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CHAPTER 5
The boat was cosy. Gabi had the unfortunate luck of facing Troy while he rowed and Jared sat behind him while she acted as some sort of cox- against her will and annoyed to boot.
She hated fishing, she had no idea why Jared had chosen this task and she was counting down the seconds until they were home again.
"So mom, are you free tomorrow night?" Jared asked.
She looked up, puzzled. "Of course, I cleared my diary for the whole break…"
"Good," he smiled. "Because I'd like to take you out for dinner…to Logan's," he added.
"It's very expensive there," she frowned.
"You should wear something nice. We'll dress up," he added.
Gabi flicked a look to Troy who; being in front of Jared happened to be in her line of vision.
"Are you coming Troy?" She checked.
"Ah...no," he declined, dropping his gaze.
"Oh…"
"He's got a date," Jared spoke up behind him.
"I do not," Troy sighed at Jared's antics. If he didn't know better he'd think he was trying to rile him up and force him to admit his liaison with his mother but if he didn't know about it, how could he possibly be digging for information?
"He does," Jared whispered across to Gabi.
Gabi swallowed. "Well, have a nice time, won't you…"
"I sure will," he agreed flatly. "Sitting at home, alone," he added under his breath.
Gabi frowned, not sure she understood the concept of a date held alone, but still, she'd given up trying to work out the two young men.
"Jared can you catch some fish now?" Gabi asked. "I'd like to get home before sundown…"
"Sure," he set up his rod while Troy shifted over and watched, not so bothered about fishing himself while they sat in strained silence waiting for a bite.
An hour went by with no nibble before Jared admitted defeat.
"I'm bored." He announced.
"Thank god," Troy cheered.
"Hallelujah," Gabi added for good measure.
Back on solid ground, Jared walked back beside Troy to discuss his plan some more.
"Look, I know a girl you can go out with tomorrow night," he whispered.
"Jared," he rolled his eyes.
"No, wait…at least you won't be home alone like you said…you'll have an alibi, too."
"An alibi for what?" He wondered.
"Me standing my mom up. She can't blame you if you're out with a girl…"
"I doubt she will anyway…" Troy sighed.
"Humour me. She's just your type," Jared assured.
"You don't know my type," Troy returned.
"Sure I do," his friend grinned. "Brunette, exotic…"
Troy blinked. How did he know that? He'd not dated anyone at University nor partaken in too much drunken snogging- especially not with dark haired, exotic-looking girls, he mused.
"I don't-"
"8 o'clock, Logan's…"
"Jared that's what time your mom is meeting Ethan…" He frowned knowingly.
"So, say hi," he suggested lightly, wondering if his idea would stick.
"Say hi to your mom while I'm with my date and she's with Ethan who you set her up with?" Troy repeated, seriously concerned at Jared's offer.
He shrugged, in typical young-guy fashion.
"Yeah…"
Troy shook his head. "You need help…"
"Okay, I'll tell Jade to meet you there," he carried on regardless.
"Sure, why not?" Troy mused. "If she stands me up too, I can have your mom witness the whole thing…"
"She won't stand you up," Jared smirked. "I'm sure she'll like you…"
/
Gabi had gone to her room once the three of them arrived home from the fishing trip. She stayed out of the way for the rest of the night while Troy and Jared played board games while it was raining heavily outside. Come the morning, she must have gone out early because there were croissants and fruit waiting; but no sign of Gabi herself.
Jared lifted his brows at his buddy and quickly tucked into the food anyway.
"I guess she's getting a dress for tonight," he mused.
"Don't you feel at all bad?" Troy asked.
"Do you have something to wear later?" Jared changed topic.
"Yeah, my dark grey suit and white shirt…"
"I think you should go with pale blue," Jared suggested.
"Okay, thanks fasionista," he teased his friend.
"What's the plan today?" Jared asked.
"Hoops?" Troy suggested of the basketball court in the driveway and it didn't take much to persuade them onto the damp tarmac to play.
A couple of hours later, topless and sweaty, they were still at it as Gabi drew up at the end of the drive to save spoiling their game.
"Hey mom, I'm winning 8-6!" Jared boasted as she got out of the car with boutique bags- confirming Jared's suspicion she had gone shopping.
"Oh…well done," she offered, watching the two topless men leap about for a moment before she went to move inside.
"I have to do something before dinner, mom," Jared bounded over while Troy bent and rested his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Alright," she agreed lightly, ripping her eyes from the naked expanse of Troy's back that she remembered only too vividly; not to mention the way his hair felt between her fingers…
"Can I meet you at the restaurant? It'd be easier…" Jared posed.
"Sure, no problem," Gabi quickly agreed, keen to get inside.
"Okay, see you later," Jared grinned, watching as his mother gazed at Troy as he stood and gazed at her.
"She's eyeing you up, man," he teased his friend.
Troy swallowed. "Nah."
"Better save it for Jade later," Jared winked.
Troy nodded. "I'll try…"
"Hey, don't look so miserable, man. She's a great girl; just you wait and see…"
"I believe you," Troy assured. "I just…don't do well with women."
"You will," Jared smiled. "Trust me, you will…"
/
Okay, this was embarrassing.
Jared was late. Twenty minutes late and counting. Gabi sat and swilled her wine around her glass awkwardly as she flicked her gaze around the room.
She had bought a teal green silk dress especially for tonight that wrapped over at the bust and came just above her knee- dressy but not showy. Her matching make up and delicate dangly earrings finished the look along with her toeless pumps.
"I could kill my son," she murmured to herself, then smiled wanly as the waiter caught her out and gave her a look.
"I'm joking!" She assured as he poured her another drink.
"Table ten, sir…" Came the voice of the maître'd and Gabi looked up expectantly, expecting Jared to be stood there.
"Troy?" She frowned.
"Gabi?" He said back, then looked to the host. "There's some kind of mistake, is this the only booking for Jared Montez?"
"Only one booking for Jared Montez- table ten," he repeated.
"What the…" Gabi echoed her own confusion.
"Madame, is there a mistake?" The maître asked her.
Gabi looked to Troy. "He set us up?"
"He knows?" He asked back.
"Madame…" the host hurried her and she smiled politely at the man.
"Err…no mistake, I'm sorry…" she told him as she watched Troy seat himself, slowly and with a deep thunderous look upon his face.
"He set us both up," he shot across the table at her, tense with unease.
"He can't have found out," Gabi whispered back, also distraught. "No-one but us knows about that night…"
"Then why…?" Troy marveled at the intricate plan Jared had woven to force them to be there, together.
She sighed. "I know he wants me to move on, but this is ridiculous…"
"Is it?" He arched. "He clearly knows something is going on with us…"
"But nothing is!" She argued. "We buried it all…we decided to move on…"
"We must be doing a pretty bad job of it, then," he mused, lightening somewhat.
If Jared had set them up intentionally then he couldn't be that mad at the idea of his mom and his friend getting it on. Although Troy wasn't sure his friend would feel the same if they actually were together. This was like a test. A trap, even. To catch them and accuse them accordingly.
"I haven't done a bad job of anything," she hissed. "It's you!"
"What!" He cast, stunned at her accusation. "What have I done?"
"The way you keep looking at me!" She hurled.
"Oh that's rich coming from you," he returned. "Earlier in the yard he caught you eyeing me up!"
"I was not-" she swallowed her lie. "I did not 'eye you up'," she contested.
"No?" He rebound.
"No! Heavens have I not made it clear there is nothing between us? Nothing," she added for good measure.
Troy blinked at her, profoundly hurt by her statement but not surprised by it, either.
"Right," he sighed, nodding. "I don't know why I'm here in that case…"
Troy stood and walked away and by the time Gabi felt the urge to call his name, it was too late, he was gone.
She quickly paid her bill and left, too, catching a cab ride home when she couldn't find Troy on the street. Where had he vanished to?
She clicked shut the front door to her house and looked around the dark rooms on the lower floor, hoping to catch him sitting there, quietly reflecting their dinner. She had maybe hoped too much…
"You look amazing, by the way…"
The husked tones of the man half her age startled her as she padded into the kitchen. He was sat at the breakfast counter on a tall stool in the dark. She turned toward him.
"You always say that," she accused softly.
"You always do," he countered, then grimaced, producing a sad smile. "I know it's over, Gabi…but I can't just turn it off…"
"Turn what off, Troy?" She beseeched, coming closer.
He looked up, all blue eyes and angst.
"How I feel."
"How can you feel anything at all?" She argued; fighting down her urge to admit the same thing to him- that she felt something for him and denied it daily. "We barely know each other…"
Troy stood, approaching but pausing before her. "I know how you taste, how you kiss, how beautiful your scent is…"
Gabi parted her lips, astounded at his confession. She lifted her chin as his thumb trailed her cheek.
"I know how it feels to be inside you; to make love with you and I know how you look when you come for me," his voice was nothing but a low husk, rich and edging on dirty; his words an aphrodisiac to Gabi's unloved body.
"Troy," she strangled out a protest.
"I know how I feel when I look at you and want nothing more than to kiss you; and how I feel knowing I can't…"
She swallowed, pushing her lips towards his. You can, oh but you can…
"I know how I feel when you tell me we have nothing," he added in a whisper, finally taking the lips she offered and claiming them with his own. Warm; firm yet soft, he sucked her budded lips and tipped her head back to slip his tongue against hers and deepen the union; his arms going around her to bring her close.
Gabi whimpered and clutched at his shoulders, finally throwing her arms about his neck to plaster herself against him; a memory from a not-so distant past they both ached to share again.
Oh god, this was too good, it almost hurt to want him this way. Gabi considered she had wronged someone in another life and now this was her punishment- falling for a man half her age; how she justified falling for someone she had barely gotten to know was beyond her so maybe she would concede it was merely a sexual attraction.
Honestly, as he wrapped her close and kissed her senseless, she had no clue what was the real reason for this insanity, only that they were treading a very dangerous wire while they indulged in it.
"Jared," she gasped. "What about Jared?"
Troy stiffened. "I thought he had seen us, then," he confided of her sudden break.
"He could," she stroked his hair with worry etching her face.
Troy gazed at her, then kissed her lips tenderly.
"He did set us up…"
"That doesn't mean it was for the right reasons…"
"He might be testing us," Troy agreed.
"Oh god, I've already failed," she groaned and stumbled back; walking away from him to create space.
He lifted his hands towards her, then dropped them, seeing her guilt and resigning himself to being rejected- again.
"It's okay; you don't need to say it. I already know," he assured with a nod.
"No, Troy…" she begged as he turned toward the door.
"Gabi, please," his whisper of a voice told her he was emotional enough as it was, without her uncertainty to add to the equation. "Just say goodnight, okay?" He asked.
She sucked in and let out a shocked and hurt breath. He was hurting, too. Because of her. She felt ashamed.
"Okay. Goodnight." She offered.
He nodded and walked away but the night didn't feel good for her at all. And she wasn't sure it ever would.
/
"How did the date go with Jade?"
Troy ignored Jared's stupid question and remained under his duvet.
"You know full well how it went," Troy answered when he felt Jared sit down on the bed edge.
"How can I, I wasn't there?" Jared remarked innocently.
Troy flipped his duvet back to squint at his friend.
"There was no Jade. You set me up to have dinner with your mom…"
"No!" Jared faked shock. "You had dinner with my mom?"
"It was a complete suck-fest by the way," Troy added for good measure.
"Really?" Jared looked concerned. "How come?"
"Because, idiot, she thought she was having dinner with her darling son and instead she got me!" Troy fumed.
"Well, I'm sure she wasn't rude about it…" Jared led.
Troy stared at his friend. "Do you think there's something going on between me and your mom?" He asked directly.
"No," his friend answered and Troy sighed in relief. "I know there is…"
"What!" Troy grizzled. "What do you base your knowledge on, exactly?" Troy demanded.
"Oh, please. You stare at her; she stares at you…don't think I don't see it. And you're always talking…"
"Talking is a crime now?" Troy arched.
"No, but I don't see you 'talking' to girls our own age, Troy. I don't see you spending the night with them or even interested in them if I am honest. And considering the amount of time you spend looking at my mom, I dismissed the possibility of you being gay and went with my gut feeling that you like older gals…"
Troy tossed the duvet back over his head.
"There's no use hiding," Jared pointed out.
"Look, so what if your mom is hot?" He ground out. "Nothing is going to happen so it's the end of the conversation…"
"Maybe not," Jared conceded.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Troy stated.
"Troy, I'm not mad at you," Jared clarified.
"You're not?" Troy ventured.
"No man, if you like my mom, then you like my mom. I mean don't get me wrong it's kinda weird, but what are we going to do to make her like you back?"
"What?" Troy flipped the duvet back down.
"Well she clearly fancies you," he observed. "I think you should walk around with your top off more…"
"You want your mom to fancy me?" He puzzled.
"Well at least I know you're not gonna be an asshole to her and try and act like my dad…"
"Dude, nothing is going on with me and your mom," Troy assured. "Nor will it. You're right. It's too damn weird…"
"Well, if you're sure," Jared commented.
"I'm sure. Can we please stop talking about it?"
Jared shrugged. "Breakfast is ready. We're going to the market today…"
"Oh, joy," Troy groaned and covered his face again.
"See you down stairs, dude!" Jared called as he went.
If he was lucky, Troy conceded, he might just get eaten alive by his duvet.