and put the rose in. Then, she turned back around. Gabriel was standing right in front of her. "Thank you," she
whispered as her arms slid around him.
He pulled her right up against him and kissed the top of her head.
"I thought we were going out tonight," he said. "But you're not changed."
"I changed my mind."
He shrugged and said with a grin, "Staying home might prove to be more fun."
*******
Renee rolled over, swung her feet to the floor, and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water, waited for it to heat
up, then stepped into the shower. Once she was clean, she turned off the water and stepped out. Grabbing a towel, she dried
off and walked back into the bedroom.
She was nearly dressed when Gabriel opened his eyes. He propped himself up on one elbow and watched her. "Where are
you going?" He finally asked.
She turned around and smiled at him. "The same place I go every Friday morning," she replied.
"You mean the same place I forget about every Friday morning?"
"Yeah, that one," she answered with a grin.
He sat up and watched her finish getting ready. She grabbed her coat and walked over to the bed. She kissed him, then said,
"I shouldn't be gone for long. They don't care to hold long conversations with me."
He watched her leave, then swung his feet to the floor and pulled his jeans on. Walking into the kitchen, he saw the rose
sitting on the counter and remembered that he was supposed to call Sara.
He picked up the phone and dialed her number.
"Pezzeni. Go."
"Hi, Pez. It's Gabe. Saw Ian yesterday and he told me you wanted to talk. Sorry I forgot. Looks like I missed you though,
so I'll talk to you sometime."
He hung up the phone and walked back into the bedroom. After pulling on his shirt, he ran a comb through his hair and
walked back into the kitchen. He scribbled a quick note for Renee and left.
*******
Renee unzipped her coat as she walked into the office. Everyone looked up from their desks and computers and watched
her walk toward the main office. She could feel the heat from their hateful looks boring into her back. There was only one
friendly face in the room.
Janice Kelly was an older woman. She had taken Renee under her wing when she had first arrived. She had also been the
one to encourage her to work at home when she realized Renee was uncomfortable being around so many people. Janice had
been like a second mom to her.
Renee knocked on the door and opened it when someone told her to come in. A young man was sitting behind a desk. He
looked like he was only a few years older than her. "That your next one?" He asked, nodding at the long envelope in her
hand.
"Yes, it is," she replied, handing it to him.
He stood up and took it from her. "Thanks. I'll look over it tonight and make sure there aren't any problems. Of course, I'm
sure there won't be."
She smiled at him. He was the only other friendly one at the office.
"How are the plans coming for your wedding?" He asked.
She shrugged. "All right. Still trying to find a deejay."
"You have picked out a groom, right?"
Renee laughed. "Yeah. I thought that might be kind of important." She looked at her watch. "Nick, I need to get going."
He nodded. "See you in a week."
She smiled at him, turned around, and walked out of the office. Janice stood up when she saw her coming out. Renee
walked over to her and asked, "How are things here?"
"Not bad. They're trying to make things difficult for me, but won't push too far."
"I don't understand it. Why do they care that I write at home? It's not like I talked to them when I was here anyway."
"You're different than them. You don't depend on people's opinion of you and they don't understand that. Try not to pay
any attention to them."
"You're right, of course."
"Your fiancé is a lucky man, Renee."
They said good-bye and Renee started to walk away. She heard two people whispering as she walked past. "Wonder what
she's gonna do now," one said.
"Probably gonna sit around while we work," the other one replied.
Renee just squared her shoulders and held her head higher as she walked out of the doors.
*******
Gabriel knocked on the door and Sara looked up from her desk. "Hello, Gabe. What are you doing here?"
"I called your apartment and when you weren't there, I figured you were here."
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"Ian told me you wanted to talk to me. Forgot to call you after I got to Renee's yesterday."
"It wasn't important. Just wanted to know how the wedding plans are coming."
"Need to find a deejay and a caterer. We found a photographer. The mother of a friend of Renee's agreed to do it."
"How are things with her dad? Is he coming?"
Gabriel shook his head. "He still doesn't think he'll be able to make it. Renee refuses to talk about it." He glanced at the
clock on the wall. "She should be getting back soon, so I should get going."
Sara smiled and shook her head. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow then."
He nodded and left. She watched him leave, then shook her head again. She really has him whipped, she thought.
*******
Renee walked into her apartment and saw a piece of paper sitting on the counter. She walked over and picked it up.
Renee,
Went to see Pez. Be back soon.
Love,
Gabriel
She smiled at it. It was a good thing she wasn't insecure about her relationship with him, or she might be jealous.
Just as she was about to throw it away, the door opened. She spun around, and a smile made its way across her face.
"Wasn't sure if you'd make it home before me," Gabriel said.
"I just got here a minute ago. What did you see Sara about?"
"I was supposed to call her last night, but forgot."
"What did she want?"
"Just to know how our plans are coming."
"Okay." She walked into the kitchen and opened the dishwasher. She had started to unload it when Gabriel walked up and
put his hands on her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"What?" She asked, not meeting his eyes.
"Your dad."
"No." She continued putting the dishes away without looking at him.
He sighed, then turned away. He wanted her to talk to him about what was bothering her, but didn't know how to get her
to. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch.
A few minutes later, he heard her walk across the room and stop behind the couch. Standing up, he turned around and was
surprised to see a smile on her face. "What are you doing?" He asked as she took his hands and pulled him to his feet.
She didn't say anything. Her right hand moved up to his shoulder and they started to dance around the room.
"You do realize there's no music?" He asked.
"I'm not deaf," she replied with a grin.
She took his hands in hers again and backed toward the bedroom with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
*******
A young woman was walking down the street. She kept looking at a small piece of paper in her hand, then up at the
apartments. Finally, she stopped in front of one. She hesitated a moment, looking around nervously, then walked up to the
door and knocked.
*******
Renee heard someone knocking on the door and rolled over. She pulled her clothes on and walked into the living room.
Opening the door, she exclaimed in surprise, "Cara, what are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to see my friend."
"It's an awfully long drive just to visit me."
Cara saw Gabriel standing in the doorway and a blush started to rise in her cheeks. "Maybe I came at the wrong time."
Renee looked at him, then back at her. "No, it's fine. Do you want something to eat?"
"Sure."
They walked into the kitchen and she sat down while Renee made some sandwiches and Gabriel got them something to
drink.
*******
A man watched from the shadows as the girl, she couldn't be any older than twenty, walked into the apartment. He turned
away from the street and took his cell phone from his pocket.
